How to choose the perfect printer for your SMB

Note: Our choosing a business printer characteristic has been afloat updated. This article was first published successful November 2012.

The paperless office has continued to beryllium conspicuous by its absence. Indeed, utilizing insubstantial successful an agency situation seems to beryllium arsenic celebrated arsenic ever. Even pinch nan expertise to digitise immoderate insubstantial document, nan printed connection remains a stubborn constituent of agency life.

So, your business needs to person a printer, but which type do you choose? Of course, arsenic pinch a batch of business decisions, nan prime you make will beryllium highly subjective. As nary 2 businesses are nan same, their printer needs won't beryllium nan aforesaid either. To commencement disconnected with, you person a prime of 3 wide categories of printer:

1. Inkjet printers

As their sanction suggests, inkjet printers usage liquid ink that is squirted astatine nan insubstantial to create nan image. Inkjets person continued to create their capabilities and are coming nan astir versatile printer your business tin buy. Whether you request to people agency documents aliases precocious value photos, there's an inkjet printer to suit your requirements.

2. Laser printers

For galore years laser printers were excessively costly for mini business aliases location use, but coming they are compact and affordable. The large advantage of laser printing is speed. Using barren toner nan capacity of nan toner cartridges is galore much times that of a emblematic inkjet cartridge. Businesses that request to people ample quantities of documents quickly should take a laser printer.

3. All-in-one printers

Also known arsenic Multi-Functional Devices (MFDs), these printers person a built successful scanner and fax capability. For mini businesses that request a compact printer yet want to merge scanning and fax arsenic well, MFDs are an perfect choice.

Some businesses whitethorn besides person master printing requirements. If your business needs to people larger documents, A3 insubstantial (297 x 420mm, aliases 11.7 x 16.5-inches) printers are available. And astir inkjet printers will beryllium capable to people via representation cards. Lastly, a wide scope of printers are now wireless, which intends they tin people from desktop PCs, tablets aliases smartphones via your company's Wi-Fi network.

Printer choice

With truthful overmuch prime it tin beryllium difficult to make nan correct decision. If your business doesn't request immoderate speciality printing specified arsenic ample page sizes, nan prime fundamentally boils down to inkjet aliases laser.

Speed

In a engaged office, nary 1 wants to hold astir for their activity to people out. Here nan laser printer has a clear advantage. If you people astir of your documents successful achromatic and white, laser printers tin execute 60 pages per infinitesimal (PPM) pinch immoderate workhorses exceeding that.

Quality

The type of printing your business needs to do will guideline it to nan value of nan output that is needed. Inkjets person improved massively complete nan past fewer years, but for many, lasers still person nan separator connected quality. If your business needs to people customer presentations, past a laser will springiness you crisp matter and graphs. That said, photography will person a much earthy look if printed connected an inkjet.

Workloads

How galore pages your business will churn retired each period is nan workload aliases work rhythm arsenic it's besides called. Printers person mechanical components, which person a lifespan. Look for a printer workload that matches nan mean number of pages your business needs to people each period to debar breakdowns and a driblet successful output quality.

Networking and security

Laser and inkjet printers person been converging pinch galore now offering precocious velocity Ethernet connectivity aliases Wi-Fi. If your business needs to people delicate documents, immoderate printers will queue these until a PIN is entered into nan printer by an authorised user.

Features

Many mini businesses are looking to do much pinch little to trim their costs. Here an MFD is nan cleanable solution. To guarantee your MFD meets nan needs of your business, travel this checklist:

1. Can nan instrumentality your business is considering grip nan capacity needed?

MFDs travel successful each shapes and sizes. Many are aimed astatine nan home market. Look intimately astatine nan stated capacity and lucifer this to your business workload.

2. How important is value of scanning and printing?

Many of nan latest MFDs usage people exertion that was, up until a short clip ago, only recovered successful high-end laser printers. Look astatine samples of people and scanned output earlier making your choice.

3. Is fax capacity needed?

Fax is acold from a dormant communications medium, pinch galore ample businesses still needing it. Look astatine nan fax capacity of nan MFD, which coming is apt to usage nan unreality arsenic good arsenic nonstop dial to different fax machine.

4. Will your institution request to negociate delicate information?

Access to nan features of an MFD should beryllium controlled pinch PIN numbers aliases passwords. Also, guarantee that nan MFD only prints nan required copies to guarantee information security. And deliberation astir whether nan USB larboard should beryllium disabled.

5. Does your business require distant printing?

With nan emergence of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), printing from mobile devices is accelerated and efficient. Look intimately astatine nan apps that will usage nan MFD to guarantee these link securely.

The observant appraisal of your organisation's printing needs will lead you to nan correct printer pinch nan capabilities you require. With a number of factors to consider, equilibrium these to create a database of needs, which you tin past usage to lucifer to your cleanable printer.