When working in a fast-paced business environment, you’ll need office equipment to be top-notch. Your office printer and scanner should be reliable, easy to use, fast, and efficient. Printers are vital if you need a large volume of documents copied daily. Likewise, scanners are crucial for storing essential contracts, agreements, and reports in digital databases. However, finding the right office equipment can be a complicated process. There are a few key considerations to make your choice easier.
Read on to learn how to choose the best office printer and scanner for your business.
Choosing a Multi-Functional Printer or Office Printer and Scanner
Before setting out to buy your office equipment, you’ll need to purchase a multi-functional printer or an office printer and scanner individually. The choice will ultimately depend on the needs and constraints of your business. It may seem like a good idea to have printing and scanning functions on one device, but it could be expensive.
On the other hand, having a separate office printer and scanner might complicate the workflow. Let’s examine the benefits and drawbacks of both options.
Multi-Functional Printers – Advantages and Disadvantages
A multi-functional printer is a single device that performs various tasks for your office. Instead of using many machines, a multi-functional printer consolidates them into one centralized document management system. Some of their functions include printing, copying, scanning, faxing, network connection, emailing, document storage, and formatting.
A multi-functional printer is a convenient solution for many businesses. Here’s why:
- You’re low on office space – Buying office equipment separately will require multiple stations. If you’re limited in this regard, a multi-functional printer will help you save valuable space.
- You value efficient document management – When using a multi-functional printer, you manage your documents from one station. This improves efficiency, ultimately streamlining the workflow instead of losing time between many machines.
- You need more functions besides printing and scanning – Scanning and printing might be priorities. Still, a multi-functional printer also helps with other essential functions like copying. Users can even print right from their computer.
- You want to cut energy costs – Multi-functional printers can be an expensive up-front investment. However, the long-term savings might be well worth it. Multi-functional printers typically waste less energy than using each device individually, such as a printer and scanner.
Multi-functional printers might be advantageous, but they still have some drawbacks:
- Not-Specialized – You might want to invest in a printer that gives you highly detailed images or faster document output. While a multi-functional printer performs these tasks reasonably well, it may not be the quality level you need.
- Can’t perform functions simultaneously – One of the benefits of having individual devices like an office printer and scanner is that you can use them simultaneously. With a multi-functional printer, you’ll need to wait for one process to finish before starting the other.
Using Individual Devices Such as an Office Printer and Scanner
An office printer and scanner can be just as beneficial as a multi-functional printer:
- Better performance and specialization – Instead of using one device that completes all your document management at an average pace, a printer and scanner can give you specialized performance. Suppose your priority is strictly producing and digitalizing many documents in a short time frame. In that case, this option may be the better choice.
- Functionality and breakages – If you buy a multi-functional printer that breaks down, you’ll be left without printing, scanning, and copying functionalities. The result is some serious downtime. If your printer breaks down, however, you can still use the scanner and vice-versa.
- Can be cheaper – Depending on your choice, buying two individual devices might cost less than choosing a multi-functional printer. This makes the choice much easier if you’re on a budget.
- Some of the drawbacks of using just an office printer and scanner include:
- Complex to install – With more devices, your general office setup might be more complicated. It will require multiple stations for employees to use. Doing this might lessen productivity and consume time.
- Long-term costs and consumables – Having multiple devices besides an office printer and scanner in your office might be expensive in the long run because of consumables and more repairs.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Printer
Whether you decide on going with an office printer and scanner or a full-fledged multi-purpose printer, there are a few things you need to consider:
- Function – You’ll have to choose between a laser printer and an ink-jet printer. An ink-jet printer pushes ink through a nozzle and works to create crisp, clear, and highly detailed pictures. A laser printer uses toner and draws the image on a drum. This method is much faster and advantageous for larger volume output. However, the pictures might be less precise.
- Print volume – Consider how many pages your printer should be able to handle in a month. An average laser printer will print between 12-10 pages per minute. Most offices will need one with at least 20 PPM.
- Costs – Make sure to factor in toner and consumables when calculating the overall costs of your printer. It might be cheap upfront, but you should also consider maintenance, paper, and toner.
What to Consider When Choosing a Scanner
When looking for a printer and scanner, you’ll need to weigh up both devices individually. A scanner should be able to digitalize documents clearly and easily. Some main considerations include:
- Functionality and use – Your chosen scanner type will depend on the ultimate use. Flatbed scanners work great for everyday office tasks, but sheet-fed models are better for fast-paced environments requiring more scanning.
- The resolution – When scanning documents, 300 DPI (dots per inch) is sufficient. But if your business needs photo scanning, look for models that scan at 600 DPI.
- Speed – An average scanner can handle around 20 PPM. High-speed scanners, however, can reach 140 PPM. Scanning speed is a crucial consideration for a fast-paced business environment.
Optimize Your Office Equipment Workflow
When you’re on a strict deadline, you need an office printer and scanner that won’t let you down. With the right equipment, you can streamline your workflow while increasing efficiency and productivity. However, that might include consolidating comprehensive technological solutions customized for your business.
At Docutrend, that’s precisely our specialization. If you have an office in New York, Totowa, Pennsauken, Edison, or Ft. Washington, we can find a document management solution that meets all your needs. Contact Douctrend to optimize your document management workflow.