Introduction: When choosing a new printer for your office, it's hard not to want all of the great features available, like wireless printing, brilliant color, business apps, and fast speeds. However, by carefully choosing which options you need, you can make printing more affordable and efficient for your office.
Below, you'll find questions about how your office prints, including how useful mobility, connectivity, print volume, and color are to you. Based on your needs, you'll find useful articles to help make an informed buying decision.
Before you begin
Before looking at new printers and printer features, take a look around your office and answer the following:
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What printers do you have?
Examine your current print environment to see whether you need more printers, fewer printers, or whether you need to replace existing printers with updated equipment that can better meet your needs.
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Who needs to print?
Talk to your company's various departments and discuss their printing needs. Note that many companies find a mix of printers with different features are better able to support all of their printing projects.
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What can your office support?
When buying a new printer, be sure your network's bandwidth restrictions as well as your current computer operating system, software, and connectivity will support the model you choose.
How much mobility do you need?
I don't want to be tied to my desk—or to my office.
There are many alternatives to the traditional, "computer, USB cable, printer" set up. HP offers wireless printing from virtually anywhere in your office as well as printing from your mobile device while on-the-go:1,2
Learn how to print photos, documents, and other printable content—straight from your mobile phone to your office's HP printer!
I only need access to fast, network printing from my office.
Wireless printing is a great option, but when it's a necessity, it considerably narrows down your printer choices. And there are plenty of perks associated with wired printers and printing!
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When you print using a USB or Ethernet cable, you'll enjoy faster printing with less wait-time.
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Whether you're looking for an inkjet or LaserJet, a single-function or multifunction printer, most are shipped ready to connect to a network using a USB or Ethernet cable.
Buying an inexpensive printer for high-volume printing can result in higher total costs for repairs and replacement. The reverse is also true—you might be spending more on energy costs and supplies than you really need. Instead, make sure to buy the correct printer for the job.
I print often, and in large quantities.
For larger print volumes, you'll want features that make printing go smoother and faster:
Multiple paper trays can speed up the print process, especially if you frequently switch between types and sizes of paper. Many printers even offer varied paper handling, so you can choose the number of input trays you need.
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HP LaserJets deliver legendary speed and can handle larger workloads. Visit the Small & Medium Business Buying Guides to compare HP LaserJets. Be sure to check the printer's "pages per minute" row as well as its "monthly duty cycle."
I'm not especially concerned with speed or volume print jobs.
HP offers many smaller inkjet and laser printers, including single-function printers, which are perfect for smaller workloads. They usually have small footprints and fit better on desktops. And while they may offer slightly slower print speeds, they provide many perks the bigger printers don't.
Do most of your employees only print in black-and-white or does your marketing department want to create their own marketing materials? If you have either situation—or both—there's a printer for you.
I often print in color, including creating in-house marketing materials.
Printing color has never looked so good! Not only does HP have printers that offer print-shop quality, but HP Creative Studio offers templates, images, printing tips, and more!
With an HP Photosmart printer, you can get lab-quality photos for display or advertising. Don't need photos? Consider an HP Officejet for color presentations that rival any print-shop.
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Want to make a big splash? Wide-format printers are surprisingly affordable and let you create materials up to 13" x 19", right in-house!
I want access to color printing, but would like to keep use to a minimum.
Color printing can be a huge asset to your company, but when it's improperly managed, it can also drain resources!
Using Original HP ink provides optimal quality and value. Find tips for reducing your ink usage and discover the best ways to purchase Original HP supplies.
I never print in color or already have a dedicated color printer.
There are many black-and-white laser printers that offer fast, affordable printing and robust paper handling.
This question is very important, as the speed and cost of printing changes based on the number of users. HP has a variety of printer categories, allowing you to purchase a single printer or a mix of printers to meet your organization's printing needs.
Consider how many users you have and how they print:
Mostly black-and-white
Some color
Mostly color
0-9 people
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HP Mono LaserJet single-function printers are perfect for smaller offices with simple, black-and-white printing needs. HP LaserJets offer sharp lines, crisp text, and beautiful grays along with more pages per minute than HP Officejets.
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HP Color LaserJet single-function printers still feature fast black-and-white print speeds. They also offer the same cost per page as with a black-and-white HP LaserJet with the benefit of professional color.
Or:
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HP Officejet printers have a lower initial cost than lasers deliver professional-color documents at a cost per page up to 50% lower than with laser printers when using our Officejet inks.4And, some ENERGY STAR®qualified models use up to 40% less energy than comparable lasers.5
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HP Photosmart printers deliver affordable, crisp photos and some can speed up the printing process with auto-engaging photo trays. These printers also print regular black-and white-documents, though at slower speeds than HP Officejets or LaserJets.
Or:
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HP Officejet Pro printers cover a lot of ground. These All-in-Ones offer outstanding color, plus print, scan, copy, and often fax—all at a cost of up to 50% less per page compared with laser printers.3
Or:
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The HP Officejet wide-format printers are versatile, with the ability to print laser-quality text, professional color pages, and high-quality photos in sizes up to 13" x 19". These printers can affordably serve multiple departments with the lowest cost per page among wide-format inkjets using Original HP ink and, sometimes, an automatic document feeder.6
TIP: To make color printing more affordable, consider a mix of printers.
10 or more people
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HP Mono LaserJet multifunction printers deliver the same fast, black-and-white printing as single-function printers, but also include automatic document feeders, copying, scanning to e-mail, and additional paper trays that can really streamline printing for larger offices.
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HP Color LaserJet multifunction printers are a great mix of function and color. With fast print speeds, color printing, copying, and scanning as well as the same cost per page as with a black-and-white HP LaserJet, these printers offer the perfect middle-ground for larger offices.
Or:
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HP Officejet Pro printers cover a lot of ground. These All-in-Ones offer outstanding color, plus print, scan, copy, and often fax—all at a cost of up to 50% less per page compared with laser printers.3
Ready to choose?
Now that you've learned about printer features and their benefits, you're ready to take the plunge!
1.
List the printer features you need.
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List the features that would be nice to have—many times, what you need and what you want go hand in hand!
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Assess your budget—and again, this isn't just the cost of the printer! Make sure to consider a printer's Total Cost of Ownership and how its capabilities—such as how many users it supports—relate to your office's printing needs.
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Make sure you know which family of printers offers which of the above features by comparing Officejet vs. LaserJet, side by side.
Wireless performance depends on physical environment, distance from access point, may be limited during active VPN connection.
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Requires an Internet connection to the printer. Feature works with any Internet- and e-mail-capable device. Print times may vary. For a list of supported documents and image types, visit www.hp.com/go/ePrintCenter.
3.
Majority of laser AiOs<$750, printers<$300, using Officejet Pro products with XL cartridges; for details: www.hp.com/go/officejet
Majority of color laser all-in-ones less than $600 as of 3/10; details: www.hp.com/go/Officejet. Energy use based on HP testing using the ENERGY STAR® program TEC test method criteria.
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Letter cost per page comparisons for B-size inkjet all-in-ones with fax less than $300 from major vendors as of 3/10. Details: www.hp.com/go/Officejet. OJ ISO yield with highest-capacity cartridges based on continuous printing. Details: www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies.
I only need access to fast, network printing from my office.
Printable version
