Choosing an office printer can be an overwhelming task!
There are printers available in a dizzying array of different prices and with multiple different functionalities, which can make it tough to know which one is the best choice for you.
Things to Consider
The first thing to do when considering which printer you should get is to think about what you are actually going to use it for:
- Do you need a built-in scanner, or will a printer alone suffice?
- Are you likely to be printing in color or in black and white?
- Will you be printing photographs?
Once you have a clear idea of what you actually need from your office printers, you can start looking at the different printer technologies that are available.
Laser Printer
The most commonly used printers in a lot of offices are laser printers. Rather than using ink, laser printers use toner, which is a powder usually made up of finely ground polyester. Laser printers essentially melt the toner onto the page, which is what makes up the text and images on the page.
Laser printers are great because they are quicker than inkjet printers, and they also don’t smudge as much. However, they do cost more than inkjet printers, especially if you want to print in color.
Some people also dislike them because toner isn’t all that environmentally friendly.
Inkjet Printer
Inkjet printers work by taking ink and marking the page with it to create the text and images. The downside of inkjet printers is that they are slower than laser printers, and they are more likely to smudge.
However, they are generally much cheaper, particularly if you are going to be printing in color, and it is possible to get environmentally friendly inks.
Suppose you want to ensure that your business always has working printers without the headache of maintaining them yourself. In that case, a good option is to opt for a managed print solution where a third-party sources the right printer to meet your needs and takes responsibility for maintaining them in exchange for a monthly fee.
Tank Printer
Tank printers are an option that people who are concerned about the environment really like. They are similar to an inkjet printer, except that rather than replacing the entire cartridge every time you run out of ink, you just add new ink to the existing cartridge. This means that fewer plastic cartridges end up in a landfill.
A downside of tank printers is that the upfront cost to buy one is usually more than other types of printers. However, you may find that they recoup their value over time as their running costs are extremely low as refill ink is much cheaper than replacement cartridges.
All in One Printer
All in one printer are printers with a scanner and photocopier attached. It can certainly be a useful thing to have in the office, but it’s worth making sure that you really need one because they take up a lot of room compared to other types of printers. As you might expect, they can also be more expensive.