Printer, Scanner & Copier Hire

It is easy to forget about the build up of printing costs, a couple of sheets printed here, a couple of accidental colour copies there, they seem insignificant, but actually, they can build up to quite a substantial cost. Relax though – it is simple to change your printing habits and make your office run more efficiently and cost effective.
 
Draft Mode
 
If you absolutely have to print out an email, or a document that will only be seen by you or work colleagues, consider changing your print settings to print the document in draft mode. Darker colours will appear lighter and the text is less defined, but generally the difference to your print out is negligible compared to the money saved on printer ink. In some instances, you could be using up to half the amount of ink when printing in draft mode. If you need another reason to switch up your settings, draft mode can actually print faster!
 
Greyscale Printing
 
Colour printing costs more than black and white. So you should only be printing in full colour when absolutely necessary and when it is a final draft. The Greyscale setting will convert the colour in your document to a grey tone, saving you money on documents that are not final copies.
 
Double Sided Printing
 
Most printers will do duplex printing, so you should change your settings to ensure this is an automatic feature. A two page document prints on one page. A four page document prints on two pages. Six pages on three. Eight on four. Duplex printing will half the amount of pages needed for printing a document. This is perfect for reading through documents before they are ready to be finalised and printed to be handed to clients or managers.
 
Cheaper Paper
 
If you are printing documents on 90gsm paper, only for them to be shredded or recycled, ask yourself if that document could have been printed on 75gsm. The price difference over time is remarkable, and whilst you will notice a difference in quality, we don’t think it matters much for a document that is not vitally important. Save the good 90gsm stuff for when you absolutely need it and watch your printing costs plummet.
 
 
Follow these steps and you should start seeing the cost of your printing reduce, the way we see it, you can invest this money back into your company to help drive you to success!

For more information on managing your print costs, speak to one of our fantastic team. 

Printing delays are costly to businesses – fact.

Here are the most common printer problems you could experience and how to deal with them.
 
Problem 1: Slow Printing

You have an important deadline to meet and all you need to do it print off several copies of your presentation slides, you’re meeting starts in ten minutes but the printer is running at one page a minute. Sound familiar?

A slow print time can be caused by the wrong resolution settings or a lack of memory.

High-resolution images and documents have a lot more data for your printer and computer to process, so when it comes to printing, the process time holds the whole print job up. If you are not looking to print your images in high quality, consider changing your settings to standard or normal mode. When it is time to print high-quality images you can return your settings back to high-quality.

If printing high-quality images is a regular occurrence in your office, consider adding more memory to keep your printer ready to manage the bigger jobs.

Problem 2: Paper Jams

There is nothing worse than a paper jam, except trying to clear the paper jam, resending your print job, only to have the same problem occur.
Resolving a paper jam is fairly straightforward, but understanding why can be a trial and error process.

When resolving a paper jam, make sure you remove all tiny pieces of paper from the machine, the moving parts get extremely hot and any fragments of paper pose a fire hazard. The reasons behind a paper jam can vary, start by inspecting the paper tray and ensuring that the paper is aligned correctly. Most paper trays have a size guide which shows what size paper the printer will expect to print on, so if the guides are set incorrectly for your paper size, the printer will not be ready and might jam the machine. Sometimes the paper tray may be misfeeding, this happens when the rollers taking the paper into the machine do not remove a single sheet in a smooth motion or if it collects several sheets at once.

Is your paper weight correct for the machine? You might not be able to tell the difference between 280gsm and 300 gsm, but your printer will know. During the printing process, the paper will navigate tight turns and bend in ways some paper weights cannot cope with. Forcing a printer to print a weight that it is not built to print will cause a paper jam time and time again.

Problem 3: Smudged Prints

You’ve just printed a hundred high quality colour images only to notice that there is a smudge on every single sheet.

There are a number of different solutions for this problem which you can check yourself.

Does the paper in your paper tray match the weight you have told the printer to expect? Is your toner running low in a particular colour? Have you given the printer heads a clean through the printer settings?

Problem 4: Nothing Printing

At least with a paper jam you know the machine is working. When nothing is printing, panic can start to set in. Thankfully there are a number of simple fixes that could work.

Firstly, make sure you are sending the print job to the right printer. Hopefully you’ll find your job printed twenty times on the printer downstairs. You can make your printer the default for your computer to avoid this happening in the future. Secondly, is there paper in the machine? It sounds silly to say, but sometimes you can overlook this simple solution in the stress of missing your deadline. Thirdly, are all the correct cables in your computer and printer? A loose cable has been the cause of much heartbreak in the past, and we’re sure it will be in the future.

Finally, a simple reset should do the job. Start with the printer, and then the computer if the issue isn’t resolved.

Problem 5: All of the above!

You’re experiencing all these problems consistently. Well it is time to update your technology.

Thankfully Equipment Rentals are able to offer the latest high quality printers, photocopiers, and scanners for your office, whether you rent or lease. We know that your next printer choice can be limited by budget and cash flow, but by renting or leasing, you can spread the cost of the latest technology and concentrate on making your business a success.
 

