When shopping for a printer for your business, consider the following questions.
Is the printer you have chosen network capable or network aware?
Does the printer you have chosen support PCL 5, PCL 6, or standard Postscript emulation natively?
Can the printer you have chosen meet the printing demands of a busy office?
Do you have a Cat 5 network outlet near the location for your new printer?
Do you have an available port on your network switch or hub?
Network vs. Stand-Alone Printers: PCC recommends you purchase network-ready printers. A network printer offers a shared resource to your office that is more economical than a series of stand-alone printers. A networked printer will help you avoid the cost of maintenance and administration to individual printers. Network business printers have a more robust design and will lead to fewer service calls and replacement costs. The initial purchase price of a network-aware printer may be higher, but the extended life and decreased maintenance costs will be a benefit to your office.
PCC's Technical Solutions team has an extensive list of printers that work with Partner. The sections below describe printers that we have tested and can confidently recommend; other printer solutions may be available. Contact PCC Support at (800)722-1082 x2 to discuss your printer options or to check on the compatibility of a specific printer model.
Over the years, PCC clients have had success with the business-class, single-purpose laser printers from HP. Printers like the 4100, 4200, and 4300 series connect to Partner flawlessly and print thousands of pages with minimal maintenance. While these specific lines are no longer available, many of the business-class HP LaserJet printers (usually in the $800-$1200 range) will likely be suitable for a busy practice.
At this time, PCC confidently recommends: HP P3005, HP 4350, HP 4500 Color, HP P4014, HP 4015. If you have questions on a specific model, please contact PCC Technical Solutions at 1-800-722-1082, x2.
Laser printers can handle high volume printing better than consumer-line inkjet printers. While laser ink cartridges are more expensive than inkjet cartridges, they last for thousands of pages. When selecting an HP printer, make certain it is network ready, has the number of trays you will need for your practice, has a duplexer if you desire one, and can handle high volume.
PCC has recently tested several Kyocera and Ricoh printers and can confidently recommend these models:
Kyocera: FS-1900, FS-2000, FS-3900, FS-4000
Ricoh: Aficio AP4## Series
As noted above, please contact PCC Technical Solutions if you would like more advice on printer selection.
When you want a copier, scanner, fax machine, and printer all in one device, you want a "Multi-Function Printer." PCC technicians have tested two popular models and can support you and help you connect them to your Partner network.
HP LaserJet 3380 All-in-One
An affordable MFP. Requires a print server to work on your network.
HP LaserJet 4101 MFP
A larger MFP that holds more paper and includes double-sided printing capabilities.
Other models may be available. Contact PCC Technical Solutions for more information.
Okidata 520 printers, though no longer a viable option for most printing needs, were an economical option for printing simple standardized forms, claims, and labels. Some PCC clients still use Okidata 520 printers, and PCC provides minimal assistance with maintaining their connection to Partner.
Note: PCC recommends electronic claim submission and ebills rather than in-office printing of claims and personal bills.
520 and 320 Turbo Are Not Supported. The Okidata "Turbo" models are not Partner compatible. The standard 320 and 520 models are.
If your printer does not ship "Network Ready," with an ethernet card, you will need to purchase a print server to put your printer on your network. PCC recommends the following print server:
HP DirectJet 170x: A reliable, general purpose print server that will allow your printer to be added to your network. You can purchase the HP 170x through Hewlett-Packard's Web site.
Please contact PCC at 1-800-722-1082, x2, if you have any questions about network printing.