5 Important Things to Consider When Buying A Printer for Your Business

important things to consider when buying a printer - vancouver office supplies

Choosing the right office technology means equipping your employees with the right tools to get the job done well.  

Business photocopiers are complex pieces of office equipment with a lot of moving parts and a lot of things to consider. 

Whether you’re a small office or a large corporation choosing the model that is right for your business is a big decision that requires you to answer a few key questions. 

Since 1973 Steelhead has been providing printing solutions to thousands of Vancouver businesses. 

In this blog, we have mapped out 6 considerations you will need to consider when trying to find the perfect printer for your business.

What is the best printer for your business? 

No matter what the brand of technology there is a wide range of business printers for you to choose from. This will depend on the needs of the company and what robust features you would like to see included in your printer.  

You will want to think of the size of the space the printer will fill, what you need the copier for, how much output you will need your printer to produce, whether or not you want a colour printer, and your budget. 

1. What kind of documents are you printing and how much volume are you printing?

Think carefully about how much output you’ll need from your business photocopier and what you are printing. Are you a small team that will be using the machine every once in a while?

Are you printing in colour or black and white?

Or are you part of a larger office that will use the copier regularly throughout the day?

Businesses that churn out a large volume of prints will want to consider the capacity of the printer to handle the job. 

You will also want to consider what you’re printing. Graphic artists or photographers usually work with larger files so will require a printer with more memory to avoid error messages or incomplete jobs. 

They also require higher standards of print quality. 

Look at what your circumstances are and think whether you’ll need a photocopier that will be able to handle large or small volumes of printing.

You’ll also want to consider the type, quality, size, and format of documents you will be printing.

A great way to test this is to run a document audit – total up the number of copies made in your office over a given timeframe (for example one week), add together how many copies you’re using across the building, and calculate the cost of regular upkeep and maintenance.

Large format printers tend to be more costly, however, they also feature faster processors, print engines, and more memory.

2. What functions are you looking for in a printer?

A multifunction copier will have additional features such as also being a printer, scanner, and fax machine. 

Consider whether your business needs these extra functions before committing to a purchase.

Often business owners find that if they invest in a multifunctional business copier, they save on equipment purchases in the long term.

Additionally, buying a multifunctional copier can save space in a cluttered or small office.

3. Connectivity options

Printers in today’s market have made wireless connections and Bluetooth the standard. 

This means that you’ll be able to send print jobs to your copier remotely, without the fuss of too many cables, and sometimes even without a computer. 

NFC connections allow you to connect your printer to a smartphone simply by touching the device to a specific area on your printer. 

Many cloud services allow you to connect your printer remotely so you can print directly from your tablet, laptop, or smartphone. 

For particular projects though and depending on your business needs, some other connections may be useful. This may include USB ports, ethernet connections, and sd card slots.

4. What are some security features you would like to have?

Printers and photocopiers are connected to the internet, making them open to hackers to access company information and documents. It is why security features should be considered when selecting a printer. 

 Many business copiers have advanced security settings that allow the owner to administer different levels of access.

For example, you may let employees in your office have full access to your copier’s features and functions but you may restrict visitors to use the copier feature only.

How you choose to set up the security levels on your new copier is entirely up to you – but it’s certainly something to consider and ask about when looking to make a purchase.

Ask about authentication and authorization features, pull printing, secure communications protocols, and network monitoring software.

5. What is your budget?

Printers range anywhere from $200 upwards to a thousand dollars, depending on the make and the capabilities. 

Like all things in life, considering how much your company can spend will come down to how well your printer functions and how efficiently it serves you. 

By investing in a multifunctional business photocopier, a small business can save on your total cost of ownership. However, this means sacrificing print times and not always having everything on your checklist. 

Regardless of your budget, we always aim to meet printing needs of every one of our clients. Contact us today to outline all of your printer must-haves and we’ll ensure we find the right fit for you.