How To Choose A Printer For Small Business Detailed Guide 2021

Do you want to know how to choose a printer for a small business? Obviously, you definitely want to know that’s why you are here… don’t mind my stupid question. 

Selecting a printer for home or business is not so difficult task but yes it is also not a piece of cake. And the question How To Choose A Printer For Small Business? Can be more frustrating if you are going to buy a printer the first time and for a specific purpose. 

In this article, we have compiled a detailed list of points on how to choose a printer for small businesses? It is totally beginner-friendly and easy to understand. 

Now let’s dive into the article How To Choose A Printer For Small Business?

Best Printer Types For Small Business

All-in-one Printer

Office and home computer rooms can both benefit from an all-in-one business printer. You will be able to purchase a unit that is better suited to your needs by understanding what features to look for when purchasing a new all-in-one printer. 

Several printer features enhance the overall functionality of the printer, whereas others improve the efficiency of one feature.

Almost all basic printers are cheap and simple enough to be thrown away. However, high-quality all-in-one printers offer more features, which make them more versatile. 

An inexpensive multifunction printer can replace several other office machines for small- to medium-sized businesses or home-based entrepreneurs.

Pros

• Multi-Functions
• Easy to Use
• Advanced Features

Cons

• Expensive

Our Favourite: HP Officejet Pro 8035e

The HP Officejet Pro 8035e is a decent printer for home and small office use. The printer is a full-featured all-in-one printer that is introduced after its sibling, the OfficeJet Pro 8035.

In short, the printer is compact in size, delivers good picture quality with great color accuracy. Read Full Review. 

Laser Printers

It’s likely that you’ve used a laser printer at least once in your working life. Their size makes them more difficult to store, needing more space. The initial cost of laser printers is generally higher. 

With laser printers, however, you can save money by using toner cartridges that last longer. A laser printer is more affordable in the long run as well as faster than an inkjet printer.

The ink source in laser printers isn’t the ink droplet itself, but toner that is melted onto the paper via heated rollers, rather than squeezing it out as the ink droplet would be. 

Even though laser printers save time and ink, they have a hard time printing graphics and photographs to the same level of detail as inkjet printers.

For companies that work with large volumes of documents and utilize multiple connections, laser printers are more efficient. 

A laser printer is best known for its lightning-fast printing speed, as opposed to inkjet printers. Laser printers, however, can produce documents of higher quality and in greater than inkjet printers. 

Pros

• Precise
• Long-Lasting
• Fast 

Cons

• Expensive

Our Favourite: HP Laserjet Pro M29W

HP Laserjet Pro M29W is an excellent monochrome laser printer. The printer is outstandingly great to print black and white documents.

The printer provides decent connectivity options; you can print via wired or wireless connections, and you can also access it from mobile via the HP Smart app.

Cartridge system generates a large number of pages, resulting in fewer requirements for ink replacement and exceptionally low printing cost. Read Full Review. 

Inkjet Printers

Home printers with inkjets are usually cheaper and more compact than those with lasers. Despite being smaller and cheaper, they still print crisp images. 

The DPI rating of some high-end computers is higher. The number corresponds to the number of dots of ink that are distributed horizontally and vertically within a square inch of paper. 

Dotty images tend to have higher resolution and clarity. Thus, images and documents will be more crisp and clear.

One downside of inkjet printers is that the ink can smudge unexpectedly, resulting in blurry results. The long-term costs of inkjet printers are also usually high. 

There are ways to extend the life of ink cartridges, but since you’re not only replacing one, they can be very expensive to replace. 

Colour cartridges are usually required for inkjet printers. In some printers, the toner is divided into different colors or combined with other shades. 

The cost of an inkjet printer with separate cartridges could be more cost-effective if you use one particular color more often.

Pros

• Cheap
• Realistic Prints
• Compact

Cons

• Slow printing
• High printing cost

Our Favourite: Epson Ecotank ET-4760

Epson Ecotank ET-4760 is an outstanding printer. The yield capacity of the printer is high due to the presence of super ink chambers as it is an all-in-one printer so that you will get multi features on a budget.

