5 great reasons to keep a printer at home

Hands up who’s breathing a sigh of relief they’ve still got a printer at home?

Since Lockdown 1.0 our faithful old printer has gone from a little-used bit of kit in the corner of our home office to a homeschooling essential used on a daily basis, and I’m so glad we still have it!

The world might be going paperless and we might all be doing our best to do our bit for the environment, but if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the last year it’s that we still need access to a home printer (for the latest ink cartridges Canon, click the link).

If you’ve been thinking of getting rid of yours and consider a printer a bit of an old relic – don’t! In this collaborative post here are 5 great reasons to still keep a printer at home.

1. It’s cheaper than you think

Printers are cheaper than you think, and gone are the days when printer ink was extortionate. There are lots of deals to be had and in reality, keeping yourself topped up with ink and paper is a lot cheaper than you might think. If you’re someone who prints regularly in medium to large quantities – which is a lot of us at the moment – then having your own access to printing essentials is a necessity and it’ll work out as a cost-effective investment. If you’re super conscious of your printing costs, then you can always switch to high-quality compatible ink and toner, which means you still get high-quality ink, just in a non-branded casing.

2. You can print anything!

Whether you’re currently working from home, homeschooling or you’re a freelancer hoping to unleash your creative talents, having a printer at home complements all kinds of working situations perfectly. You’re not just limited to traditional documents and files but you can print anything from stickers and images to stationery, formal letterheads, photos and more (see our Halloween front door decoration ideas for inspiration). Having your own personal printer gives you the freedom to print anything you need!

3. It’s incredibly convenient

If you need to print off an important form, sign it and post it back to the sender, without access to your own printer, how are you going to achieve this? With many of us living in lockdown we can’t drive to a friend’s house and ask them to do it, and with libraries closed having your own printer at home means the ability to print whenever you need to. You can simply print and go!

4. Hard copies are still important

Your workplace might be trying to go paperless, but hard copies of significant documents still have an important purpose. From contracts to marketing materials, study resources for your children and work records, being able to print these out on a whim will certainly help you maintain a streamlined and organised working/homeschooling environment (see printerinks.com for the latest inkjet and toner prices).

5. Paper & digital can work together

So much of life is online now, including the kids’ school work during lockdown, but I find having a physical piece of paper in front of them really helps focus their minds and their learning. It’ll also be nice to have a record of what we did together when this is all over and they can go back to school.