Desktop printers are great. At home, you can count on your desktop for new recipes, for your children's homework, or for driving directions. If your business employs just a few people and produces and manages very little paper, a desktop printer is a great asset. In fact, despite the attention grabbing title of this article, desktop printers may still have a place in your home and small business.
Ok, so yes, this is absolutely the sort of article that makes a bold claim in the title, backpedals a little bit, but then goes on to justify its bold claim.
Here's how we justify our bold claim:
Why Your Office Should Invest in a Copier Versus Desktop Printers
If you have more than a handful of employees, and you have documents to manage, it actually is probably time to give up the desktop printer. It's holding you back. A copier, also called a multifunctional printer (MFP), can really give your business a kick in the pants and for less money than you might think.
Read More: 3 Empowering Benefits of a Managed Print Service
First is the sheer utility of a copier. Most desktop printers can only, well... print. Some have flatbed scanners. But really, the functionality of a printer is limited. A copier not only prints (and much faster than your desktop printer), it scans, copies and faxes, and that's just what it can do physically with your paper.
Because copiers are network connected, their value extends beyond just producing paper. While some desktop printers can also connect to your network so multiple users can print, a networked copier can email scanned documents to you or another person, it can route documents to a network folder (and for potentially another application to access), it can even send documents to the cloud for sharing and storage.
The total cost of ownership of a copier depends largely on the speed and features you need, but given what you gain in efficiency, the copier prices can be very reasonable. Believe it or not, you may even see cost reduction. If you have multiple people printing to a single, bealeaguered desktop printer, or you are maintaining several desktop printers with supplies, service, parts and replacements, a copier better suited for your office's needs could actually save you money in the long run.
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So to recap, ditching your desktop printers in favor of a copier can bring you:
- Utility
- Network connectivity
- Efficiency
- Cost reduction
It's a bold claim that, while not without its caveats, can really make a huge difference for your workplace. For very small operations, particularly those that don't generate a lot of paper, a good desktop printer can still be a valuable tool. But for offices with more than a couple people, and a need to manage their paper documents, a copier is a wise investment.
Copiers bring all kinds of value with them! We have a great, FREE eBook with tips on how a new copier can transform your office!
