Four Features to Look for When Choosing a New Printer for Your Office

If you are in the market for a new colour printer for your office, it's important to think about the changes that have recently occurred in the world of printing. Now, you can get multiple features that were not necessarily available a decade ago. Wondering what to look for? Here are a few features to look for:

1. Gigabit Ethernet Connection

In the past, a colour printer simply needed to be connected to your computer. Now, however, that has changed. Instead, your printer needs to be connected to your network. To ensure your computer can receive files quickly, consider looking for a printer with a gigabit ethernet connection. This is especially important if you print a lot of data-heavy full-colour documents.

2. Cloud or Air Ready

In addition to having your printer connected to your office network through an ethernet cable, you also want a printer that can communicate with your devices over wifi. For example, you may want a printer that can work on the Google Cloud, you may want one compatible with Apple iCloud, or you may want a printer that can handle both.

Be sure you choose a printer that can communicate with as many different devices as possible. That means you don't lose compatibility if you switch which types of devices you use, and it also allows your printers to work with your employee's devices, especially important if your office is a BYOD (bring your own device) environment.

3. Security Features

Also look into the security features on your colour printer. There are a range of features to consider, but an important one to look for is private print. With private print, your employees don't have to worry about other employees seeing confidential documents. When someone sends a private print job to the printer, the printer doesn't print it right away so that anyone could grab the sheets from the printer tray. Rather, with private print, the person who ordered the printing job has to walk up to the printer and enter a special code. Only then does the printer create the requested pages.

4. Multi-Functionality

Multiple functions help make a printer a true asset to your office, and when your printer can handle multiple tasks, you don't have to buy as much equipment. Depending on the unique needs of your office, you may want to look for a multi-function colour printer that can also fax, copy and scan documents.