Buying a printer that meets your unique business requirements can be quite a challenge, especially with the overwhelming variety of products and solutions available on today’s market. If printing is where the digital and physical worlds meet, businesses need a solution that is not only cost-effective, but also provides them with modern functionalities that meet the needs of digital work environments. There is also maintenance and after-sales service to think about. Without taking all of this into consideration, printers can quickly become more of a liability than an asset. To avoid that, here are the five things every organisation should consider before buying a printer or getting tied up in a long-term contract.
Is the price right for your printing needs?
Every business wants to minimise costs wherever possible, especially in an uncertain business climate. The problem with buying a cheap printer is that the consumables are often more expensive, and with large print volumes, the maintenance costs can quickly outweigh the initial savings over the long term. A printer from a reputable brand can be seen as an investment, rather than an expense, which is why it is always important to compare cost savings over the long term.
Different print volumes and colour requirements necessitate different printing solutions, and businesses should be wary of a one-size-fits-all answer to their printing needs. For example, an inkjet printer may be ideal for high-quality prints, but an inkjet’s cleaning cycles also lead to wasted ink. For high volumes of regular prints, a laser printer is often the better option. HP's innovative laser printers can use up to 60% less HP toner to print at high volumes at a low cost – without compromising on print quality.
When evaluating the initial cost of a printer, it is important to consider the cartridge that comes with it. When you buy a traditional laser printer, it usually comes with a toner cartridge that only lasts for 1 000 pages. HP Neverstop Laser printers are the world’s first cartridge-free laser printers that come with 5 000 pages worth of toner already inside them. The Toner Reload Kit then provides 2 500 pages of Original HP Toner at a low cost, with a yield that’s three times higher than your average printer cartridge’s yield. So, every time you refill, you earn back your investment.
Does it have modern functionality?
Cost savings are important, but a printer also needs to have all the right functionalities that make collaboration seamless, streamline workflows and improve productivity. In today’s digital business environment, there are often smarter ways to get a job done, and in an age where there’s an app for everything, a printer needs one too. The HP Smart App, for example, allows you to print remotely, check ink levels, create shortcuts for routine tasks, access and print documents and images on your smartphone, and get notifications when printing. And for employees who don’t have a scanner at home, they can simply take a picture on a mobile device and share it to the cloud or via e-mail.
More importantly, a printer must be up to modern security standards. With more employees working from home, a printer is a potential attack vector for cyber criminals. To prevent malicious actors from accessing confidential documents or even an entire business network, HP printers use HP Sure Start and Run-time Intrusion Detection (RTID) to automatically detect, stop and recover from any cyber attack.
Will maintenance be easy?
Businesses shouldn’t have to dedicate valuable hours to ordering new cartridges, replacing them or waiting for printers to get fixed when something goes wrong. Maintenance should be fast, simple and proactive. As the world’s first cartridge-free, self-reloadable laser printers, the HP Neverstop range ensures that printing never stops and maintenance is hassle free. They do not require a complicated set-up process or IT expertise and are ready to use out of the box. The innovative reload kit only takes a few mess-free seconds to reload
Furthermore, HP printers utilise self-healing to help recover from cyber-attacks and detect printer problems so that maintenance is proactive – rather than reactive. When a device experiences file corruption, for example, it can automatically recover without the need to notify an IT department and experience costly downtimes. And when businesses do require help with maintaining and improving their device fleet, HP Device as a Service for Enterprises is a bespoke service that covers all aspects of device acquisition, management and enhancement.
Is it sustainable?
Many businesses today are trying to commit to more sustainable solutions to preserve our natural environment, which is where choosing the right printers can give them peace of mind. HP goes beyond being just a technology company with bold commitments for a more sustainable future. HP ink mixtures are not classified as hazardous, and HP Neverstop Laser printers are made from 25% recycled materials, which results in a 16% smaller environmental footprint. Additionally, the HP Planet Partners programme helps organisations in more than 50 countries recycle their ink and toner cartridges to keep them out of landfills.
Do you have the right partner in print?
A printer shouldn’t be just a once-off purchase. It should be an investment that comes with the right support long after the day you buy it. Businesses need a trusted partner who will understand their unique requirements, tailor the right print solution and provide them with reliable after-sales service to ensure they don’t have to worry about their print environment. Tarsus Distribution, in partnership with HP, has a wide ecosystem of products and partners that empowers businesses of all sizes with today’s leading technologies.
If you would like us to assess your printing needs and find a solution that works for your business, book a one-on-one consultation with us today: Take care of your business technology – Tarsus Distribution.
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