People yearn for a completely paperless office environment and it’s easy to see why once you learn about the advantages that it can offer. Less waste, friendlier to the environment, easier to search records and less chance of damaging records are all excellent reasons to go paperless, but the reality is that we still rely on paper and will for the foreseeable future.
That’s why every office needs to have a reliable printer that can handle all printing tasks reliably yet also be efficient in terms of cost. No one wants to work with a printer that is broken half the time or runs out of ink after a day’s worth of printing, and there are other choices that need to be made such as connectivity options and extra features like copying and scanning.
So to help you choose a new printer, we’re going to list a couple of considerations to keep in mind before you spend money on a solution.
1. What features do you need?
There are basic printers that do printing very well, but not much of anything else. This is fine if all you need is a printer, but what if you need to scan documents to send them digitally or make photocopies without requiring a PC interface? In times like this, it’s a good idea to invest in a printer that can also copy and scan for the added functionality.
2. Do you need colour or mono?
Mono printers that only print in black and white do still exist and they’re incredibly useful for typical office documents that do not need colour. Buying one can help you save a lot of money on ink cartridges in the future and they often print faster and more efficiently than colour printers. If you don’t need colour prints, then a mono printer could be a cheaper alternative.
3. Have you read reviews?
It’s important to look at reviews of the printer you plan to purchase before you decide to invest money into it. This will give you an idea of the features, its longevity and any manufacturing faults that could cause issues down the road.
4. Consumer or business-grade printer?
If you’re a relatively small business that only makes a few prints now and then, you could probably afford to go with a consumer-grade printer that is designed for small offices and home use. However, if you will be making dozens of prints or more a day, then you may want to invest in a laser printer that is more expensive but offers more efficient printing.
5. Calculating page yield for ink
Before purchasing a printer, take a look at the cost of the ink and calculate how much you could print on a single cartridge. Some printers are very inexpensive but compatible ink might be incredibly expensive, whereas more expensive printers might be more efficient with their ink usage and the cartridges could last longer despite being more expensive.
6. Is there a reputable supplier for your ink?
Some older printers might still be on sale and they could offer you a great value on prints, but if the ink isn’t accessible and widely available, then it could be very expensive or difficult to get a hold of compatible ink. Make sure there’s a reputable supplier for the ink you’ll be using or else you’ll end up paying more in the future.
