How To Get Things Printed

Introduction

There are several ways to get things printed and the method chosen depends on the needs of the individual or business. Today, even powerful printers are affordable enough for home use, so almost every computer owner also owns at least one printer. Home businesses should have regular access to both a stand a lone black and white printer and a color printer. Laser printers are more cost effective for most businesses and individuals because laser printer toner lasts longer than inkjet toner, however, laser toner can be more expensive upfront. Color laser printers are more expensive than laser color printers, but the quality of the prints are often just as good, so the decision of which kind of color printer to buy will depend on which set up a user prefers. Some users find one type of printer more user friendly than the other.

Step 1

Determine what needs to be printed. If it is a simple, short black and white document, then use your regular home or office printer. These types of documents do not need to be outsourced, even during a business' busiest work days. Sure, there may be a backup in the printer room, but this wait should not justify sending simple print jobs off site to be printed.

Step 2

Have access to a reliable color printer for any type of color printing needs. If a company or individual needs things professionally printed in color, but they do not have a color printer or a good color printer, then they should have these items printed at professional printing companies. These companies can be office supply stores or companies that handle a variety of printing needs either exclusively or in conjunction with other services like shipping.

 

Step 3

For items that need to be printed in color, but not bound or shipped, use the printing services of a local office supplies store. Many  of these stores require that the jobs to be printed be brought into the store for printing. For more complex jobs, such as printing and binding, use the services of individual printer companies or office supply stores that offer full-service printing. Some of these printing companies offer services online, so users may only have to upload the items to be printed onto the company's website to have them printed, bound and even shipped.

Step 4

Marketing materials that will be used to promote a business should always be professionally printed, unless a company has access to equipment and individuals who can expertly produce this type of material in-house.  Items like, brochures, newsletters, flyers and other marketing an d promotion print jobs require special paper and printing settings that the average printer user will have to learn how to use in order to print quality materials.

Step 5

Large print jobs in black and white should also be sent off site because no matter how powerful the computer, they will take a lot of time and this could lead to blocking printing resources from others in a business. Even a company that supplies many of its employees with personal printers may find it a good idea to send large jobs off site because they will require that workers stay by the printer to make sure that paper and toner is refilled, as needed. Someone will also to be available to clear paper jams and other problems that could come up when printing many pages at once.

Tips

• For last minute, emergency print jobs for out of office presentations, use a company that allows users to upload the presentation and have it picked up near the site of the out of office meeting.

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