Buying guide

How to Prepare Your Office for a New Copier or Printer

By JR Copier

Office employee starting a job on a copier touchscreen

A smooth installation starts before the delivery truck arrives. A little preparation means your team can print, copy and scan on day one instead of waiting for missing details.

Space, access and power

Measure the spot where the device will go and the doorways, hallways and elevators on the way there. Floor-standing copiers with finishers need clearance for doors and trays to open. Confirm a suitable electrical outlet is nearby and avoid sharing a circuit with heavy appliances. In Southwest Florida offices, keep the device out of direct sun and away from exterior doors to limit heat and humidity.

Think about the people around it as well. A copier near desks can be noisy during long jobs, and a busy device in a narrow hallway creates a bottleneck. Leave room nearby for paper storage and a surface for sorting output, and let the building manager know about the delivery if your office is in a shared building.

Network and IT details

Have a network drop or Wi-Fi details ready, and decide whether the device will use a fixed IP address. If you use an IT provider, invite them to the installation. Gather the email server settings needed for scan-to-email and the folder paths for scan-to-folder.

List the computers that will print to the device and their operating systems, so drivers can be installed without guesswork. If staff print from phones or tablets, or scan to a cloud service, note that too. Testing a print and a scan from each department before the installer leaves catches most problems early.

Users, codes and security

Prepare a list of users or departments if you want user codes, card release or color restrictions. Decide who will be the device administrator. Secure-release printing helps when confidential documents are printed in a shared space.

Plan a short walkthrough for staff once the device is running. Showing people how to release jobs, scan to their folder and clear a simple jam saves many interruptions later. A one-page sheet posted near the device with the basics is often enough.

Plan for the old machine

If an existing copier is being replaced, check whether it is leased and what the return terms are — our lease checklist covers this — and arrange for its hard drive to be wiped. Save any address books or scan settings you want to move to the new device first.

  • Measured space and delivery path
  • Outlet and network connection
  • Scan destinations and email settings
  • User list and administrator
  • Old device return or disposal plan
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