Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, people are being more careful than they’ve ever been before regarding hygiene. People are washing their hands regularly, using hand sanitizer, and trying not to touch anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. But what a lot of people don’t think about is the number of items that you touch regularly that may be increasing your risks of getting the virus. It’s easy to ignore items in your home where you’re safe, but with more and more people going back to work, you have to start thinking about the items in your office as well, and this includes items such as monitors and printers.
The Right Printer Makes a Difference
Monitors, copiers, and printers are found in most modern offices, and there are usually numerous copies of each of these items found. If you want to set up printers that reduce the number of times you end up touching the printer and therefore increasing your risk of getting Covid-19, both wireless and network printers should be considered. With both of these types of printers, there is much less need to touch and handle them as you work, meaning they are much safer all the way around and can be very valuable for any size office.
When it comes to office equipment, you have more “virtual” options than ever before, and this was the case even before Covid-19 came onto the landscape. Now, the virus is making this type of equipment even more important to use, and besides the right printers, other equipment can also keep you safer. For instance, there are now numerous apps that allow you to have virtual meetings so you can discuss important items and not be in the same room, as well as apps that allow you to meet face-to-face with someone while you’re in two different places.
When it comes to printers, let’s take a look at the two types that seem to work best for people who are trying to reduce their chances of picking up germs that may give them the Covid-19 virus. These are especially important for larger offices with lots of employees using the same printers.
Wireless Printers
Wireless printers work best in offices where health and hygiene are a concern because you can print from your computer, tablet, or even your cell phone, then go into the room where the printer is located and simply remove your document without touching the printer a lot. While avoiding the printer completely is essentially impossible, with wireless printers, your physical contact is going to be limited and therefore, these are excellent printers to have in an office. Wireless printers include several types of printers, including Bluetooth and infrared (IrDA), but these days most wireless printers are Wi-Fi printers.
Before you connect your wireless printer, you have to decide what you want to connect it to, which is usually either a Wi-Fi access point on a network, a smartphone or tablet, or one or more individual computers. With all Wi-Fi devices, including Wi-Fi printers, you have three options when it comes to your Wi-Fi mode. These options are Wi-Fi Direct, ad hoc, and infrastructure. The one you choose is going to determine how you’re going to connect the devices to the printer. This means you’ll have to connect the printer to an access point, directly to another Wi-Fi device in case you want to utilize wireless printing or connect it to a tablet or smartphone.
All of these steps for setting up your wireless printer will vary, of course, depending on the type of printer you have and what you wish to connect it to, not to mention the types of tablets, smartphones, and computers you have in your office, for example, Mac or Windows operating systems. Still, they are easy to set up in general and offer tons of advantages. When it comes to the Covid-19 virus, the biggest advantage is that there is less physical touching of the printer required, and this definitely comes in handy when you’ve got a lot of people trying to reduce the chances of getting this awful virus but who still need to perform their daily office tasks.
Network Printers
Contrary to what many people believe, network and wireless printers are two completely different types of printers, although network printers can be either wireless or wired. Most printers these days are either laser or inkjet printers. When you’re setting up your printer, the most important aspect for you to consider is whether it is wired or wireless because each of these printers will be set up a little differently. Network printers connect via Ethernet port, while others connect via Wi-Fi. In most cases, the screen and the keypad allow you to set up the printer the way it needs to be set up.
Essentially, network printers that use an Ethernet port require that the Ethernet cable be used to connect the printer to your network router. With Wi-Fi printers, on the other hand, you simply use the printer screen to add it to the wireless router or access point. If there are already wired printers in your office and you don’t want to spend money on brand-new network printers, all you have to do is share your printers over the network using Microsoft Windows. The best part is, once you get your printer added to the network, it will be much easier for other computers to find that particular printer in their printer settings.
The Covid-19 virus is not likely to go away in the near future, so continuing to be extra-careful in hygienic matters is crucial for all of us to stay healthy. If you’re concerned that your office equipment might be increasing the odds of getting people sick, there are things you can do about it. There are now tons of ways to conduct your work virtually, and since both network and wireless printers provide all employees with a much safer working environment, it might be time to consider replacing your current printers with one of these types instead.