Buying a new office printer can be a trickier task than you think. There are tons of brands, types, and features to consider. Not to mention all of the unfamiliar jargon you have to muddle through in your quest to find the perfect fit. The important thing is to not rush into an impulsive purchase. As your printer will be one of the most used equipment in your business, the wrong choices in printers can be costly. 

At Nashua, we try to make your experience with us as easy as possible. That’s why we’re presenting you with this guide, which will help remove any doubts you might have about choosing an office printer. 

Here, you’ll learn about the different breeds of printers available and what you need to do when buying. Also, we’ll explain some of the lingo you might come across when shopping for a printer so you can make an informed choice about the products you choose. 

Assess your needs

The right printer depends on what you expect from your device. Understanding who will use it and for what will have a major effect on your purchase decision. Will a secretary or receptionist do most of the printing? Or will you have several employees using the printer? Remember that the printing needs of a home office user will be different than those of a small- and medium-sized business and a large, busy organisation. 

Here are some practical considerations to guide you:

• The number of pages your company prints per month
• The number of employees that will be using the device
• Do you need to copy, scan, and/or fax, in addition to printing?
• Do you need a device that supports mobile printing?
• The type and size of documents you need to produce.

It’s important to sit down and come up with a list of requirements and features that you need, which we’ll discuss in the following sections.

Know your printer types 

After you’ve determined your printing needs, it’s time to narrow potential choices down to printer types. 

Printer types can be defined in two ways. 

• Inkjet vs laser printers

The first way is based on the type of cartridge the printer uses. An inkjet printer uses ink cartridges to spray minuscule droplets of ink onto paper while a laserjet printer uses toner powder to form the printed text and images on the paper. Both printer types can produce high-quality text and colour images. However, inkjet printers do a better job at printing photos and colour documents at low volume. When it comes to printing solid black and white documents at high volume, laser printers reign supreme. 

• Single vs multifunction

The second way to choose a type of printer is based on capabilities. If you want a machine that allows you to print, copy, scan, and/or fax, a multifunction printer is the way to go. Single function printers only let you print documents. 

With a multifunction device, you have the choice between A3 and A4 — the size of paper the printer is capable of printing. An A3 device is much larger than an A4 device.

Features

Deciding on a printer type will begin to shape what printer features you will be searching for. Modern printers offer a multitude of features, designed to enhance user productivity. Some features to look out for include: 

• Print speed: the estimated amount of time it takes a printer to produce a single print. For fast results, you should not settle for anything less than 10 pages per minute.
• Duplex printing: the ability to print on both sides of the paper. If you want to save on paper and reduce paper waste as well as your carbon footprint, this is a feature to consider. Check to ensure that the model you select has this functionality built-in.
• Printer interface: a printer with a touch-screen interface offers a user-friendly display that lets you wipe, tap, and scroll with ease. It’s a great option if you want to access settings and apps directly, or if you want to preview printing jobs. 
• Wireless and network connectivity: network connectivity allows multiple employees in your organisation to access the printer from any computer, while wireless printing enables printing from different devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
• Security: features such as encrypted data storage, network monitoring, and device authentication are crucial, especially for printers connected to the internet.
• Green printing: choose a printer fitted with energy saving modes or a printer management service that track toner levels and paper usage. 

• RELATED POST: The printer features you need for tight deadlines

Should you lease or buy your printer?

You should have little trouble finding a service provider offering flexible printer solutions. One of these is the option to purchase or rent your printer. A printer rental will work for you if your business has limited capital. A rented printer can be easily upgraded in a few years meaning you don’t have to deal with outdated technology. 

Buying your printer upfront is your best bet if you want complete ownership of your device and are able to afford the initial expense.

Either way, you can be sure that your business benefits from having the latest technology.

Printer jargon

You’ll probably notice that there is a lot of terminology surrounding printers and their features. Understanding this terminology can help you find the printer you’re looking for. Some of these include:  

• ADF capacity: ADF stands for automatic document feeder. This term refers to the amount of sheets of paper a device is able to feed into the copier or scanner.

• CMYK: the acronym for the main colours used in printing – Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Black (K).

• Collation: with this feature, users are able to print several copies of a document at the same time without having to re-order the documents separately.

• DPI: the resolution of an image both on screen and in print.

• Duty cycle: the maximum number of pages a printer can be expected to print per month.

• JPEG:  a commonly used image file format.

• MFP – the acronym for multifunction printer

• Near-field communication (NFC): two-way communication between smartphones, tablets, laptops, and printers within close proximity to each other.

• PPM: this refers to pages per minute, indicating how fast a printer can print pages.

• IPM: images per minute, indicating how fast a printer can print images

• Whitelisting: a feature that uses code-signing to make sure that only known firmware versions are loaded.

Just as with any major business purchase, you should be confident that you are buying the best printer, and that it offers you the convenience you need from it.