Typically, there are two options when it comes to choosing who to purchase a printer from.
You can either buy a machine directly from a printer brand or through a local print vendor.
“What’s the difference between buying from a local vendor as opposed to a printer brand? Don’t they sell the same products?”
This is a common question that has multiple layers to it, and we will address some of those main concerns in this blog.
Because we partner with Xerox and have for several years, we know firsthand the ins and outs of buying directly from a printer/copier brand or purchasing from a local vendor.
As you would expect, both have their respective benefits and drawbacks. We’ll be covering some of the pros and cons of both while providing specific examples to help you get a better feel for how the relationship works between a printer brand and a vendor who sells their products.
Our partnership with Xerox might lead you to believe we will be championing the vendor option to benefit ourselves.
While that might be the case if we were a traditional print vendor, we don’t believe in doing things in the traditional way.
We are constantly evaluating ourselves to make sure we are living up to our goals of objectively informing you during both the sales and content-making process to ensure you make the best decision for your situation.
There are many reputable local vendors and printer brands where you can purchase a printer that will adequately accomplish what you desire in a machine.
The point of this blog is to lay the groundwork for you to learn about what printer brands and local vendors are, assess which one would be best for you and guide you to the finish line by providing specific printer brand/local vendor examples.
To abstain from partiality, we’ll be excluding ourselves from this article, although we will be discussing Xerox as an example of a brand later on.
Featured image courtesy of Phoenix Printer Repair.
What Are Printer Brands?
Before we get into the pros and cons of the two options, it’s helpful to first have a working definition of both, so you fully understand the concept of direct manufacturers and vendors.
Buying directly from a printer brand means you are purchasing a machine directly from the company that made the product.
There are a ton of major printer manufacturers you can buy from, including HP, Toshiba, Epson, Konica Minolta and Canon, among many others.
What Are Print Vendors?
Print Vendors are businesses that partner with printer manufacturing companies to market or sell their products and services.
To help put this into context, think of vendors as the mercenaries that help sell the printer brands’ products or services through their own business.
Vendors require authorization by the specific manufacturer and must meet certain selling goals to maintain status with the brand they are partnering with.
2 Pros of Buying Directly from Printer Brands
Now that we have working definitions of printer brands and print vendors, let’s look at some of the pros to buying directly from a major printer brand:
1. More Variety of Products
Because brands directly manufacture the product they sell and are usually larger companies, they will naturally carry all their products available for purchase, assuming they are in stock.
As a general rule, printer brands will almost always have greater inventory levels than the companies they partner with.
2. Better Corporate Access
Printer brands also have more access to corporate direction, which comes with a couple of benefits.
One is that brands tend to have more insight into future product enhancements, which makes their employees privy to the full roadmap of a product.
This leads to the next benefit, which is that brands will usually have better accessibility to new information and can pass on that information to consumers quicker than local vendors can.
2 Cons of Buying Directly from Printer Brands
Now, let’s go through some of the cons of buying directly from major printer manufacturers:
1. Account Manager Turnover
Because brands tend to have more employees than locally run print vendors, there is an increase in the habitual turnover of employees within the company.
This means that the account manager assigned to your organization might change over time, which means you will have to adjust to a new person for support if you run into problems during your printer ownership period.
2. Difficult to Find Help for Specific Issues
Printer brands are usually large businesses, which means finding the right resource for assistance can be difficult to obtain.
For instance, if you have a billing concern, there are likely multiple departments at a direct manufacturing company that you must skim through to find the right one to address your billing issue.
Vendors tend to provide quicker responses because of their smaller size and are nimbler because of their ability to address multiple questions from one direct phone number or email.
2 Pros of Buying from Print Vendors
Now that we’ve addressed some of the pros and cons of buying directly from a printer brand, let’s look at the pros and cons of buying from print vendors, starting with the pros:
1. More Accessible Relationship
With vendors, you’re mostly dealing with a small to medium-sized business that is locally managed.
This oftentimes means you’ll have a more personal relationship with the vendor you bought from, which helps in the communication process if you have any pressing service concerns or general questions about your office equipment.
2. Consistent Managerial Infrastructure
A lot of times, vendors will remain steady at the top of the organization with a consistent leadership and management structure.
This means the same person that oversaw the purchase of your printer will likely supervise your entire printer-ownership tenure, which provides a stabilization that printer brands sometimes can’t offer.
2 Cons of Buying from Print Vendors
Now let’s move on to the main cons of buying from a vendor:
1. Smaller Printer Inventory
Because print vendors are typically smaller and locally run, inventory levels might be more limited, and you could be faced with a slightly longer lead time for delivery.
That being said, most vendors have access to new products at the time of the initial release date, although it can vary from manufacturer and/or vendor.
