Sharp has recently launched two compact A4 colour photocopiers to meet demand for a reliable, affordable desktop solution for small workgroups of up to five people. The desire of businesses to conserve energy, resources and reduce print costs is as strong as ever. But not at any price.

Consolidating all print activity on large departmental A3 MFPs can make sense from a cost per page perspective, but for the sake of convenience and productivity, a strong case can be made for placing a number of workgroup A4 devices within easy reach of end users.

Today, it is widely accepted that the optimum print infrastructure in enterprises and SMEs features a balanced deployment of A4 and A3, colour and mono colour photocopiers. In small businesses with limited budgets and negligible A3 volumes, an A4 colour machine might satisfy in-house printing and workflow requirements in their entirety.

To meet the needs of customers who don't need an A3 device, Sharp already provides a wide range of lower cost, space-efficient A4 MFPs, including the DX-C200, MXC312 and MX-C381 for small, medium and large workgroups respectively. It is now strengthening its colour A4 offering with two small workgroup MFPs, the MXC250F and MX-C300W, which combine the reliability and productivity of larger MFPs with the small footprint of a desktop model.

"There has always been a requirement for small desktop machines," explains Sharp Group Product Manager Tom Primett. "For example, in departments such as HR that regularly print sensitive material, in a director's suite, or in a pod for four people. You might also choose to have one or two scattered around a busy office that people can use if the hallway machine is not accessible.

"We found that we were missing out on business from potential customers who needed a true business-class MFP but in a desktop format at an affordable price. We sell a lot of MX-C312s, but we were also losing orders because they are too highly featured, only come in floor-standing configurations and cost more than some people want to pay."

Find out more about these compact and affordable new models in our colour photocopiers section.

Compact Copiers