You are in the market for a new printer for your company but are overwhelmed by the choices, leaving you unable to select one. There are many printers on the market and all of them have different features and capabilities for different prices so it is no wonder that you are intimidated when attempting to purchase.
Whether you are a small business or a massive corporation, below are factors you should consider to guarantee that you select a printer that meets your business needs and allow you to improve or maintain daily operations.
1. Printing needs
There are generally two types of printers: inkjet and laser. Inkjet printers use ink cartridges and is more suitable for printing in lower volumes. An inkjet printer is capable of colour printing as well as black and white, making it a better choice for photos and presentations. A laser printer uses toner and is more common in a large office setting.
A laser printer can print vast amounts in monochrome and is known for producing clear, sharp documents. In terms of speed, an inkjet printer is slower when operating due to its precision capabilities. A laser printer is built to meet the demands of a busy workplace and therefore is capable of printing between 15 and 100 pages per minute.
Looking at your printing volume, what will be printed, and how each type of business printer will affect your daily operations would benefit you and your business in the long run.
2. Office size
The size of your office will be a major determinant in the type of printer you should purchase for your business. Obviously a small business will be printing minimally as opposed to a large corporation with hundreds of employees needing to print documents from many different workstations consistently throughout the day.
If your business is of the smaller type, a smaller inkjet or laser printer will be sufficient to meet your requirements. For a larger company, a laser machine that can be connected to a network would be beneficial and wireless capabilities should also be considered. A larger business would also enjoy a bigger paper tray to prevent employees from having to constantly reload paper which can slow down office operations significantly.
3. Colour vs. monochrome
Before purchasing a printer for the office, brainstorm what kinds of things you and your employees print. Do you print photos and elegant presentations? If so, an inkjet printer capable of printing in colour would be best. Does your business only print documents such as letters and spreadsheets? You could probably make do with a monochrome printer that only prints black and white.
Remember, a colour printer will almost always be more expensive so if you do not need to print in colour, a monochrome printer should definitely be considered to save your company some costs.
4. Maintenance
When buying a printer be mindful of how much it will be when you need it to be repaired. It may be tempting to buy a printer with all of the bells and whistles offered, but remember the more features the printer has, the more that can go wrong and needs to be fixed. A cartridge used in a colour printer is usually more expensive and will add to your overall costs.
Searching for a printer that allows you to default to monochrome printing unless colour is specified will assist you in keeping colour printing minimal. In some instances repair costs may run higher than the initial purchase price of the printer. Obviously in these cases it may make more financial sense to replace the printer as opposed to fixing it.
