Printers have often struggled to shake the reputation of being huge headaches to deal with if you purchase the wrong one or have an aging model. We’ve all seen the frustrations of not knowing why our computer can’t find the printer when it’s literally plugged into it. We’ve wondered why it’s not printing it the same way it looks on the screen. We’ve been irritated by paper jams or the cost of all the ink it’s flying through. Even in this modern age when more and more businesses are becoming more digital, the printer is still often an essential device in day-to-day operations. Whether it’s the need for paper invoices, documents requiring physical signatures, hard copy backups or marketing material, we need printers and finding the right one makes a world of difference. So let's go through some of the choices and pitfalls many companies find in looking for the right printer.
Getting the right requirements
With so many printers on the market it’s actually amazing to learn some of the functions that are available in modern printers that you might not have realised can benefit you. We’ve been in this industry for over 30 years and even we get surprised to learn about lesser known functions on the market. For instance Xerox, Canon and HP all introduced SIEM (Security information and event management) integration features a few years ago which can monitor and prevent potential security threats in your business helping both protection and compliance.
You’ll already know if you’re looking for things like A3 printing or scanning but here are some other common features available that might benefit your business by getting the right printer:
- Automatic Document Feeder
If you have to regularly scan or copy multiple documents then an Automatic Document Feeder is a must have as it automates the whole process of scanning in bulk as opposed to having to manually place each page in the scanner. Brother, OKI and Kyocera all offer fantastic ranges with these built in.
- Duplex Printing
Duplex Printers allow for automatic double sided printing which is a smart way to save on paper and is great for marketing material. Duplex printing is available across a large variety of models.
- Borderless Printing
Borderless printers are capable of creating high-quality printed materials including images and documents without white margins on the edges of the paper allowing you to print right up to the edge. Perfect for making your documents look that extra bit professional to clients and customers. For borderless printing Epson printers definitely have the best range.
- Airprint
The days of struggling to connect to a printer are fortunately starting to become an issue of the past as there are so many different connection options available from wireless to being networked to your whole system. The king of these connections is Airprint. Airprint allows quick wireless connection from mac computers and iphones allowing you to print directly from your phone hasslefree.
- Multi-Trays
If you need to regularly print on material different to your standard copy paper such as label printing or thicker paper for presentations or if you use different coloured paper to differentiate documents then a multi-tray printer can greatly help. Printers with multiple paper trays allow you to store different types of paper in different trays so that you can just select which tray to print from for whatever you need. We’re always happy to help if you want advice on if your printer can have more trays attached.
Ink, Laser or Bottles?
Pretty much all printers fall into 3 categories, they either use ink cartridges, laser toners or the slightly more recent ink bottles. Some will swear blind that one type is universally better than the other two but the simple fact is that businesses have different requirements and each of these have different pros and cons so it’s important to figure out which is best for you.
Ink Cartridges
Overview
Ink cartridge printers excel at printing the most vibrant colours and are also easily the cheapest printers on the market making them perfect for companies that print photos or have low printing requirements. If photo printing is a requirement for you then an ink printer really is the best choice as they use liquid ink which allows for smoother blending between colours as opposed to lasers which use a powder that can come out more granular. Whilst they print quicker than bottled printers they are slower than laser printers and the ink cartridges often comparatively print less pages.
A good buyers tip is that generally speaking printers that take 4 or more ink cartridges tend to be more economical than those that only take 2. It may sound like it might be cheaper to maintain a printer that only takes one black and one colour cartridge but they often cost more combined than the full set of cartridges on other printers and usually don’t print many pages (Be sure to always check the capacity on cartridges). Also individual cartridges make it cheaper to maintain as you only need to change the cartridge that’s empty as opposed to all the colours.
Pros
-Higher print resolution better for printing photos
-Cheapest upfront costs with the printers usually being the cheapest and cartridges being cheaper than toners.
Cons
-Cartridges can have lower capacities making them expensive for heavy users in the long run.
-Prints slower than laser printers.
Recommended Ranges
For inkjet printers Epson and Brother offer great ranges in terms of ink capacity and reliability. For cheapest upfront costs Canon printers also have a lot of great options.
Laser Toners
Overview
Laser printers are absolute workhorses as they are designed to print lots of pages efficiently and fast. These printers are definitely a brilliant choice for any business that has a large amount of documents to print on a regular basis. Toners may be more costly than alternatives but they usually work out a lot cheaper in the long run because they can often print 10,000s if not 100,000s of pages (depending on the printer) making them often the lowest cost per page choice. As mentioned when speaking about the benefits of ink cartridges, laser printers can struggle when it comes to their variety of colour blending due to them being a powder which means they’re usually not the best choice for printing photo quality images but they do excel at heavy use when it comes to invoices, documents and various paper work.
