Introduction
At first glance, production printers and office printers can seem very similar; both produce high quality printed documents and offer comparable features. When a business is looking for a new printer, one of the big questions is: what’s the difference between a production printer and an office printer?
This can be confusing, as the finished prints can look alike. People may assume an office printer can handle the workloads and production styles they need, or that they require a production printer for standard office printing tasks.
Using the wrong type of printer can create issues such as workflow limitations, inflated costs, inefficient consumables usage, and frequent maintenance.
At Zerographic, we are a Xerox partner, meaning we offer a range of both office printers and production printers. In this article, we summarise the key similarities and differences between the two, helping you decide which is right for your business.
Office Printers
An office printer is a standard business oriented device designed to handle everyday needs such as printing, copying, and scanning. They are commonly used in small to medium sized businesses, where workgroups and departments need reliable access to printing throughout the day. These machines offer moderate print speeds, built in networking, mobile and cloud printing, and essential security features.
They are best suited for routine office workloads rather than high volume or customer facing print jobs, making them cost effective, easy to manage, and space efficient.
Production Printers
A production printer is a high capacity printing device designed for fast, consistent, and high volume output. They are typically used by print shops, marketing agencies, in house print rooms, and larger organisations that regularly produce brochures, manuals, direct mail, or other customer facing materials. Production printers support higher duty cycles, faster speeds, advanced colour control, and a wider range of media and finishing options than standard office printers.
These printers are best suited for businesses that rely on printing as a core function, where reliability and efficiency at scale are essential.
Similarities Between the Printers
User Friendly Interfaces
Both office and production printers feature user friendly touchscreens and clear navigation menus, making them accessible for everyday users.
Security Features
Each typically includes built in security such as user authentication, secure print release, data encryption, and network protection to safeguard sensitive documents.
Network Connectivity
Both connect easily to office networks and support Ethernet, Wi Fi, and cloud based printing, allowing multiple users to send jobs from different devices.
Basic Printing Functions
At a fundamental level, both printers are designed to reliably print digital documents, handling standard file types and producing consistent, professional looking output.
Workflow Integration
Office and production printers can integrate with print management and document workflow software to streamline job handling and improve efficiency.
Remote Management and Monitoring
Many models in both categories support remote monitoring, diagnostics, and usage tracking to simplify maintenance and administration.
Major Differences
Print Volume and Duty Cycle
Production printers are built to handle extremely high monthly print volumes and continuous operation without performance degradation. They are designed for environments where thousands of pages may be printed daily. Office printers, on the other hand, are intended for low to moderate volumes spread throughout the day and can experience wear, slowdowns, or breakdowns when pushed beyond their recommended limits.
Speed and Throughput
Production printers focus on overall throughput, meaning they can process and complete large print jobs quickly and efficiently. This includes fast warm up times, sustained high speeds, and the ability to queue multiple jobs without interruption. Office printers may list respectable pages per minute speeds, but they are not designed to maintain that speed over long runs or heavy workloads.
Print Quality and Consistency
Production printers deliver higher and more consistent print quality, especially for colour critical work. They offer advanced colour management, tighter registration, and uniform output from the first page to the last. Office printers produce good quality documents for everyday use, but colour accuracy and consistency can vary, particularly during longer print runs.
Media Handling and Flexibility
Production printers support a wide range of paper sizes, weights, and speciality media, including heavy cardstock, coated papers, and custom formats. They are designed to switch between media types with minimal disruption. Office printers are generally limited to standard paper sizes and lighter weights, which is sufficient for internal documents but restrictive for marketing or professional materials.
Cost Structure and Efficiency
While production printers require a higher upfront investment, they offer a lower cost per page when used at scale, making them more economical for high volume environments. Office printers are less expensive to purchase initially, but can become costly as print volumes grow due to higher consumable costs and increased maintenance needs.
Finishing Capabilities
Production printers often include or support advanced finishing options such as folding, booklet making, binding, trimming, and multi position stapling. These features allow completed pieces to come off the machine ready for distribution. Office printers typically offer basic finishing, such as duplex printing or simple stapling, if any finishing at all.
Choosing the Right Printer for Your Business
The choice between a production printer and an office printer hinges on the specific needs and priorities of your business. Here are some factors to consider:
Work Volume
If your business handles high volume, frequent print jobs, a production printer is designed to keep up without slowing down. For low to moderate, everyday printing, an office printer is typically the better fit.
Print Quality Requirements
Production printers are ideal when precision, colour accuracy, and professional grade output are critical. Office printers are well suited for standard internal documents where absolute consistency is less essential.
Media Handling Needs
If you need to print on a wide range of paper sizes, weights, or speciality materials, a production printer offers the flexibility required. Office printers generally support standard paper types only.
Budget and Cost Structure
Production printers involve a higher upfront investment but offer a lower cost per page over time. Office printers cost less initially but can become more expensive as print volumes increase.
Space and Environment
Production printers require more physical space and are best suited to dedicated print areas, while office printers are designed to fit comfortably into smaller office environments.
Examples of Printers Zerographic Provide
Production Printers
Office Printers
- Xerox VersaLink B415 Multifunction Printer
- Xerox VersaLink B605/B615 Multifunction Printer
- Xerox VersaLink B620 Printer
In summary, although production and office printers can look similar, they are built for different purposes. Office printers are ideal for everyday, low to moderate printing, while production printers are designed for high volumes, advanced media handling, and professional quality output. Choosing the right printer ensures better efficiency, lower costs, and smoother workflows.
