Department Printer or Desktop Printer? Pros and Cons

In many offices and among IT professionals, there is a real holy war over the question of whether it makes more sense to equip every workstation with a printer or to use one printer for the entire department. There is no single perfect solution. Each option offers different advantages and disadvantages. Above all, no two departments are alike. Therefore, it ultimately always comes down to individual requirements. 

Saving costs on consumables

In most companies, the decision does not fall entirely in favor of department printers or workstation printers. Depending on requirements, mixed forms exist, and in most departments there is usually one large department printer and a few devices for individual use.

Regardless of which of the two solutions is preferred, it is advisable to plan the repurchase of consumables for the printers carefully. Those who buy toner in stock can benefit from the volume discounts offered by sellers, such as those available at FairToner.

This way, when purchasing toners, drums and printer cartridges for printers from well-known brands such as Brother, Canon, Epson or Kyocera, savings of up to 15 percent off the regular retail price can be achieved.

 

These arguments speak in favor of the department printer

In times of climate change and the increasing scarcity of non-renewable resources, it makes sense to also think about where resources can potentially be saved in the workplace.

This includes above all the shared use of existing IT equipment. Of course, everyone needs their own PC or laptop. For hygienic reasons alone, it is not advisable to have these devices used by multiple users, even if they are only employed part-time in the company.

The situation is different, however, when it comes to additional equipment such as webcams, microphones, scanners or printers. In most offices, printers are only used to print one's own office documents. These are needed, among other things, to prepare for meetings and to explain facts or calculations to colleagues.

Since no special paper is required for this and the print settings do not need to be constantly changed, all employees in the department can use the same printer for this purpose. To additionally protect the environment, it is recommended in these cases to use recycled paper and to set "double-sided printing" as the default setting. This alone can save up to 80 percent of paper.

A department printer also promotes movement for each individual employee and communication within the department. Since the printout cannot be taken directly from a printer at one's own desk, a few steps are usually required. Over the course of the day, this can add up to a nice step count if the printer is placed at some distance.

This is recommended if only to protect employees from the possible health hazards that can come from a printer. Fine dust is not only a problem on the streets in this country — printers with their ultra-fine dust particles can also lead to coughing, dizziness and headaches.

While there are no corresponding studies that prove this health risk, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has conducted an extensive investigation on this topic and concludes that a health risk cannot at least be ruled out. Therefore, the department printer should not be placed on an employee's desk, but rather in a location as secluded as possible.

Modern digital forms of communication have meant that personal contact in everyday working life has become rare. However, these are particularly important for the working atmosphere within a department. As is well known, people need different conditions to be able to work well. In addition to sufficient food and an appropriately well-equipped workplace, this includes above all regular social contact.

Picking up printouts at least provides an opportunity for a brief interpersonal exchange. Even if it is only the colleague who supplies everyone else with new Microsoft jokes on a weekly basis.

Arguments for the workstation printer

In many departments, printing is not limited to plain paper — letters are also sent to customers, prospects and business partners. With a department printer, it is necessary in this case to check before each printout which paper is currently loaded.

Anyone who does not pay attention to this may end up interfering with a colleague who is trying to print labels. In addition to the financial damage caused by unnecessary toner consumption and destroyed labels, this does not exactly contribute to boosting morale in the department. It is to be feared that lunch break in such a case will have to be spent with a different colleague.

Furthermore, there are colleagues who may need a color printer for their specific professional requirements. However, switching the entire department to color printing just for this reason does not seem very sensible or particularly economical. Especially because in most cases they will "forget" to set their printouts to be printed in black and white.

In some jobs, it is essential to have printouts available immediately. For those who are in contact with colleagues or customers and are tasked with handing them corresponding documents, it is hardly reasonable to take a short walk for this purpose every five minutes. This would also significantly impact the employee's productivity.

Those who primarily decide to use workstation printers in their company should at least make sure that these are as uniform as possible. If the devices are at least all from the same manufacturer, this makes maintenance considerably easier.

The printers can be installed more quickly, toner cartridges and cartridges can be replaced more rapidly, and in the event of problems such as frequent paper jams or toner marks on the paper, IT colleagues generally know what to do to resolve these issues.

 

Image sources:

• Pixabay.com © Free-Photos CCO Public Domain
  Those who hold meetings in their office do not want to be disturbed by the noise of printers. 
• Pixabay.com © geralt CCO Public Domain
  Emails and messenger messages mean that people in offices hardly speak to each other in person anymore.   

 

Do you also have to print a lot in the office? Do you have your own printer there? Why not leave a comment.

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