A3 Photocopiers

An A3 photocopier is useful for businesses which need to print in a slightly larger size but don’t require a full wide format copier. The prices of A3 copiers start at around £700 for a basic desktop model and can increase to £3000 – £5000 and more if you’re looking for a more sophisticated model with a faster print speed and more features such as colour copying. A3 photocopiers can be purchased both new and used and many suppliers also offer rental, leasing and finance options.

Below we will compare some popular A3 copiers and look at their main features and specifications.

Sharp AL1644 A3 Digital Photocopier

This Sharp model is a compact digital photocopier perfect for use in a small office environment. It offers print speeds of up to 16 pages per minute and industry standard 600dpi print quality. As with many lighter use copiers the AL1644 is a multifunction device offering copying, scanning and printing functionality out of the box. It has a generous 2 x 250 sheet loading capacity which eliminates the need for regular refilling of paper as it can accept a 500 sheet ream in one go with no wastage. Seen as a mid to entry level model the Sharp AL1644 is at the time of writing priced around £1000 if purchased outright. Leasing options would start at around £20 – £30 per month for a 5 year contract and £30 – £50 per month for a shorter 3 year lease.

Kyocera Mita KM-3040 A3 Monochrome Photocopier

This Kyocera model is on the whole a slightly more heavy duty and feature rich version of the Sharp. It has a snappy warm up time of just 15 seconds and a time to first copy of 4.7 seconds. With a maximum speed of 30 pages per minute the copier should more than suffice for small to medium businesses. Compared to the Sharp the Kyocera copier has more than twice the paper capacity with two 500 sheet paper feeders and a 200 sheet internal multi-purpose tray. The KM-3040 offers an intuitive touch screen control panel and easy access print and fax functions. The average price for the Kyocera A3 photocopier is around £2000 to £2200 for outright purchase. Leasing the copier will probably work out around £60 – £70 a month on a longer contract and £80 – £100 for a shorter term contract.

A possible shift away from A3 to A4 MFP’s

There is talk in the industry about A3 photocopiers becoming redundant due to their greater cost and environmental impact compared to A4 Multifunction copiers. For many businesses such as those in research and development and design the A3 copier will remain an essential part of the office. As they can work out more expensive than their A4 counterparts it’s always wise to shop around, do your research and compare quotes before making a decision.