There is a famous sequence in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey where the movie does a jump cut from a bone to an outer space station. The rapid advancement of technology feels like that jump cut. Kubrick may have gotten some of the movie's technology right when we talk about our status quo in the 21st century. This includes the fast migration to digital technology. Everything can be digital. In a sense, even office printing. This is the reason why companies are asking if they still need office printers in a digital age.
It is a bold move to go entirely paperless. There is no denying the benefits of cutting printing costs for your office. Moreover, digital technology enables you to seamlessly transfer, send, and copy digitized documents in seconds. We're not yet talking about the contribution you'd be making for a greener and sustainable future. Papers are so 2010, right? You're not entirely wrong.
To be fair, there is nothing wrong with going paperless. This enables more efficient workflows for your business. However, there are considerations to be reminded of. Here are four reasons why your business still needs office printers in 2021:
1. Not everyone can afford to go paperless
It is impressive for an office to completely migrate to digital and go paperless. However, there is a pressing concern with this development. Not everyone, including your customers, can go paperless as you do. Each company is different and this includes business priorities. One of your clients might not consider getting rid of papers yet. This is more so if you are working with small businesses.
You have to take into account their digital and online resources. For example, you could be working with customers that rely heavily on paper transactions since they don't really use computers. We are talking about our beloved baby boomers and businesses that aren't convinced with computers yet. In this instance, what will you do? How can they receive or even open a PDF file that you'll send? You don't have a hard copy. The nearest printer in your location is expensive.
As a result, you are putting unnecessary inconvenience on your customers. What if these documents are important notices, invoices, memos? What's more pressing is what if you need immediate result or feedback from your customers with these documents? They won't be able to do so. Your work is being impeded.
In a nutshell, not everyone is on board with you yet. It is an important business mindset to always include your customers. Shunning them away with paperless billing, notices, and so on could hurt you in the long run.
2. How secure is your digital platform?
One of the reasons for going digital is the convenience of storing documents inside computers. Furthermore, you can easily access these documents any time. Thank you, office networks. Spreadsheets, reports, data analytics, and more documents are just one click away. However, there is a bane to every satisfying convenience. Computers, as much as we love them, sometimes crash. You have to send that document by 3 PM but your IT guys are still troubleshooting your workstation. No problem, your document is stored in the cloud. You can still make it. But then your network crashes, too.
We know, it's all hypothetical. However, these concerns are based on real-life experiences. Computers and any other digital platforms are vulnerable to online threats. One particular nasty threat is ransomware. We've seen news of big corporations and businesses that fell victim to ransomware. Confidential, sensitive and important documents are locked and encrypted unless the company pays the attacker. We are talking here of millions of dollars in ransom.
The lesson here is to set aside hard copies for very important documents for your business. You don't always have to store them in the cloud or put them in your servers. You can pay for better and robust network security. Let's not forget, however, the good old printing and the security of having a hard copy in your hands.
3. Don't underestimate office printers
Manufacturers are not falling asleep on technology. More and more printer models, especially the multifunction all-in-one printers like Canon, provide a wide range of functionalities that support both digital and physical workflows. Multifunction printers can scan and send documents online. These models can even upload your documents on cloud services. Moreover, these office printers are equipped with robust security for that added layer of protection. This is to ensure that confidential documents are safe.
We're just saying that some office printers can let you have both ways. This leads us to the final item on the list.
4. Why not do both?
You could say that you're limiting your business growth with just being paperless. This rings true when we talk about marketing, sales, and promotion. You can always prioritize online marketing campaigns because the majority of the population are glued on their screens most of the time. This fact results in a blindside. You're forgetting the other part of that population that aren't holding mobile phones or are in front of their computers.
You can always maximize your campaigns to reach as many people as possible. Why not cross-market your campaign with both digital and print? This way with prints, you can also direct your target audience to your online platform. Brochures, posters, pamphlets are not a thing of the past. You just need more creative juices to fully maximize their capabilities.
You still need office printers.
Going paperless is the dream. We are all looking forward to a future like 2001: A Space Odyssey (excluding HAL, we don't like you). However, not all trends need to be jumped on. The reasons that we discussed are just some of the factors to consider before fully migrating your business to digital. Office printers have been an office essential for decades now because of their impact on business success, Newer technology will be introduced sooner than later but printing can still see the light of day.
If you need office printers, get one with a Flat Rate Copiers lease.
We have a wide range of multifunction all-in-one laser and inkjet printers for your office. If you are interested in a copier lease, give us a call now at 877-781-5112.
1. Not everyone can afford to go paperless