The Best Place To Put An Office Printer

The trend may be for offices to be as paperless as possible, keeping all their important documents on the cloud, but there’ll always be a need for an office printer with a scanner and photocopier. 

 

However, some of the problems with a machine like this that can fulfil a multitude of purposes is they are big, can be clunky, and everyone, at some point or another, needs to use them. 

 

Therefore, it is essential managers think carefully about where to place them in the office layout, so they don’t become an eyesore and all members of staff can easily access them when they need to. 

 

 

A practical consideration to take into account is the machine needs to be positioned in an area that enables everyone’s computers to connect to it wirelessly. 

 

Check the range of the printer to see how far away the furthest person can be sat to still connect to it. 

 

It might be that the printer has to be placed in the middle of the office to maximise its use. Alternatively, the range might be sufficient enough for it to go wherever you want for people to still connect to it. 

 

 

Don’t forget that office printers need regular maintenance, including topping up of ink and paper. So, try not to stuff it against a wall, which would make it difficult for someone to access when replacing or repairing parts. 

 

It might be tempting to slot it into a nook of the office, but if this means someone has to struggle to get it out of the space every time they need to check it is working, this might not be the best place for it. 

 

Managers don’t want to do unnecessary damage to their equipment by making it inaccessible. 

 

 

As well as making sure all members of staff are able to connect to the equipment, it is a good idea to place it somewhere that is easily accessible. This way, more people are likely to use it as they won’t have to walk far to pick up their documents. 

 

Administrative staff, for instance, are bound to use office printers, scanners and photocopiers more than some other employees so it is sensible to put it nearest to them. 

 

Having said this, everyone will need to print something out at some point, so don’t position it too far away from anyone. 

 

 

Just like people gather around the water cooler to have a chat or share some office gossip, the printer serves the same function. It allows those who are using it to also have a little break, engage with each other and create a more sociable environment to work in. 

 

Therefore, putting it near the kitchen or on the way to the toilets could be a good idea if you want to boost a community atmosphere in the office, as this will encourage members of staff to stop and chat with each other more.