The Best Printer Features For Small Businesses

Get a Multi-Function Printer.

You want to look for a Multi-Function Printer versus a regular printer because like I said before, you will have limited space.  You want it to have a "Flatbed" because you will be scanning paperwork.  You also want it to be able to "Feed" a lot of papers through the scanner at once because you will be faxing a lot of paperwork.  In fact, the feed is one of the most important features to look at... don't skimp here.  A wimpy feed will mean lots of paper jams, lots of frustration, a few choice curse words, a whole lot of equipment violence, and eventually, a whole lot of time wasted manually feeding your pages one at a time. (Which sucks, believe me!) Save yourself the headache and pony up the extra $50-$150 for a better feeding option.

a. Features to Look for in a Multifunction Printer:

i. Laser Printers versus Inkjet Printers:

* Laser printers mean toner cartridges.  That is a lot more expensive then Inkjet cartridges, and usually larger in size, but they print faster, and they print more copies before they have to be replaced. In addition, the printer costs more money, especially if you go for the Color Laser printer, but the print quality is excellent, and if you don't mind pony-ing up $100 every time you have to buy replacement cartridges, then a laser printer is a great option.

* Inkjet Printers: Both the printer and the cartridges cost less....period.  The quality can be really good, but you will buy cartridges more often (although the prices can be as low as $10 each).  You will probably also have to do a "head cleaning" more often on an Inkjet Printer, but this is the more affordable choice when starting any new business.

ii. Replacement Cartridges: Before you buy any printer, always pop over to the cartridge aisle and see how much the replacement cartridges are.  Just the cost of the cartridges alone could be a reason NOT to buy whatever printer you're looking at, no matter how cheap the printer is.  For example, Lexmarks are generally the cheapest printers you can find, but their cartridges cost just a little less than the printer itself.  On top of that, the cartridges don't print a whole lot of documents before the cartridge has to be replaced - so these are only good deals for people who don't print a lot.  You...as a VIRTUAL bookkeeper... ARE going to print - a lot.  So take the price of the cartridges seriously.

iii. A Good Feeder: This is a must-have for a bookkeeper.  You are going to be faxing, scanning and copying a lot of documents at once.  If you have a wimpy feeder, then you can expect paper jams or an early death to your MFC printer.  Therefore, make sure you look at how many papers you can feed at once.  This information will be listed in the printer's details or on the box itself.

iv. A Flatbed Scanner: A lot of Business Owners think that having a machine with only a feeder (like a fax machine) is a great low-cost option, but the truth is, it's a bad option for bookkeeping. Bookkeepers need to make copies of checks, bills, tax forms, books, and all sorts of odd-shaped papers. It's a whole heck of a lot easier to have a flatbed that can handle odd shapes and sizes so you can scan portions, if necessary, and put the scans back together on a computer.  Therefore, get both the feeder and the scanner model.

v. A Fax Machine: You'd be amazed how many multi-function printers are still made without a fax machine, but the truth is, a fax machine is a Virtual Bookkeeper's best friend.  You will be sending a lot of paperwork to your clients via email or fax, and having a fax machine lets you do both.  Be smart and check for this feature right from the beginning.

vi. All in all, we prefer the Brother printers.  The cartridges are cheap (at least in comparison to other toner and inkjet cartridges), it feeds paper fairly quickly, and it prints an excellent quality at a good speed.  However, keep in mind that not all Brother Printers are created equally.  The cheap ones don't feed a lot of paper at once. so, look for something that looks like these (notice the feeds are angled upward to hold more pages

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Acquaint Yourself With Computer Printers

A computer printer is a device used for printing text or images on hard copy stored in electronic form, generally on physical print media like paper.  Printers are designed to support both local and network connected users simultaneously.

Nowadays, modern printers can directly interface to electronic devices like digital cameras.  Some printers that come with non printing features are commonly known as Multi-Functional Printers (MFP) or Multi-Function Devices (MFD).  It integrates various functions of multiple devices into one.  Such types of printers are extremely useful for small businesses and home offices.

As opposed to a traditional printer, a multi-functional printer is a combination of devices like Printer, Scanner, Photocopier, and Fax Machine.  Likewise, there are numerous other types of printers widely available in the market.  Let's take a look at them:

Laser Printer: A laser printer works in a similar fashion as a photocopier does.  It has a roller which is charged with electricity.  A laser beam is passed to remove the charge from portions of the roller.  The parts hit by the laser are powdered by the toner which is then transferred from the roller to the paper. Finally, the ink is baked into the paper with the help of a heater incorporated in the printer.  People generally prefer laser printer because of its ability to give high quality output and high speed.

Dot Matrix: It has a print head that moves across the page.  A dot matrix printer produces characters using a cluster of pins which press an inked ribbon to the paper, thereby creating a dot.  Each character is made in the same way. Dot Matrix printers are relatively cheaper and durable.  These qualities still attract businesses which use them as invoice printers.

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All in One Printer Scanner Fax

When you go for buying an all in one printer scanner fax, you should know that there are certain things that need to be taken into consideration.  You should be ready to spend a good amount of money to get the best one.  Although you can find lots of multifunction printers, it is important that you get the right one for you, which would help you to do a lot of things in your office.  If you get the cheap one, then there are many chances that the printer might not function well. Instead spent the extra money and get the best one.

Do not go for less speed

It is very important that you check the speed of the modem/fax.  It is also important that the speed of your fax/modem should be at least 33 kbps.  This means that you would not have to worry as it would help you in saving money as the fax would take very less time on your phone line.  So, it is very important that you check the features of the fax very carefully.  Even if you are looking for a multifunction printer for fax broadcasting or also group dialing, then you should check that it has got all the features.

Test before buying

The best thing that you should do before buying an all in one printer scanner fax is to test or check it out before buying.  This is necessary so that you can check how much time the multifunction printer is taking to print, scan and fax the documents.  Both time as well as money matters and so you need to ensure that you get both at the same time by getting the best multifunction printer for your office use.  So, these are the important things that need to be taken into consideration before you move forward to go to make a purchase of a new  printer.

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