Big moves in the printer industry don’t happen every day, but when they do, they send ripples across the market. Xerox’s recent announcement that it will acquire Lexmark for $1.5 billion is one of those industry-shaping moments. As two major players in the print and office equipment space, their consolidation raises a few questions: What does this mean for competition? How will it impact the manufacturing landscape? And what should businesses that rely on these brands expect in the coming years?

Is your business wasting money on printing? You might not even realize it, but unmanaged printing costs can eat up 1-3% of a company’s revenue each year. Between wasted paper, inefficient workflows, and hidden IT labor costs, print management can be a silent budget killer. 

If you're in charge of your company’s printers—whether you're an office manager, an IT pro, or a business owner—you know the struggle. Keeping print infrastructure running smoothly is no small task, and at some point, you’ve probably wondered: Should we move to cloud print management, or stick with an on-premise solution? 

At Strategic Technology Partners of Texas (STPT), we’ve been helping businesses optimize their print environments for nearly 40 years. We know that no two organizations are the same, and choosing the right print management system depends on your specific needs.

It’s not easy to determine which printer brand or model to buy if you don’t have a firm understanding of what to look for in a machine.  

It becomes even more difficult when talking about production printers, which is what we’ll be covering today.  

Production-style printers meet very specific needs, and the truth is, most consumers will not need to invest in one.    

As a long-time local print vendor, we have acquired the necessary knowledge to determine when a production-style machine is needed and can identify who will be suitable for one.    

Having been Xerox partners for nearly 40 years, we are experts in the company’s production product family. This includes PrimeLink printers, which we’ll be focusing on here.      

A few years ago, our Business Development Manager, Mary Shamburger, attended a convention that showcased copier units from several different brands.

This experience allowed her to see the differences, up close, in the features and designs of each machine, but to her surprise, one machine had a base made of particleboard, an artificial wood made from wood pulp and glue. Since copiers need steel bases to support hardware and protect users from fire, this was a shock. 

The particleboard base was preventing the wheels from supporting the machine, and the wood was disintegrating.  

The global market for laser printers is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.1% from 2024 to 2030. In offices, schools, and businesses of all kinds, laser printing remains the backbone of professional document production. Yet, few people stop to consider how we got here or why laser printers continue to be the gold standard for business printing.

At Strategic Technology Partners of Texas, we’ve spent nearly 40 years working with laser printers, partnering with Xerox—the company that invented them—to provide cutting-edge printing solutions. We’ve seen laser printers go from room-sized machines to compact, high-speed workhorses.

This article dives into the history of the laser printer, how the technology has advanced, and why it’s still the best choice for businesses that need fast, reliable, and cost-effective printing.