Author: Brother Gulf

Are you looking for ways to save money on your home office printing needs? Need help to choose the best home and office inkjet or laser multifunction printer to reduce your operating costs?

If you need some pocket-friendly solutions for years to come, consider these cost-efficient tips for your home office printing.

1. Use smaller margins and line spacing
2. Use smaller document size
3. Preview before printing
4. Print in black and white
5. Print with toner and ink-saving fonts
6. Duplex printing
7. Continue printing with low ink or toner
8. Unplug printer or use deep sleep mode
9. Buy printer consumables in bulk
10. Re-evaluate your printer

Owning a printer gives you the freedom of convenience and customized printing. However, the cost of maintaining one can quickly add up if you are not mindful. Being attentive to such details can help you reduce costs in the long run.

Let us look at each of these money-saving printing tips in detail.

1. Use smaller margins and line spacing

Most people use the default settings when printing a piece of document. However, this wastes a large amount of space, especially along the margins as well as the line spacing in between paragraphs.

By adjusting the margins closer to the edge of the page and reducing the line spacing, you can significantly increase the number of words per page – which means less paper used, saving you money in the long run.

2. Print more documents on a page

Another economical option is to print two pages of a document onto one page. This is especially useful for high-resolution documents that have clear typefaces, or documents that are predominantly images.

You can adjust your print settings per page according to how you deem fit.

3. Preview before printing

When printing online web pages such as articles, do consider the sections of the page that you don’t actually need to print out and read. Printing out these sections wastes both your paper and ink.

By previewing what will be printed, you can remove advertisements, comments and unnecessary footnotes. You can also click on the “printer mode” on websites, which automatically sets the page to the ideal sizes for printing.

In Microsoft Office, there are print outs preview before final printing. Sometimes there might be alignment issues which causes an additional page consisting of a few short lines to be printed out. This can be easily avoided by adjusting the document.

Re-printing due to mistakes can also be avoided by first checking your documents in draft mode before printing. With this step, you can reduce up to 50% of waste, ensuring more cost-efficient printing in the long run.

4. Print in black and white

This next tip can potentially save you quite a bit of money in terms of ink or toner usage. Printing in color uses more ink compared to printing in black and white. This can be easily overlooked especially with documents that have colored logos or graph charts.

If color is not necessary, take the extra step to switch your print setting to monochrome printing. You will be surprised by how much ink or toner you can save and how long your cartridge will last by applying this tip.

Do note that printing in grayscale might not have the same effect. When printing in grayscale, the grey is not printed with black, but is composed instead of all other colors – which is exactly what you want to avoid.

5. Print with toner and ink-saving fonts

The following option is for the penny pinchers out there! Certain fonts with wide letters, thick lines, many curls and serifs use more printer ink and toner than other fonts.

By choosing fonts that do not have these features, you can potentially reduce your printing costs by up to 30%! These toner and ink-saving fonts are “Century Gothic” and “Garamond“, which can be found in most word processing programs.

Fonts that use more toner and ink include “Arial”, “Trebuchet” and “Tahoma” – these are fonts which you should avoid if you have the flexibility to do so.

6. Duplex print

This tip is a no-brainer—print on both sides of the paper. As simple as it may seem, it has the potential to save you big bucks, especially when combined with the previous few tips.

However, this becomes an issue if you are printing in high volumes and don’t have a printer capable of duplex printing. Manually flipping each page will soon get on your nerves and you’ll end up choosing single-sided printing for its convenience, causing you to be less cost efficient.

For better cost-savings and convenience, consider switching to a printer that has duplex printing capabilities such as Brother DCP-T820DW Ink Tank Printer. Its automatic 2-sided printing will ensure fuss-free and cost efficient printing.

7. Continue printing with low ink or toner

You have probably seen the message that pops up when the ink level is low, advising you to replace the cartridge. Instead of rushing to change your cartridge, you can actually continue printing for a couple more print runs. This allows you to squeeze more prints out of the cartridge before it truly runs dry.

For toner cartridges that indicate “low toner” levels, consider taking them out of your printer and giving them a quick shake to distribute the toner powder inside the cartridge. This will enable you to continue printing for more pages without any errors before your toner finally runs out.

