Smith emphasizes that it's important that you know the models and the features you want before you talk to the sales rep. Then you can compare what one company has to offer versus another. If you leave it up to the sales rep to ask all the questions, you may not realize it, but those questions may be geared to steer you towards a specific product or service. Then when you compare that product with others on the market in that speed range, you may discover that no other products offer the feature you've now been convinced you must have. The Internet is a no-brainer.
Every copier manufacturer has a Website.
There you can check out specs on various models, narrowing down your search to a specific speed range. It's unlikely that you'll find many prices posted on these sites, which means you'll have to do a bit more prospecting to find a suggested retail price. If a manufacturer has a press room on their site or a page where you can access recent press releases, you can often find pricing in the press release. BLI's Smith also recommends speaking with as many people as you can about models you may be interested in. If all this sounds complicated, don't let it intimidate you.