Starting a business is so much more than a great idea. It’s great planning, great management, and a great understanding of what makes all the most successful businesses work. 

Don't underestimate the impact a well equipped office will have on the running of your business. Investing in the right office equipment in the right way can save you a lot of time, money and effort, and allow you to concentrate on making your business a success.

1. Desktop Computers or Laptops
There is absolutely no denying that a laptop or desktop is the most vital piece of office equipment in the 21st century. Every business decision you make will likely go through your computer in some way, whether through an email, research, data analysis, or theoretical simulations. Computers are calculators, translators, word processors, photo editors, and most importantly a global network. 

2. Printer/Photocopier/Scanner
Yes we live in the 21st century, and yes emails are sent at the speed of light hundreds of times a day, but the importance of keeping hard copies of emails, information and business decisions can separate a great business from a failing business. A photocopier will allow you to make multiple copies of a document that you haven't got an electronic version of, a scanner will allow you to file it digitally, and a printer will allow you to print that digital copy out years later when all hard copies have been destroyed or lost. It goes without saying that printers, photocopiers and scanners are seamlessly connected and help an office run smoothly. 
Printers will not only print wordy documents, they are able to print high quality images and photographs onto a seemingly endless range of printer paper. Your business may be hosting an event to publicise your brand, with a good quality printer and photo paper, you can create and print leaflets, posters, and temporary signage. Approaching your marketing this way will save you money, and allow you to exercise your creativity. 

3. Office Stationery
The importance of keeping pens and paper close to hand cannot be understated, with a new business, ideas for growth can happen anytime and anywhere, and it is frustrating if you cannot get those ideas down on paper. You also run the risk of forgetting your groundbreaking idea, which could be very disheartening. Having paper to hand when you take an important phone call is also vital, you can be given important information at anytime and committing that information to memory is unreliable. Having hard copies of information is great management practise.
 
 
Obviously it is impossible to rank the importance of any singular piece of office equipment as it differs for every company and business. If you deal in sensitive client information, a shredder is a vital piece of machinery, where this may not be vital for a company that practises exclusively on a digital platform.
We wanted to highlight the importance of printing and photocopying for a new business. We offer equipment renting that guarantees you get the latest technology and superb maintenance from highly experienced engineers.  Unsure of why you should consider renting your office machinery? Check out this page. Or give us a call on 0800 953 1597 for more info. Find your nearest branch here.

Despite modern technology allowing us to instantly send and receive important documents via email, the photocopier is still an essential piece of office equipment. Proper maintenance of this machine seems to have been lost as employees consider the care of the photocopier someone else’s duty. However, photocopier neglect can dramatically reduce the life of your machine, and put your business on hold for a sustained period of time.

Here are our top tips for proper photocopier maintenance which could save you time and money in the future.

Dust

Dust may look harmless and unnoticeable, but it is not. A build up of dust on the most essential parts of the photocopier can cause it to malfunction without warning. Common places dust can build up is the fans and electronics. When the fans are blocked by dust, the photocopier is not properly ventilated and can overheat causing a catastrophic malfunction for your machine. Similarly, when dust is allowed to settle on the electronics, it can affect their performance. You’ll often be unable to diagnose issues with your machine as being dust related unless you look inside and actually observe the build up. Weekly cleaning is recommended to help prevent future issues.

Touch Screen

How big is your office and how many people use the photocopier each day? When was the last time the screen was cleaned? As well as being vital for sanitary reasons, cleaning the screen can maintain screen responsiveness. It could prevent a future incident where you meant to press 10 copies but you accidentally pressed 100.

Glass Screen

Consistent use of the photocopier will inevitably leave marks on the glass screen and will affect prints in the future. These marks are often subtle and usually go unnoticed until you’ve printed a hundred copies of that important document and then notice a smudge at the bottom of the page. Proper maintenance of the screen is easy really, purchase any of the numerous screen cleaners available on the market and periodically clean the screen. Remember to dry the screen after cleaning to avoid causing any marks or scratches.

Paper Jams

When a paper jam happens the machine will automatically stop, and it will not start again until it cannot detect anymore paper in the machine where it shouldn’t be. This practise is very reliable, however as we’re sure you know already, when taking paper out of a paper jam, it has a tendency to rip into tiny fragments. If you experience a paper jam make sure you remove all the evidence carefully, and double check that nothing remains. Tiny fragments of paper are flammable and can cause serious damage to your machine under certain circumstances. If the machine is getting very hot and paper remains inside, this is a serious fire hazard and will be catastrophic for your business.

Our Servicing

We are extremely proud to be able to remotely monitor all of our machines with our Data Capture Service System. We can be alerted of any machine issues, servicing needs, parts in need of replacing, and meter readings. This means that providing you take good care of your machine, we’ll be able to spot any other serious issues with your machine, sometimes before you notice anything yourself.

We take an active role in the maintenance of your hired or leased machine as we know how important it is for the smooth running of your business. Find out more about our brilliant Equipment Servicing.