Not all printers are created equal. And they’re not all the right machine for your jobs. Learn more about desktop printers and whether they’re right for your business.
1. Security
Security isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the name of the game. As Christian Slater (AKA “The Wolf”) points out in HP’s commercial series, fewer than 2% of printers are secure and in 2016 more than 4 BILLION data records were exposed worldwide. Hackers look for any backdoor entry to a network, including desktop printers – and once that door is open, anything can happen.
2. Security
A quick rule of thumb in our business when it comes to printers: The cheaper it is to buy, the more it costs to run.
Often, businesses have a large MFP in a centralized location, but every desk around still has a printer on it! Sometimes the desktop printers are only on the desks of those who need to print confidential information that shouldn’t be seen by other employees. For this argument, refer back to #1.
End users don’t typically know how much it costs to buy the toner (or ink) to refill that little guy on their desk but are tasked with finding the make/model that they want. This leads to your business keeping inventory on an assortment of high-cost toners and inks with no true management to the process.
3. Your IT Department (Probably) Hates Them
Even taking reasons numbered 1 & 2 out of the equation, IT Departments tend to loathe having desktop printers on the network. Managing all of the different print drivers, device errors, and user-error calls isn’t fun or cost-effective for their department. Fun fact: it’s estimated that up to 23% of Help Desk calls are printer related!
