6 Cool Printers Built For The Hybrid Work Era

These new printers from HP, Epson, Brother, Xerox, Canon and Lexmark are addressing a variety of needs for organizations with hybrid workforces, delivering faster output, better manageability, increased security and more ways to handle documents of all kinds.

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic sent office workers home, the corporate world is starting to look a little bit like the before times as a growing number of businesses push to bring employees back to offices, at least for a few days every week.

For the printer industry, this has opened new opportunities to offer new solutions that can meet the increasingly complex requirements of organizations that are managing hybrid workforces and adjusting their office footprints as a result.

These requirements can cover everything from productivity and reliability to security and sustainability, all of which have become important areas of focus for new commercial printers entering the market.

As part of CRN’s 2023 Printer Week, here’s a look at six cool printers from HP Inc., Epson, Brother International Corporation, Xerox, Canon and Lexmark that are built for the hybrid work era.

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise 5000

The HP Color LaserJet Enterprise 5000 series is part of a larger enterprise printer refresh made by HP Inc. earlier this year.

Like other printers in the refresh, the Color LaserJet Enterprise 5000 series uses the new HP TerraJet toner cartridge technology, which the company said offers the “most sustainable and the highest-performance office printing HP has ever achieved.”

The Color LaserJet Enterprise 5000 series provides the “productivity and efficiency of an A3 copier at the cost of an A4 printer” while also enabling customers to “customize without sacrificing power, productivity or security,” according to HP.

It also offers the “industry’s fastest A4 color LaserJet speeds” along with “industry-first customization with configure-to-order paper handling, among other options.

Epson WorkForce WF-2960

The Epson WorkForce WF-2960 is designed for people who work at home, thanks to its reliability and versatility.

With the ability to print, scan, copy and fax, the WorkForce WF-2960 has been “engineered for reliability,” according to Epson, and it can both “deliver sharp text and vibrant color graphics.”

The printer comes with a built-in scanner, copier, fax as well as an Auto Document Feeder. These features can be operated using the printer’s 2.4-inch color touchscreen.

It can also be controlled from Android and iOS devices using the Epson Smart Panel app, and the printer works with the Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant voice services.

Brother HL‐L9410CDN

The Brother HL‐L9410CDN is part of a new wave of business laser printers Brother International Corp. introduced last year as the company’s “fastest, boldest and best output color” lineup yet.

Brother said the laser printer offers a low total cost of ownership thanks to its high-yield replacement toner cartridges that can last for 12,000 pages with black tonor and 9,000 pages for color tonor.

The printer offers speeds of up to 42 pages per minute, and it produces bold colors and sharp black for a range of document types.

The HL‐L9410CDN is protected by Triple Layer Security features, which includes an integrated NFC card reader for easy badge authentication and an optional USB memory stick for storing secure print jobs.

Xerox VersaLink C7100 Series

The Xerox VersaLink C7100 Series multifunction printers are meant to keep up with evolving workplace needs by automating laborious tasks.

The new printers, which can also copy, scan and fax documents, are powered by Xerox’s ConnectKey technology, which equips the devices with mobile and cloud capabilities to give workers more flexibility in how they manage documents.

ConnectKey’s capabilities include converting hard-copy records to digital documents and making them accessible from the cloud, streamlining document management and accessing printer functions from a mobile device

The VersaLink C7100 Series printers also come with a new single-pass document scanning feature, and they are equipped with comprehensive security features, including McAfee’s whitelisting technology that continuously monitors, detects and blocks threats in real time.

Canon Maxify GX4020

The Canon Maxify GX4020 is among the latest inkjet printers from Canon that bring affordability and efficiency to the forefront for home offices and small businesses.

With the ability to print, copy, scan and fax, the multifunction printer uses a continuous ink supply system, which Canon said can “significantly reduce ink costs” by using its high-volume MegaTank ink bottles.

The Maxify GX4020 has a print speed of 18 images per minute in black-and-white and 13 images per minute in color.

With a 250-sheet front-loading cassette and a 100-sheet rear array, the printer can churn out about 14,000 sheets in color and around 6,000 sheets in black ink.

Lexmark CX635adwe

The Lexmark CX635adwe is among the latest A4 color laser multifunction printers to come with improved features for productivity, durability, security and manageability.

With printing, scanning, copying and faxing functions, the device comes with features such as standard wireless connectivity, multiple tray options and a front USB port for connecting a keyboard or badge reader.

The CX635adwe comes with enhanced security features, enabled by the Lexmark Trusted Platform Module chip. These features include on-board authentication, system integrity checks and cryptography capabilities. Combined, these form a unique system fingerprint for the system.

To streamline device management for IT staff, the printer uses IoT sensors to continuously monitor hundreds of data points. The printer is also meant to last seven years or longer, and it also meets multiple environmental certifications.