Though it is an inkjet printer it has excellent printing speed compared to other inkjet printers. The Epson Ecotank ET-4760 is wireless and provides lots of scanning features. It will be perfect for home, small office, family, and also for students. Read Full Review. 

How To Choose A Printer For Small Business?

What is Your Requirement?

Knowing what exactly are your requirements for buying a printer is necessary. You can decide which printer will be perfect for your needs and then choose a printer by considering the factors below.

Connectivity – People opt for wireless printers due to advances in technology. The majority of printers come with their own dedicated app and WiFi, Bluetooth, or Bluetooth connectivity options.

Documents can be scanned on the go and faxed through the cloud storage options. The printer is also compatible with a range of smart devices, so it increases compatibility.

Ease Of Use – We all want printers that won’t require us to contact customer service every now and then for installation and troubleshooting. You should also check whether the printer has an automatic document feeder and can easily load media.

Make sure that ink is not messed up during ink tank refilling. Ideally, there should be a number of buttons on the printer that you can use to print just one page.

 Few Other Important Features

• You can look at features like printing, faxing, and scanning in addition to copying.
• Dots per inch refer to the resolution of a printed document. Its high resolution will enable it to print more detailed images.
• Make sure your printer will accommodate the paper types you use. Office users most commonly use the A4 standard. 
• You can also use a long legal document. The envelope is also included. If you intend to incorporate a specific paper format, make sure your printer can handle it.
• In addition, you should consider whether your unit can hold the ink. 
• Cartridges and bottles can be used to add ink. 
• The openings might have to be manually filled in some instances. 
• The ability to see what’s inside something that provides a clear view.
• Wireless or traditional wired connections can be used to connect to a computer. 
• It is measured by the number of sheets the printer handles in a month. 
• The device may be able to print more than what’s stated in the listing, but it’s possible the printing head will become clogged or fatigue.
• There will be an impact from each of these factors. So, pick the one which has the feature which you require the most.

Should You buy a Multi-function Printer?

Printing and copying are the two primary tasks of a multifunction printer. A multifunction printer can also be referred to as a photocopier, copier, Xerox machine, or other terms over time.

 Today, modern multifunction printers do so much more than just print and copy. Multifunction printers can also scan, email, fax, and even browse the internet, just like a computer, and print directly from a monitor.

 In addition to the fact that many multifunction printers are energy-efficient, they also come with other advantages. Whenever they are not being used, they switch to energy-saving mode.

In a small office, one multifunction printer can replace three or four normal printers. A single machine can be used by several teams and departments since the printers are so fast and efficient.

They are the most advanced versions of Modern Printers and with a lot of features. You can consider buying a multi-function printer if you require many features in a single device.

Colour or Black & White Printer?

Gone are the days when generally there used to be black and white prints all around. Nowadays, people prefer color print over black and white any day.

Although the costs of buying a color printer are more than a Black & White printer you have to be updated to live in the modern world. 

Currently, almost everywhere you will see color prints dominating. Although, it can be subjective and you may require only a black & white printer for your work. In such scenarios, you can definitely go for a Black & White printer.

But remember that there is not only a difference in color but there are a lot of differences in features and connectivity between Colour & Black & White printers as well.

So, you have to consider all your requirements and budget and choose the appropriate one for yourself.

Features to Look While Buying a Printer For Small Business

Consider these features before purchasing a printer for yourself.

Input & Output Tray 

The paper is pulled into the printer from the front, run around the roller or drum, and then popped out into the output tray. 

You may want an input tray that comes from the back of the printer instead, in case you’re printing on heavier stock so that the paper will be pushed through in a straight line.

Furthermore, some printers let you pick from different papers by adding more than one paper tray to the front.

Duplexing

Automatically printing on both sides of a page is possible with this feature. You can choose between two types of duplex printing: manual or automatic. 

Duplex printing on a manual printer is not fully automated, instead, the software will guide you through it. The paper will be turned over in an automatic duplex printer while the sheet is inside. 

Therefore, it is called automatic. In addition to saving money, duplex printing at home or at work also helps one to print neat and tidy sheets of paper.

Connectivity

The products come with wireless connectivity and cloud printing capabilities to make them sound more advanced. Mostly, Wifi, Bluetooth, and USB connections are used.

