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Chances are, the office printer is the one constant you can count on to regularly give you grief. You may even have your own techniques for keeping this relationship smooth, managing the printer’s “mood swings” as best you can. You’re not alone. I’ve met people so fed up with their office printers that they’ve opted to “break up” and send their print jobs to FedEx Kinkos instead. But there’s a healthier way to coexist with your printer—one that brings peace of mind and a little mutual respect. Keep reading because, as always, I’ve got your back!
Are you two meant to be?
As Hermann Hesse once famously said, “Some people think that it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go.” Too often, I see people stick with a printer solely because it can print 11×17. However, there’s more to consider than just paper size if you want a long-term, productive relationship with your office printer.
One major recommendation is to avoid inkjet printers for business use, as they tend to have higher mechanical failure rates and a significantly higher cost per print compared to laser printers. Additionally, it’s crucial to review the printer’s duty cycle to ensure it can handle your office’s workload without breaking down.
Lastly, make sure the printer offers all the features you need. A common oversight is assuming that a multifunction printer that prints 11×17 can also scan documents of that size. In addition check to make sure it supports duplex scanning, which allows scanning both sides of a document simultaneously, if it’s something you require. Remember, time is your most valuable asset; if you’re constantly battling with your printer, it’s costing you far more than letting it go. Consider investing in a printer that is reliable and meets all your requirements.
Are you equipped to meet his needs?
Are you considering your printer in the same category as the rest of your technology? That’s a mistake. Very few IT professionals are skilled at fixing printers, and those who are probably aren’t the best IT specialists. Printers are highly mechanical pieces of technology, with numerous moving parts, nuts, and bolts. Servicing and maintaining them requires a unique set of mechanical skills.
Given the wear and tear experienced by a printer’s mechanical components, it’s crucial to replace parts as needed and conduct regular maintenance to prevent unexpected failures. In my view, a poorly functioning printer is even worse than one that fails outright. You may not notice right away, but if your printer is chewing up paper, grabbing multiple sheets at once, or no longer producing crisp prints, the issues will only escalate without intervention. Neither you, your team, nor your IT staff are equipped to handle printer maintenance, which is why having a maintenance agreement is so important. It ensures regular checkups, with the frequency adjusted according to your printer’s duty cycle.
Say goodbye to anxiety and frustration. Treat yourself to the luxury of worry-free printing by investing in the right printer and keeping it serviced regularly. You have my full support!
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
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