Most businesses spend a considerable amount of time and money every day printing documents. Printing is an essential part of business, so choosing the right printer for your individual needs is very important. What appears cheap in the short term could cost you more in the long term because of high running costs or because the printer is simply not cut out for what you want to use it for. Here are five questions to ask before choosing a printer…

1.)    What sort of documents do you print?

Do you want to use the printer for general office printing or high quality marketing materials? Printers vary greatly in terms of quality, flexibility, range of features and output speed. Establish what your priorities are (for example if it’s mainly marketing materials then quality, flexibility and finishing options may be more important than outright speed.)

2.)    What sort of volumes will you print?

If you are printing high volumes then a high output speed will be very important. Remember that manufacturer’s stats can be misleading, so a printer which appears faster on paper may not actually be faster in the real world. Look at independent tests from organisations such as BLI.

3.)    How much colour will you print?

Some devices are designed primarily for black and white output with the occasional colour document. Take a look at the print speeds – you will find devices which are very quick in mono but comparatively slow in colour.

4.)    How many people will use the device?

A cheaper machine may struggle with very intensive use and if you have a high number of users full network capabilities will likely be important.

5.)    Do you need scan, copy and fax facilities?

Today’s multifunction devices offer a complete all-in-one solution without sacrificing on quality and usually work out cheaper than having separate devices, as well as taking up much less floor space in your office.

For more advice on choosing a printer give First Choice Business Systems a call on 0800 072 3747. Their specialist advisors take a consultative approach and work with you to help you choose the right device for your individual business needs.

We've gathered together three handy freebies which you can download today to help you stay in control of your print devices - wherever you are.

Xerox Global Print Driver™

This FREE tool allows you to use one print driver for all the printing devices on your
network. Just plug in the new device and give it the same IP address as the old printer (or redirect the port). The Global Print Driver automatically discovers the device and updates users’ feature options.

Click the banner below for more information and the download link:

Mobile Express Print Driver™

Connect to networks and printing devices easily wherever you travel—without IT assistance.  Download just one printer driver and you're good to go wherever your work takes you. The Xerox Mobile Express Driver is a single, FREE, universal printer driver you can download to your PC and print to virtually any PostScript device on your network, including printers made by other manufacturers.

Click the banner below for more information and the download link:

Remote Control with CentreWare® Web

Manage your printers and multifunction printers from your desktop with CentreWare® Web.
It’s ideal for personnel responsible for setting up and managing the printing devices on your
network, and it is also FREE.

Click the banner below for more information and the download link:

Workcentre 7655/7665/7675: ideal multi-function device for all your print and bind jobsHigh volume departments will gain valuable breathing space and a powerful, functional device in the Xerox Workcentre 7655/7665/7675. The device is groundbreaking in its combination of useful features alongside the latest technology, offering an all-in-one solution that overdelivers on many key qualities that high volume departments require in a print device.

With full print, copy, scan, fax and email capabilities the Workcentre is truly dedicated to fulfilling its potential as a highly competent, high-end device and its in built security and cost control features mean it's easier than ever before to take control of your print functionality and improve its overall efficiency.

The device comes with numerous options for finishing documents including hole punching, multi position stapling, saddle-stitching, interposing and folding, which makes it a diverse frontrunner for handling a company's full binding needs in-house, eliminating the need for outsourcing and decreasing project turnaround times.

The Xerox Workcentre 7655/7665/767 has a number of innovative features that outshine other printers in its class:

• Black printing: up to 75 ppm
• Colour printing: up to 50ppm
• Maximum sheet capacity: 5,260 sheets
• Accounting software included
• Two toners means one can be replaced during printing for quick turnaround times
• One and two-line fax options

If your company needs a proven, reliable print solution with a track-record delivering quality prints alongside state-of-the-art features that directly affect the ability of your business to deliver results, please contact First Choice Business Systems to discuss the Workcentre 7655/7665/7675 on 0800 072 3747. They're specialists in Xerox devices and offer free consultations.

Xerox Phaser 8860 offers a host of tangible benefits to officesThe Xerox Phaser 8860 is a high-volume dedicated colour printer that packs a big punch considering its compact size. Ideal for offices looking to upgrade their overall print functionality and companies that need to add further resource to enable growth strategies to be more easily achieved, the 8860 offers a range of useful features that ensure it will continue to meet demand for years to come.

In the past businesses have faced the need to sacrifice speed for quality and for many companies this has been a difficult decision - can you afford to improve the quality of your prints if it means you're satisfying fewer clients a day?

Fortunately the 8860 removes this difficult decision and allows you to take printing back to a new level of efficiency by delivering both high-quality prints and fast speeds throughout the working day.

The Phaser 8860 also uses Xerox's patented Solid Ink technology in place of traditional toners. This delivers a host of tangible benefits to companies of all sizes including reduced consumables cost, less packaging to deal with, more vibrant prints and more economical use as you only have to replace individual colours rather than full toners at a time.

Some of the most impressive features of the 8860 include:

• Colour speeds up to 30ppm
• Black and white speeds up to 30ppm
• Two-sided output as standard
• Maximum duty cycle of 120,000 pages a month
• First colour page out in as little as 5 seconds
• Network connectivity

For more information on this sought-after printer, please give First Choice Business Systems a call on 0800 072 3747 - they're specialists in Xerox printer products and provide free consultations to all companies.

• Print/copy up to 20 ppm colour and black and white
• High impact colour with built-in control and accounting
• Powerful scan and fax capabilities
• Robust security features
• Space-saving footprint
• Paper capacity up to 2,130 sheets

For more information on the benefits of the Xerox Workcentre 7120, give First Choice Business Systems a call on 0800 072 3747. They're specialists in Xerox printer products and offer free consultations for all clients.