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Copier speed is measured in pages per minute (ppm), and it's one of the first specs buyers fixate on. But faster isn't automatically better — paying for a 60 ppm production machine when you print 3,000 pages a month is wasted money, while under-buying leaves your team waiting at the copier. Here's how to match speed to your actual needs.
Pages per minute is how many single-sided letter pages the engine outputs once it's running. It doesn't include the few seconds to wake and process the first page ("first-copy-out time"), and speeds can be lower for heavier paper or full-color pages on some machines. Still, ppm is the best single number for matching a copier to your workload.
The honest way to size a copier is by monthly page volume, not raw speed. As a rough guide:
Speed isn't only about total volume — it's about peak load. If your team hits the copier all at once (a morning of packets, an end-of-month billing run), a faster machine clears the queue so people aren't stacking up. If your printing is bursty rather than steady, sizing up a class can be worth it even when your monthly total is modest.
For offices that scan and copy multi-page documents, the document feeder speed matters as much as print speed. A single-pass duplex feeder that captures both sides at once can save far more time day-to-day than a few extra ppm on the print engine.
Speed classes are priced in tiers, so buying exactly the speed you need is one of the easiest ways to save. A used low-meter machine lets you buy up a class for peak-load headroom without paying new-machine prices — the best of both worlds.
Size your copier by monthly volume first, add a class if your printing comes in bursts, and pay attention to feeder speed if you scan a lot. Tell us your monthly page count and how your team uses the machine, and we'll match the right ppm — call 714-696-6082 or browse our used Ricoh copiers.
