The "Little Extras" Means A LOT in Color Laser Printing

Photo by wagg66

In our present state where offices rely heavily on electronic communication to transmit data and do business, clutter of office equipment is evident. Office equipment includes fax machines, printers, scanners, PCs and all other mechanisms that add to the physical disarray in an office setting. So in almost all offices, the shift to multi-function printers (MFPs) has become a necessity not only to reduce equipment count and minimize footprint but also to save in the process of procurement as well. A multi-function printer is the all-in-one equipment that serves as the network printer, the document scanner and the fax machine.

When inter-office printing volume is high, the printer must be integrated with ‘little extras’ to reduce user intervention in the course of producing printouts; unless the office is intending to hire additional personnel just to monitor printer operations. Most likely, nobody in his right mind would be interested to shoulder that additional cost. Here are 2 of the ‘little extras’ in laser printers that would surely help businesses save funds while raising its green credibility rating as well since these additional features help reduce paper waste and minimize energy consumption.

Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). This is a feature of MFPs that allows the user to place stack of media on the printer's loading tray that will then be used successively and one after the other, during printing, document scanning and fax messaging. The ADF is an important feature that saves a lot of man hours as this effectively dispenses with the need to manually load the printer with paper for every page of printed document. Moreover, the ADF normally prints in tandem with high-yield OEM toner cartridges like the monochromatic106R00652 cartridge of the Xerox 7750 (rated 32,000 pages for its $170 counter price) that further increase reliability. The ADF is a basic functionality that has made laser printing very convenient and cost efficient.

Duplex Printing. This feature adds more teeth to the office green rating as it reduces a lot of paper waste. Duplex or double sided printing is a special feature that allows users to print on both sides of the media which cuts paper consumption into half. The systematic reduction of paper usage while printing significantly redounds to lesser number of trees cut for paper manufacture and lesser CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions into the atmosphere during production which therefore makes a lot of sense for the environment.

Nevertheless, users mindful of the hazards of toner cartridge production to the environment never put more strain to the fragile ecological balance. Instead, empties (empty toner cartridges) are refilled to exploit the component's printing capabilities. The Xerox 7750 toner refill kit for instance is sold for only $75 and carries with it the same print quality and yield inherent in OEM toner cartridges. At a cost difference of 66%, the use of toner refill kits becomes a tangible option, and because Xerox OEM toner cartridge components can last 3 to 4 refills, substantial savings is generated in the process.

Indeed, the little extras means a lot to color laser printer users as it streamlines the printing process and related costs.