8. Unplug printer or use deep sleep mode

You won’t be saving thousands of dollars with this tip, but if you are really looking into ways to reduce costs, this will still add up. Printers – or any electronics for that matter – left plugged into outlets when not in use, will draw passive energy away from the circuit. This will cost you money over time, so unplug your printer when not in use.

You should also pay attention to a printer’s energy efficiency. Brother printers come with deep sleep mode where it reduces its energy consumption while idling.

9. Buy printer consumables in bulk

Another huge money saver tip is to buy your printer consumables in bulk—paper, ink cartridges and toners. More often than not, you can tap on bulk discounts, save on delivery costs or even lower costs with bundle deals. By pre-planning and keeping an eye out for great deals, you could save a whole lot of money compared to buying these supplies individually as they run out.

You can also choose to get ink or toner cartridges that come in standard or high yield containers that hold more ink or toner for a lower cost per page. The Brother DCP-L3551CDW Laser Printer is one of the printers that have a low cost and high print quality resolution with affordable toner options such as the high capacity toner (BK: Approx. 3,000 pages; CMY: Approx. 2,300 pages) or the drum unit (Approx. 18,000 pages).

It is also important to store your bulk purchases properly. Do note that ink cartridges can dry out if stored incorrectly. To prevent the ink from drying out prematurely, store them in their original packaging in the shade at room temperature or slightly cooler temperatures.

Laser printer toners are usually more durable as they are filled with a dry powder. However, you should still store them in a cool and dry place to ensure that they are kept in prime condition.

10. Re-evaluate your printer

If you have had your printer for a long time, and are still struggling to keep it cost-efficient, chances are that you may need to re-evaluate your printer. Yes, you may have bought it a couple of years ago at a good price – however the printer supplies (ie consumables) are often the ones that tunnel through your pockets.

A toner or ink-efficient printer is a cost-efficient printer! Switching to a modern printer that has cost-efficient cartridges is a smarter move to enjoy huge cost savings. To look for an efficient printer, you will first have to find out what cartridge the printer uses. Look for information such as the price of the cartridge and the cartridge page yield. With these factors, you can then figure out the cost per page for each printer and compare them.

Cost per page ($) = Cartridge price ($) / Cartridge page yield (No. of pages)

If you need more information as to which is the best home printer for you, do consider the different types of printers that are available.

Conclusion

Choosing a printer based on its consumables might not be something that most people think about from the get-go. To keep your home office running costs really low, combine these cost savings with the penny pinching habits mentioned above to reap the rewards of a printer with high cost savings!

Fears come in all shapes and sizes. Some, such as the fear of spiders are widely known and relatable. However, there is a little-known aversion Brother believes may be limiting workers – printerphobia.

Uneasiness around ink-fuelled office equipment – or printerphobia as it is better known – is, believe-it-or-not, real. And with many of today’s workers either dusting off their home printer or returning to the office, many will once again be shying away from printing and calling for help at the first sign of a problem. That’s why we have decided to help printerphobia sufferers overcome their fears.

Printerphobia – identifying the problem and spotting it in others

Printerphobia is considered to be a form of syskeviphobia – the fear of appliances. When placed in the proximity of a print device, the calm demeanour of printerphobes dissolves. Small, easily resolved print or scan problems trigger disproportionate levels of agitated pacing, muttering and in some cases – arm flailing.

If this is you, it’s probably reassuring to know that you’re not alone. In fact, we suspect you’re part of a large collective of sufferers. But with a little support, we firmly believe we can help to eradicate this irrational fear once and for all.

Perceptions vs current intuitive usability

While printers have become more user-friendly over the years, many of us will not be experiencing the seamless, intuitive experience that the latest Brother devices deliver and dread the thought of using a printer that is complicated and likely to backfire.

But printing doesn’t have to be a scary experience. Brother’s print and scan technology is meticulously designed and engineered for flawless functionality in the office or at home. Our devices offer excellent operational uptime with minimal input, so there’s simply no need to be fearful.

Bringing usage more in-line with new ways of working, items can even be sent to print using apps such as Brother’s iPrint&Scan. This makes printing safe and much, much easier, even for the biggest of printerphobes.

Over-reliance on the resident printer whisperer

Adding to the technical apprehension of printerphobes could be an over-reliance on the resident office print whisperer – the person (and there’s one in every office) – who calmly resolves the print and scan predicaments of flustered colleagues.

