Happy Tuesday, blog readers! Today, we are going to talk about some ways that you can secure and manage the use of your copier. 


It may seem odd that anyone would want want to control access to their machine, but it’s not only a way to cut usage costs. It is also a way to help secure your equipment from unauthorized use. You may also want to keep track of who is doing what with your copier, from a financial and security standpoint. 

There are a few ways you can control the use of your equipment, and the first place we’ll start is with access controls. Your copier does support user authentication through a number of methods. For this post, we’ll talk about local access codes, and even using ID badges! 

First, you can set your copier to require anyone who wants to use it to enter a code that is assigned to them, much like a password. This also has the effect of allowing you to track each person’s usage. The only downside to using codes, is that codes can easily be shared among people. You can imagine how just using codes alone could create an issue. This is more of a basic method of locking down your copier from random unauthorized users. 

A better method of securing your copier comes through using ID cards. Unlike codes, An ID card usually possessed by, and assigned to a specific person. These can be the cards that are used to gain access to specific areas of the facility, or separate cards altogether. It is common to just use the same cards as one would use for access to secured areas of the facility. 

For this, your copier would need the optional card reader addon. Once you have this installed, then you can configure your machine to require the use of an ID card in order to use it. This can be set up either locally on the machine itself, which is great for small offices, or from a central server, for advanced security. The use of ID cards steps up the security level on your equipment, as unlike a simple code, ID cards cannot really be shared without someone having to give theirs up, which can lead to even bigger security problems than just making a few weird copies! 

Usage tracking and auditing also applies with ID cards just as much as it does with simple codes. 

Of course, both methods apply to printing, copying, Faxing and scanning. In fact, you can make your copier hold your print job until you use your ID card or access code on it. This is a great way to ensure that someone doesn’t walk off with your documents.