As a buyer tip it’s always good when looking at laser printers to check the cost of drums as well as the toners. The toners themselves sit inside drum units as these also require occasional replacing and are important to factor in when working out running costs for your business.
Laser printers really do have the biggest variety in terms of price and functionality. They can range from cheap black and white printers perfect for small garages and shops to the big high end units designed to print thousands of daily documents for large businesses with hundreds of workers.
Pros
-Toners last for thousands of pages making them a great print economy.
-Fast printing for busy businesses.
-Toners can’t dry up.
Cons
-Colour resolution not as good as ink printers
-Can be a higher upfront cost
Recommended Ranges
Laser printers can hugely vary. For lower end models Brother printers are great. Samsung stopped making printers in 2016 but a second hand Samsung is still a great option for mono printers as many will still work perfectly to this day with really low running costs. For larger high end models Ricoh and Oki have really good options. Xerox has great printers across all ranges.
Ink Bottles
Overview
Ink bottle printers have become increasingly popular in recent years and for good reason; The bottles are often very cheap when compared to laser toners and some ink cartridges and they print thousands of pages similar to laser printers. These two features of the bottles make them some of the most financially economical printers on the market when it comes to running costs. As an added benefit due to bottles not having any chips to be read they’re also the easiest printers to use compatible branded ink for. They’re a great option for businesses who print constant and regularly. They do however tend to be more expensive printers making them more of an investment for the long term.
Another important aspect to note is that whilst they’re brilliant for regular printing, the loose ink does make the printer heads more prone to drying up so it’s advised to make sure it’s regularly switched on to run the cleaning process as extended non-use could lead to this issue. Other good buyer tips are that bottled ink can mean that internal leaks are more likely and most manufacturers would advise that you make sure to wear gloves when refilling the printer. They do also print slower than laser and inkjet printers if that would be a frustration for your business.
These printers can be absolutely fantastic for economy minded businesses with a steady workflow that are looking for an investment to save them money in the long run.
Pros
-Bottles are very cheap
-Bottles print a lot more than most ink cartridge printers making them a great saving in the long run.
-Lack of chips makes them the most hassle-free printers to find compatible brand ink for.
Cons
-Higher upfront costs than most other printers.
-Prints slower than most other printers.
-Regular maintenance can be an issue on some models.
Recommended Ranges
For ink bottle printers Epson definitely have the largest variety on the market with their ecotank range.
User Friendly And Reliable
The final important factor (and most overlooked) when looking for a printer is how well it actually works. There’s quite a few printers out there that are just simply put, a headache to use.
We spend a lot of time troubleshooting printers and we’re always happy to help. From speaking to customers and manufacturers for over 30 years we’ve certainly noticed a few trends. Here are some of the main aspects that you might want to consider asking about when looking for printers:
- User Support
Manufacturers like Epson and Brother have excellent customer support available but that’s not the case with all printers and if you feel your staff aren’t overly tech-savvy and you want help that’s easily accessible then it’s worth double checking.
- Maintenance
Some printers are simply not practical in a busy working environment due to the amount of attention they need or the amount of parts that require replacing on a regular basis where they aren’t designed for heavy usage. It’s an important pitfall to watch out for that some companies buy printers that seem like a cheaper option but are constantly out of action which costs a lot to the business. Reliability should always be a keyword when looking for a new printer.
- Firmware Updates
Probably one of the biggest printer issues we hear from customers about their printers are related to firmware updates. Some printers regularly download updates overnight which can be useful for fixing bugs but there are some that download inordinate amounts of updates that can really impact a business. For example if you like to buy different brands of cartridges then firmware can lock you out of using them. It can cause lots of problems with how your devices can connect to your printer and is probably our biggest tip to watch out for when buying a printer.
To Sum Up
I’ve gone over in this article loads of benefits and downfalls of different types of printers to your business and I hope it can arm you with feeling a bit more savvy and informed when picking the right one for your business. As for our personal recommendation, it’s a difficult thing to say as businesses have different needs. That being said, in our extensive experience Brother Printers have always been some of the most reliable machines on the market and they’re even the ones we use in our office.
But that’s just the best printer for us, if you really want to be sure why not get in contact with us and we’ll be more than happy to help find the right printer for your business.
