Usually, a printer is shared by several employees of a company device. Choose the most suitable for us is not easy. There are many parameters that have to be considered to function optimally so we want to offer some advice with our guide shared printers in the office.

The most common is a shared printer is done through the local network, either via the wired or Wi-Fi connection. There is a possibility to share a local printer, but it is a solution that really works well more than to share in a domestic environment and even here there are better solutions today.

Installing and configuring the network printer

Printer Location Network

The first thing to consider is where we want to locate the printer physically. It is recommended that all users who will be connected to it instead of carrying it to one end of the room are in a central location nearby. Thus, the path they have to travel to collect their work is minimal.

It is also necessary that this place provided an outlet near the printer and if we connect Ethernet cable, one outlet. This often determines where we can put the printer, which makes the option of Wi-Fi more attractive by offering more independence in choosing the most appropriate place to locate the printer.

We must also take into account the printing needs of the user group to which it is intended. Each printer has a qualified group of users who can share, usually between 1 and 15, depending on the monthly number of impressions and specific for each of them needs. Exceeding this number can be raised to penalize productivity if users have to wait longer queues form printing cost.

IP addressing printers

For individual jobs can submit jobs to these printers must know its address within the network, the IP. Printers must always have the same IP address, either permanently assigned or associating it in the DHCP server to the MAC address of your network card for the server to always assign the same.

Typically in these cases is to group all network printers company in a certain range within our network. For example, if our network is 192.168.1.xxx, we will not assign the ranging address 192.168.1.245 to 192.168.1.255, for printers. Thus, if we have a computer to map a post it will be easy to remember your address. Also, identify any problems they may have in the network.

It is advisable not be stingy with this number of addresses reserved for these printers as if tomorrow the company grows and we need more devices if the IP addresses are already occupied will be more difficult to recover these addresses. Especially if we have no problem of shortage of IP addresses it is to be farsighted.

Installing and configuring the printer

Once you have defined your IP address, the next step is to install the printer. In this case, we have to distinguish whether we are going to install the printer in domain or workgroup. The first case is the most common when we have a high number of users and the second is only recommended when we have very few users and computers, usually less than 10.

If you install the printer domain we have to install drivers or drivers directly on the server that should have enabled the print server functions, once this step proceeds to enlist the printer in Active Directory.

This has the advantage that it can apply group policies also affect printers that users can use. This way we have better control over the use that is being given to a printer, besides being able to manage it more efficiently.

If we do not work on the domain we have two possible scenarios, working with the server or on the contrary lack thereof. If we work out server but also domain the process of installing the printer on the server will be similar. It is installed on the server and is mapped in jobs either through the wizard or console by connecting to the IP address assigned.

In case, you do not have a server will need to install the printer on all jobs. In this case, we can make the first installation with the wizard that will offer us the possibility to create a file that can be saved in a USB memory if we have to install it on more computers.

Saving tips when using network printers

We have already seen how the printer location influences the productivity of users. In general, lower user distance to the printer, lowers risk of finding some distraction along the way that makes you spend more time than necessary out of his job.

Another issue that is not usually taken into account when choosing a printer is energy saving. Particularly with respect to the states of rest and hibernation, which are the most time passes the printer. Comparing between what consumes an ancient and a modern printer, renewal of the printer goes much cheaper than it might seem at first. Especially if we consider that are devices that are always on and rarely go out.

Usually, a laser printer uses more energy than an inkjet printer because it has to warm up before starting to print, which does not happen with the ink. In the case of HP Office jet, Pro range of printers savings can reach up to 50% in energy consumption on laser printers equivalents.

Another aspect to consider is the paper savings we can get. Here it is essential to use the more duplex, so we can achieve significant savings in a number of pages used.

It is important not to neglect the training of users who have to use the printer. It is not uncommon to see as a job to the print queue is sent, raises it sees that appears and returns to its job to repeat the order several times. At the end discovers or someone warns you that the printer is out of paper, but no longer works that had resubmitted, which in the best case end up in the paper basket for recycling are canceled.

Finally, a question that saves a lot in print uses the preview that prevents us to print false, with a defect in a page that could be remedied only use this preview, we have available but rarely used.

