How can you choose the best tools for business printing?
How do you decide which technology and function level are best for your business? How much can you afford to spend? Take time to think about what you print, from business cards to brochures, how much you print, and whether you need extra features or room to grow. Remember to check the cost of consumables to make sure your ongoing costs will be bearable.
Of course, you don’t want to spend more than you can afford. But before you commit to buying the cheapest printer you can find, let’s examine what “cheap” really means, and why the cheapest printer may not be the most affordable printer.
The business model used by most printer vendors works like this: the lower the initial price tag of the printer, the higher the cost of replacement ink or toner. As a result, the only person likely to benefit from a low-cost printer with high-cost consumables is someone who prints very little, and thus stretches out the time between replacements as long as possible.
But this is not for you when running a printing business! You firstly need quality materials in order to efficiently coordinate orders and delivery from Alaska to Anchorage, Barrow, Bethel, Fairbanks, Kenai, Seward, Soldotna.
How much output do you need your printer to print–a few sheets a day, dozens, or hundreds? Are you the only person who’ll be printing, or will your co-workers use the machine, too? To avoid getting stuck with too much printer or too little, you have to figure out which features are relevant to your needs, and which one eases your work in business printing.
Finding the best printer for your business doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. All of the available technologies work adequately or better, so it’s more important to focus on the features and capabilities you need. After identifying several printers that seem suitable, check their ink or toner pricing to minimize your ongoing costs.