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What to Look For in a New Office Printer

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Your business is as unique as the market and clients you serve. When it comes to office equipment, you need a printer individualized for your exact needs. There are many printers on the market, so determining which one is the right fit for your office can be difficult. We’re here to help you clear through the clutter.

It’s important to understand the role your printer needs to play and the frequency at which your business will use it. Businesses that print thousands of documents per month may value a machine with high printing speed and durability. A printer with high image quality and four ink wells may be more important for companies printing more colorful documents and images. 

Consider these factors before purchasing your next office printer.

Functionality

Most businesses opt for multifunction printers, or systems that can print, copy, scan and fax. Why? Small and medium-sized businesses need a printing solution that reflects themselves: efficient, versatile and reliable.

Budget

Size, imaging, speed and additional features affecting the price of a printer. When determining your budget for a new printer, it’s important to understand that the upfront costs could be compounded by the price of replacing ink. It’s common for inexpensive printers to have costly ink replacement fees. The reason: manufacturers make their money that way.

Leasing printers has become a popular option for businesses. Monthly leasing costs are easier to factor into a budget than the one-time cost of purchasing a multifunction printer. Leasing also allows companies to update their equipment as printer technology advances.

Quality

Your office printer will likely use an inkjet or laser printer. Inkjet printers use ink and are best for low-volume printing, while laser printers use toner and are suited for high-volume printing. Whichever you use, you want professional print quality. Both are measured in dots per inch — or DPI. Laser printers usually have between 600 to 1,200 DPI, while inkjet printer resolutions usually begin at 1,200 DPI.

It’s also worth checking if you can use third-party ink cartridges for your printer and if refilling cartridges is an option. Be aware that using unapproved ink cartridges might void your warranty.

Speed

If your office frequently prints reports or documents with multiple pages, you’ll want to pay attention to the printing speed on your new machine, measured in pages per minute — or PPM. Though printers will have slight variance in PPM for images and text, the measurement will allow you to determine what best fits your business’ needs.

Wireless Access

Most offices have on-the-go employees who want to print from laptops or cellphones. Printers with wireless or Bluetooth access provide more functionality. The feature also allows the machine to access a document management system. Users can use the printer to access electronically stored files without having to send the files through a computer.

 To learn more about print and technology solutions that best fit your organization’s needs, contact us here.

The Right Printing Hardware to Increase Productivity

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The productivity of your office relies heavily on the business technology you utilize. Without the right equipment in place, you can’t expect employees to perform at peak productivity. Imagine trying to dig a ditch with just a serving spoon; sure, eventually you’ll be able to dig something resembling a ditch, but how much time and effort would be required to do so if you were using a shovel instead?

Does your staff have the printing hardware it needs to operate a peak proficiency? Here are some of the devices available today that could help your organization enhance its productivity.

Black-and-white printers – Modern black-and-white printers, built for speed and efficiency, are the workhorse of any office. These devices are excellent for large projects as well as the daily printing of emails, invoices, and documents. Many printers even come equipped with finishing options—such as stapling, collating, and folding—that will help your team complete their tasks on time.

Color printers – Color printers provide you with the freedom to produce stunning photos, logos, marketing materials, and proposals. With templates and in-house printing, you don’t need to spend days negotiating with external designers on standard jobs. Instead, print what you need, when you need it.

Multifunction printers (MFPs) – One device, multiple uses—in the office, a multifunction printer is your jack-of-all-trades. With copy, print, scan, and fax capabilities, MFPs provide a central piece of hardware to meet multiple needs, saving money, space, and energy.

Wide format printers – By cutting out the designer or print shop, you can get right to the business of printing phenomenal in-house posters and banners when you bring wide format machines in-house. The average wide format printer can produce up to 15 posters in a single hour, without ever waiting in line at the print shop. Quickly and easily create gorgeous images for display in the office or for marketing purposes in public areas.

Your company’s business technology defines your capabilities, and having the right printing hardware in place will substantially improve productivity. To take your office’s productivity to the next level of quality, precision, and speed, contact Infomax today.

MPS Myths Busted

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Many businesses have some reservations about making changes to their printing processes. This is common. After all, change is hard. But, even top-level decision makers can be hesitant about making the switch to MPS because it can be difficult to separate the myths from the facts.

In order to clear some of the fog surrounding MPS, we’ve busted some of the most common myths surrounding MPS below.

Myth 1: MPS is too expensive.
MPS might, at first, seem like a frivolous expense. After all, “Managed Print Services” even sounds expensive. However, one of the major goals of MPS is to help businesses achieve significant, long-term savings. MPS can be easily customized to your business, so this myth really has no grounding in reality. No matter the size, MPS can help your business save money by reducing printing expenses by up to 30%.

Myth 2: MPS will interrupt workflow.
Many businesses are resistant to integrating MPS into their business environment because they believe it will disrupt the company’s workflow and will cause more trouble than it’s worth. But the truth is that MPS actually simplifies operations of the entire print fleet while minimizing interruptions to the company’s workflow. MPS is designed to free up more of your employees’ time. With MPS, your admin staff won’t have to spend time ordering consumables, troubleshooting error messages, or maintaining your devices—that will all be done for them.

Myth 3: MPS is just an up-sell.
MPS is not just some fad—it’s a legitimate solution that allows businesses to focus on core competencies. Top businesses who have adopted MPS into their workflows have found that its benefits are significant and permanent. Gone are common inefficiencies and overly complex printing environments. MPS will streamline your print processes and maximize the efficiency of your entire team.

Myth 4: My IT staff does just fine.
In reality, your IT staff is probably already stretched too thin. With MPS, your they can focus on more important projects, instead of tending to a jammed printer or updating the settings on your multi-function device. MPS proactively maintains your printer fleet, freeing up more of your IT staff’s time.

Myth 5: All of our printers are essential.
No, they are not. A common misconception is that there are few costs associated with personal printers. But, smaller machines are inefficient, wasteful, and can chew through costly consumables quickly. With an MPS solution, your standalone devices would be replaced with fewer, more efficient machines, targeted for specific tasks—resulting in the ability to control printing waste and reducing consumables across your entire organization. MPS provides a solution that’s good for your budget, your workflow, and the environment.

Contact Infomax today to learn more about how MPS can benefit your business.

Going Green Starts with Your Office Equipment

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There are plenty of ways to “go green” in your office. Many of these eco-friendly practices are intuitive, such as turning off your computer at the end of the day, and using the appropriate waste bins to separate trash from recyclables.

That said, more and more eco-conscious companies are making smarter hardware decisions to meet their green initiatives. Investing in efficient office equipment—such as printers, copiers, scanners, and MFPs—saves energy without sacrificing quality.

Here are some tips for choosing greener hardware for your office:

  • Invest in efficiency. Typically, office equipment usage accounts for up to 40 percent of a company’s energy bill. Highly efficient machines are simply better for your business in the long run—and also provide immediate cost savings. Be sure to select high-efficiency equipment, usually indicated by the ENERGY STAR symbol. This tells you that you’re purchasing an eco-friendly product, and can potentially reduce the energy used by your business’s hardware by up to 60 percent.
  • Consider the features. Does the MFP you are considering offer duplex printing, advanced sleep mode, and other eco-features? If not, you may want to keep looking. These features are essential for reducing energy consumption and chopping that electricity bill.
  • Buy local. In addition to supporting your local economy, buying or leasing your equipment from a local vendor ensures less gas is used for transportation. Big box office retailers use huge amounts of energy in the shipping of equipment from centralized warehouses to your office. Local inventory also means our machines are available for expedited delivery and installation, with on-site training for your staff.
  • Remember to consolidate. Do you really need separate devices for your printer, scanner, and fax machine? Instead of multiple devices that take up too much energy and office space, consider an MFP, or multi-function printer. Multi-functions systems ensure all of your document imaging needs are met, and consume about 40 percent less energy than offices with standalone devices.

These are just a few of the ways smart hardware decisions can help save the planet and your pocketbook. To learn more, contact Infomax today.

Big Benefits to Upgrading Your Office Equipment

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Your business is always growing, so shouldn’t your technology be growing with it? All too often, businesses stick with their outdated equipment, thinking that a new investment simply is not worth it. However, whether your equipment consists of one lone printer or a fleet of multi-function devices, there are several reasons upgrading is vital for business success.

Here are some reasons why evaluating your equipment every few years is so important:

  • Quality. First and foremost, as technology in printing advances, the quality of output and operations increases, as well. Also, due to normal wear and tear, it might be time for you to consider investing in new equipment. Printing has come so far in recent years that in-house options actually rival those of print shops.
  • Cost. Don’t be intimidated by the sticker price of a shiny new MFP. In fact, that newer machine will likely lower your cost per copy. This means that over time, your printing costs will go down as a result of this new investment. You’ll also be able to produce professional materials in-house, rather than outsourcing them. Leasing is also a great way to keep you costs low.
  • Maintenance. Repairs are expensive. Decrease the odds of needing to repair your copiers and printers by investing in new equipment. New machines last longer, work faster, and produce better materials than those dusty, old devices that are waiting to malfunction.
  • Options. Your trusty printer might get the job done, but how many jobs can it actually do? With today’s multifunction printers, you no longer need separate printers, scanners, copiers, and fax machines. An MFP provides all of these services (and more) using less space and less money.
  • Security. Upgraded equipment utilizes a myriad of security options. Certain pieces of equipment can even help you track which users are overprinting. This information can help you establish printing limits. Even encryption services are available in many newer devices.

Contact Infomax today to learn about how upgrading your equipment can specifically help your business.