Choosing network printers for improved office space efficiencies

One of the keys to keeping information moving through your office is choosing the right network printer, a machine that can cope with its workload, is cost effective to run and communicates seamlessly with other office equipment.

So how do you choose the right network printer and what do you need to know about costs? 

Printing volume

The type of printer you choose will depend on how much printing you need to do, says Sandy Young, computer hardware specialist at Officeworks.

"If you're printing up to 250 pages a month, that's considered low volume," she says. "There's certainly not high demand on the machine and it could be done comfortably with an inkjet or low-cost laser product."

Sandy says a printer of this kind is typically assigned to a single user, perhaps stationed on a bookkeeper's desk for printing invoices and receipts, or could serve as part of a home office.

Higher volume network printers

"Feature-for-price is generally the first driver in buying a higher volume printer or multifunction device," Sandy explains. "The other major factor is the total cost of ownership." 

While the purchase price of a network printer might be competitive, Sandy says the overall cost of ownership could be higher because, for example, the duty cycle on the drums is lower.

"You could end up wearing out the drum, which can be quite expensive to replace, and that impacts the overall cost-per-page equation," she says.

So rather than looking at a cheaper network printer, it may work out to be more cost effective to invest in a higher quality model. 

"The general rule is, the more expensive the hardware and the consumables, the lower the total cost of ownership tends to be."

Ask the right questions

When shopping for a network printer, it's important to ask yourself the following:

• What kind of page yield am I going to get for that price?
• What kind of duty cycle does the hardware have?
• What is the cost of replacing consumables?
• Is it going to deliver all the features I need?

Features of multifunction devices

According to Sandy, many businesses today are opting for multifunction devices, which offer more than a standard network printer. Additional features could include photocopying, faxing and scanning.

When choosing a multifunction device, it's important to look at:

• Fax: Ensure transmission speed is 14.5 or 33.3 kilobytes per second.
• Automatic document feeder: Streamlines copying, scanning and faxing. The main difference with document feeders is page capacity - 35 or 50 are the most common.
• Performance: Comes down to two key things - engine performance and single-pass or multi-pass printing. Single-pass printing is faster, whereas multi-pass printing, while also reliable, can lead to paper jams and higher wear on the machine.

The right device

Getting the right network printer or multifunction device can have a huge impact on your business, both in terms of cost and efficiency.

Ask a computer hardware retailer to help identify the printer that best suits your needs.