A combination of longer life components and improved process techniques results in modern devices producing much higher levels of productivity than previously available.

Documents can be scanned at higher speeds and resolutions and finishers no longer need to reduce the design speed. Automatic double-siding has seen a significant increase in speed and can even be the same as when producing single sided work.

For example:
In 1998 –
A 50 copy per minute photocopier would only produce 50 per minute when copying a large quantity from one original.

If a document feeder or sorter were added, the copy speed would drop to around 40 per minute.

When using automatic double-siding, copy speeds could drop to 25 per minute.

In 2004 –
A 50 copy per minute digital copier will maintain a full 50 per minute even when collating.

When using automatic double-siding, the copy speed will be approx 48 per minute.

The modern digital device is smaller than its analogue predecessor and will produce much less noise.