Inkjet vs
Laser
Within the small business
environment there may not be a
huge volume of printing compared
to a larger enterprise – in fact,
75% of print jobs are three pages
or less according to our research
– but they are still paper intensive
organisations. The majority of
employees have customer-facing roles
and productivity is vital. Therefore to
support day-to-day business activities
it is important that documents can be
printed quickly and professionally.
Take an estate agent’s for example.
The relationship between a sales person
and customer will involve a lot of paper
transactions, including printed brochures,
contracts, surveys, mortgage details and
legal documents.When dealing with a
customer it is important to keep the
process moving; the last thing the sales
person wants is to be hovering by the
printer waiting for documents to emerge
while the customer looks on impatiently.
Reliability is another key
consideration due to the limited IT
resource within SMEs. The issue was
highlighted by a recent Sage Business
Index report which found that 75% of
small businesses are losing two hours
a week because of IT problems. In a
desperate attempt to get things working,
1.3 million phone a friend rather than
fnd proper IT support and 24% resort
to using the internet. Printing is a
fundamental part of an SME’s IT set-up
and it is important that the printer does
not contribute to this problem.
Are laser printers right for you?
For small businesses that print
frequently, laser printers are the perfect
technology. Users beneft from the
same high-end technology found in
multi-functional printers, but in a format
BOOSTING EFFICIENCY IN THEWORKPLACE:
THE BENEFIT OF LASER PRINTERS
Inkjet technology has been making inroads into the business market as manufacturers
release models priced to compete with laser devices. Are so called business inkjets a threat
to laser technology’s dominance in the workplace? Or are they a niche solution that will
have little impact on lasr sales? Overleaf, James Goulding explains why he thinks business
inkjets offer a real alternative to laser printers. But frst, Canon Business Imaging Group’s
head of product marketing Trevor Dodsworth champions laser technology.
Inkjet vs laser:
which is best for business?
suitable for small offce environments.
They also enjoy the same performance
and reliability.
There are a number of features
purchasers should look for.
A key area for improving productivity
is the time it can take for a device to
warm up when you hit print. Purchasers
should look for Quick First-Print
technology, with virtually no warm-up
so that devices jump into action as soon
as they are needed. The technology
behind Quick First-Print cuts electricity
consumption by three quarters, so as
well as saving time, it saves the business
money. Additionally all-in-one cartridge
systems are far better than separate
ones, as you can replace everything at
once. It requires less maintenance, saves
time and ensures continuous quality.
Secondly, most small businesses have
limited IT resource. So if a printer is
being purchased without the support of
an IT services provider, it must be simple
to install and maintain: the printer driver
should be exceptionally easy to use
and manage; the user display should
be intuitive so your employees require
minimal training; and in the event your
business grows, the networking and
security options should be user-friendly.
Taking care of these things should reduce
the amount of time spent looking after
IT problems, and stop people calling a
friend for support!
Lastly, there is always a need to
improve energy effciency and reduce
costs. As well as comparing different
products’ energy consumption fgures
– these can be found on the Energy
Star website – users should look for a
number of other features. For example,
double-sided printing should be provided
as standard as it can save the business
paper costs as well as reduce wastage.
Make the right choice
Printers may not seem like something
businesses need to pay a huge amount
of attention to, but choosing the right
technology can have a big impact on
day-to-day business activities. Laser
printers are known for their performance
and reliability and are increasingly
popular with the market, increasing 35%
year-on-year, according to IDC. Above
all, they allow small, paper-intensive
businesses to focus on the day job, rather
than wasting two hours a week on IT
issues.
...75%
of small
businesses
lose two
hours
a week
because of
IT problems
Canon
i-SENSYS MF9280C
STOP PRESS : STOP PRESS : STOP PRESS
Lab tests just in
It is a measure of the threat posed by
business inkjets that Samsung recently
commissioned Buyers Laboratory Inc.
(BLI) to compare the performance of
its CLX-3185FW colour laser multi-
function against inkjet alternatives
from HP and Brother. BLI found that
prints from the laser device were
superior in terms of colour density,
gloss, water fastness, drying time and
highlighter overwriting. Dion Smith,
general manager of Samsung UK Print
Division, said the results show why laser
technology is still best for business:
“Busy professionals are often
in a rush when printing
important documents,
but presentation
is vital and frst
impressions count –
that’s why businesses
can’t afford not to use
laser printers,” he said.
(For further details,
see the next issue of
PrintIT.)
www.binfo.co.uk
magazine
28