Choosing the Machine, Specification by Specification
Choosing a printer from the wrong number on a specification sheet can mean paper jams, queues and a machine the office outgrows.
What each number on a specification sheet actually decides in a working office, and which ones you can safely ignore.
Last updated: September 2026
Four things decide whether a device suits an office: the volume it is built to sustain, its speed at the busiest moment, how much paper it holds, and whether it finishes documents for you.
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Quick formSizing it to the work
The two numbers people confuse most are duty cycle and speed, and only one of them should drive the decision.
Both should be checked against counter readings rather than an estimate of what the office prints.
- Duty cycle, and why the big number misleadsThe headline figure is a ceiling, not a target. The useful number is elsewhere.
- Pages per minute by team sizeSensible bands by headcount, and where paying for more speed stops helping.
- Paper handling and traysCapacity, paper weights, and the jams you can design out at specification.
What the machine does with the document
Beyond printing, the difference between devices is what happens to the page afterwards and what happens to a scan.
These are the options that remove repeated manual work, which is where the time actually goes.
- Finishing options explainedStapling, hole punch and booklets. Which ones earn their place and which sit idle.
- Scanning that files itselfSending a scan where it belongs, and the one setting people forget to turn on.
- Print management softwareWhat it does, and the office size where it starts to earn its keep.
Enquired on Monday and had a printer installed by Friday. Fast, easy, and exactly what we needed.
We have been using Global Document Solutions for about eight years now and would not go anywhere else.
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Quick formKeeping documents where they should be
A shared multifunction device holds data, sits on the network, and prints where anyone can pick it up.
For legal, medical and accounting offices these are handling obligations rather than preferences.
- Security features worth havingThe three exposures a shared device creates, and how each one is closed.
- Secure print release, in practiceJobs that wait at the device until you are standing there.
- A3 against A4, and colour against monoWhat each choice does to the monthly figure, and when A3 is worth it.
The other two questions
Common questions
What specifications matter most when choosing an office printer?
The recommended monthly volume it is built to sustain, its speed at your busiest moment, how much paper it holds, and whether it finishes documents.
Most of the rest of a specification sheet rarely changes a decision.
Should I choose a printer by its duty cycle?
No.
Duty cycle is a maximum the mechanism can survive, not a workload to aim at.
Size the device on its recommended monthly print volume, which is a far lower number.
How fast a printer does a small office need?
For one to five people, around 25 to 30 pages per minute is normally comfortable.
Speed is rarely the constraint at that size, and paper handling or A3 capability usually matters more.
Is a multifunction device secure enough for client records?
It can be, with secure print release, drive encryption and default credentials changed at installation.
The exposure that catches most offices is simply a document left in the output tray.
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