A short glossary of photocopier terms explaining the industry common abbreviations:
ADF
An automaic document feeder (ADF) lets you copy multiple pages without having to manually load each individual page.`The ADF feeds each page through.
Automatic re-sizing
This fuction adjusts the dimensions of your original document to fit the size of paper selected to copy on
Catcher Tray
The exit tray on the copier that collects the copies/prints
cpm/ppm
Copies per minute/pages per minute. How many copies or prints the machine will produce in one minute.
Consumables
Items that run out and require regular replacing are called consumables. These include paper, toner and fuser oil.
Control Panel
Usually a LCD display where you can select all the different functions of the photocopier
Counter
The photocopier counter keeps a record of the number of copies produced.
DPI
DPI (dots per inch) refers to scan and print resolution. A higher DPI results in a better quality reproduction of the original.
Driver
Software that connects computer(s) to a printer.
Drum
The drum is the part of the photocopier that produces the image on the paper.
Duplex
A duplex feature enables printing on both sides of every copy (double-sided). Some photocopiers have duplex function as standard, it can also be an extra for some models.
Fax Board
Allows digital photocopiers to perform fax functions.
Finishing
Digital photocopiers offer an impressive selection of finishing, some as standard, some as extras. These include stapling, hole punching, binding, folding and booklets.
First Time Copy
This is the time taken from power on to produce the first photocopy.
Four Colour (CMYK) Printing
Four colour printing uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black to create all the colours.
Image Editing
Digital offer features to enhance documents. These include automatic page numbering, border erasing, colour adjustment and image centering. Higher end photocopiers offer many other editing features. However, if your photocopier is networked document editing can be done on your computer.
Large Format Photocopier
Photocopiers designed for A2 and larger.
Monochrome
Black and white,.
MFP/MFD
Multifunctional peripheral/device. A machine capable of scanning, printing, copying and faxing. Also known as all-in-one.
Multifunction
Multifunction devices offer printing, scanning, faxing and copying in one machine. These can be particularly useful in a smaller office as it eliminates the need to have separate devices.
Platen Glass
The glass panel where originals are placed for copying.
Printer
Some also offer the facility to be a laser printer. Using your photocopier instead of a regular laser printer can reduce printing costs by up to 25%. The photocopier will print documents at the same speed that it copies documents.
RADF
A reverse automatic document feeder will copy double sided documents by turning pages inside the machine.
Saddle Stitch
A finisher option that folds and inserts staples into the spine (saddle) to create booklets.
Scan to email
A document can be scanned and e-mailed directly from the photocopier to an e-mail address.
Scan to file
This feature creates an electronic file from a hardcopy original and sends it to the desktop or serber folder for retrieval from the desktop.
Scan Once Print Many
Using digital technology the original is now scanned into memory and then reproduced from memory rather than being scanned for each copy. Where there are multiple originals the whole stack is scanned in one go if memory permits.
Sorting
Digital copiers do not need sorter trays. They electronically sort documents and the copies are fed to a single tray offest from each other for easy identification. Sorting this way eliminates the restriction of only being able to copy the number of sets as you have sorter bins.
Stapling
A finishing option, standard on some machines. There are many options available including top left, centre edge, fold and bind, bottom left and one or two staple edge stapling.
.Warm Up Time
This is the time from initial power on for the fuser to have warmed up sufficiently to enable copying.
Jenny Robinson writes for office equipment and document management solution provider http://www.onlineconnect.co.uk/
