Small business printers
Have you decided that you need a new printer for your small business?
We are frequently contacted by business owners, who are looking for a new printer after buying one that is much better suited for a home office or personal use.
Choosing the right printer for a small business
Choosing the right printer for a small business may feel like a daunting task, especially with the long list of printers available online and having a smaller budget. However, selecting the perfect printer is not just about the machine; it’s about ensuring its features align with your business’s specific needs and finding the best supplier with the best support to help you connect it and show you how to use all the features.
Why change your printer?
For small businesses, time efficiency is fundamental. Older printers, can be slow, have poor print quality, constantly jam and their limited functions are difficult to use and understand. Updating to a modern small business printer means better connectivity, including wireless printing and features like AirPrint. Not to mention, the increasing costs of toners and replacement parts for outdated printers can quickly add up.
It’s not uncommon for small business owners to initially buy a cheaper home printer in a bid to save money. However, while the upfront price might have been attractive, these devices often come with a series of hidden costs that can catch businesses off guard.
One of the most significant challenges with budget-friendly home printers is the frequency with which ink cartridges need to be replaced. These printers are often designed for occasional home use, which means they are not built to handle the consistent print loads that a business requires. As a result, businesses find themselves replacing cartridges far more often than anticipated.
The financial sting doesn’t end at frustrating frequent ink replacements. The replacement ink cartridges for these home printers can be surprisingly expensive. While the printer itself might be budget-friendly, the manufacturers often recoup costs through the sale of proprietary ink cartridges. Over time, the cumulative cost of these cartridges can exceed the initial savings from purchasing a cheaper printer.
Help for small business owners and managers
At My Group Printing, our friendly team has helped countless small business owners and managers to not only select the best printer/photocopier for their business, but to also help them connect it and to show you how to use the features. Our knowledge (over 25 years of experience) and our partnership with the market leaders means we can be trusted to help you get the best printer for your budget.
This short buyers guide article is aimed at small business owners, or the managers of their small but busy offices, to help them buy a new printer.
Guide to buying small business printers
When budgeting for a printer, small businesses must look beyond the initial purchase price and understand the real cost of ownership. A very simple check of your online purchase history or service invoices (if you pay per page), can quickly reveal these hidden costs.
- Print Costs: Analyse your annual print volumes by checking how many pages you have printed and then how much you have spent to calculate your cost per page.
- Ink cartridges and other consumables: Evaluate the longevity and quality offered by ink cartridges.
- Wasted time and material: Factor in wasted paper, the time taken to clean print heads, reprinting due to poor print quality and having to remove frequent paper jams.
Understanding these costs and the limitations of a home office printer can help small businesses make informed decisions. This informed decision should mean a fast, robust printer that lasts and saves you time and money when printing.
Essential small business printer features
Navigating the vast printer market can seem overwhelming, but we have created this list to help you choose from a list of features:
Multifunctionality
Do you need an all-in-one solution, or is a basic printer sufficient?
Do you need to print anything bigger than A4? A3 printers can handle larger paper sizes and higher print volumes, but an A4 printer might be better for businesses with lesser printing needs or where there is no room for a larger floor standing device.
Energy Efficiency
Save with newer energy-efficient models.
Connectivity and Compatibility
Ensure compatibility with cloud services and wireless connection to your laptop and phone.
Print Speed
Assess how many pages per minute the printer can print, especially if you only have one device, to avoid waiting while your print job finishes.
First Page Out
This is the time between pressing print on your computer and the page printing. Modern laser A4 printers reduce this time significantly, ensuring much faster print jobs and no frustrating wait.
Document Feeder
Ideal for big and small businesses that want to scan multiple pages. A automatic document feeder (ADF) automates the scanning process; just stack the pages and the document feeder can scan both sides ready to email or file away.
Mobile and Cloud Printing
Small businesses require flexible working and need printers that support direct printing from mobile devices and cloud storage.
Making the right choice when buying a printer for your small business
To recap, it’s essential to consider the total cost of ownership of a new printer rather than just the initial purchase price. Investing in a robust, business-grade printer might have a higher upfront cost, but the long-term savings from more efficient ink usage, less frequent cartridge replacements, and overall better performance can prove more economical in the long run.
Choosing a printer is not merely a purchasing decision but an investment in your business’s efficiency and productivity. Your decision must take into account current needs, future growth, and how these align with the printer’s features.
Support is also an important factor, with all-inclusive contract that include toners, parts and engineer callouts offering the best value for small businesses.
Our recommended printers
My group recommends the following products for Small business printing
Finding the best printer for your small business will depend on your business requirements. Your print volumes will be an important factor, but what functions you want your printer to have are very important too. The best printer for a small business will generally be a colour, laser multifunctional device. For your business, choosing a model that can print double sided and in full colour along with black and white, along with the functionality to print and scan will give you all the features you need.
When choosing the best label printer for your small business needs, it’s important to consider factors such as durability and efficiency, especially in a fast paced business where it will be in constant use. Toshiba’s label printer range is renowned for their durability and robust design, making them a top choice for small businesses. Toshiba’s label printers are easy to use and built to withstand the rigors of daily use in environments like distribution and warehouses where frequent label printing is essential.
Whilst you may consider it a small business, you may not have small print volumes. Using a laser printer rather than inkjet will offer the best value colour printing for your business. An Inkjet printer can be fine for personal use, and the low purchase price can make them seem like an attractive option for a small business, but they do have disadvantages if you print regularly. The most economical printer for a small business/office would be a laser printer. A laser printer will cost slightly more to purchase, but will be much faster and will cost far less to use day to day. The option to rent or lease a printer also gives small businesses the opportunity to spread the purchase price of a new printer whilst paying lots less to print.
The best colour printer for a small business needs to be economical , fast, robust and easy to use. This should make the normal business functions of printing, photocopying and scanning quick and easy. For a small business, where space may be limited, and where additional features such as booklet printing are required, a compact multifunctional office printer can handle all this and much more. My Group Printing has a wide range of A4 and A3 colour multifunctional printers available to small businesses, offering full printing and scanning capabilities.
For any business, big or small, that regularly prints colour documents, the best laser printer would be an A3 floor standing multifunctional printer. These floor standing devices are chosen by businesses because they offer: an affordable cost per page, reliable technology, consistent high quality printing, flexibility to print on most paper types and fast print speeds.
A multifunction printer (MFP), also called a multifunctional device (MFD) is a printer that can be used to print, photocopy and scan. Many home printers include these ‘multi’ functions, but for a small business, with a busy office, the best multifunction printer would be a colour laser device. For a small business, that is likely to only have a single printer, choosing a model that can print double sided and in full colour along with black and white, along with the functionality to print and scan will give you all the features you need.
25+ years of printing experience
At My Group Printing, our 25+ years of experience and partnership with industry leaders allow us to guide small businesses in this critical choice. Our dedicated team can help you navigate the equipment options and show potential savings to help you take advantage of the latest business printing technology. With our assistance, you can ensure your small business gets the perfect printer tailored to your needs and the best support from our friendly team and local engineers.