Now that many of us are working from home this fear is likely to have extended even further, and calls to IT teams and print whisperers are likely to have rocketed. But we are here to reassure you that there is a simple solution to all your printing worries.

Don’t worry, help is at hand…

Like all fears, printerphobia can be cured. To help printerphobes overcome their wariness and give print whisperers everywhere a much-needed break, Brother has assembled its experts.

In part two of this blog series, we share tips, advice and practical guidance that will render even the most technically unaccomplished printerphobes among you proficient enough to become a print whisperer and become a whizz at printing wherever you are.

We’d love you to share your thoughts and take part in the conversation. Simply use the hashtags #Printerphobia and #PrintWhisperer.  

If you still feel uneasy and need help, head over to our Support page, where you can find a range of helpful guides on your specific printer.

If you are reading this, chances are, you are either the owner of a home-based business or someone who is considering starting one of your own – and you’re not alone! With the added flexibility, agility and freedom that running a business from your home affords, it is easy to see why a large portion of start-ups across the world are doing so. This, however, comes with certain challenges, one of which being that most business-grade printing solutions were made for traditional office environments, with very few options designed to be truly suitable for the home office.

With that in mind, what are some of the options you should consider when choosing a printing solution for your very own home-based business?

Laser or Inkjet? It depends.

One of the main benefits of inkjet printers is that they are an affordable option for any home business owner while being capable of delivering vibrant color images and photo prints. However, with the high prices of printer ink, they could end up being significantly costlier once you start printing larger volumes. But that’s all about to change with Brother’s range of Refill Ink Tank Printers, a new breed of business-oriented inkjet printers designed for greater cost-savings while delivering outstanding print quality and print speeds.

Or, if you are looking for more document-focused printing capabilities, then look no further than Brother’s range of LED laser printers. With either black and white or color printing options, these capable solutions provide speedy, stable performance that’s ideal for high-volume printing of documents with crisp and easily readable text – even on smaller font sizes.

Print productivity that doesn’t cost you dearly

Printing costs can make up a significant part of your expenses, which is why Brother’s Refill Ink Tank and Laser print solutions are designed with small businesses and home offices in mind. Our ultra-high yield refill ink bottles and toner cartridges offer affordable, high-quality prints for all your marketing, invoicing, presentation or reviewing needs that not only translates to a low cost-per-page, but also allows you to print thousands of pages before requiring a refill or cartridge change.

Form and functionality bundled in one compact package

Forget about those large, costly copiers that are commonly found in big office departments. Aside from being affordable, Brother’s print solutions take up a significantly smaller footprint than traditional copiers and are perfectly suited for your home office. Packed with wireless printing capabilities that allow staff to easily connect to a single printer, high print speeds, flexible paper handling, high-volume duplex printing, and innovative Cloud Apps that offer seamless mobile printing and scanning on the go, they deliver amazing value and functionality for the modern home office.

Made for the home, built to last

Another major concern about compact printers is that they aren’t designed to withstand the vigours of high-volume business printing. The thought of costly supplies and frequent breakdowns are the main reasons why many are put off by the idea of utilising them.

But Brother has got you covered.

All of Brother’s genuine supplies are optimised to work perfectly with our printers for unmatched consistency and reliability, which results in less wastage, repair and maintenance costs in the long run.  And with over 100 years of award-winning reliability and customer service to its name, you can be assured that any Brother printer is built to last.

With that being said, there’s certainly no one-size-fits-all solution for your unique business model. Do you require a solution with single function (print only) functionality? Or maybe you’re looking for an All-in-One printer that’s capable of scanning, copying and faxing as well? Whatever your needs, we’re sure that you’ll find the ideal solution right here.

With increased online security threats and strict legislation to comply with, print security is a critical issue for businesses today.