2. Employment Deficiencies Tougher to Reconcile
Another downside to being a small business is that prolonged employee absence or turnover tends to have a more significant impact on local vendors than they do on printer brands.
If somebody unexpectedly leaves or goes on hiatus, it can increase the time it takes to get issues addressed and depending on which department was affected, it can increase service times, as well.
What About Printer Cost?
Scanning through the pros and cons of buying from printer brands and local vendors, you might have noticed that cost, the most imperative element to most purchasing decisions, wasn’t addressed in any of the sections.
This is because the cost of a printer will vary on a case-by-case basis and determining a standard average estimate for a printer brand or one of its partners in the printer industry is unrealistic.
The traditional thought process is that vendors typically charge more because they have to pay to get the direct manufacturers’ products and to make a profit, they must increase the price to make it worth their while.
While this is certainly the case in some situations, there are too many variables that play into pricing that it’s not accurate to say that this traditional line of thinking is true even the majority of the time.
Variables such as inventory levels, used/new options and promotions all play a part in the final price of a product at a vendor, which means that the price can fluctuate to be more or less than what the direct manufacturer of the product charges.
The best thing you can do as a consumer is shop around and compare prices at different brands and vendors and see where you get the best bang for your buck.
To help start the researching process, think about your budget, what you require in a printer and what features you would like on your ideal machine and discuss these sticking points with multiple companies and vendors before deciding which one to purchase from.
Printer Brand and Local Vendor Examples
Now that we’ve discussed what printer brands and print vendors are and the pros and cons of each, let’s look at specific examples in the printer industry to show you some of the options available when you’re ready to make a purchase:
Printer Brand: Canon
Canon was established in 1937 and has become one of the premier optical, imaging and industrial product companies in the world. They have an array of single-function and multifunction printer options that can meet specific printing needs while also containing software solutions for information and output management.
Read our blog comparing Canon and Xerox to see some of the similarities and differences between the two major printing companies.
Canon Partner: Datamax
An example of a reputable Canon vendor is Datamax, Inc, which is a single-source technology partner that carries and sells the Canon line of copiers and multifunction printers.
An advanced Canon partner, Datamax has offices in multiple locations in both Texas and Arkansas.
Printer Brand: Ricoh
Ricoh is another well-established copier/printer manufacturer who was founded in 1936 and possesses a plethora of electronic products, including printers, photocopiers, cameras and document management applications.
They have printing solutions that can meet the needs of multiple types of businesses and have a vast amount of print services, which include content and workflow, device lifecycle, managed print and customer communication management.
Read our blog comparing Ricoh and Xerox to see how the company compares relative to its competitors.
Ricoh Partner: Patriot Group
The Patriot Group is a dealer for Ricoh located in Houston that offers same-day delivery for its products and specializes in document management. They have a track record of serving the greater Houston area for over 30 years.
Printer Brand: Xerox
Xerox is another major printing company that was founded in 1906 and was the first company to sell xerographic plain-paper copiers.
They have a large variance of supply and printer options, and their products reach 160 countries across the world.
Read our blog comparing Xerox and HP for further insight into how two major printer companies measure up against each other.
Xerox Partner: Connex Systems
Connex Systems, Inc, has been a Xerox partner since 1998 and has a reputation for providing valuable expertise and designing specific strategies for customers. They maintain a headquarters in Carrollton, TX.
Which Is Right for You: Printer Brand or Local Vendor?
It should be noted that buying from a printer brand or local vendor is a means to the same end.
You’re getting the same product, regardless of where you decide to make the final purchase.
When choosing whether to buy from a printer brand or print vendor, think of your situation and the pros and cons of each; which one would fit you better in the long haul?
If you’re a nationwide company that maintains multiple locations across the country, then purchasing directly from a brand would be the best option so you have one problem-solving medium to rectify any issues that arise with your printer.
If you’re a locally run business that seeks a more personable and consistent option, then buying from a nearby print vendor that sells the direct manufacturer’s products would be the better option.
As a consumer, it’s crucial to assess your specific situation and vet out your options. You should never settle for buying a printer that doesn’t meet your needs or service requirements.
Need Help With Your Printer Research Process?
Choosing where to buy a printer from is typically the most strenuous part of the research process and deciding whether to purchase from a printer brand or local vendor is situation-specific.
As a local print vendor ourselves, we are always intent on finding the best solutions for customers or prospective buyers in the market for a new machine.
It can be tiring and complicated to go through the research process by yourself, and because of our over 35 years in the industry, we can point you to the right destination that meets your unique printing needs, whether it’s a direct manufacturer or a vendor who they partner with.
If you need help with finding the right place for you or have any additional questions, reach out to us and we will find the ideal solution for you.
