Today’s color laser printers benefit from unparalleled print speeds, low costs per page, and compact design
Did that header photo catch your eye? If the answer is yes, it’s probably because of its bright color. Color’s ability to command attention makes it very useful in an office setting. It can engage readers, project a premium and professional feel, and even make charts easier to read. That’s because where black and white printers bring clarity and efficiency, a color printer can add vitality and contrast. Black and white is great for bills, invoices, and many other office documents, but fliers, brochures, posters, and presentations call for the dynamism of a color print.
For years, color laser printers were too expensive to compete with inkjet alternatives. No longer. Today’s color laser printers are affordable, efficient, and compact. But not all are created equal. Let’s take a tour of the key features a color laser printer will need to best serve your business.
Need more information about printer features? Check out our comprehensive guide, A Buyer’s Guide to Printer Types.
Why buy a color laser printer?
The first decision most printer buyers make is between inkjet and laser printers. An inkjet color printer works by spraying cartridges full of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink onto paper. This process creates deep and saturated colors, but it’s also slow, resource-intensive, and may be prone to smudging. Laser printers, on the other hand, use powdered ink known as toner, static electricity, and lasers to create their images.
This process has several advantages over inkjet. For one, it’s generally faster. That minimizes printing backups that would otherwise lower productivity. It can also make it possible to meet tight deadlines even when last-minute changes occur.
Despite its speed, a color laser printer avoids smudging. How? Because toner bonds to the page so quickly that it has no opportunity to smudge. This results in sharp, clean, smudge-free images that project professionalism.
A color laser printer often carries a higher upfront cost than an inkjet alternative. But that price is an investment. A color laser printer tends to have a lower cost per page, especially at office printing volumes. Its toner cartridges also last longer and won’t dry out if left unused. These factors often add up to a more cost-effective printer over time.
Did You Know?:The RICOH C125 P allows for 2-sided printing without manual intervention, making double-sided color printing fast and easy. Click here to learn more.
Features to look for in a color laser printer
Reasonable DPI
Printer resolution is measured in dots per inch (DPI). It measures the number of dots the printer applies along an inch-long line, with higher DPI generally corresponding with greater image clarity. The larger the printing area, the higher the DPI you’ll need to maintain a clear image. Having too high a DPI won’t hurt image quality, but higher DPI printers often cost more and use more toner or ink. The right DPI for your business will balance clarity with efficiency.
For most business use cases, a DPI between 300 and 600 should serve. Any lower may yield blurry, imprecise images, while any higher may hit diminishing returns in clarity. You may see DPI expressed as two numbers, such as 1200 x 600. In these cases, you should use the lower number as your benchmark.
Wireless connectivity
In the modern office, workstations are spread throughout the available real estate. Many may stand far away from the nearest printer. Running wires to each can quickly create a rat’s nest of cables. That looks bad and can present a tripping hazard. A dedicated printing computer can solve that problem, but that can create bottlenecks around printing. Workers may be stuck waiting for others to finish before they can start printing, cutting into productivity.
A printer with wireless connectivity can erase both problems. If the printer can accept print jobs over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, workers can queue their jobs from their desks. They can then continue working until the job has finished. Wireless printing also enables printing from other devices, such as phones or tablets. That adds flexibility to the workplace, allowing employees in a meeting to send quick printing jobs without returning to their workstations.
If your office has more than one printer in use, managing them all can become challenging. Wireless connectivity makes it easier by allowing centralized remote monitoring. IT can keep tabs on toner levels, paper capacity, ongoing and queued paper jobs, and more from a single location.
High capacity
Laser printers are faster than inkjets as a rule. But that speed is wasted if the printer can’t hold sufficient paper in its input tray. The same is true if its output tray fills before printing jobs are done, if its toner cartridges have a low yield, or if the printer frequently jams. These design failures can lead to printer downtime that prevents workers from doing their best work.
To avoid these pitfalls, look for a color laser printer that can hold at least 200 sheets in its input tray and 100 in its output tray. Prioritize printers with high-quality paper handling, easy maintenance, and high-yield toner cartridges that are simple to replace.
Compact size
Square footage is expensive. That’s why businesses need to make the most of their office space. And while laser printers of the past were large and cumbersome, today’s models are smaller and sleeker. They allow you to fit other technology, additional desks, and more in your office — even if you’re pressed for space.
If you’re an enterprise-level business, a larger printer may make sense for your office. But for small and mid-size offices, shopping for a color laser printer should include looking for a model with a small physical footprint. This not only saves space, it allows you more flexibility in where you place the device. That way you can set it up wherever makes the most sense for your office. To push space efficiency even further, consider a color laser printer all in one device. These machines roll printing, copying, scanning, and other vital business functions into a single package. That can bring significant space savings.
Simple and intuitive interface
A powerful and fast printer is a valuable asset. But if workers can’t figure out how to use it, it may never reach its full potential. That can translate to wasted investment and lost productivity.
A best-in-class color laser printer will include simple, clear, and intuitive controls. These ensure your workers spend their time printing and working rather than poring over a user manual or calling support. Your printer should also make it easy to monitor toner levels and identify any malfunctions.
Powerful security
Printers that connect to the internet have the same vulnerabilities as computers and phones. But that doesn’t stop some businesses from overlooking them as potential sites for data breaches. Bad actors who gain access to your network via an unsecured printer can wreak havoc. They can erase data, view a history of printed documents, move those documents to their own storage, access internal email lists, and more.
To keep your network safe, prioritize a color laser printer that incorporates safety features. Look for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption, Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3, and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) v3. Doing so can help keep bad actors out and maintain data integrity.
Did You Know?:The RICOH C125 P printer offers business-quality color duplex printing with USB, Wi-Fi, and ethernet connectivity. Click here to learn more.
Our recommendation: RICOH Color Laser Printer C125 P
The RICOH C125 P's small footprint belies a brisk 26-page-per-minute speed. It combines that space efficiency with a clear and intuitive interface, easy-change toner, and large intake and output trays. Its flexible connectivity options include Wi-Fi, and TLS1.3 and SNMP v3 guard it against bad actors. Click here to learn more or shop the rest of our printer line.
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