One Copier or Many? How Smart Offices Decide

When Printing Becomes a Productivity Killer

You’ve heard it before:

“Is the printer working yet?”
“Why is there a line down every scan?”
“Did anyone order toner?”

When office printing becomes a source of stress instead of productivity, it’s time to rethink your setup.

One copier for the whole office sounds efficient—until it slows everything (and everyone) down. But is having multiple printers overkill, or the smarter choice?

What We’ve Learned After 30+ Years

At Novatech, we’ve been helping businesses manage copiers and printers for over 30 years. We support more than 100,000 devices across the country—so we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.

And here’s what we can tell you:

It depends on how your business operates.

For smaller offices (5–10 people), a single central multifunction copier is often the best move—simple, cost-effective, and easy to manage. But even then, you have to ask:

• Is printing critical to daily operations?

• Would downtime cost us money?

• Do we have a backup plan?

A title company printing closing documents daily? You’ll want a redundant device—even if it’s just a basic desktop printer to keep things moving during emergencies.

Other times, specific teams need unique functionality. Engineers might need 11×17 drawings. Marketing needs crisp color. In these cases, a dedicated device per department makes more sense than fighting over shared equipment.

And let’s not forget leadership. Some CEOs want their own printer for speed and privacy. Sure, we can enable secure print features like PIN codes and badge release—but sometimes a private device avoids unnecessary tension.

It’s not about choosing the “right” answer. It’s about designing the right environment for your people.

In This Article, You Learned…

• Why small offices can often succeed with one well-managed copier

• When a backup printer prevents costly downtime

• Why team-specific printers (like for marketing or engineering) add real value

• How to handle executive preferences without sacrificing IT control

• That your print strategy should match how your team actually works—not just how things look on paper

At Novatech, we don’t just drop off hardware and leave. We design print environments that help your business run smarter, smoother, and more securely.

Let’s take the guesswork out of your copier setup. We’ll help you get it right.