Why Big Copier Companies Rarely Talk About Volume Splitting

If you’ve spent any time talking to large copier manufacturers or enterprise-focused dealers, you may have noticed something missing from the conversation: volume splitting.

Despite being a practical and effective strategy for many small and mid-sized businesses, it’s rarely discussed, and almost never recommended, by the biggest players in the office imaging industry.

That’s not because volume splitting doesn’t work. It’s because it doesn’t fit their business model.

What Is Volume Splitting (Briefly)?

Volume splitting means distributing print volume across two appropriately sized business-class multi-function printers instead of relying on one large, high-cost device.

For example:

• One $7,500+ enterprise MFP handling 10,000 pages/month versus

• Two $2,000 business-class MFPs sharing that same volume

Both approaches can meet the technical requirement. The difference lies in economics, risk, and flexibility.

1. Big Copier Companies Are Built Around Bigger Deals

Large manufacturers and national dealers are structured to sell:

• Higher-priced hardware

• Larger contracts

• Longer terms

• Centralized fleets

Their internal economics, from sales compensation to service operations, are optimized around fewer, larger devices, not multiple smaller ones.

Volume splitting:

• Lowers the average selling price

• Reduces deal size

• Adds complexity to their sales and service models

It’s not that it’s wrong, it’s simply uneconomical for them.

2. Enterprise Service Models Prefer Centralization

Enterprise copier programs are designed around:

• Centralized printing

• Standardized hardware

• Measured service metrics

• Benchmarking and reporting

One large machine is easier to:

• Monitor

• Measure

• Benchmark

• Report on

Two smaller devices introduce variability, and variability doesn’t play well with enterprise dashboards and service scorecards.

For small businesses, that structure often adds cost without adding real value.

3. Bigger Machines Justify Enterprise Pricing Narratives

High-capacity devices help support narratives like:

• “Future-proofing”

• “Scalability”

• “Enterprise-grade reliability”

• “Advanced workflow environments”

Those claims can be valid, when the workload supports them.

But for businesses printing under 10,000 pages per month, much of that capacity goes unused. Volume splitting exposes that mismatch, which makes it uncomfortable for companies whose messaging relies on larger systems being the default answer.

4. Volume Splitting Reduces Single-Point Failure Risk — But Also Revenue Risk

From a customer perspective, volume splitting:

• Reduces downtime risk

• Provides built-in redundancy

• Keeps offices running when one device is down

From a large vendor’s perspective:

• It reduces dependency on one high-value asset

• It reduces leverage in long-term contracts

• It weakens the “all eggs in one basket” model

Again, not wrong, just misaligned.

5. Small Businesses Think Differently Than Enterprises

Small business owners don’t think in terms of:

• Fleet optimization

• Benchmarking groups

• Performance dashboards

They think in terms of:

• “What happens if this breaks?”

• “How much will this cost me this year?”

• “Can we keep working if something goes wrong?”

Volume splitting answers those questions directly, which is exactly why it resonates so strongly with SMBs.

6. Why Independent Dealers Talk About It More

Independent, SMB-focused dealers aren’t bound by:

• Manufacturer sales quotas

• Enterprise pricing floors

• Rigid service frameworks

That freedom allows them to recommend:

• Right-sized solutions

• Lower-risk designs

• Flexible configurations

• Practical alternatives like volume splitting

When a dealer’s success depends on long-term relationships, not just deal size, different conversations happen.

The Bottom Line

Big copier companies don’t avoid volume splitting because it’s ineffective.They avoid it because it doesn’t support their economics, metrics, or sales structure.

For many small and mid-sized businesses, however, volume splitting delivers:

• Better up-time

• Lower upfront cost

• Reduced risk

• Greater flexibility

And in the real world of small business operations, those outcomes matter more than having the biggest machine on the floor.

The smartest copier strategy isn’t about buying the largest device available, it’s about designing a solution that fits how your office actually works.