September 6, 2013
Replacing or upgrading your office print equipment is necessary to maintain an efficient office environment. One way to keep those costs to a minimum is to buy used. A used multifunction printer can be just as productive and save you money. Consider the following when you are in the market to replace or add office printers.
How Long Do Printers Last?
A printer has the ability to last for years, often longer than a decade, if maintained properly and refurbished when necessary. Each printer will have a different lifespan based on how it was maintained and used during its lifetime. A printer that is used consistently by 5 employees and is serviced every 12 months will likely last longer than one that is used non-stop by 25 employees and has had no maintenance in the last 5 years.
High-quality printers can print hundreds of thousands of pages over the course of a lifetime, so buying a printer that's just a few years old is usually a good alternative to buying a new one, in terms of the lifespan of the machine.
It is impossible to give a general recommendation regarding the life of used office printing equipment due to the variants that come into play, such as usage, maintenance and overall history of the equipment.
Where Should You Buy Used Office Equipment?
Although buying used office equipment can save you hundreds of dollars, it's important to be selective about the source. We don't recommend opening up the Classifieds or surfing Craigslist to find a used printer - you simply have no way of knowing how well it's been maintained.
Instead, choose a print provider you trust to supply you with used office equipment. For example, at Marco we require our used printers to go through significant refurbishment and maintenance before they are sold. Each printer goes through a rigorous 12-step inspection process, is thoroughly cleaned and all parts are examined and replaced if necessary, based on its condition and manufacturer recommendations.
Put your used equipment needs in the hands of the experts. Doing so will ensure you get a quality machine that can perform at your standards and meet your office’s printing needs.
What Key Features of Used Printing Equipment Should You Look For?
When you shop around for used office equipment, you should look at many of the same qualities you'd examine in a new printer. Because, after all, you need the used office equipment to function at the same level as new equipment does. Verify the following:
- Is it multifunction?
- Will it meet your output needs?
- Does it have some connectivity options like wireless printing?
- Does it have convenient and time-saving capabilities, such as scanning directly to email, automatic stapling and other advanced finishing capabilities?
When buying a used printer, you'll want to pay attention to whether it has the technological abilities that you might take advantage of in a brand-new printer; technology is always changing, and while a printer manufactured in the past few years will likely have the abilities you need, it's important to verify.
Additional Considerations
After making a used equipment purchase, we recommend investing in a managed print services program. Your maintenance will be covered within this program and it can be automated, so a technician will arrive as soon as the issue is detected (often even before you notice your printer is malfunctioning). This eliminates staff time needed to schedule maintenance as well as any down time waiting for that maintenance to arrive.
By approaching the used equipment buying process with these items in mind, you will find a used multifunction printer equipped to serve your print environment and save you money.