Printers have often struggled to shake the reputation of being huge headaches to deal with if you purchase the wrong one or have an aging model. We’ve all seen the frustrations of not knowing why our computer can’t find the printer when it’s literally plugged into it. We’ve wondered why it’s not printing it the same way it looks on the screen. We’ve been irritated by paper jams or the cost of all the ink it’s flying through. Even in this modern age when more and more businesses are becoming more digital, the printer is still often an essential device in day-to-day operations. Whether it’s the need for paper invoices, documents requiring physical signatures, hard copy backups or marketing material, we need printers and finding the right one makes a world of difference. So let's go through some of the choices and pitfalls many companies find in looking for the right printer.
Getting the right requirements
With so many printers on the market it’s actually amazing to learn some of the functions that are available in modern printers that you might not have realised can benefit you. We’ve been in this industry for over 30 years and even we get surprised to learn about lesser known functions on the market. For instance Xerox, Canon and HP all introduced SIEM (Security information and event management) integration features a few years ago which can monitor and prevent potential security threats in your business helping both protection and compliance.
You’ll already know if you’re looking for things like A3 printing or scanning but here are some other common features available that might benefit your business by getting the right printer:
- Automatic Document Feeder
If you have to regularly scan or copy multiple documents then an Automatic Document Feeder is a must have as it automates the whole process of scanning in bulk as opposed to having to manually place each page in the scanner. Brother, OKI and Kyocera all offer fantastic ranges with these built in.
- Duplex Printing
Duplex Printers allow for automatic double sided printing which is a smart way to save on paper and is great for marketing material. Duplex printing is available across a large variety of models.
- Borderless Printing
Borderless printers are capable of creating high-quality printed materials including images and documents without white margins on the edges of the paper allowing you to print right up to the edge. Perfect for making your documents look that extra bit professional to clients and customers. For borderless printing Epson printers definitely have the best range.
- Airprint
The days of struggling to connect to a printer are fortunately starting to become an issue of the past as there are so many different connection options available from wireless to being networked to your whole system. The king of these connections is Airprint. Airprint allows quick wireless connection from mac computers and iphones allowing you to print directly from your phone hasslefree.
- Multi-Trays
If you need to regularly print on material different to your standard copy paper such as label printing or thicker paper for presentations or if you use different coloured paper to differentiate documents then a multi-tray printer can greatly help. Printers with multiple paper trays allow you to store different types of paper in different trays so that you can just select which tray to print from for whatever you need. We’re always happy to help if you want advice on if your printer can have more trays attached.
Ink, Laser or Bottles?
Pretty much all printers fall into 3 categories, they either use ink cartridges, laser toners or the slightly more recent ink bottles. Some will swear blind that one type is universally better than the other two but the simple fact is that businesses have different requirements and each of these have different pros and cons so it’s important to figure out which is best for you.
Ink Cartridges
Overview
Ink cartridge printers excel at printing the most vibrant colours and are also easily the cheapest printers on the market making them perfect for companies that print photos or have low printing requirements. If photo printing is a requirement for you then an ink printer really is the best choice as they use liquid ink which allows for smoother blending between colours as opposed to lasers which use a powder that can come out more granular. Whilst they print quicker than bottled printers they are slower than laser printers and the ink cartridges often comparatively print less pages.
A good buyers tip is that generally speaking printers that take 4 or more ink cartridges tend to be more economical than those that only take 2. It may sound like it might be cheaper to maintain a printer that only takes one black and one colour cartridge but they often cost more combined than the full set of cartridges on other printers and usually don’t print many pages (Be sure to always check the capacity on cartridges). Also individual cartridges make it cheaper to maintain as you only need to change the cartridge that’s empty as opposed to all the colours.
Pros
-Higher print resolution better for printing photos
-Cheapest upfront costs with the printers usually being the cheapest and cartridges being cheaper than toners.
Cons
-Cartridges can have lower capacities making them expensive for heavy users in the long run.
-Prints slower than laser printers.
Recommended Ranges
For inkjet printers Epson and Brother offer great ranges in terms of ink capacity and reliability. For cheapest upfront costs Canon printers also have a lot of great options.
Laser Toners
Overview
Laser printers are absolute workhorses as they are designed to print lots of pages efficiently and fast. These printers are definitely a brilliant choice for any business that has a large amount of documents to print on a regular basis. Toners may be more costly than alternatives but they usually work out a lot cheaper in the long run because they can often print 10,000s if not 100,000s of pages (depending on the printer) making them often the lowest cost per page choice. As mentioned when speaking about the benefits of ink cartridges, laser printers can struggle when it comes to their variety of colour blending due to them being a powder which means they’re usually not the best choice for printing photo quality images but they do excel at heavy use when it comes to invoices, documents and various paper work.
