It isn’t easy finding the perfect office printer. The right selection often depends on the needs of the business. But what features should you focus on? What really matters? Before you start loading up that shopping cart, understand what you’re really buying, with our Buyers Guide for Printers.
Every office runs differently and has different printing needs. That’s why there’s no one-size-fits-all device. It really comes down to print volume and what kind of printing features your office needs.
Buyers Guide for Printers – The Basics
First, let’s cover the basics. There are a few specs that you need to understand in order to make a wise purchase.
Print Volume – Your office’s “print volume” is the total number of pages you print per month.
Duty cycle – This term means how many pages per month a printer can be expected to print. Generally, your monthly Print Volume should be well below this number.
PPM – This stands for “pages per minute” and shows how fast a printer can print pages. Just know that there could be different PPMs for black and white versus colour.
Now that we’ve covered printer basics, let’s move on to different features that will often make the difference in your selection.
Colour or Monochrome
Colour is one of the most important decisions that will affect pricing, mainly because of the higher per page cost of printing colour.
If the majority of your printing involves text documents, a monochrome or simple black-and-white laser printer is an affordable option that has a lower cost per page.
If your organization needs to print coloured graphics or sharp photos, a colour inkjet might be the best choice. And if you need the versatility of sometimes printing in colour, a printer that offers both capabilities might be worth the investment.
Multifunction printers
Do you need a printer that also scans, faxes, or copies? A multifunction printer or MFP is an all-in-one device. Some basic MFPs come in small desktop models that don’t take up much room, though because their paper trays are smaller, you may have to refill them more often.
But there are also the larger, more functional models that can handle large volumes of printing, which may be more suitable for a large corporate office.
Print Speed
As we discussed, a printer’s speed or pages per minute (PPM) will affect how fast it can run a print job. But this number matters mostly in a business that does a lot of high-volume printing.
A high-capacity printer will have more memory and faster processors, with a higher PPM that can handle multiple print jobs at once. It will churn out pages at a much faster rate.
Just remember, photos will always take longer to print, and some manufacturers might exaggerate their PPM on the box. If you want to know how long it will take for high-quality prints, a good rule of thumb is to cut the stated PPM in half.
Paper Handling
While many consumers focus on the cost of printer paper, many overlook the types of paper they’ll be using. If you need to print on glossy stock or legal envelopes, make sure that your printer comes with adaptable, or even multiple “feed trays”, that can accommodate unusual sizes or different paper weights.
Tray capacity also matters. Remember, smaller trays will require more frequent paper loading, whereas a 250-page hopper will require much fewer reloads. A printer’s output tray (where you retrieve your paper) should also be large enough to handle your number of daily pages, so your documents don’t end up on the floor.
Duplexing
Another handy feature is duplexing, which is the term that is used when you want to print on both sides of a sheet of paper.
Some commercial printers come with automatic duplexing, which can be a great time-saver, so you don’t have to keep manually turning pages over to print on the other side. It also saves on paper cost if you print double-sided, and it’s more environmentally friendly.
Connectivity
In today’s modern offices, we all want technology that blends seamlessly together. This often means wireless technologies. Luckily, most business printers already connect wirelessly through Wi-Fi or over Bluetooth. With some, you can even print directly from your smartphone or digital camera.
If your office has a remote workforce or uses cloud-based applications such as Office 365, a Wi-Fi enabled printer may be essential because it allows you to print remotely by connecting a printer to the web. There are apps that also allow you to print directly from the Cloud. Xerox and Lexmark both offer similar cloud-printing products.
Advanced Security Options
The downside to all this wonderful wireless tech is that hackers are increasingly targeting unsecured printers to gain access to a company’s sensitive information and documents.
If you don’t want to fall victim to cybercriminals, it’s best to opt for a printer that features advanced security options, such as:
- User authentication and authorizations, which prevents any unauthorized users from accessing important documents.
- Follow-me printing, which stores your print job digitally until it is released by a specific employee login or ID card.
- Data encryption capabilities that block hackers by encrypting high-level documents. Look for “stored data protection” under features.
- Monitoring software, which can block suspicious activity, potential threats, and some malware.
Our Final Thoughts…
As you can see, it all depends on how you intend to use your office printer. Our Buyers Guide for Printers is just a quick reference tool so you can understand the basics and some advanced features.
But even with this primer, it can still be a daunting task. An office printer can be a fairly substantial investment, especially a high-end model. If you still need help, the print experts at Com Pro can answer more specific questions pertaining to your business. We also offer Managed Print services for small to large organizations.
Need some professional advice about printers? Contact us to learn more about our print solutions. Call 604-574-8623 or visit our Contact Page.