Wi-Fi networks are able to connect directly to most printers. The Wi-Fi details you provide during setup will typically be used to access the service.

By using free software, you can send printing jobs directly from computers, phones, and other devices to printers, without the need for cables. 

For home projects, it is one of the best options available. Working from home can also be facilitated with Wi-Fi connections, allowing you to print from your home to your office.

Printers are also generally connected via USB, usually via USB-A. With this feature, you can connect an external hard drive and a variety of other devices to the printer, then print files directly from them via the printer’s menu system. 

SD cards can also be read by some printers. In order to print your files, you do not need to transfer them first to your computer in this way.

Display Screen

Nowadays, most of the multi-function printers are coming with Display screens which show the stats and other important details. Printers with Display Screens make the work easier for the users.

Printing Speed

Print speed is measured in IPM in printers. It is the number of pages printed per minute. For small office users, anything above 15 pages per minute is a decent option.

Printing quality

In order to print color images, a high print resolution is required. With print resolution, we are referring to how many details are on a given printed object. High-resolution images are characterized by their DPI, which stands for dots per inch. 

Increasing the number of dots on an inch will give out a high-resolution image. It is not a big deal with most ink multi-function printers because they have good print resolutions. 

Printing type

Most printers are used for printing on A4 size papers but most of the printers support other pages as well. If you have specific needs of printing other types of pages then do consider checking this feature before buying the printer.

Long term Cost

This is a great thing which you need to consider. Calculate the amount of work required from the printer with the cost of printing a page. Also, consider electrical costs as well in this.

Cost per page

By dividing the cost of individual inks by their page yield, you can determine the average printing cost. We can calculate CPPs in this way since it varies based on the print media. The user’s costs of printing are maintained as a result of this. 

Maintenance Requirement

Maintaining printers included replacing cartridges, cleaning inside and outside, buying new ink bottles, etc. This is a type of device which needs proper time to time for maintenance for good functioning.

Select your Budget

Your budget should be made focusing on which type of printer you need for your work. Mostly, office users require Multi-function printers as they have to do all sorts of work. So, you need to invest more as the cost of multifunction printers is much higher.

You also need to consider the long-run costs of using the printer. This is a big factor which you need to think about.

Related Queries

Which is better inkjet or laser?

Ans. Both are good at their job. The actual point is everything depends on your printing requirements. Inkjet printers are perfect for printing photos and color documents whereas you can get similar results from color laser printers but they are more expensive.

But if you need to print black and white documents or purchase bills then a laser printer is a good choice. Laser printers use toner instead of ink like Inkjet printers that last much longer.

Overall laser printers are more expensive but not good for color printing and Inkjet printers are affordable. 

Is ink cheaper than toner?

Ans. Refilling ink or replacing ink cartridges are expensive. Whereas toner powder is affordable. 

How much does a laser printer cost?

Ans. Black and white Laser printers at an entry-level cost between $70 to $200. These printers are best for home and small businesses as you will get 1000 pages to print, compact size, and a decent speed of 20PPM. 

Which is better printer HP or Canon or Brother?

Ans. According to us in all three brands, we didn’t much difference. Everyone delivers good printing speed HP is a little bit fast than others.

In printing color documents Canon takes the first place but HP provides ease-of-use and you have to put less effort to keep the printer running.

But if you have a requirement of high volume printout then Brother printers are best though they have a larger initial cost but are good for the long run. 

What is the average lifespan of a printer?

Ans. The average lifespan of a printer is 5 to 7 years after that you may be required or you must upgrade your printer. Actually, my HP printer is more than 7 years and it’s still running fine. 

Does turning the printer on and off waste ink?

Ans. Turning the printer on every time consumes ink before it is ready to get a print. Leaving the printer on will save your ink by bypassing the routine maintenance cycle. 

Everything depends on your requirements, what you need to print, how much you need to print, and how much you can afford.

Here we conclude our article How To Choose A Printer For Small Business. Our experts covered every point related to How To Choose A Printer For Small Business.

So, if you had any doubts you can ask us in the comment section below, and be sure to tell us what you think about this article How To Choose A Printer For Small Business.