Raise the bar of print security in your business with our device and data security features and tips:

The top five printer device security tips:

1. Location is key – rule out the risk of device tampering or people seeing confidential documents. Remove printers from areas where there is unrestricted public access, such as the reception.
2. Strong password – the internet’s most popular password, used by 23.2m people, is 123456 – make yours more difficult to predict.
3. ROM Protection – This embedded feature blocks unauthenticated access by disabling access control. If a threatening code alteration is detected, the device automatically reboots to a secure configuration.
4. Setting lock – prevent unauthorised users changing any settings. This basic function restricts access to device settings through the control panel.
5. Secure function lock – give administrators the control of the company’s printing activity through this feature. It allows them to decide who can do what with each machine. This includes controlling which users can copy or scan, imposing limits or restricting access to the Active Directory.

The top five printer data security tips:

1. Introduce Secure Print+ – to stop confidential documents falling into the wrong hands. These features only allow printed documents to be released either by PIN number or swiping a card through NFC technology when the user is physically at the device.
2. Network Security – by supporting secured network system (SSL/TLS, SSH, IPsec) will prevent the risk of attack.
3. Secure your PDFs – to keep confidential documents private, opt to secure scanned documents by turning them into PIN-protected secure PDFs.
4. Make your mark – add print watermarks to confidential print jobs in seconds. Doing so will make it incredibly easy to verify the origin of a document.
5. ID your documents – make it clear that the printout is for you. Add a print identifier that can be placed on the header and footer on every page. This can be done through adding the date, time or username or another identification code.

Brother – ‘At your side’ for secure printing.

COVID-19 has forced us all to rethink the way we work.

Employers and employees alike are having to adapt their working practices to meet this challenge – and printing is a key element in that evolutionary process.

The rise in remote working has forced businesses to think differently about printing solutions – especially the need to make printing easier for employees, no matter their location.

With businesses considering what they can do to support workers during these challenging times, devices that enable remote working and offer easy integration into people’s domestic networks are essential if both your staff and your business are to benefit. So, if you’re charged with selecting IT equipment in your business ask yourself: ‘What are the five things I should consider when buying printers for a remote workforce?’

1. Connectivity and simplicity

The average worker isn’t an IT expert, so reducing the technical complexity of installing, troubleshooting and maintaining their printer should be a key priority. Giving your people fewer things to worry about helps avoid time wasted on helpline calls and needless downtime – and allows them to focus on what they’re good at and get on with their job.

And we know that people aren’t always at their laptops when working from home, so to help maintain efficiency, smartphone and tablet apps can help make tasks run more smoothly.

2. Better use of space

Even before social distancing, the effective use of office space was often a key consideration for businesses. But, with people now adapting their spare rooms and kitchen tables into workspaces, choosing print devices that are space efficient is more important than ever.

If your business is considering investing in devices for your remote workers, remember that home office users may not necessarily need a high spec device, and many may have challenging space constraints. In these instances, compact machines with small footprints will help make the most of the limited space they have available.

However, as businesses increasingly overcome other remote working challenges, such as connectivity, collaboration and security, users will begin to expect the same level of improvement across the board. This means having as close to full office functionality at home as possible. Making sure you balance your users’ space constraints with their functionality expectations may take more time in the short term but will deliver long-term benefits in user satisfaction.

3. Environmental concerns

Businesses and their staff are becoming increasingly conscious about the environment. More than ever, people want to buy from businesses that have sustainable processes in place¹ – and employees are looking for employers who take sustainability seriously².

It is important to remember that while sustainability gains here reduce costs, the key to making a real difference is to consider sustainability at every stage of your equipment’s life cycle. This includes devices that may be based in employees’ home offices, and businesses must ensure that the equipment provided is relative to the work being done.

4. Security

Every company says that data security is paramount. But when the focus is on protecting servers, computers and databases, it’s easy to forget that printers need to be just as secure as the other devices on your network.

Given that it’s unlikely that people’s home networks will have enterprise level security in place, you must be careful not to offer a back door into your otherwise secure network.

Without the benefit of a secured network behind a corporate-level firewall, remote workers will be looking for help to manage their printer security. Choosing printers with high level security features such as end-to-end encryption will help address those concerns.

If your remote workers already have their own printers, we’d advise asking about their security features to make sure they meet your security standards, before agreeing to their use. And finally, ensure you close the security loop by providing remote workers with the ability to shred and safely dispose of confidential documentation.

5. Cost efficiency

As businesses continue to navigate the challenges of resourcing and managing the needs of a remote workforce, any incremental savings on time, efficiency and cost are vital contributions towards profitability.