How to Choose an All-in-One Printer for Business Use

Eliminate office space clutter by getting an all-in-one printer. Multifunction printers do it all: faxing, scanning and copying. A business places unique demands on the printer that rarely come up in home use. An all-in-one business printer will probably see a much higher volume of use and quality output at high speed is a necessity in an office setting, rather than a luxury. Follow these steps to help you choose an all-in-one printer for business use.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Choose built-in networking capability. Today’s office is wired together and plays together, so making sure that the printer is built to serve everyone in the office right out of the box is a great feature to start with.

2. Get a multifunction printer with an automatic document feeder. This device automatically feeds multiple page documents into the scanner, which means that you don’t have to feed the pages in one at a time.

3. Select a model that has multiple paper trays with high capacity. Restocking the paper supply takes away from productivity time.

4. Test the fax capability of the machine, and check the printer’s speed when running off plain pages of text. If you can’t, then get a professional review that lists the time it takes for the machine to print or produce a fax.

5. Buy a laser printer if you have room in your budget. Laser printers quickly produce fine-quality prints that tell the world that you are a professional organization.

6. Save some money at the cost of quality by settling for an inkjet printer. Print quality among inkjet printers isn’t bad, you just will not get that extra degree of fine detail that a laser printer offers. You’ll also be waiting around longer for your prints.

7. Get an all-in-one printer that uses multiple ink cartridges for the highest-quality color prints.

Tips & Warnings

• Duplexing is the ability to copy or print both sides of a sheet of paper without having to flip the paper over. Get this feature if possible, but don’t let its absence turn you away from an otherwise solid performer.
• Automatic collating is the greatest technological innovation since the invention of the toaster. Get it on your printer if you can.
• Connectivity is not just a buzz word. Make sure that the multifunction printer you choose can connect with everything in the office. If possible, get a model that can handle what your office does on a daily basis, plus a little bit of room for growth.
• Check the terms of the warranty for conditions of coverage and exceptions to coverage before purchase.

[dearlonda]

on 2/21/2009 Great article! I'll have to do a laser upgrade! Thanks 5*