Choosing a printer for the office is much more than just buying the first model of a commercial printer you see in the store. It’s about identifying a good one that is relevant to business usage, enhances the productivity of your business, and fits within the budget.

The important area of commercial printing is now progressing at an estimated rate of 6.36 percent annually. At times, the technology and other substitutes available in the market make this particular decision challenging.

The following guide will help you do so by explaining the basic steps on how to select a suitable commercial printer to meet your needs and value and why choose managed IT services.

Things to Know Before Buying Commercial Printer for Office Use

1. Purpose and Volume

It is recommended that the broad functional responsibility of the printer be understood first. Try to understand whether it is solely for draft printing, photo-quality graphics, or specific purposes such as printing labels or architectural drawings. Assess your office’s daily and monthly usage. If you exceed the recommended duty cycle, the printer can work slower or not work at all. 

When it comes to printouts in large quantities, go for those industrial types of printers or machines with large-yield cartridges and boxes. 

2. Printing Technology

When you buy printers, you have to choose between two main technologies.

• Inkjet Printers: These printers are pretty flexible and ideal for color printing. They are good for accurate images, such as photographs and giving out shades. But, they have less speed than other types and also have higher running costs.

• Laser Printers: These are meant for fast printing and are most suitable for textual content-based jobs. These are mostly cheaper when it comes to cost per page and are good for use in offices that require black-and-white printouts.

List down what you need, then find out the advantages and disadvantages of the use of technology and see which process is fit to be followed. Next, buy commercial printers appropriate for your office use.

3. Connectivity Options

A commercial printer must support versatile connectivity, including:

• Wi-Fi: It enables one to print without the wiring systems in place.

• Ethernet: But when used in wired office networks, it provides stability and works faster because it will not drop the connection.

• Cloud Printing: Many cloud services, including Google Cloud Print or Apple’s AirPrint, can be used for cloud printing, which is significant when remote working is performed.

• USB: A secondary approach to direct printing, which is useful when solutions can’t be integrated into the network.

You should choose buy commercial printers that have the best compatibility with the office connectivity system of your choice.

4. Operating Costs

It is quite obvious that the printer purchase cost is not the overall cost of working with printing equipment. Consider the following before buying one: 

• Consumables: Check the price of the ink or toner cartridge and the number of yields needed by the printer before ordering. Although the high-yield cartridges assist in cutting down the cost per page, they also mean more costs to the printer.

• Maintenance: Different types of printers need minimal attention, and there are others that can only work efficiently when attended to frequently.

• Energy Costs: Energy-efficient printers have the added advantage of regularly low power costs.

Estimate operating expenses beforehand, based on a typical usage you have in mind so that any expenses outside of that can be avoided, and ensure that the printer integrates well with the managed IT services you have for all the maintenance, so that it does not lead to any additional cost.

Different Types of printers with their Utility

Conclusion

Buying a commercial printer is a strategic investment. It will influence your office’s productivity and costs. Consider the above factors before getting one for your commercial needs. Ultimately, the right printer is one that aligns with your goals, reduces overhead, and enhances overall efficiency.

Large-format digital printer shipments have increased by 0.13% in the first quarter of 2024.