The quality of prints and scans
If your business is printing standard invoices, bills, and documents for in-house use, you don’t need super high-quality prints. If you have many employees working from home and need to scan documents for them, having an excellent scanner is critical. Knowing your business needs in terms of quality is the first step in determining what range of products will be a good fit.
Printing and copying speeds
Determine what your printer’s capacity should be. If you’re in a small office with occasional printing, you can choose less expensive equipment that produces prints slower than high-speed commercial grade printers. If you need large quantities of prints done quickly or have a large facility to accommodate, then you’ll need to look for a high-speed printer. What’s the difference in printer speeds? We’re talking a range of 20-75 pages per minute, so be sure to take speed into consideration.
Print finishing option
Another thing to consider when comparing multi-function printers is what types of finishes you need for your documents. Finishes could include folding for booklets or brochures as well as stapling. If you make materials for presentation or education, these are important capabilities and will save your employees time and frustration and eliminate the need to outsource these services.
Printer security
Cybersecurity is an ever-growing area of concern. Often, the security of your multi-function printer is overlooked and not a top priority. However, this is a hotspot for hackers, especially if you’ll be scanning employee information or duplicating other confidential documents like personal client data. Always be sure the printers that you’re shopping for have built in security features and learn how to use them.
Environmentally friendly
Suppose recycling and sustainability are important to your company. In that case, research for your printer should include how it’s manufactured and disposed of when it has reached the end of its life cycle. There are environmentally friendly certifications that you can see if companies have before you decide to purchase.
Service option
Servicing your printer can be quite a chore if you don’t have a partner that specializes in service. Maybe you have an IT department and servicing is not important to you, but it’s something to consider. Where you purchase your printer can be just as important as what printer you buy, depending on your needs. If you need someone to call when something goes wrong, be sure to purchase from a company that offers support services that adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It can save you significant downtime and maintenance costs down the road!
Higher Information Group offers a vast line of multi-function printers and office solutions. If you’re ready to empower your teams with smart & secure devices that will help transform processes and enhance collaboration, talk to one of our experts today about a customized solution!
