Updated February 2016

To the average person, all printers look pretty much the same. But under the hood, there’s a world of difference. Inkjet…laser…print…copy…scan…fax…pages per minute…the list goes on. So let this guide be your roadmap to help you choose the right printer.

 

7 questions to ask when deciding which printer to buy:

1. How many people are printing? Compared to printers for lighter home usage, business printers help more people get more done in less time. Is your work printer constantly running out of ink, toner or paper? Higher capacity printers, including laser and Supertank, hold up to 1,000 sheets.

2. Time to cut the cord and go wireless? Consider a wireless printer if:

• There are no fixed workstations where you work
• You and your coworkers are always on the go in the office, bringing laptops to every meeting
• You’re interested in printing directly from your smartphone or tablet

Consider a standard network printer if: 

• You have permanent workstations
• All of your computers are networked together

3. Text, graphics or both? For printing text, laser printers are unrivaled. But today’s inkjet printers do a respectable job with black text, plus excel at printing color images, especially on glossy paper. Consider how you’ll use it on the job.

For example, Massachusetts-based attorney Scott Syat favors laser printers in his law office. “The legal documents I print –– some with very small type –– need to be clean and legible,” he says. “But the realtors and mortgage companies I do business with produce colorful marketing materials –– lots of photos and graphics –– so they usually use inkjets.”

4. Need more functions than just printing? All-in-one printers can also copy, scan and fax. Combining four tasks into a single footprint helps businesses stretch their budget. So you’ll never again need counterspace for, say, a standalone fax machine 

5. Inkjet, Laser or Supertank?

Inkjet Printers.

• Best for printing photos and graphics-heavy documents
• Better for home offices/small offices with fewer users
• Inkjet printers and cartridges generally cost less than their laser/toner counterparts
• Available in single function and all-in-one (print, copy, scan, fax) models

Laser Printers.

• Best for higher volume printing with larger amounts of text
• Better for busier offices thanks to faster page-per-minute performance
• Yield more prints per cartridge than inkjet choices
• Available in single-function and all-in-one (print, copy, scan, fax) models

Supertank Printers.

• Go up to 2 years without adding ink
• High-capacity refillable cartridges are more cost-effective over the life of your printer
• Approximately 20 times more prints per cartridge than standard inkjets

6. Want to save some trees?

Many models offer automatic duplexing, so you can use less paper –– and cut your costs –– by printing on both sides. 7. Have the need for speed?

Slow printers can bottleneck print jobs –– and leave coworkers unproductive while they wait. Some printers offer speeds of up to 50+ pages per minute.

 

We welcome your comments about the articles on the Staples Business Hub. Please follow these simple rules when submitting your comments: Do not mention our competitors, the price you paid for products, URLs, or your personally identifiable information (such as your full name or address). Be considerate and courteous. Do not attack or insult other users, use violent language, or engage in name-calling. These types of comments will be removed. Our moderation team may read comments before they are displayed.