Even in a digital age, the printer remains a key part of any office equipment inventory. After all, while there’s been a transition to paperless processes, there are some things that simply work better on paper.
As such, a good printer remains a sound investment for most businesses, and once you have it, you’ll be able to do more than simply print out those key documents to sign. The truth is that you can use printers to do a lot more than most people think. If you have a good laser printer in your office, then here are a few things you may not have known it could do.
Shipping Labels
Sending a lot of packages and want to make sure they look professional? Then printed shipping labels are the way to go. There are services that can bulk-print labels for you, but if you have a printer, then it’s absolutely something you can do in-house. There’s shipping-printing software that allows you to create labels that are in line with your branding. From there, you’ll just need to buy some adhesive label sheets, load them into your printer, and hit print.
Professional-Looking Checks
As with printers themselves, checks may be less common than in the past, but they still enjoy widespread use, with more than three-quarters of businesses still sending checks as a way to pay vendors.
One of the downsides of sending pre-printed checks, that already include your information, is that they are expensive. But with a laser printer and MICR toner, it’s more than possible to print checks in-house. You’ll need either bottom or top position blank check paper depending on the check-printing software you use, but once you have it, you’ll be able to easily print checks on demand. It’s a much more time- and cost-effective option than buying pre-printed checks and is generally considered to be a lot more secure, too.
Business Cards
People have been announcing the death of business cards for a long time, yet they continue to be remarkably resilient. In fact, in an age that’s so digitalized, you could argue that they’re more relevant than ever.
If you have a good printer, then printing high-quality business cards in the office is extremely straightforward. Once you have the design, you’ll just need to invest in some high-quality paper, print them out, and cut them up. Easy.
Promotional Flyers
Looking for a quick and easy way to produce promotional flyers that get people’s attention? With some design skills and a printer, it’s very much possible. Design tools such as Canva make it easy to create eye-catching marketing pieces.
From there, you’ll just need to get the right type of paper — matte or glossy looks great, depending on the design — and choose the right setting on your printer. Once you’ve performed a test run to make sure everything’s in order, you can quickly print as many promotional flyers as you need, which is a lot more affordable than paying a third-party company.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch
