Do you see paper disappearing at your office? Of course you haven’t. The idea of the “paperless office” that is free of printers was pie in the sky, more of a hope and a dream than something grounded in reality.
Even in 2023, the practicalities of running a business will require that SMEs own and run at least one printer. No matter how far the technology has advanced, someone will always want a hard copy of a document.
And that’s why we’ve put together this quick guide for anyone in the market for a workplace printer that covers the considerations to keep in mind when shopping for one.
Printing Volume
Determine the average number pages printed by your business each month. This will allow you to choose a print device with a duty cycle that is appropriate for your business and based on the recommended monthly volume. Knowing these stats will help you find a printer to meet your needs.
Print Speed
Think about how quickly you want your documents to be printed. Some printers are fast, but others make you wait even for the simplest of jobs. You might think it’s obvious, but you need a faster printer if your company requires high-speed prints. Talk to a salesperson to request a live demonstration.
Keep in mind that faster printers cost more. A compromise between price and performance is the best solution.
Print Quality
Determine the quality of print required for your company. Select a printer which has high-resolution and accurate colour. Laser printers used to produce the highest-quality documents. But inkjet printing technology has improved so much that it can now produce prints of laser quality.
The stat to look for on the printer’s spec sheet is “DPI”, or “dots per inch”. The higher the number, the sharper your print will be. If you’re shopping in-store, ask the salesperson if they have sample prints to show you from the printer you’re interested in so you can do a direct comparison.
Paper Handling
Evaluate your business’s paper-handling requirements. Get a printer capable of handling the different sizes and types that your business uses. Remember that it’s far more common for printers to print A4 pages than it is for them to print A3. You should look for features such as automatic duplexing (the ability to automatically print both sides of paper without any manual intervention) and multiple paper trays.
Multiple paper trays allow you to load multiple types of paper at once. This feature allows you to store more paper, reduce waste and streamline certain tasks. For example, you can designate one tray to be used for everyday printing and another for labeling, allowing staff to easily print what they require by changing settings within the print job.
Connectivity
The second-most important consideration after you’ve decided on laser or ink is how the printer connects to your office IT environment. What you need is a USB or LAN port on your printer. You can also find out more about the following: Wireless connectivity is the best option for staff to access its functions.
Wireless is the most convenient since you can place the printer pretty much anywhere in your office, so if you’re going to sacrifice anything, sacrifice the other two connections.
Multifunction Capability
Many businesses must also scan, fax, and copy documents. Multifunction printers that can do all this will help you consolidate office equipment, save money and space.
Cost Efficiency
The total cost of ownership is a very important consideration, especially in these hard economic times. It includes the initial printer purchase price, supplies (ink cartridges or toner, paper), as well as maintenance costs. Consider printers with cost-saving features, such as high-yielding cartridges or ink saving modes.
Be sure to check the cost of replacement supplies as they can be astronomical in some cases. It’s not uncommon to find cheap printers that cost almost as much as replacement ink/toner, so be sure to do your due diligence before committing.
Compatibility
This one is less important because of global compatibility, but we’ll mention it anyway: make sure that the printer is compatible with your business’s operating systems and software applications.
Most printers you’ll buy these days support both Windows and Mac and if you’re using another operating system like Linux, there are probably drivers for them somewhere if you look hard enough, so this is a bit of a moot point. Or is it really?
Support and Warranty
Be sure to check the manufacturer’s reputation for customer support and the length and coverage of the warranty provided with the printer. Online reviews can be a great source of information.
You don’t want to get back to the office with an out-of-box failure only to have to wait weeks for the printer to be fixed because the company’s policy is to not swap out defective units immediately.
User-Friendliness
Take into account the ease of usage and the interface of the printer. You should look for features such as touchscreens, intuitive navigation, or easy maintenance. The best printers for this are those with touchscreens, since all you have to do is follow the instructions and read the screen.
Printers made by established manufacturers such as HP, Epson Canon and Brother have incorporated the lessons learned from the customers over the years. Their designs are streamlined in order to provide the most convenient and easy-to-use interfaces.
Security Features
Check out the printer’s security features, especially if you handle sensitive or confidential information. Features like data encryption and user authentication are important. Forcing users to enter a code before collecting sensitive documents is the industry-standard way of handling things like this, and you need to know if the printer you’re considering has the feature.
Reviews and recommendations
Search online for reviews and recommendations from businesses or professionals in the industry who have experience using the printers that you are considering. Nothing says “this printer is awesome” like glowing reviews from hundreds or thousands of people. Likewise, it’s a great way to find out about the potential pitfalls of your possible printer purchase before committing.
Rent or buy?
Stuff recently published an article about the question of renting vs owning your business equipment, and it’s most applicable to things like printers.
The biggest advantage of renting a printer is that the printer is entirely the rental company’s problem. Renting a printer is a great option because the rental company will set it up and you only have to pay for what you print. If it breaks (which it will, since printers are awful), then they must fix it within a certain time frame. Likewise, if it runs out of ink or toner, it’s up to the rental company to top it up.
The disadvantage of renting is you will end up paying more for the printer over time compared to what you’d pay to own it outright. But since you’re also dodging the problems that will inevitably arise, it is, in our opinion, worth paying a bit extra to rent.
By keeping all of this in mind, you can make an informed decision and choose a printer that aligns with your business’s specific needs and budget. Don’t just buy the first one you see, ask some pointed questions, and you’ll likely find a printer that will meet your business needs.