Our top 9 things to consider when buying a new printer
There are so many options now a days when it comes to buying anything! You only need to go online and you’re presented with so many options it can be overwhelming.
The same goes when searching for a printer. Type into Google “best managed printer to buy 2018” and you’ll get 46,600,000 results!
We’ve complied a list of things to consider which will hopefully help you narrow down your search.
Number 1 - Brand
Do you want a specific brand? If so, why? Perhaps it’s what ‘you’ve always used’, maybe you’ve read or heard good reviews or maybe you don’t mind what the brand is. Either way its good to be clear so you can focus on other aspects.
Number 2 – What do you need it to do?
Is it just a printer that you need? Or maybe it needs to be a multi-functional device (copy, print, scan and fax). Who and which departments will be using it? Just because the “finance team” only need to print, what about the other users, maybe “marketing” need it to be able to scan?
Number 3 – Speed
Is speed important? The way we tend to find this out is to understand how many pages are being printed in one run. For example, if lots of people are printing 1-2 pages at a time, the speed won’t really affect the outcome as it will always take the same time to print the first page.
If, however users were printing large documents, speed will then be important. The end user will really feel the difference between a 20 page per minute device and a 50 page per minute.
Number 4 – Network features and apps
What systems do you use? Technology has advanced so much you may be surprised as to how your printer may be able to make your processes much more efficient.
Did you know on our new range of Toshiba devices you can scan directly into Drop box, One Drive for Buisness, Share Point Online? Just an example of how a new printer could transform how you and your team work.
Number 5 – Purchasing Options
How are you going to fund the device? Purchase outright or lease over a 3-5-year period? Your finance team/accountant will be able to advise which may be the best option for you and your business.
If you are in a fast-paced technological business then a 3-year lease may be best. This means you can keep abreast of the latest solutions and technology.
Number 6 – Price!
For some businesses the deciding factor. And rightly so. Once you’ve got your head around the other points of consideration the price needs to work for you too. We advise our customers gain 3 quotes for comparison. This ensures you will have explored more than one option/one salesmans opinion and you’ll have a good comparison on price. One thing we would say is a web comparison isn’t always a fair or consistent way to judge the price. Check out our July Blog for more info!
Number 7 – Additional costs
Most providers will offer a service contract to support your printer. It’s important to understand what’s included and what’s not.
You should normally expect to receive the following if you are on a cost per copy contract:
Toner, engineer call outs, labour, preventative maintenance, parts.
Things to look out for and make sure you understand:
Minimum charges/volume, network charges, increases, high toner coverage charge, repudiation charges if you wished to terminate early and length of contract (needs to be the same as the lease or an agreed period if purchased)
And the “nice to haves”:
Asset utilisation, service reviews, free training
Number 8 – Future proofing
Depending on your requirements, a printer may be a big investment for the business and it’s important to look to the future.
When we visit a customer for the first time we will try to understand where the business is now and where its future growth is. We will try to see how that will affect the usage of a device. Print volumes are on the decrease but that sometimes means other features such as scanning is on the increase. In terms of the Toshiba range this would change the product and accessories we would propose.
Number 9 - The company
We believe this to be one of the most important things to consider when choosing a printer.
We provide our customers with Toshiba devices and I could write several pages as to why you should choose a Toshiba over a different brand but now a days these differences are minimal and most manufactures can offer the same if not similar products and services.
We believe the real difference is the company that you want to work with. Its about the after sales and support. Its about the company you can ring up and have 100% confidence they will resolve your query. It’s having the trust and faith in that company.
For us, this is what makes us different. Take a look at our google reviews:
We hope these considerations will help the next time you look to invest in a printer.
And as always, you know where we are if you need any further advice!