Printer Buying Guide: How to Choose an Office Printer
Choosing a printer for your business might be challenging when there are hundreds of options to choose from. These printers are available in a variety of sizes and forms and make use of several printing features.
While some printers are multipurpose, some are best suited solely for photographs. As a result, choosing a printer for a home or office might be a little tricky. Which printer would be perfect for your needs depends entirely on your job requirements and budget.
It's essential to choose a printer that can handle your business’s entire document handling tasks; you don’t want to buy an office printer that falls short on features you require and at the same time, you don't want to spend on capabilities you won't use either.
Below we take a look at the factors and features to consider when buying an office printer.
What Will the Printer Be Used For?
Identifying the printer's intended usage is the first thing you must do. In addition to ensuring the office printer you buy is the best match for your requirements, you also want to avoid purchasing more than you need.
Before making a purchase, you should always think about how you want to utilize your printer. Do you need the printer to print standard documents only, or will you be printing marketing materials or photographs as well? Is the required printer intended for a home office or a small to medium-sized office within the business’s premises?
Types of Printers
It is essential to understand the differences between a laser printer and an inkjet printer. Both printers can print text or images onto a piece of paper, although each approaches the task somewhat differently.
Inkjet Printers
An Inkjet printer applies small ink droplets directly to the paper's surface. The most popular inkjet printers use separate ink cartridges that are mixed to produce various coloured inks. When printing high-quality photographs, liquid ink is a superior alternative. If your office demands you to print colourful papers with plenty of graphics, an inkjet printer will produce the best results.
Laser Printers
A laser printer uses a hot laser that generates a static charge on a rolling drum within the printer. The powder form of toner ink is drawn to the electricity and melts onto the paper. Unlike an inkjet printer, a laser printer is not the best choice for printing vivid, fine-grained pictures. Instead, laser printers function best in environments where text documents make up the majority of printing.
Basic Office Printer Features to Consider
Below are some features you need to consider while choosing an office printer.
Colour
It's a rather simple decision; choosing a monochrome model can be more economical if you need black and white printouts. Black and white printers are frequently less expensive than their full-colour siblings since they do not need to use separate color cartridges.
Naturally, a colour printer is the only option if you intend to use the device to produce full-colour prints. You should consider a colour printer if you anticipate needing to print brochures, images, flyers or other marketing materials.
How Many Functions Do You Want?
Some businesses are content with a single-function printer, while others want a multifunction printer that can print, fax, scan, and copy. These days since faxing is fading out many printers come as a 3-in-1, meaning they can copy, print and scan. Look through to discover what your office frequently employs and what sort of equipment is already in place. 4-in-1 office printers generally have a higher price point.
Paper Sizes
This factor depends on whether you need to print solely in A4 or both A4 and A3 or other paper sizes. You may appreciate an office printer that can handle a broader range of paper types depending on the sorts of print tasks your company completes. Most office printers come with a bypass tray or multi-purpose tray that enables you to print small sizes such as envelopes or A5 paper.
It is worth noting, that A4 office printers are significantly cheaper than A3 printers so if your workplace only prints a handful of A3 documents per month, you may be better off having these prints done at a print shop.
Print and Copy Speed
Consider how frequently your employees print and the types of print tasks they complete when considering a printer's speed, expressed in pages per minute (PPM). If your business prints a lot, it would be better for you to choose an office printer with a high print speed to ensure maximum productivity. Multifunction printers generally have a high print speed, with the average being around 40 PPM.
Print Volume
The recommended monthly print volume (RMPV) of an office printer is another important factor to consider. Each printer has its own monthly recommended print volume or monthly duty cycle it can handle.
You should check with the office printer supplier you are engaging with, what this figure is on the printers you are considering. Then, calculate your own average monthly print volume by multiplying the number of reams of paper you use per month by 500 (this is the number of sheets generally in a ream). If you are printing 20 000 pages per month on average, you need to ensure you do not purchase a printer that is not capable of handling this volume, e.g. an office printer with an RMPV of 8 000 pages per month. You also do want to buy an office printer that has a capacity for a much larger volume, say 40 000 prints per month. Generally, the higher the RMPV, the more expensive the office printer will be.
Additional Office Printer Features to Consider
Many office printers include extra functions that add value to the device and might be useful in the business. Among the most common are:
Connectivity and Mobile printing- Do you worry about wireless connections, or does this not bother you? Would a standard computer connection be enough, or do you like to print from your mobile device?
Duplex Printing– Do you want to be able to print on both sides of the paper, and if so, you may choose to do this automatically or manually.
AirPrint and Google Cloud Print – the capability of remotely printing documents from the cloud.
Paper handling-For businesses that need to print a lot, many printers come with several paper trays. The time required to continuously load the printer with paper is reduced even though these printers are often substantially bigger. You should also think about whether you want to make booklets or require any other types of finishing.
Conclusion
It's no secret that printers are still useful in businesses despite a shift toward digitization. For one reason or another, printing documents will always be necessary. Your job productivity can increase, and time can be saved with the correct printer.
In summary, choosing the correct office printer will depend on the following main office printer features:
- Colour or black and white
- Multifunction or single function
- Paper sizes
- Print and copy speed
- Monthly print volume
With the help of our online shop, United Copiers has made it easier for South African customers to purchase Multifunction Printers, color office printers, Wide Format Printers, Duplicators, Scanners, and Consumables. Use the product filter to compare office printers suitable for your company's needs, or contact us on 086 001 8101 or [email protected] to chat with a member of our knowledgeable, committed sales staff for guidance on a cost-effective print solution for your company.
