We live in a digital age, but the need for physical documents is as high as ever, and the average office consumes colossal amounts of paper each year through printing, copying, and related tasks. As such, it’s vital to have the right hardware in place to maximize the efficiency and productivity of your printing processes. This guide covers all you need to know to pick the best business printer.

The Importance of Picking the Right Printer

Before we look at what to look for in a business printer or top tips to find the right model, it’s worth taking a moment to understand why this decision is so important.

Firstly, as alluded to above, printing is an exceptionally common and essential task in the vast majority of offices. You might print hundreds or even thousands of sheets a day, depending on the nature and size of your company. You need business printers that can keep up with your company’s demands.

Second, it’s important to note that printers are absolutely not made equal. Some boast far greater printing speeds than others. Some offer additional features – like copying and scanning – along with more intuitive interfaces and reduced risks of bugs and breakdowns.

In short, some printers are far better than others, and you can feel the benefits of a truly top-notch business printer in your office’s productivity, output, efficiency, and even morale.

How to Choose the Best Business Printer

To choose the best possible business printer, focus on these important factors:

Your Printing Requirements – Both Now and in the Future

First, and arguably most important of all, you have to think about how much printing you plan on doing.

Naturally, if you’re running a very small business and only need to print a dozen or so sheets a day, you won’t need a fancy, high-end business printer. But, if you do a lot of printing – hundreds or even thousands of sheets daily – you’ll need a sophisticated machine that can keep up.

Consider the type of printing you intend to do, too. Black and white or color? Standard A4 sheets or a variety of sizes and printing types? You have to find a printer that can meet all of your needs, not just some of them.

Remember not to focus on the short term here. Think long-term. Imagine how your business could grow or expand in the months to come and how your printing needs might change as you gain clients or expand to offer additional services.

For maximum value, aim to future-proof your company with a business printer that is ready to scale up its output as your business evolves.

How Much You’re Willing to Spend

Of course, cost is always a big factor when it comes to picking new pieces of business equipment, whether that be a business printer, a copier, or other machinery.

You have to work out how much you’re willing and able to spend, and for smaller businesses with likely smaller budgets than larger ones, it’s particularly vital to manage your money with care. The last thing you want is to put your company in financial difficulty by overspending on a printer you don’t necessarily need.

At the same time, you don’t want to underspend, either. If you do that, you could wind up with a business printer that simply isn’t fit for purpose. Then, you could actually spend more in the long run maintaining that printer or having to replace it after only a short time.

Take a look at your business budget, see what you can afford, and compare printer prices to narrow your search.

Key Features and Functions You Require

Every business printer can print. But some are capable of far more than that.

There are multifunctional office printers, for instance, which are basically copiers, printers, and scanners all in one. Some top-of-the-line models can fold, staple, or hole-punch your documents or even compile multiple sheets into booklets, saving your team hours of effort.

Some modern printers also come with eco-friendly features, like auto-sleep and low-energy modes, for those who aim to build sustainable businesses. Others have a wealth of connectivity options or fancy touchscreen interfaces, making them even more usable and responsive.

It’s about balance here and finding the right fit. You don’t need to buy the fanciest business printer with the longest list of features if you don’t intend to use them all. But you may still want a little more than a basic printer with only the simplest of functions.

Standards of Security

Last but not least, don’t forget to think about security. This is something that so many people overlook, and many are completely unaware of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities present in many modern printers – both at home and in the office.

You can have industry-leading anti-malware installed across all of your computers, along with firewalls, VPNs, and other cybersecurity measures. But, if your printers, copiers, and other devices aren’t strong enough, hackers can still sneak their way into your network and cause all kinds of havoc.

So, if you value cybersecurity—as all business owners should—and especially if you handle a lot of sensitive data, you can’t afford to overlook security features when picking a business printer. Seek out models that have strong security measures built-in, making them much harder to hack into.

Work with the Pros to Find the Right Printer

Considering the factors listed above should get you started on the path to your perfect business printer. But you still might struggle to find a specific model that exactly suits your needs or to pick between two printers that seem to have similar specifications, with only the slimmest of differences.

To make the most informed, accurate, and cost-effective choice, it’s best to work with the pros. Like Kelly Office Solutions. Our expert team has helped many businesses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Greensboro, and we can do the same for you. Get in touch today to find out more.