By Dan Evans
Points Of Interest
1 How many pages do we print?
2 Do we need an AIO or a regular printer?
The trick to buying printers? Figuring out how much you actually print, rather than basing your decision on how many people you have on your staff. For instance, an insurance firm or law office will print significantly more pages daily than a much larger office group. If you are printing out e-mails, contracts, and the occasional memo, you may be better off with an office AIO (all-in-one printer, for scanning, faxing, copying, and printing) instead of a heavy-duty workhorse that can handle thousands of pages a month.
If you choose an AIO for a small office, there are two key features you need to make sure the printer has. Look for a network connection for sharing it around the office and an automatic document feeder for the scanning and copying functions. Also keep in mind that the scanners you usually find in AIO printers are suited more to documents, so don't expect to make high-quality scans of your vacation pictures.
For a good-size small biz, go with two Brother MFC-8860DNs ($480 each). These monochrome AIOs are great for a small office workgroup, and a pair of them will prevent a backlog of print jobs from bogging down your network. The Brother is extremely fast and has a long list of features. Unlike other AIOs, the MFC-8860DN seamlessly integrates into a small-business environment once it's behind your firewall, and it becomes the hub of all your document needs—printing, e-mailing, and copying.
Printer Buying Guide
Points Of Interest
1 How many pages do we print?
2 Do we need an AIO or a regular printer?
The trick to buying printers? Figuring out how much you actually print, rather than basing your decision on how many people you have on your staff. For instance, an insurance firm or law office will print significantly more pages daily than a much larger office group. If you are printing out e-mails, contracts, and the occasional memo, you may be better off with an office AIO (all-in-one printer, for scanning, faxing, copying, and printing) instead of a heavy-duty workhorse that can handle thousands of pages a month.If you choose an AIO for a small office, there are two key features you need to make sure the printer has. Look for a network connection for sharing it around the office and an automatic document feeder for the scanning and copying functions. Also keep in mind that the scanners you usually find in AIO printers are suited more to documents, so don't expect to make high-quality scans of your vacation pictures.
For a good-size small biz, go with two Brother MFC-8860DNs ($480 each). These monochrome AIOs are great for a small office workgroup, and a pair of them will prevent a backlog of print jobs from bogging down your network. The Brother is extremely fast and has a long list of features. Unlike other AIOs, the MFC-8860DN seamlessly integrates into a small-business environment once it's behind your firewall, and it becomes the hub of all your document needs—printing, e-mailing, and copying.
Printer Buying Guide
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