For all the talk about “going paperless,” an office printer still plays an important role in countless businesses across Washington and elsewhere. Many companies and clients find handling paper documents easier and more cost-effective, while others consider hard copies a more robust and secure option than digital documents. Whatever the reason for sticking with paper, it’s important to choose printers that offer a broad range of robust features that help maximize productivity and user-friendliness.

Business Printer Categories

The average printer comes in many different shapes and forms. Here are some of the more common types of business printers you’ll find on the market:

Inkjet Printers

You’ll find these printers in home offices, although it’s not unusual to see them in small businesses. Inkjet printers work by depositing liquid ink droplets onto paper through fine nozzles. However, these printers aren’t practical for high-volume printing due to ink costs and their relatively slow printing speeds.

Laser and LED Printers

Laser and LED printers use toner as a medium, which is transferred onto the paper from a rotating drum. The devices cost more to purchase up front, but their operating costs are reasonable, and the printers themselves offer fast and reliable printing. While these boast impressive black and white text quality, their image quality is relatively lackluster.

Solid Ink Printers

Instead of ink or toner, these printers apply melted colored wax on paper. The result is a printer that excels at image quality while offering comparable text quality and operating costs to similar laser printers. Downsides include image smudging and a limited selection of models compared to inkjet, laser, and LED printers.

Snapshot Printers

As their name suggests, snapshot printers are dedicated to printing images rather than text. As a result, snapshot printers offer higher than average image quality when compared to other types of printers.

Dye Sublimation Printers

If you’re looking for a printer that offers near-photographic quality, then consider a dye sublimation printer. Unlike the other printers mentioned above, this relies on heat-transferred dye to deliver superior image quality. The major downside is the high cost per page and the expensive consumables.

Printer Option 1: Wired vs. Wireless

When selecting your business printer, you’ll have the option of choosing between wired and wireless printers. Both have their pros and cons to consider:

  • Wired printers typically feature faster connections and more ironclad security, not to mention they’re more reliable than their wireless counterparts. These benefits make wired printers a solid choice in office environments where a typical printer is shared with dozens of networked users.
  • Wireless printers offer more flexibility thanks to their Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connectivity, making them compatible with cloud printing and mobile printing solutions. These printers also tend to be less expensive to deploy throughout the office. However, the added wireless connectivity also makes them more vulnerable from a security standpoint.

Printer Option 2: Color vs. Monochrome

Business printers are also divided into color and monochrome models. As you’d expect, color printers can print in color, although the quality depends significantly on the type of printer and its features. In contrast, monochrome printers can only print in black and white.

Monochrome printers are suitable for businesses whose printing needs involve text-heavy documents, including memos, letters, and reports. These models deliver crisp, clean text while providing some of the fastest page-per-minute (PPM) speeds of any printer available. They also boast lower operating costs when compared to color printers.

Color printers are best for printing graphics and custom logos, and documents with charts and other colorful visuals. Just keep in mind that you’re trading PPM speed for image quality when choosing a color printer for your business. Color printers also give you a bit more flexibility when it comes to printing, but you’ll also end up with higher operating costs.

Additional Features to Consider

Believe it or not, the above is just the tip of the iceberg for your average business printer. There are plenty of other features to consider when choosing your next device, and these can have a significant impact on your overall costs and long-term productivity.

Single-Function vs. Multi-Function Printers

Single-function printers do one thing and one thing only – print documents. Since these are often the cheapest printers to purchase, they also tend to be light on features. In contrast, multi-function printers do more than just print. These devices combine scanners, copiers, and fax machines into an all-in-one unit, making it possible to scan, copy, fax, and even email documents from a single device. However, having those features means you’ll pay more.

Printing Speed and Volume

When looking for a business printer, consider a model that offers print speeds of at least 20 to 40 PPM – anything less will be too slow for typical office workflows. Some models can top 100 PPM or more, making them ideal for high-volume printing.

You’re better off choosing a printer that offers substantial paper capacity. Basic printer models hold up to 250 sheets, while higher-end multi-function printers can accommodate up to 500 sheets per tray and up to 2,000 sheets per cassette.

Other Features

Here are some other features you should check out when researching your next business printer purchase:

  • Automatic document feeders
  • Automatic two-sided printing
  • Interactive touch screen controls for greater ease of use
  • High-DPI printing for sharper document and image quality
  • ENERGY STAR compliance for reduced power usage and lower operating costs
  • Advanced security features, including encryption and pull printing

We know this seems like a lot to swallow, but the above information will help make your business printer purchase stress and hassle-free. Contact Copiers Etcetera today and talk to one of our sales specialists if you’re interested in a new business printer for your Mill Creek enterprise.