Whether you’re a professional, businessman, or student, it’s unlikely that you’ve not heard about paperless offices and homes. The idea behind the paperless office and home is supported by multiple variables. These range from everything like the environment to the finances.
Using less paper and printing devices means that less power and resources are used which supports the environment. Moreover, reduced use of consumables and energy also helps in saving a good deal of money. The paperless concept has many proponents but it is still far from reality in the majority of homes and offices.
Have you ever wondered why such an environment and pocket friendly concept has not caught on? Most offices and homes in the country are still using printers and paper as a part of their daily routines. The reason is simply that they all still need a printer. These same reasons apply to you. Here are the top five reasons why you need a printer.
Why You Need a Printer Reason #1: It’s Easier to Edit and Modify Printed Documents
Regardless of what argument you put forth, it’s an undeniable fact that editing and making corrections is much easier on a printed document than on a digital document. This isn’t just an off the bat opinion but something that is true for the vast majority of people in Australia and the world.
People simply find actions like striking off bits, revising sections, highlighting passages, and underlining important bits far easier on a piece of paper than on a computer. While these same facilities can be found in different document processing software programmes like Microsoft Word, printer paper doesn’t tie people down to one spot like electronics do.
There’s another element to using printed paper that proves we still need a printer. This is the fact that we still prefer to read long documents in print form as opposed to the digital form. It’s not only more convenient to read longer documents like annual reports in print form but also better from the health perspective.
Why You Need a Printer Reason #2: Paper Will Always Be Cheaper Than Servers and Computers
Printing tools such as paper, ink, and printers will always be cheaper than digital tools such as servers, external hard drives, and computers. In fact, there’s only one scenario where printing tools turn out to be more expensive than digital tools and even that comes with a caveat.
The only scenario in which printing tools are more expensive than digital tools is when they are used for an extended period of time without there being enough volume. What this means in simple terms is that you don’t print large volumes of paper and have been using printing tools over an extended period of time.
The reason why this happens is that printers need to print regularly to be cost effective. If you don’t print regularly, what will happen is that the ink and toner in your cartridges will dry up or coagulate. This will result in wastage which will push up your costs.
On the flip side, if you print regularly and in medium to large volumes, then printing tools are much more cost effective than digital tools. For instance, the cost of buying or hosting your own server will always turn out to be more expensive than buying and using your own printer.
The scenarios explained above were for branded printing tools. The situation is even rosier for printing if you were not using branded printing tools. While you can’t really buy a generic printer, you do have the option of buying generic cartridges.
These generic or compatible cartridges can be up to 83 percent cheaper than Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) genuine cartridges. At least at Inkjet Wholesale, they can be.
The disparity between initial and operational costs is especially troublesome for individuals and small organisations. Since individuals and small organisations don’t have economies of scale to rely upon with regard to digital tools like servers, printing tools become a better option for them.
So, in effect, one of the most crucial reasons why you still need a printer is that it turns out to be cheaper than all other document handling processes.
Why You Need a Printer Reason #3: Hard and Soft Copies Often Supplement Each Other’s Benefits
In most small to medium scale offices, you’ll see paper being used simultaneously with digital tools like cloud storage and web applications. Even some of the large organisations make use of Managed Printing Services (MPS) from big brand names to manage their documents.
This happens because there can be synergy between the printed document and the digital document.
One of the most common examples of this is when you print out a document using the print function of your printer, sign on it, and then use the same machine to scan the document and email it to someone.
It’s common for other functions of the multifunction printer (MFP) such as faxing and copying to come into play too. Consequently, it can be said that you still need a printer because printed documents can supplement digital documents.
Why You Need a Printer Reason #4: Printed Documents Are Much Better When It Comes To Marketing
Irrespective of how many digital marketing solutions people develop, marketing campaigns involving printed documents will always perform better.
The sole reason for this is that printed documents such as brochures and catalogues form a personal connection with the holder that a digital marketing document cannot.
Even hard copies of annual reports are more effective than soft copies of annual reports as people feel more comfortable trusting them.
Moreover, while digital marketing documents are limited to the device being used, printed marketing documents can be carried anywhere. As a result, the marketing aspect is also a reason why you need a printer. If you have marketing objectives, then a printer can help you achieve it.
Why You Need a Printer Reason #5: Printed Documents Are More Difficult To Ignore
Another element is that it is easy to get distracted while viewing digital documents while the same cannot be said for printed documents. In fact, because an extra sense is involved with printed documents they are twice as hard to ignore as digital documents.
For example, if you’re viewing a document on your computer, it would be very easy for you to switch tabs or even put it off. Moreover, once you shut that document, it can stay wherever it is you placed it and you can overlook it time and again.
This isn’t the case with a printed document. If you are holding a printed document in your hand, then it would be much more difficult for you to get distracted. Even if you do get distracted, once that distraction has passed you’ll still have the same document in your hands.
In addition, if you were to be headstrong and leave that printed document where you got it. It will remain there and will gradually become difficult to ignore. The reason for all this is simply that printed documents not only involve your sense of sight but also your sense of touch.
The involvement of this extra tactile element is what makes printed documents more difficult to ignore than digital documents. So, it can be said that you still need a printer in your office or your home because it will improve your productivity.
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