Small town business owners

Office printers can be expensive, but in many industries, they are an investment into your business processes. Looking for a new printer? Wondering how you can save money? Here are some ideas to consider:

1. Make one printer the star.

In some cases, you can save money on printers by making one printer the star. This printer should be the highest quality printer in your office, and it should be reserved for special printing tasks such as brochures you are going to share with clients or other promotional materials. All other printing tasks such as daily memos, emails and inter-office files should be printed on your other printers.

Using this strategy, you can keep your knackered, old printers in place for printing where quality is not a concern, and instead of spending money replacing all of these old printers, you devote your budget to one star printer. That can be an effective way to afford a great printer while keeping overall printer costs low.

2. Opt for a multifunction printer.

Whether you decide to make one printer the star or not, consider looking into multi-function printers. These printers can work as copiers, scanners and even fax machines in some cases. When you buy a multifunction printer, you don't have to spend money on multiple products, which can help you save money.

3. Plan ahead and wait for sales.

If you wait until your office is in dire need of a printer, you may get stuck buying an expensive one just because it's the only one you can get quickly. Don't get locked into an emergency, expensive purchase. Instead, plan ahead and start looking for printers a few months or even a year before you anticipate needing a replacement.

That strategy allows you to wait for printer sales, and it helps to increase the chances that you will find a great deal on a printer.

4. Look at efficiency standards.

In addition to looking at the price of your printer, also consider the cost of running it. Most printer manufacturers include information about power usage and other efficiency considerations with their sales materials. Additionally, if the printer can use generic ink, that can also help to save money on running costs.

5. Investigate managed print services.

In some cases, the best way to save money on printers is to not have one at all. If your office doesn't do a lot of printing, you may save money by opting to work with a managed printing service. These companies take care of your printing needs and charge a monthly fee for the services.