Office Printers & Printers for Business
Buying a new printer does not seem like a big deal at first. Business or office printers are available everywhere and the range is diverse. However, when standing before a vast selection of diffrent printer technologies and models the question arises: Which functions does my new office printer really need? Anyone who thinks about this question in advance will save a lot of time and money in hindsight. We explain what features may be relevant to your new office printer.
Content1.The Office Printer as a Multifunction Device
1.1 How do I find the right Office Printer?
1.2 Important Tips before Purchasing
2. Which technology to choose: Inkjet or Laser?
2.1 Laser Printers
2.2 Inkjet Printers
3. Which Manufacturer has the best Printers?
3.1 Top 10 Printer Manufacturers (in alphabetical order):
4. Printers for Businesses - How important is it to consider the size of the company?
4.1 Small Businesses
4.2 Authorities and medium-sized Businesses
4.3 Large Companies
5. Incurring Costs in addition to the Printer Purchase Price
6. Conclusion: Printers for Businesses
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1. The Office Printer as a Multifunction Device
Anyone talking about an office printer today generally means an all-in-one multifunction printer. These devices combine up to 4 functions and have become an integral part of modern offices. An office printer, combining 3 to 4 functions in one device, can print, scan, copy and often also fax documents.
1.1 How do I find the right Office Printer?
Digital filing and archiving of documents is very popular and in demand, but nevertheless a printer is still one of the most important devices for businesses in everyday work life. Since most office workstations have no longer just a computer and telephone, but also mobile devices are used for work, an office printer must be able to receive and print documents from smartphones and tablets as well. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider how much should be invested in an office printer. You should consider components that determine how often the office printer will be used. How many employees need to printer? Which formats need to be printed and at what speed? Are color printouts absolutely necessary? Which interfaces must be available so that the printer can also be used by all employees without restrictions. Finding a printer for a business often presents a problem because it requires a combination of different requests.
1.2 Important Tips before Purchasing:
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What are the key functions the printer must have?
- How much does the printer need to print a day??
- Does the office printer have to be integrated into a network
- How big is the company?
- How often does the printer need to be maintained?
- How much supplies will the office printer need?
If you want to buy a office printer, then you should not only answer the previous questions, but also think further. In addition to the price of the device, printing costs must be considered when investing in a new device.
Our TOP 3 Recommendations for Office Printers
 Printer: | £ 355.81 | |
 Service: | included | |
 Ink: | £ 27.31 |  |
 You save £ 0.86 /0.27% |
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Price for consumables
Features:
You save £ 0.86 
Printer
Consumables
Significantly lower prices for hardware and consumables
Price for the printer
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Price for consumables
| Printer: | £ 378.24 | |
| Service: | £ 273.02 | |
| Ink: | £ 324.49 | |
| You save £ 195.28 /19.37% |
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| Printer: | £ 1,849.27 | |
| Service: | £ 789.70 | |
| toner: | £ 0.00 | |
Our online printer consultant will help you to find the right printer for your requirements and will also take into account the follow-up costs for service and supplies when pricing.
2. Which technology to choose: Inkjet or Laser?
You have the choice between an inkjet printer or a laser printer. There used to be clear differences between the two printer categories. Today, the boundaries between technologies are blurring and especially in the higher price ranges for office printers, differences can hardly be seen. Only in entry-level models, differences can still be determined. However, if you are looking for a printer for an office or a company, you probably will not use the cheapest entry-level model. It is important that the printer is not selected according to the type of technology, but according to the individual requierments towards the printer of the company.
2.1 Laser Printers
Laser printers works with toner, which is not liquid like ink, but a powder, which is melted by heat onto the paper. Inside the printer is a drum, which is charged electrically. A laser beam is maneuvered by mirrors over the drums survace and discharges all those parts of the drum which are not suppos to be printed. The toner powder adheres only to the charged areas of the drum and so creates the image, which is transferred to the paper via rollers and under the by applying heat. This process ensures that the printouts are resistant to light and moisture and that the printing process takes little time. The starter models of laser printers are usually a bit more expensive than cheap inkjet printers, but they are often more economical in the follow-up costs.
2.2 Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers use liquid ink, which is applied onto paper via a print head. An inkjet printer combines the lateral movement of the printhead and the vertical movement of the paper sheet to transfer an image line by line onto the paper. The ink is applied onto the paper in very fine drops. Inkjet printers are available as multifunction devices for less than £100. We prepared a detailed overview of pros and cons - inkjet printers vs. laser printers.
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3. Which Manufacturer has the best Printers?
Over the years, about 10 to 12 companies have emerged whose printers dominate the market. The printers convince with innovative technology, good quality and a high degree of user-friendliness. Most importent is customer service. Major manufacturers offer a system build into office printers that detects when a cartridge or toner is running low. This system makes it easy to order the right cartridge directly from the printer's program. Another strenghth of the top 12 manufactures is customer support. In addition to an automatic help option, which explains how to fix most frequent errors with a manual, a personal customer support can help quickly in case of problems. In addition to the printer manufacturers, independent service providers are available. They have the advantage of operating independently of the manufacturers and can combine printers from different manufacturers in one system. Managed Print Services provid companies with time and cost savings in office printer management.
3.1 Top 10 Printer Manufacturers (in alphabetical order):
Brother- Brother Industries Ltd. is a Japanese company specializing in the production of printers, multifunction devices, typewriters, knitting and sewing systems and labeling systems. The company produces both laser and inkjet printers.
