You Need One of These

TECHNOLOGY

Good low-cost printing is now available for small
businesses.

Even though the amount of printing being done today
is declining because so much data can be stored for
instant retrieval on hard drives or the Cloud, every
small business should still have a printer. Today’s
multi-function printer (MFP) provides an owner-
managed office with most of the capabilities offered
by a printing company but at a starting price of about
$1,300 for colour and between $500 and $600 for
black and white.
If you are considering replacing the old printer or
cancelling your lease contract, consider the features
now offered on printers that support both Mac and
Windows operating systems and are not much bigger
than a microwave oven.

Features

Most MFPs have the following features:

• colour and black and white capability
• ability to print on various media of varying size
  and weight as well as labels and vinyl
• LCD touch screens
• ability to print from a USB and to scan to the USB
• ability to scan and send to a personal computer
• ability to print forms stored on a website
• ability to scan on a flatbed scanner
• automatic feeders allowing scanning of multiple
  documents as well as duplexing pages to cut back
  on paper costs
• preview ability on the control panel allowing you
  to print only the pages needed
• ability to join your wireless network (WiFi) and
  print right from your smartphone or tablet. (You
  may need to purchase this option separately.)
• Ethernet ready (Check to be sure in case there
  are wireless communication issues within your
  environment.)
• memory in off-the-shelf units: 512 MB or 1 GB,
  with expansion to 3 GB or more (more memory
  allows the printer to handle larger or more complex
  documents, such as images)
• duty cycles up to 150,000 pages per month and
  eliminating the replacement of costly imaging
  components
• rated to print from a low of 700 pages a month to
  25,000 pages a month
• printing speed for most printers in the range
  of 40 ppm in colour mode and 50 ppm or greater
  for mono
• starting to print within five seconds if “on” and
  within 20 seconds if “sleeping”
• resolution to 2400×1200 dpi if finer detail or richer
  colour saturation is required.

A monthly warranty can cost as
little as popcorn and a movie.

Low-Priced Warranty Package

Up to now, small businesses could never afford a
printer that offered all these features. Most small businesses
leased a printer and paid a per-page charge for
warranty and service. State-of-the-art MFPs from reputable
manufacturers carry at least a one-year guarantee
and offer extended onsite warranty packages from two
to five years for a monthly cost equivalent of popcorn
and a movie.