ENERGY STAR^® – Qualifying Criteria for Copiers

All manufacturers of copiers are required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before they can sign an ENERGY STAR Administrative Arrangement with Natural Resources Canada.

Definition
Copier – categorized as a commercial reprographic imaging unit whose sole function is to produce duplicates from a graphic hard-copy original. A copier must include a marking system, an imaging system and a paper-handling module. All black-and-white plain-paper technologies are covered, although the intent is to focus on widely used standard copier equipment such as light lens copiers. The specifications outlined below apply to standard-sized copiers designed to handle A4 or 21.5 x 28 cm (8.5 x 11 in.) paper and large-format copiers designed to handle A2 or 43 x 56 cm (17 x 22in.) paper or larger.

Enable – To set the power management feature of a given product to activate the power-saving features automatically.

Standby Mode – The condition in which the machine has reached operating conditions and is ready to make a copy, but is not making copies and has not yet entered into low-power mode. When the copier is in standby mode, there is virtually no delay before the copier is capable of making the next copy.

Low-Power Mode – The lowest power state the copier can automatically enter within some period of copier inactivity, without actually turning off.

Off Mode – The condition in which the copier is connected to an appropriate electrical source and has been recently shut off via the auto-off feature.

Default Time – The time period set by the manufacturer prior to shipping that determines when the copier will enter the low-power and off modes.

Recovery Time – The amount of time needed to bring the copier from a low-power mode to a standby mode.

Automatic Duplex Mode – The mode in which the copier automatically places images on both sides of a copy sheet, by automatically sending both the copy sheet and the graphic original through the copier. Examples of this are one-sided to two-sided copying or two-sided to two-sided copying. A copier is considered to have an automatic duplex mode only if it includes all accessories needed to satisfy the above conditions, i.e. an automatic document feeder and accessories for automatic duplexing capabilities.

Table 1 Tier 2 Standard-Sized Copiers (July 1, 1997)
Copier Speed (copies per minute – cpm)		0-20		21-44		45 and more
Low-Power Mode (watts)		None		3.85 x cpm + 5		3.85 x cpm + 5
Low-Power Default Time		N/A		15 minutes		15 minutes
Recovery Time (30 seconds)		N/A		Yes		Recommended
Off Mode (watts)		<= 5		<= 15		<= 20
Off-Mode Default Time		<= 30 minutes		<= 60 minutes		<= 90 minutes
Automatic Duplex Mode		No		Optional		Optional

To meet ENERGY STAR guidelines, copier models designed to handle primarily A2 or 43 x 56 cm (17 x 22 in.) paper or larger shall meet the specifications provided in Tables 2 and 3. All large-format copier speeds shall be measured with respect to the number of A4-sized copies that are produced per minute, as described above.

Table 2 Tier 2 Large-Format Copiers (June 30, 1999)
Copier Speed (copies per minute)		0-40		41 and more
Low-Power Mode (watts)		N/A		3.85 x cpm + 5
Low-Power Default Time		N/A		15 minutes
Recovery Time (30 Seconds)		N/A		Recommended
Off-Mode (watts)		<= 20		<= 40
Off-Mode Default Time		<= 30 minutes		<= 90 minutes
Automatic Duplex Mode		No		No

For Tier 2, Participant shall ship copier models with the default time for the low-power mode set to the values stated in Tables 1 and 2 above. Participant shall set the default times for the auto-off features to the levels specified in Tables 1 and 2 above. The default times for the off mode and low-power mode shall be measured from the time the last copy was made.

Table 3 Tier 2 Large-Format Copiers (June 30, 1999)
Copier Speed (copies per minute)		0-40		41 and more
Low-Power Mode (watts)		N/A		3.85 x cpm + 5
Low-Power Default Time		N/A		15 minutes
Recovery Time (30 Seconds)		N/A		Recommended
Off-Mode (watts)		<= 10		<= 20
Off-Mode Default Time		<= 30 minutes		<= 90 minutes
Automatic Duplex Mode		No		No

For Tier 3, Participant shall ship copier models with the default time for the low-power mode set at the values stated in Table 3. Participant shall set the default times for the auto-off feature to the levels specified in Tables 3 above. The default times for the off mode and low-power mode shall be measured from the time the last copy was made.

For all copier speeds where it is optional that the duplex mode be set as the default, if a model is shipped with the automatic duplexing capabilities, then it is recommended that duplexing be set as the default mode. Participant may provide users with the ability to override this default duplex mode for single-sided copies.

Certification Requirements
Products may be self-certified, or certified by an independent third party, to determine if they are compliant with the ENERGY STAR technical specifications. For specific testing protocols, please refer to the U.S. ENERGY STAR Web site. Tests may be conducted on products bearing the ENERGY STAR symbol to determine their compliance, and the Participant may be asked to voluntarily provide products for the purposes of such testing.