- Canon is also a Japanese company, which in addition to printers is especially known for its optical precision technology such as digital cameras, video cameras and scanners. Canon specializes in home and office printers as well as professional photo printers.
- The Japanese company Seiko Epson K.K. is well known in the field of image processing technologies and produces not only printers and multifunction devices but also cash registers, industrial robots, projectors and dot matrix printers. In recent years Epson has focused on developments in the inkjet technology.
- HP is an American PC and printer manufacturer and is one of the world's top sellers of multifunction devices, printers, scanners and copiers. With a market share of approximately 40%, HP offers its customers a comprehensive product portfolio.
- Kyocera Document Solutions is a Japanese company known in Europe for its printers, copiers and multifunction devices. Kyocera's focus points lie in the field of laser technology and development of printers for companies and offices. Kyocera is also known worldwide for manufacturing photovoltaic systems.
- Lexmark is a US-based printer hardware and software producer. Lexmark specializes in laser multifunction printers and dot matrix printers. In 2016, the company was acquired by a Chinese technology company.
- Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is a Japanese electronics company specializing in information and communication technology. In Germany, the company sells color and mono printers, multifunction devices, dot matrix printers, fax machines and printing solutions. Oki also focuses on developments in LED and laser printers, a particularly relevant technology for office printers.
- The Japanese company is a manufacturer of high quality laser printers and multifunction printers. In addition, the company is active in the segment of digital and 35 mm cameras.
- Samsung Group is a South Korean conglomerate known in Europe as a manufacturer of electronic devices such as smartphones, televisions and computers. Samsung's printer business was transferred to HP in 2017.
- Xerox Corporation is a US technology and services company active in document management and manufacturer of laser printers.
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4. Printers for Businesses - How important is it to consider the size of the company?
Not necessarily the size of the company determines which kind of office printer should be purchased, but rather the frequency in which the printer will be used. If it's a matter of rare printing, but the quality must be very high, then the size of the company has no effect on the purchase decision. In principle different preferences can be recognized:
4.1 Small Businesses
Printers in small businesses which are regularly used should not only be compact to save space but also be easy to use. In this way it can be ensured that all employees can work with the printer well. If there is no It department that can handle in-house technical issues, external technicial support is essential. In most cases, this represents a cost factor that significantly reduces business profits. Printers for small businesses should be easy to use and functional. Multifunction printers which can scan, fax, copy and print are very suitable. Most companies benefit from these devices, as they can also easily be connected to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Features such as WLAN and cloud connectivity are available with multifunction printers. All-in-one devices are also optimal for home offices, because in an home office it is often not possible to accommodate many different devices in a small space and the cost for all those diffrent devices would exceed the budget.
4.2 Authorities and medium-sized Businesses
With office printers for authorities and medium-sized businesses, it makes sense to invest in special equipment that is designed for use in businesses of the respective size. By doing so stable operation and high document quality can be guaranted . Make sure that the printer has a network option and that multiple people or larger workgroups can use the printer. A printer with a high printing speed is recommendable. For public authorities, the quality of the printouts needs to be good and long lasting, as documents must be sent by post or kept as an record for a longer period of time. Depending on the industry or department, individual requirements must be taken into account. A marketing department, for example, might places more importance good quality color printing for flyers and advertising, while the bookkeeping department focuses on printing spreadsheets, graphics and numbers. For special print jobs, such as printing labels, it may be useful to think about the purchase of a special label printer. If there is a high frequency of use, an acquisition of several devices pays off and the diffrent print jops can be divided onto diffrent devices.
4.3 Large Companies
For large companies it is important that several employees can use the same office printer. This means that, due to data protection laws, some sort of access control and secure printing is essential. It might be necessary that every employee has to identify before printing on a device. Concepts such as FollowMe Printing ensure that the printed document does not fall into the wrong hands. Demands on the devices differ according to the orientation of the company and the print volume. Several paper trays might be essential. Refilling paper trays interrupts the work flow. Operation and maintenance of the printer should be as easy as possible. Large companies usually have an in house technician or a IT department which can fix problems with a printer quickly, but it's easier for employees to be able to fix problems on their own and not waste valuable time.
In every office it is necessary that the devices functions dependable. In companies that have to comply with deadlines, a technical failure can lead to financial losses or dissatisfied customers. The bigger the company, the more sensable it is to think about purchasing multiple printers so that in case of incidents another printer can do the job.
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5. Incurring Costs in addition to the Printer Purchase Price
All printers use toner or ink cartridges that can only print a limited number of pages. It is important that you think about how much your printer will need to print, before you can replace the cartridge or get maintenance support. Costs can be better calculated with certain tools which give you control and overviews about maintenance and use of the printer. Free online management software allows you to monitor printers and gain transparently. Nearly empty toner or ink cartridges can be quickly detected and re-ordered. In case of printer failure, a technician can be called with just a few mouse clicks to fix the problem. A big cost factor is the purchase of toner and ink cartridges, especially when original manufacturers cartridges are used. Compatible cartridges from third parties can save you money, but you should consider to buy good quality form Europan producers to avoid your printer being damaged.
6. Conclusion: Printers for Businesses
Before purchasing a new printer for the company or office, it is important to clarify some important questions about the requirements towards the new printer. Only after defining what properties the office printer should have, a qualified purchasing decision can be made. Do not be fooled by the classic prejudices about inkjet or laser printers. In recent years printer manufacturers have optimized the respective technologies.
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