Wide Format – A Viable Option for Most Businesses Today

Drawings that are crystal clear – where you don’t have to look, relook, and then make your best guess at what the plan says.  Whether or not you can relate to that scenario, printing in color could make all the difference.  While many people think color is something that just isn’t affordable in wide format machines that simply isn’t true any longer.

A problem in disguise

Wide format machines last a long time.  That can seem like a good thing when you are making the initial purchase, but hanging onto those old machines just because they still run may be problematic.

For starters, those old machines are more than likely B&W so you are missing the opportunity the new color solutions provide.  That is an important point, but probably more alarming is the computer interfaces those old machines use are no longer supported.

Way too often businesses are hanging on to one old computer just to run an old wide format printer. With no security patches available for these old wide format machines, businesses running these machines need to realize how vulnerable they are to all kinds of cybersecurity threats.

Good news in new options

The really good news is today’s wide format brings new toner technology making color virtually the same price as black and white.

Remember that unclear drawing situation mentioned earlier?  Well, color would eliminate all that confusion.  And, color returns up to 2 percent back in job costs on ROI due to reduced errors and speed of reading plans.

There are many other benefits the new color wide format machines bring:

• Single footprint – the machines provide scanner, copier, and printer capabilities built together in one machine.
• Wide range of media capabilities.
• Low cost of entry – there are machines for any budget.
• Environmental concerns – new machines are energy efficient and offer recycling options for ink cartridges, toner, and the machines themselves.

Still not convinced?

A common hesitation is the belief that a business doesn’t print enough wide format files to justify purchasing a wide format machine.  The reality is businesses can realize payback of a machine with as little as 10 prints per week.

The best thing businesses that are considering a wide format purchase can do is to see and test the equipment.  Take advantage of dealer open houses, vendor demo facilities, or even review online videos.

Service

The last, but perhaps most important thing to consider is service.  Think ahead to the inevitable repairs that will be needed at some point.  Local service, when available, is best as it will minimize downtime and keep your operation humming smoothly.