If you run a business, a thermal printer is a very important investment, regardless of your industry. Whether you use your printer for receipts and organisation or branding and shipping labels, it’s a vital tool that many businesses would struggle to succeed without.
Because of this, you want your thermal printer to be reliable. But if you’re on a tight budget, you might instead choose a machine that’s on the cheap side. However, this means poor performance, and more importantly, a shorter lifespan.
To help you maximise the effectiveness of your thermal printer, today we’re going to give you some pointers when it’s time to choose a new machine and explain what you can do to make it last as long as possible.
What is the Lifespan of a Thermal Printer?
On average, you should expect your thermal printer to last for up to a decade, but a number of factors can affect this. The most important is how often you use your printer. More usage puts more wear on its parts, and therefore it’ll need servicing sooner.
Naturally, a thermal printer from a leading brand should be more reliable, and often comes with a competitive warranty that will help it to last for the long run. Those companies might also provide a servicing agreement or regular maintenance. But even if not, a company like Label Line can create one for you to ensure your machine lasts as long as it should.
You can also conduct some basic maintenance yourself. Replacing peripherals like ink cartridges and print heads can be done with the help of a manual or online guide. You can also clean your machine on a regular basis to keep it at its best.
But before you begin doing that, you should invest in the right machine for your needs.
The Right Thermal Printer for your Business
When looking at new thermal printers, either as an upgrade for your workspace or to help you chase a new idea, you need to consider 3 ‘abilities’. These are:
- Flexibility
- Scalability
- Reliability
Choosing to cut corners with just one of these will cost you money in the long run. Let’s start with flexibility.
Why your Thermal Printer needs to be Flexible
Before you buy a new thermal printer, you need to know what you’re going to use it for. If you’re just starting out, this should be clear. For example, if you’re making products, your thermal printer will be creating labels for said products. For a small business, attaching labels manually is the easiest method, whereas larger production lines will be looking to automate the process or use a more specialist labelling machine.
If you’re sending those products to your customers, you’ll need quality shipping labels to ensure they reach their final destination. Labels that peel, fade, or let you down in other ways won’t represent your business well, so you need a machine that can print onto tough label printing materials.
But you shouldn’t back yourself into a corner either. If you mostly need a thermal printer for receipts now, it’s tempting to buy a machine with that primary purpose. Which brings us onto the second factor you should consider.
Why your Thermal Printer needs to be Scalable
This is something few business owners think about when buying a printer, and it always comes back to bite them. Planning for the future is vital in business, and you should apply the same careful thought to your machinery investments.
If you start your business out of your spare room, you won’t be investing in a thermal printer bigger than your desk. It would be impractical, and it could take a long time to understand all its functions (a common problem with some more modern thermal printers). However, if you don’t plan to stay in that spare room for long, and are hoping to have a much bigger office in the future, it’s worth buying a machine that will scale with your needs.
With some good marketing and quality products, you could see a lot of success very quickly. If you bought a cheap printer to save costs, it could start to let you down when you need it most, costing you both time and more money while you arrange an upgrade.
And this isn’t the only way an inferior printer can let you down.
Why your Thermal Printer needs to be Reliable
You could buy the best thermal printer on the market, spending a fortune so that you have all the functionality you need for your business. However, if this machine is unreliable, no bells and whistles will save you from headaches.
As a rule, more expensive machines are more reliable. They’re usually from a popular brand, with support available to help with any issues. But if you buy a refurbished printer, a common choice for new business owners, there might be some hidden gremlins you aren’t aware of.
There are a number of ways your printer can develop a fault. The most common are a build up of dust and debris that causes printer material jams – this can be resolved with cleaning. Your engine might also overheat; if this is the case you should switch it off for a period, and contact a printer repair specialist like us if it gets any worse.
That’s just two of the many issues we can help you with. But the most important part of our service is how we diagnose issues before they bring your operation to a halt. One of our specialists can take apart your machine, take note of any wear and tear, and either repair it on the spot or arrange a delivery of spare parts from our warehouse.
Your printer is a vital investment. Once it’s up and running, you want to use it to its full potential, and want to be reassured that it won’t let you down. That’s where we come in.
If you want to guarantee a long lifespan for your thermal printer, get in touch with Label Line today. We look forward to hearing from you.