Do you still need a printer in 2025?

8th August 2025

With more processes being moved online and an increased emphasis on reducing environmental waste, is owning a printer still necessary today?

Traditionally, offices have been equipped with printers, available for printing paper copies of documents (on the rare occasions they aren’t jammed, and they have ink). Now though, they are becoming less useful as more processes are completable online.

As e-signatures, PDFs and cloud storage become more widely used, there is less reason to print out documentation, and applications are replacing printouts for things like tickets. Additionally, offices are trying to go paperless to meet environmental and efficiency requirements.

However, it is still sometimes useful to have a printer. For schools who may not all have access to PCs, paper handouts are key, and certain documentation is still required to be printed and signed physically, to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. Furthermore, some creative work may require printing: if you’re designing a menu, it is hard to tell if you’ve got it right unless you can hold it and see.

So, if you don’t have a printer but you still sometimes need to print things, what are your options? You can use online printing services, but that will require delivery and may cost more, not to mention it will upset any environmental goals. Some libraries may still have printers available, but as they are often underfunded you can’t guarantee quality, if they have one at all.

Ultimately, it comes down to requirement: if you rarely print something then you can probably survive without one; if you regularly print things then it is worth investing in. If you’re a larger enterprise, having at least one is probably still a good idea, but it depends on your needs.

Still can’t decide if you need to purchase a printer? Want help using programs that offer alternatives to printing? Talk to Interfuture Systems for help and guidance.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/djTszbTP5Y8