The right printer for how your office works
Most printer problems in an office are sizing problems. The machine is too slow for month end, it cannot print the 11×17 pages someone needs, or it has no stapler and someone staples by hand.
The fix is to size the machine to how your office works before you sign. Here is what to look at.
How much does your office print?
Start with your page counts. The meter on your current machine or your service invoices will show them. Count black and white and color separately.
Machines are built for a volume range: low, low to medium, or medium to high. Most offices land in the middle, and a machine built for that range is rarely more than they need.
What paper sizes do you need?
Compact machines print letter and legal. If you print 11×17 spreadsheets, plans or flyers, you need a full-size machine. Those run paper up to 12×18 from four drawers, so you are not swapping trays between jobs.
Do you need stapling?
Full-size machines carry a finisher that sorts and staples. Compact machines do not staple as standard. If your office staples packets, contracts or patient forms every day, count that in.
How fast does it need to be?
Speed matters most at the busiest hour: month-end statements, a filing deadline, a stack of intake forms. Our machines run from 40 to 60 pages per minute.
Color or black and white?
Color machines print both. Color pages bill at a higher per-page rate than black and white, so it helps to know who prints color and why. User codes show it by person or department.
What about scanning and security?
Every machine prints, copies and scans. Scan to email and scan to a network folder are set up at install.
User codes track pages by staff member, department or client matter. Secure print holds a job at the machine until the person who sent it releases it there.
Where will it sit?
Measure the spot, the doorways and the path from the loading area.
- A compact machine is about 20 inches wide, 22 deep and 23 tall, and weighs about 110 pounds.
- A full-size machine is about 23 inches wide, 27 deep and 38 tall, and weighs about 224 pounds before the finisher, which hangs on the left side and adds width.
Tell us about stairs and elevators before delivery.
Who keeps it running?
A machine that fits still needs toner and the occasional service call. On the Total Coverage Plan, toner, parts, labor and service calls are covered on a per-page rate, with no minimums and no overages. A technician is onsite within 4 hours.
How do we size it with you?
- Tell us your pages per month. Black and white and color.
- Tell us your paper sizes. And whether you staple.
- Tell us about the space. Where it sits and how it gets there.
- Get the quote. It names the machine, the term and every rate, in writing.
FAQ
Is a full-size machine more than my office needs?
Usually not. The full-size machine in the low to medium range is the one most offices choose. It prints 11×17, staples, and keeps up at month end.
Can I lease or buy?
Both. Leases run 12 to 60 months and do not renew automatically. A purchase is one price, the same for every office. See lease or buy an office printer.
How fast can it be installed?
In Dallas Fort Worth and Houston, 3 to 5 business days after approval.
Request a quote for your office. Tell us your pages per month and paper sizes. The quote names the machine and every rate, in writing.
Related: the Turnkey Plan puts the machine, the service plan and your pages in one flat monthly number. Managed print services covers toner, parts, labor and service calls. See the office printer lease page for Dallas and Fort Worth.