If you have a small business, it’s important to consider which printing features your office printer should have. The right features can boost your productivity, save you money, and help you achieve a professional look. We’ve compiled a list of six important features to consider when you’re choosing which printer to buy.

1. Type of Printer

There are two most commonly used types of office printers available for small businesses: laser printers and inkjet printers. To determine the best option for your business, you should consider your desired printing features, budget, company size, and office environment. A laser printer in the office usually gives better quality prints compared to an inkjet printer. It’s also more cost-effective per page because toner cartridges last much longer than ink cartridges. However, toner can be more expensive than ink. Additionally, a laser printer is significantly faster than an inkjet printer.

2. Privacy Protection

When it comes to digital information, privacy and security are crucial in today’s dynamic landscape. Your business documents, data, and files, as well as your clients’ sensitive information, must be kept safe. Opting for an office printer that prioritizes document protection in its printing capabilities is a wise move. Protecting your printer’s privacy can enhance your business safety and efficiency. You can send documents to the printer wirelessly, scan them and store to USB or transfer them to email, cloud storage and network folders. All these processes are important for business operations and must be safeguarded.

3. Printer Resolution

When looking to buy a printer, the resolution is an important feature to consider. If you are buying a black and white office printer, make sure it has a resolution of at least 600 x 600 DPI. However, it is suggested that you choose a printer with a higher resolution of 2400 x 1200 DPI for better quality prints. For color printing, a higher standard resolution is needed as it is more complex than black and white printing. It is recommended to purchase a minimum resolution of 1200 x 1200. However, if you frequently print in color, a resolution of 4800 x 4800 should be considered for the best quality printouts.

4. Multifunction

The reason why all-in-one office printers are in high demand is easy to understand. They offer many benefits to small businesses. However, whether you should get one or not depends greatly on your business needs. If you have a tight budget, you may want to choose the printing features your office printer requires more carefully. For instance, if you only intend to print text documents, you may not need colour printing.

5. Scanner type

Most people don’t know that office printers have two scanner elements with different functions. As a result, they often don’t consider this important feature when choosing a printer for their small business. If you want to buy a printer with a high-quality scanner, it’s worth learning about these differences. There are two types of scanner elements: charged couple device scanner and color contact scanner. The charged couple device scanner is designed for scanning graphic files, while the color contact scanner is ideal for high-quality text images. Your small business should prioritize the scanner element that best fits its needs.