Let's not kid ourselves, this has been happening for years, but sometimes there's still an old-school mentality happening out there.  And, you know, if we're talking about technology, there is no status quo - things are always changing.

Not long ago, a “copier” did one job. Walk into any office and you’ll still hear the same question: “What’s the print speed?” or “How many trays does it have?” Speeds and feeds do matter, but here’s the bigger truth: modern multifunction devices (MFDs) from brands like Sharp and Kyocera are no longer single?purpose machines. They’re workflow engines—secure, cloud?connected, analytics?enabled hubs that quietly move your business faster. If you’re comparing options purely on unit price, you’re likely missing the real cost (and the real upside).

Today’s multifunction printers (MFPs) scan directly to SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, route documents to accounts payable workflows, lock down sensitive prints with secure release, and analyze utilization. They’re the bridge between paper and digital.

Think about a day in your office: a contract is signed, an invoice arrives, HR updates onboarding forms, a team prints a client proposal. Every one of those steps either flows smoothly or hits friction. An MFP from Sharp or Kyocera can simplify the process and allow your team to focus on more productive tasks—no lost documents, no mystery versions, no wandering around trying to find which printer grabbed your job.

Scenario: Protecting employees’ confidential information is always a concern. But in the wrong environment, HR prints payroll data and benefits summaries and pages sit on the tray while someone walks over. Risky.

Secure print release (which can be supported natively with the right brand of MFP, and even enhanced with 3^rd party solutions):

• Users authenticate at the device (badge, PIN, or mobile app). This ensures that only the right person is going to be able to access the sensitive information
• Jobs release only when the user is present. This also provides enhancements with workflow as a user can send multiple documents to the MFP and can retrieve them all at once, instead of racing back and forth from their desk to the printer.
• Unreleased jobs auto?expire (no waste, no exposure). Reports shows that organizations can reduce their print costs by up to 30% as documents that are forgotten about, or have been edited multiple times don’t see the light of day, and then of course, don’t incur the print cost associated with that wasted document.

Conservative ROI math:

• Waste reduction: If your office prints ~10,000 pages/month and 30% is abandoned ? 3,000 pages. If the cost to print colour is $0.07/page through the service agreement, that works out to as much as $240/month, plus reduced shredding cost, whether handled in house or contracted out.
• Risk reduction: What if confidential information is exposed? What are the ramifications of that? You could lose a key employee, there could be legal fees, or morale or reputation can be severely compromised.
• Time saved: When you’re retrieving your prints in batches or eliminating the need to circle around the office to see who might have accidentally picked up your prints while they picked up yours, you’re saving time, and across all the employees on your team, that really adds up by the end of the month.

Choosing the right vendor, not only ensure that you’re dealing with a team that has the knowledge to implement these solutions, but they’ll be also able to provide the brand that integrates these solutions into their hardware. A cheaper solution might not be able to provide you a comprehensive solution that can deliver all these benefits.

Real World Example #3: Sales Proposals That Just... Work

Scenario: Your sales teams is the face of the organization and when it comes time to earning new business, you need to offer a presentation that helps you stand apart from the competition. Proposals can include tabs, covers, and stapling and the key is being able to provide consistent results, regardless of the company rep or hardware.

Modern MFPs with advanced finishing (booklets, saddle stitch, tabs, hole?punch) and consistent drivers deliver peace of mind.

• Saved setup time: Pre?configured print presets for “Proposal—Booklet” or “Client Packet—Tabs” can simplify the process for the sales reps and increase adoption of the process.
• Consistency in projecting brand image: Being able to offer the same output across multiple devices with standardized drivers and finishing kits lets you know that the decisions that are made in the design of these presentations, can be easily and consistently delivered to your clients and prospects.
• Professional output: Crisp, aligned, ready?to?deliver documents without outsourcing.

Conservative ROI math:

• If each packet setup takes 5 extra minutes manually × 80 packets/month = 400 minutes (~6.7 hours).
• At $45/hour for sales ops time ? $300/month (~$3,600/year) saved.
• Factor in avoided outsourcing for booklet jobs ? add $1,000-$3,000/year easily.