22 Mar Buying a new printer? Ask these seven questions to get the one you need
If you are thinking of buying a new printer, or even several printers, there is an incredible array of technology on the market. All of which claim to meet all of your organisation’s printing needs. Complete with lots of life-changing features that appear to do everything except make a cup of tea.
So, where do you start? As with most purchasing decisions, you need to understand your needs and any special requirements you may have.
Set your criteria before you start the process of buying a new printer
To start with, do you know which printer you need? What would best meet your requirements? Do you need a printer or a multifunctional device? Is a laser printer better than an inkjet printer? What does it cost to run a print device? These are all critical criteria when buying a new printer.
Before exploring the options available to you, it is worth spending some time considering what you will use the printer for and why. Do you need a personal printer or one shared across multiple users? Do you need to scan and archive digital documents as well as print and copy? How many pages are you likely to print each month, and what quality do you need? Will the device be secure yet easy to connect and use?
Seven simple questions to ask yourself when buying a new printer
When buying a new printer or multifunction device for your organisation, it’s essential to make the right choice. Some printers may end up costing you more than you anticipated and break down often if not selected correctly. Also, modern printer technology and service support are evolving fast, so you don’t want to invest in a product that becomes unusable in a short space of time.
- Does it meet or exceed my monthly volume requirements? How much printing does your business do now, and how might this change in the future?
- What features do I need? Think about colour output, scanning, stapling, printing from Mac or PC
- Is the device configured for evolving technologies? Can you scan to personal and business cloud storage? Can your employees access the device remotely from multiple devices like mobiles and tablets?
- What level of information security does it include? Your printer should protect your business from security threats and meet the General Data Protection Regulation.
- Is it user-friendly? New multifunctional devices are very feature-rich these days – so just how easy are they to use? Ask about screen customisation and options to make your day-to-day functions as simple as possible to use.
- Am I investing wisely? Have you considered the total cost of the purchase and print output over its usage period based on your volumes? In the main, inkjet is still more suited to low volume use, with laser being more cost-effective for higher print volumes.
- Does your provider/vendor offer an excellent customer support service and experience? If something goes wrong, how responsive and effective are they, and do they really understand your challenges?
A term you may come across while doing your research for a new printer is ‘printer duty cycle’. But what is a duty cycle, and what does this refer to? Look at our recent article on Why it’s important to know your printer’s duty cycle to learn more.
Buying a new printer for your organisation?
If so, are you buying a new printer or print solution? In today’s digital and agile working environments, the primary function of an office printer has evolved. They are now highly versatile connected devices that sit at the heart of an organisation’s ability. Implementing digital document management workflows, document intake, scanning, hybrid mail, and so much more.
As a digital services business at the forefront of workplace automation since 1977, we understand the changing workplace and what you value in a partner today. Our guide is your first step to understanding your future printing needs and an essential read when buying a new printer.
