While running a successful small business can be challenging at times, it’s also never been easier thanks to the many advantages offered by modern technology.

One prime example is the multifunction printer. It can tackle a number of a company’s most important tasks, doing the job of several machines without taking up the same amount of space in an office or budget.

As long as companies make the right choice, their investment will begin paying off almost immediately.

What Small Business Owners Must Consider Before Purchasing a Multifunctional Printer

Purchasing the right multifunction printer will make any small business’ office more effective right away.

Of course, before business owners can enjoy those benefits and more, they need to know how to pick the best all-in-one printer for their company by following these five steps.

1. The Features the Small Business Requires

Choosing a printer that can do more than a company would ever need means wasting money on features they’ll never use. That’s why the first step to picking a multifunctional printer is for a business owner to understand their company’s unique requirements.

Aside from printing and copying, do they also need a fax machine?

Do they want it to help reduce their paper consumption or manage their documents? Will it need to access the cloud?

They must think about the workarounds they currently need because of a traditional printer. For example, if they need to visit a local copy shop to use their scanner regularly, that would be a nice feature to have in a multifunction printer. Does their company need a high-volume printer or one that can support professional-grade graphics, too?

2. Pages Per Minute

One of the most crucial factors business owners need to look for in a multifunction printer is its speed, also known as the PPM (Pages Per Minute), that it can produce.

Otherwise, they could purchase a multifunction printer that fits the profile they established in the last step but can’t keep the pace their small business requires. That would render it impractical for their company.

Taking the time to assess how many copies a company prints on average every day will give business owners a sense for what they’ll need from a multifunctional printer.

3. Page Capacity

What size do those pages need to be?

There is a multitude of options, so now’s the time to explore all the different sizes of paper a new printer could support.

Page capacity also refers to how many pieces a printer can hold in its tray at one time. When conducting the aforementioned exercise to establish the PPM that’s required, business owners should pay attention to how often this would require someone to refill the tray. Having to do it once or twice a day is probably tolerable, but more than that and it might become counterproductive.

4. Total Cost of Ownership

“You get what you pay for” definitely applies to the world of printers. While it makes sense that every business owner wants to protect their budget, if they try to spend as little as possible on a printer, they’ll most likely end up paying more than they had intended on the replacement ink and toner it requires. This is how many vendors can offer a multifunction printer at an extremely low price. They’ll earn it back – and much more – later.

Unless a small business does very little printing and, thus, won’t need to spend a lot on consumables, it’s hard to justify this “affordable” purchase.

Instead, business owners need to think about what kind of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) their budget can support. Look into what different options will cost in terms of monthly supplies. This will save companies from any unwanted surprises later on.

5. Maintenance and Service Agreements

Even the best multifunction printers may quit working properly.

That’s why it’s vital that business owners only consider printers that come with maintenance and service agreements. Regular maintenance will go a long way toward keeping this important machine functioning properly. A service contract is a hedge against the worst-case-scenario when a printer quits working, but a company still very much needs it.

Make the Best Possible Decision with Your Multifunctional Printer

As you’ll soon find, there is no shortage of options when looking for the best all-in-one-printer for your small business. That’s why it’s necessary that you first go through the five steps outlined above before making your choice.

At Blue Technologies, we specialize in helping small businesses like yours make the most of each step, so the best possible option is clear. If you’d like our expert help at carrying out this kind of assessment, please contact us today.