Choosing the Right Small Business Printer

For economy (about half the cost per page of inkjet) and for fast, crisp, clear business documents, you will better served by a good laser printer is still the best way to go.

Laser printers cost less per page to run and command a strong resale value. Don't be fooled by a low purchase price, as you will probably pay dearly later... for consumables and repairs.

Consider Consumable Costs

Before purchasing a printer, consider the ongoing cost of replacing or refilling your toner or ink cartridges... and that involves examining the type of work you print.

Do you mainly do just plain text on a page - e.g. letters - or do you include lots of blocks of images, logos or graphs? The more blocks you print, the faster your toner and ink will need replacing.

While you can also use manufacturers page count ratings as a guide, don't be fooled by them. Most manufacturers use 5% coverage for rating a cartridge.

The 5 % rating represents an average amount of text on a typed page, but does not apply to blocks of images or logos or graphs.. When printing with colour images a standard 6" X 4" photo could represent 25% coverage (5 times what you'd probably expect)

Many common inkjet cartridges are only rated at a few hundred pages (at the 5% rate). The reality is that you might be lucky to get 100 pages (with lots of images on them).

Most laser cartridges however, are rated in the thousands of pages.

For expert help and advice in determining the type of printer best suited to your small business, contact Colortech. Don't forget you can make considerable savings by getting your consumables through Colortech!