The type of printer that you might purchase for your office from a supply store doesn’t always cut it for business use. You will note that in some small offices, they require a sophisticated machine for productivity and efficiency. In most offices, you will find networked printers that are also multiple users shared instead of individual printers.
In the buyer’s guide, you will find an option that simplifies the buying process. You will see the different types of business printers, networking options, capabilities, and features. Here are the factors on how to choose the best printer for office use:
- Types Of Printers
- a) LED/laser
Both LED, and laser printers are reliable for offices with high-quality text and fast speed. Besides, they have high memory and hard-drive ideal for networking. They are not ideal when photo printing.
- b) Inkjet
They are typical for home and personal offices. They are also suitable for small businesses. They are less expensive upfront with high photo quality.
- Wireless Vs. Wired Printers
At homes, most people use wireless printers. However, the wired connections are faster, secure and more reliable and therefore essential in the business environment. For wireless setups, they are flexible and less expensive to deploy. Besides, you can use tablets and smartphones to connect.
Mobile usage is increasing, and many offices are opting to install applications allowing mobile printing through wi-fi or Bluetooth device connection. It is called mobile printing or cloud printing. Not all printers are compatible with the technology, but you need to consider this when you have a mobile reliant workforce.
- Monochrome Vs. Color
When you want to print simple business documents using plain text, you should consider using monochrome. But when you want to print graphics, chart documents, custom logos or other visuals, a color printer will be the best. Monochrome printers are cheap, but you can consider the many years you will use them.
When you buy a monochrome and need the ability of printing in color, you will have to look for another source. You can save money on ink using reputable retailers.
- Business Printer Features
When you are looking for a business printer, the first feature you can consider is whether you require a single-function or the one with multiple functions. For single-function printers, they only have one thing while multi-function printers are capable of doing many tasks, including conversion of documents, emailing, copying and scanning. The model you purchase will combine different features.
Multi-functioning printers are cost-effective whereby you will not buy multiple machines and also require less space. The next thing you can consider is volume and speed and then compare the one with significant impact on the cost.
Memory is essential to consider. Most of them range from 64 MB to 256 MB RAM. In some, you can add memory later. You can also find some additional features like USB.
- Networking Options
It makes financial sense when many employees share a printer. So that to enable the practice, you can connect the printer into an office network, and the users will print using a single machine. Forming their mobile devices, laptops, and desktops are possible.
