Things to consider before buying a new printer

With the market going digital most of the functions of the businesses are computerised. As maximum operations are performed over the Internet through digital means, the use of paper is reduced. However, there are still applications and occasions when you cannot avoid papered documentation. For instance, dealing with a legal matter requires records and other information to be exchanged in hardcopy. To speed up and simplify these tasks you need a printing machine in your office. These are easy to use and can save you a lot of time and money as compared to outsourcing the printing tasks. You can choose from a variety of printers at the APS Solutions according to your needs. Many a times, overwhelming variety available in the market make the choice difficult and confusing. Here are some points you should consider before investing in a printer to ensure maximum productivity.

• Purchase budget and running cost

Printers are available in a wide range of pricing. You need to choose the right product that fits in your budget. When calculating your budget you also have to consider the running cost. Printers which are very affordable often use expensive ink and need you to spend more every time go for a refill. Pick a model that is affordable for long-term usage. Also assess the electricity consumption and regular maintenance bills which will add to your expenses every month.

• Ink or laser and color or black and white

Ascertain the type of printer you want for your business. See if you need to print only black and white documents or colored ones. You can opt for a laser printer or an ink printer. There are further bifurcations in ink printers. Most common configurations available are two ink cartridge (black and all-in-one ink), four ink cartridge (black, cyan, magenta, and yellow for CMYK model), and inkwells (Using larger wells instead of cartridges). 

• Print quality

The print quality if a printer is often judged its DPI value that is Dots Per Inch value. This is a source measure of the accuracy with which the printer can replicate the source image. In general laser printers have better print quality as compared to ink printers.

• Print speed

Slow printers can be frustrating especially when you have to print a big pile of pages or need something in urgent. The speed of a printer is measures in pages per minutes (PPM). The PPM value for text and image is different. The value that you will see on the packaging is generally the speed to print black text.

• Connectivity options

It is important to consider which devices and how many devices will be used to print from the printer. Most of the printers are wired and offer connectivity through USB port. You can attach them to your local network to use with multiple machines. You can also find some printer with wireless connectivity.

• Paper format and handling

Do not forget about the size and type of paper. If you want to print photos or cardstocks, you will need a different printer than the one used for regular blank paper printing. You cannot work with a small, compact, and portable printer if you want to print large pages.