November 11, 2024
Printers can be confusing to shop for, but taking a bit of extra time to choose the right one for your business can save you quite a bit of time and money over its lifespan. Unfortunately, when it comes to printers, there’s no clear winner that’s right for every small business. But if you consider how often you’re printing, what you’re printing, how fast you need your items printed, and how you’d like to budget for it, you’ll be able to narrow down your search considerably.
How To Choose a Business Printer
Most businesses don’t track their print costs, but you might want to start paying attention to what you’re really spending to get an idea of where you can save. Toner and ink can be incredibly expensive, and choosing the right printer can set you down a better path to saving money each month.
1. Weigh Upfront vs. Long-Term Cost
In addition to your budget, you might want to consider whether you’d rather pay more upfront and enjoy more savings in the long run. Printers that are more energy-efficient and don’t inflate the price of their toner and ink cartridges may be more expensive initially. But over time, they could save you quite a bit more.
2. Consider Speed vs. Quality Images
Printers that produce gorgeous images are typically not known for their tremendous speed. If your office produces a large number of text documents and only occasionally needs to generate color images, don’t be too tempted by the printer with the best graphics quality. It will likely slow you down, use more toner and ink than you’d like, and frustrate your staff.
3. Pay Attention to Print Security Features
In the past few years, hackers have grown wise to the fact that networked printers are often vulnerable to attack. Not only can a sophisticated cybercriminal access sensitive data through an obsolete or unsecured printer, but they could also access your entire network. If your business must comply with privacy laws, you should consider a printer with sophisticated security tools.
Types of Printers
You’ve definitely got a lot of options when it comes to business printers — maybe too many! Before we offer a few more specific tips, here’s a brief overview of what’s out there. Feel free to skip ahead if this is a review for you!
Multifunction Printers
Having a printer that also serves as a fax machine, scanner, and copier can save you a lot of money, space, and energy. You’ll have to stock only one type of toner or ink, and these multifunction devices can churn out documents pretty quickly. However, depending on how much you need to print, copy, and fax, one device might not cut it. Additionally, as with every multifunction device, it may be more disruptive to your workflow if it isn’t operational.
Laser Printers
Laser printers are expensive, but the cartridges last longer, and they can churn out high-quality text documents quickly. Laser printers also tend to be more durable than the average printer and may last longer. However, you won’t be able to get by with cheap paper, and they aren’t the best at producing images.
Inkjet Printers
In some ways, inkjet printers strike a nice balance between quality text and images. Their cartridges are less expensive than toner, and you can print on a wider variety of materials. However, ink can be problematic. It can smudge or fade, ink nozzles can get clogged easily, and if you don’t print often, ink cartridges can dry out. These printers are also not built to churn out lots of text documents quickly.
Thermal Printers
Most businesses won’t need a thermal printer (e.g., Zebra, Dymo, or Nelko), but if you need to generate receipts and print labels that can survive in a harsh environment, you may want to consider one. They don’t use ink or toner but instead use heat to generate images.
However, if you’ve been frustrated at tax time with receipts where the ink fades over time, you’ve already experienced one of the chief drawbacks to these printers.
Photo Printers
Should you need to create high-quality photos on glossy paper, photo printers have come quite a long way. However, if you don’t need to produce photos often, it’s probably more cost-effective to use a provider instead of investing in costly equipment.
Large/Wide Format Printers
You can create your own display and marketing materials for indoor and outdoor use with a wide format printer. But that’s not all.
Wide format printers will also allow you to generate architectural plans, vehicle wraps, fabric, wallpaper, and more. They aren’t cheap, but a wide format printer can significantly expand your office’s printing capabilities and generate eye-catching results.
Inkjet vs. Laser: Which Is the Best Printer for Your Small Business?
Some business printer decisions are relatively easy. If you don’t have specialized printing needs, and you already know what paper sizes you’ll need to accommodate, the trickier decision often comes down to whether you should be considering inkjet or laser models.
This chart is just a generalization, but you might find that it pushes you more in one direction than the other.
Your 2-Minute Office Printer Guide
If your biggest concern is reducing print costs, finding the right printer can help. And our print experts have prepared a helpful two-minute questionnaire to help you do that. However, there may be a better way.
More and more businesses are turning to managed print services because, in addition to helping them save up to 30% on print costs, it also helps them increase security, save time, and reduce common workplace frustrations. That said, no single service is the right fit for every business. If you just need to pick a printer, click the link below to get our printer picker!
