5 Important Factors to Consider for Your New Multifunction Printer

Technology changes constantly, and printers and multifunction office machines are no exception. These modern devices have so many bells and whistles that it’s difficult to decide what you need and what you can do without. Most often, the basics are the most important factors when choosing a multifunction printer.

Whether you’re working from home during this pandemic, are a small to medium-sized business, or a large enterprise, the functionality is basically the same. The differences are in the details.

Choosing the right machine is all about your business needs.

Knowing your workflow and environment is as important as what you’ll be printing. We wanted to examine all the options and see which factors we’ve learned are the most important when helping you make the right choice. Below are the top five factors to consider when choosing the right MFP for your business.

1. Security is the top priority.

Since HP is the go-to multifunction printer for business environments, they’ve raised the bar on printer security and earned the title of the world’s most secure printers. With built-in features like HP Sure Start, Whitelisting, Run-time intrusion detection, and HP Connection Inspector, these printers have end-to-end protection for your sensitive data.

2. Color or Black and White

This choice is usually based on what you’re printing. If your business doesn’t need color, then why pay for it? Accounting firms and banks rarely need color printing except for specific areas where a logo may need to be printed in color. However, tax forms and bank statements are a great example of skipping the cost of color. You can also purchase or lease a color machine with the added feature of color control. This function allows you to print color only when you need it. We almost always recommend color for many reasons, but you know your business better than we do. If you don’t need it, don’t pay for it.

3. Print Volume

Your print volume matters when choosing a printer. The amount that businesses are printing has indeed declined, but printing is not going away anytime soon. There are still industries and companies that rely heavily on printing. Your print volume will dictate your machine choice based on the engine size and speed. If you’re printing 1,000 sheets per day 5 days a week, you’ll need to know the recommended print volume for your new machine. Otherwise, the wear and tear of running the machine and pumping paper through it will cause it to break down faster and put wear and tear on parts that aren’t built to handle the volume you’re putting through it.

4. Paper Size

Too often, we see companies that lease unnecessary machines. Unfortunately, there are some copier companies out there who oversell their customers to make a buck. Laser Line is NOT one of those dealers. We will never oversell you on a machine that prints on 11 X 17-inch paper when you don’t print anything over legal size. We have both a SHARP and an HP line of exceptional A4 (letter and legal) size multifunction printers available. Downsizing from an A3 (Tabloid size) machine can save you thousands of dollars! If you do not need to print A3, why are you paying for it?

5. Functionality

The added functions on your multifunction printer will be unique to your needs. You can choose from envelope printing, stapling, stacking and sorting, and even booklet-making. Will you need a high-capacity paper tray or the ability to have several different trays for different print jobs? Will the machine require a stand, a cabinet, or both? Your Laser Line sales team will ask these questions while helping you decide what you need, but being prepared for those questions is a great start to the process.

Making the right decision about your multifunction machines is crucial to your budget, workflow, and print environment. We always strive to make you as well informed as possible to get it right the first time. We aim to make sure your business stays up and running, has the right machines in the right place with the right features to do the job.