Among the more popular hardware components we connect to our computers are printers. They are versatile machines that are essential in the creation of hard copy, whether standard business documents or presentation material for colleagues and clients. For many business owners, there is often a real lack of knowledge about what exactly the differences between the types of printers available are.
Here is a brief overview of the five main types of printers most often used in businesses.
Impact
Impact printers work by physically striking an inked ribbon onto paper, one dot at a time, to make up the printed image or word. Most users refer to this printer as a dot matrix which is the name of the physical printing mechanism.
Impact printers are the simplest and oldest form of printer used by businesses. They are most often used for documents or forms that require multiple impressions, like paychecks and older style invoices. While you can still find companies using these printers, and can still buy them, most businesses are opting for more efficient, and quieter units.
Laser
Laser printers use create a static charge on a drum which attracts and melts toner, which is then passed over a piece of paper to produce the printed image or text. They are fast, efficient, print high-quality text and are generally economical.
These printers are similar to large photocopy machines, (they use the same technology), and can often offer the same capabilities, just in a smaller package. They are best suited for offices that print large amounts of text, like business reports and simple graphics.
Inkjet
Inkjets physically spray ink from a nozzle onto the page to make the graphic or text. These printers are generally slower than laser printers, but tend to produce higher quality printed images, and are usually cheaper to purchase.
If you have a business that needs to print high-quality graphic-heavy documents e.g. brochures, the inkjet is likely your best bet. On the downside, ink is absorbed by standard paper causing some smudging, so for the best quality you will have to use more expensive printer paper.
Multifunction
An increasingly popular printer is the multifunction or all-in-one. Part copier, fax machine, scanner and printer, these machines bring a number of important office tools together into one package. These printers often come in both laser and inkjet versions and many can even connect to Wi-Fi.
If you are looking to replace existing components, like the scanner and copier, these types of printers are an ideal solution. If you are looking for a new printer then they are perfect, as you won’t have to buy other peripherals.
Thermal
Thermal printers use heat and specially treated paper to print. You see them most often in receipt and cash machines. If you own a restaurant, store, etc. one of these printers can be a valuable investment.
There are a wide variety of printers out there, and we can guarantee that there will be one that meets your needs. If you are looking for a new system, or to replace existing components, why not call us today. We may have a printing solution that fits your needs.
Overview Of Printer Types
How many times in business do you feel that you are flying blind? Sometimes the marketplace can be as unpredictable as the night sky, with limited visibility stretching over unknown terrain. However, most small business owners are too overwhelmed with demands to take the time for extensive market research. Beyond that, the price of market research firms is often prohibitive. But thanks to developments online, there are new, simple ways to track data for better business ideas, such as Google Trends.
Google Trends is like a window to the Internet, letting you see what, where, and when people are interested in a particular product, service, or subject. Market focus groups often rely on randomly sourced interviews from unreliable subjects. The fundamental problem with such research is that there is a difference between what people say they do and what they really do. Online, digital information gathering lets the truth of the marketplace shine through in easily perceived graphs. The only question now is what do you want to know?
Strike while the iron’s hot
Suppose you are selling books. You might find out which books are popular, and when people are buying these books. Through easily entered data frames, you might find out if people buy thriller books more in the winter or the summer. You might also find out who is trending now in sales lists, and examine the cycles of their popularity. If your business is a service, you can also find out about the variations in popularity so you can target your marketing. Special deals and leveraged at just the right time to coincide with market trends are a fantastic opportunity for businesses.
Asking the right questions
OK, interested now? Sure, but how much time will this take me to learn? The answer is, hardly any time at all. Finding key market data doesn’t take much more time then a good Google search. It’s just about asking the right questions, setting the most effective frames on the searches, and then entering in the data. What will come back is an enriched portrait of your marketplace that simply wasn’t available to small business owners just a few years ago.
Gaining SEO traction
If your promotional business model includes blogs, targeted emails and email blasts, plus online visibility, you can also use Google Trends to find out subjects that are popularly trending, and how you might fit these into your blogs in order to gain SEO traction. For example, if there is a certain celebrity who is popular in a given week, according to Google Trends, you might want to make a blog entry that incorporates their name. If there is a big news story about information privacy, you might consider a blog entry on this subject. The key is that the content fits with your business otherwise you will lose credibility.
Big or small information searches
What you need to know is waiting to be found, with no limits to how small or how large you search. If you want to find broad data such as when people most likely buy new computers, and what type have been most popular in the past decade, finding these answers is relatively easy. If you want to narrow your focus, such as finding out when people tend to replace their carburetors in Athens, in Georgia, that information is just a few entries away.
Empowering decisions
For small business owners, the development in research couldn’t be better. Empowering decisions by informing them, the Google Trends tool opens up entirely new levels of marketplace effectiveness. Yesterday’s budget barriers have vanished, so that the only limit a small business owner has to tapping valuable market research is more a matter of interest, time, and a little application of relevant details.
Do you need help in utilizing powerful change for your business? Get in touch. We have the information at our fingertips to help.
Published on 21st February 2013 by Jeanne DeWitt.