As we have seen install and configure a network printer is not complicated, but it requires a number of factors to take into account to work as expected.

Inkjet printers of the HP Office jet Pro range provide a good balance between functionality, ease of use, cost per printed page and quality, which makes them an option to consider in small companies when choosing a printing solution.

Optimize printing costs is an obsession in many companies. Achieve savings in this section for less money you get almost the same result. Saving print is like a premium multiple faces so today we want to explore each and see some tips for saving with the printer.

We are a difficult economic time for many companies, where efficiency is a key issue for the survival of many of them. So we seek to adjust costs in all areas to become more competitive.

Basic to save with the printer

Let’s start with some of the basics to adjust the cost per printed page that after all is what interests us.

• Energy saving printer at rest and in hibernation. They are values that are not generally taken into account, where a small variation accounts because printers rarely go out and are within 24 hours.
• Energy saving printer ink on the laser that needs to warm to start printing. These savings can be up to 50% of each other technology, what the price is today kw / h is not negligible.
• Save paper with two – sided printing. In this way, we optimize this supply is in use. Also , if we reduce the weight of the papers that we carry with us as well as the need to file many of their bills space.
• Different input trays with different paper types so that for domestic consumption impressions can use recycled paper, while for those customers and suppliers to deliver a paper with superior quality.
• Laser printing or ink is one of the decisions we have to make. In general, if we are short runs of documents, a few pages but the frequent ink is a good solution. On the contrary, if we have to print long runs of documents, for example, a document with a hundred pages, laser technology can be more effective.
• XL cartridges help reduce up to 50% the cost of printing ink which besides allowing greater autonomy print more pages per cartridge, much about the cost per page for laser printers.
• Ink savings with a more efficient printing technology, so that one can print more pages with the same amount of ink. This is the case of HP Page Wide, whose head the entire width of a page is much more efficient.
• Longer-lasting prints by improving the quality of the inks, which make remain in good condition despite being exposed to the sun or suffer any spilled liquids. Better fixation of ink to paper avoids having to print the same document after a short time.
• Fewer impressions failed if we review well before sending documents to the printer, but also if we use the print preview to rule out small formatting errors that we have committed.

Manage print quality and intervals

• Select the print quality so as to adjust the quality of the text, but also graphics and images, where we can distinguish between documentation for internal use and that we deliver to a customer and that depends on signature or not a contract.
• It is also very important to choose the type of more efficient sources that can achieve significant savings by using a font or another. For example, Garamond is a typeface that consumes less ink than Times New Roman. Then we also have some special fonts called echo, which have micro perforations in design, blank holes, imperceptible, but long – term saving a lot of ink.
• Print only what you need, for example, when printing a web page, selecting only what we want and discarding ads or other issues that do not need. The same when we have to print a worksheet that as we do not select the correct interval always ends by printing several blank pages.
• Another example of printing we do not need are the emails disclaimer or warning private message, legally they serve very little and if we have to print is totally irrelevant spending.

Reduce the number of pages printed

• Sometimes just need a key to printing so that the total number of pages printed is much lower. Especially in companies where employees can take advantage of these resources to print without stopping to think whether or not they need.
• A more drastic measure is to establish print quotas, which should be realistic to avoid prejudicing the productivity of employees, but that is enough to make the printer be sent only what is required on paper.
• We can also save by using different digital alternatives to a paper The most common have been the PDF document, but we can also use electronic tablets or books for reading and correcting reports if we want to be very practical.
• In this regard, the use of two screens avoids having to print a document with which we have to work so that we visualize on a screen and other work. You can also change a large screen 24 “widescreen allows us to have two text files open full size.

Improve company revenue by printing policies

• But we can also convert print spending on an investment if we can attract more customers, increasing turnover. Deliver documents, the dossier they have in their hands when making a decision can be keys to getting a sale.
• The same could be said of the improved employee productivity with faster printers, to avoid having to stand in front of the printer waiting to print, often with the customer standing at the table and others waiting to be served.

As you have seen there are many measures that save more than we can optimize printing costs. Inkjet printers of the HP Office jet Pro range provide a good balance between functionality, ease of use, cost per printed page and quality, which makes them an option to consider in small companies when choosing a printing solution.