As a buyer tip it’s always good when looking at laser printers to check the cost of drums as well as the toners. The toners themselves sit inside drum units as these also require occasional replacing and are important to factor in when working out running costs for your business.
Laser printers really do have the biggest variety in terms of price and functionality. They can range from cheap black and white printers perfect for small garages and shops to the big high end units designed to print thousands of daily documents for large businesses with hundreds of workers.
Pros
-Toners last for thousands of pages making them a great print economy.
-Fast printing for busy businesses.
-Toners can’t dry up.
Cons
-Colour resolution not as good as ink printers
-Can be a higher upfront cost
Recommended Ranges
Laser printers can hugely vary. For lower end models Brother printers are great. Samsung stopped making printers in 2016 but a second hand Samsung is still a great option for mono printers as many will still work perfectly to this day with really low running costs. For larger high end models Ricoh and Oki have really good options. Xerox has great printers across all ranges.
Ink Bottles
Overview
Ink bottle printers have become increasingly popular in recent years and for good reason; The bottles are often very cheap when compared to laser toners and some ink cartridges and they print thousands of pages similar to laser printers. These two features of the bottles make them some of the most financially economical printers on the market when it comes to running costs. As an added benefit due to bottles not having any chips to be read they’re also the easiest printers to use compatible branded ink for. They’re a great option for businesses who print constant and regularly. They do however tend to be more expensive printers making them more of an investment for the long term.
Another important aspect to note is that whilst they’re brilliant for regular printing, the loose ink does make the printer heads more prone to drying up so it’s advised to make sure it’s regularly switched on to run the cleaning process as extended non-use could lead to this issue. Other good buyer tips are that bottled ink can mean that internal leaks are more likely and most manufacturers would advise that you make sure to wear gloves when refilling the printer. They do also print slower than laser and inkjet printers if that would be a frustration for your business.
These printers can be absolutely fantastic for economy minded businesses with a steady workflow that are looking for an investment to save them money in the long run.
Pros
-Bottles are very cheap
-Bottles print a lot more than most ink cartridge printers making them a great saving in the long run.
-Lack of chips makes them the most hassle-free printers to find compatible brand ink for.
Cons
-Higher upfront costs than most other printers.
-Prints slower than most other printers.
-Regular maintenance can be an issue on some models.
Recommended Ranges
For ink bottle printers Epson definitely have the largest variety on the market with their ecotank range.
User Friendly And Reliable
The final important factor (and most overlooked) when looking for a printer is how well it actually works. There’s quite a few printers out there that are just simply put, a headache to use.
We spend a lot of time troubleshooting printers and we’re always happy to help. From speaking to customers and manufacturers for over 30 years we’ve certainly noticed a few trends. Here are some of the main aspects that you might want to consider asking about when looking for printers:
- User Support
Manufacturers like Epson and Brother have excellent customer support available but that’s not the case with all printers and if you feel your staff aren’t overly tech-savvy and you want help that’s easily accessible then it’s worth double checking.
- Maintenance
Some printers are simply not practical in a busy working environment due to the amount of attention they need or the amount of parts that require replacing on a regular basis where they aren’t designed for heavy usage. It’s an important pitfall to watch out for that some companies buy printers that seem like a cheaper option but are constantly out of action which costs a lot to the business. Reliability should always be a keyword when looking for a new printer.
- Firmware Updates
Probably one of the biggest printer issues we hear from customers about their printers are related to firmware updates. Some printers regularly download updates overnight which can be useful for fixing bugs but there are some that download inordinate amounts of updates that can really impact a business. For example if you like to buy different brands of cartridges then firmware can lock you out of using them. It can cause lots of problems with how your devices can connect to your printer and is probably our biggest tip to watch out for when buying a printer.
To Sum Up
I’ve gone over in this article loads of benefits and downfalls of different types of printers to your business and I hope it can arm you with feeling a bit more savvy and informed when picking the right one for your business. As for our personal recommendation, it’s a difficult thing to say as businesses have different needs. That being said, in our extensive experience Brother Printers have always been some of the most reliable machines on the market and they’re even the ones we use in our office.
But that’s just the best printer for us, if you really want to be sure why not get in contact with us and we’ll be more than happy to help find the right printer for your business.