subject: Online Printing Services versus In-House Printing [print this page] Online Printing Services versus In-House Printing
Office printers may be getting cheaper, but the costs of printing quality marketing materials in-house is still proving to blow out on large or even smaller printing runs. The fact of the matter is, unless you only print using a black and white laser printer, in-house printing can seem like a black hole to throw money into. The wasteful nature of office printing also has environmental implications that many in the office and uncomfortable with. The answer is online printing...
Printers are Getting Cheaper Costs Are Still High
No matter how cleverly you go about shopping for the best printing equipment, the savings never seem to materialise. If you save money on the printer, the consumables such as ink or laser toner replacement costs the earth. The price of a lot of printers, especially ink jet printers, have been drastically slashed as the cost of production goes down, but they arent especially improved in quality; just more bells and whistles. Ink jet printers are especially expensive to use and very wasteful due to the problems that wet ink can cause to the print heads that need periodic cleaning. A clogged print head can cause defective print results and requires that the printer goes through a head cleaning process that forces you to keep printing test pages that waste ink to test if the printer is working properly. Most ink cartridges seem to deplete very quickly when you want to do large print runs, yet if you are conservative with your ink it has a tendency to dry out.
Lets face it.. you just cant win with ink jet printing.
Maintenance Costs
Whether you buy a cheap printer or you spent a packet of money on it (many high end laser printers can cost tens of thousands!!), it is a given that it will at some point break down. When this happens, most likely you will be faced with a hard choice: get someone in to repair it or throw it out and get a new one. The cheaper the model that you buy, the more likely it will be that having the printer repaired will cost more than completely replacing it.
Laser Printers Could Be A Health Risk: Queensland University of Technology
According to a recent study from Queensland University of Technology, particle emissions from laser printers are easily breathed in and lodged in the lungs. This can lead to health problems from simple irritation to much more serious illnesses, including cardiovascular problems or cancer. Even small concentrations could have a damaging effect, according to the studies, while larger concentrations increase the risk.
In light of these revelations, and as this news becomes more widely known, office workers are bound to regard their printers with suspicion and concern.
Online Printing Services Saves Money and Stress
The Internet has given business a lot smile about over the years as the amazing speed of communications and the enabling technologies that have grown around it have made themselves apparent. Specialist printing companies have been increasingly populating the Internet to offer their services through websites. These companies have become known as online printers and they are a boon for businesses who need marketing material printed professionally at low cost. As the online printing market has developed, more and more businesses are realising the benefits of both short run and offset printing services, especially the cost and time savings.
Owning your own printing equipment may be good enough for internal printing requirements, but considering the time and money factor, online printers win hands down. Of course, which online printer you deal with will impact on your experience.
