So, your business needs to have a printer, but which type do you choose? Of course, as with many business decisions, the choices you make will be highly subjective. Since no two businesses are the same, their printer needs will not be the same either. For starters, we will provide information on Tips for Choosing the Right Printer for Your Needs and the three broad categories of printer options below:
Tips for Choosing a Printer as Needed
1. Inkjet printers
As the name suggests, inkjet printers use liquid ink that is sprayed onto paper to create an image. Inkjets continue to expand their capabilities and are currently the most versatile printer your business can buy. Whether you need to print high-quality office documents or photos, there is an inkjet printer to suit your needs.
2. Laser printers
For years laser printers were too expensive for small business or home use, but today they are compact and affordable. The big advantage of laser printing is speed. By using dry toner, the capacity of the toner cartridge is much more than that of a regular inkjet cartridge. Businesses that need to print large quantities of documents quickly should opt for a laser printer.
3. All-in-one printer
Also known as a Multi-Functional Device (MFD), this printer has built-in scanner and fax capabilities. For small businesses that need a compact printer but want to integrate scanning and faxing as well, the MFD is the ideal choice.
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Tips for Choosing a Printer as Needed |
Some businesses may also have special printing requirements. If your business needs to print larger documents, A3 paper (297 x 420mm, or 11.7 x 16.5-inch) is available. And most inkjet printers will be able to print via memory cards. Finally, a wide variety of printers are now wireless, meaning they can print from a desktop PC, tablet or smartphone over your company's Wi-Fi network.
Printer options
With so many options, it can be difficult to make the right decision. If your business doesn't require special printing like large page sizes, the choice basically boils down to inkjet or laser.
Speed
In a busy office, no one wants to wait for their work to be printed. Here the laser printer has a clear advantage. If you print most of your documents in black and white, laser printers can reach 60 pages per minute (PPM) with some coworkers exceeding that.
Quality
The type of printing your business needs to do will guide it to the quality of output it needs. Inkjets have improved massively over the last few years, but for many, lasers still have the edge on quality. If your business needs to print customer presentations, then the laser will give you crisp text and graphics. That said, the photography will have a more natural look if it is printed on an inkjet.
Workload
How many pages your business will generate each month is the workload or cycle as it is also called. Printers have mechanical components, which have a lifetime. Find a printer workload that matches the average number of pages your business should print each month to avoid damage and loss of output quality.
Network and security
Laser and inkjet printers have converged with many now offering high speed Ethernet or Wi-Fi connectivity. If your business needs to print sensitive documents, some printers will queue this until a PIN is entered into the printer by an authorized user.
Many small businesses are looking to do more with less to reduce their costs. Here, MFD is the perfect solution. To make sure your MFD meets your business needs, follow this checklist:
1. Can your business machine consider handling the required capacity?
MFD is available in various shapes and sizes. Many are aimed at the domestic market. Pay close attention to the capacities mentioned and adapt these to your business workload.
2. How important is the quality of scanning and printing?
Many of the latest MFDs use printing technology that, until recently, was only found in high-end laser printers. Take a look at sample prints and scans before making your choice.
3. Is fax capability required?
Fax is far from a dead communications medium, with many large businesses still needing it. Take a look at the MFD's fax capabilities, which are now possible using the cloud as well as direct calls to other fax machines.
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4. Does your company need to manage sensitive information?
Access to MFD features must be controlled with a PIN number or password. Also, make sure that the MFD only prints the necessary copies to ensure data security. And think about whether the USB port should be disabled.
5. Does your business require remote printing?
With the advent of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), printing from mobile devices has become fast and efficient. Pay close attention to the application that will use the MFD to ensure this connection is secure.
A careful assessment of your organization's printing needs will direct you to the right printer with the capabilities you need. With a number of factors to consider, balance these to create a to-do list, which you can then use to match your perfect printer.
Operating costs
One of the main problems with printers is that after their initial purchase price, how much will it cost over the life of the printer?
For many businesses, the cost of ink for their printers is often an afterthought, indeed if this is considered at all. For decades printers (inkjet printers in particular) have been reviled for the high cost of printer ink. Manufacturers cite high R&D costs as a reason, but the company has understood for several years that ink costs will be high to offset the low cost of purchasing the printer itself.
Various schemes have been tried over the years with HP Instant Ink being the latest. Here a compatible printer – for business, the OfficeJet Pro 8610 all-in-one is a good choice – will automatically order more ink in the mail to ensure it never runs out.
You register your printer and set a subscription rate based on the number of pages a month you will print. The system is flexible enough to allow businesses to start with a low subscription rate and scale it up as print volumes increase.
As the cost of replacing inkjet cartridges remains high, the market for unbranded cartridges has become widespread. Should your business use unbranded ink? Inkjet printer manufacturers have used a variety of techniques to stop this practice with the most common being the addition of a microchip to their own legitimate cartridge which the printer reads before accepting a new replacement ink.
Ink quality and the installed microchip can be a problem for some printers. Research by Yang shows that it's really a trial and error exercise with some users having little or no issues with unbranded cartridges, with others reporting their printers rejecting the cartridges completely. If your business is looking to save money on cartridges, it looks like you should try a few from an unbranded vendor and see which one works. It's worth a try, as it can cost half the retail price of branded ink.
For several years it has been possible to refit inkjet printers with refilled ink tanks. The ink cartridges in the printer are replaced with new cartridges that have pipes running into a large external ink tank for each color of ink, which can be refilled.
EcoTank Solution
Tips for Choosing a Printer That Fits Your Needs Using this system is favored by printer manufacturers, which is why Epson launched the EcoTank. The new printer range has external ink tanks that can be refilled with larger capacity ink bottles. For businesses, the Epson ET-4500, 4550 and WF-R4640 are MFDs that should serve most needs.
The printer's initial cost is higher than you might expect, but Epson claims you'll have two years of printing from the supplied ink. The new ink bottle has a capacity of 70ml (the average ink cartridge is less than 10ml in most cases) and costs around £8 (about $11, AU$16) making this system very cost effective if your business has a large workload. The system is aimed at home users initially, but small businesses can use the EcoTank to gain more control over their ink costs.
Your business needs to have a reliable print service. Assessing your printing needs will guide you to the right type of printer with sufficient capacity. Operating costs remain an issue with the high cost of branded inkjet and toner cartridges, but your business can investigate if EcoTank is the answer. Thus a review of Tips for Choosing a Printer According to Your Needs that Erzedka.com can provide. Hopefully this information can be useful.