In an increasingly digital world, sometimes you still need a hard copy of documents. But paper documents can sometimes be hard to keep track of.
If your customers reach your business and forget their coupons, boarding passes, or other documents, it could cost you a sale.
By offering printing and copying kiosks, you could make your customer’s experience faster and more convenient while saving overhead.
What is a Printing and Copying Kiosk?
A printing and copying kiosk is a device that combines the functionality of printers with the ease of a self-serve terminal.
They can be used in public locations or kept in the office for staff use. When offered to the public, they are popular for printing receipts, coupons, tickets, boarding passes, and photographs.
Key Features of Printing and Copying Kiosks
Printing kiosks share several features with other kiosk systems. They have built-in modern features that put them far ahead of conventional office equipment.
Touchscreen Interface
Most modern printing and copying kiosks feature a touch screen. These allow users to navigate options much more easily than traditional printers.
Printing kiosks with built-on touchscreens don’t need to be connected to a PC.
Multi-functional Capabilities
Many printing kiosks offer multiple functions, including printing, scanning, and copying. These devices can fill the role of several pieces of office equipment in one convenient machine.
Payment Integration Options
Public kiosks are designed to accept a range of payment forms, including cash, credit cards, and even digital payments.
Using these modern devices, you won’t need to search for coins or exact changes to print what you need.
Internet Connectivity
With the exception of kiosks in secure locations (such as government facilities), printing kiosks are designed to work wirelessly.
With this functionality, you don’t need to load up your vacation pictures on a USB stick just to print them out.
Accessibility Features
Printing kiosks feature several accessibility features that open up their use to all customers. The ADA has a set of guidelines for public kiosks that specify how to make kiosks as accessible as possible.
Positioning for wheelchair access, offering auditory cues, and braille instructions are all ways printing kiosks offer better accessibility for people with disabilities.
Printing kiosks can also offer options in multiple languages.
Types of Printing and Copying Kiosks
Printing and copying kiosks fall into two main categories: Standalone kiosks and integrated systems.
Both versions have their own best-use scenarios and their own advantages. If you’re not sure which kind you need, the following is the difference between them.
Standalone Kiosks
Standalone kiosks work as their own separate unit and are a common and popular form of kiosk.
They’re a convenient way to add printing and copying capabilities to a business without the expense and hassle of upgrading all of your business systems.
Integrated Systems in Public and Private Settings
Integrated printed and copying kiosks are designed to be built into other systems. This is a great option if the printer is an integral part of another system.
Benefits of Using Printing and Copying Kiosks
Printing and copying kiosks offer your customers a better experience and help you reduce overhead simultaneously.
Convenience and Accessibility
Traditional printers are notoriously finicky to operate and often break down. By using a printing kiosk, you can get the advantage of a printer and copier with a user-friendly design.
Printing kiosks can also offer high-tech accessibility options for customers with disabilities.
Cost-Effectiveness
Paying someone else to print and copy documents adds up to big expenses quickly.
A printing kiosk is a cost-effective way to get what you need to be printed, whether for customers or the office.
Enhanced Privacy for Users
A well-maintained printing kiosk offers customers a secure way to print out their documents.
Printing kiosks are designed to safely handle personal information and payment data using encryption and security audits.
Efficiency and Speed
Allowing customers to print their own material directly using a printing kiosk is fast and efficient. The machines themselves work quickly, and by having multiple kiosks, you can prevent long lines.
Staff can focus on helping customers who need extra assistance when kiosks take care of routine tasks.
Customization Options
Some printing kiosks offer options to easily customize items before printing.
For example, label printing kiosks make it simple to edit your labels before you print them. This way you don’t have to deal with a complicated computer program for a simple edit.
Industries Using Printing and Copying Kiosks
Kiosks aren’t just for printing and photocopying businesses. Many different industries are adding printing kiosks to improve workflow and customer satisfaction.
Retail
In retail settings, printing kiosks are often integrated into the self-checkout system. They are used to print out receipts and coupons for customers as they complete their purchases.
Many models also come equipped with scanners so that customers can apply coupons themselves without needing help from employees.
Even if someone has a printer at home, they may want to print out photos in higher quality. They could also need something in a specific size, such as a poster.
Printing businesses can keep overhead low without losing quality or convenience by installing kiosks.
Healthcare
Printing is an important addition to healthcare kiosks. In a healthcare setting, kiosks are growing in popularity as a way to offer quality service while minimizing contact.
This helps reduce the risk of transferring viruses or bacteria from a patient checking in to the immunocompromised.
Adding printing capability to a hospital kiosk can improve service by printing out patient information for hospital staff.
Hospitality
Printing kiosks are an important feature of self-check in systems at hotels and resorts. Specialized printers can be used to print card keys to unlock hotel rooms.
This has grown as a popular option since the pandemic. Single-use printed card keys carry less germ exposure risk than reused plastic cards.
Education
In the education industry, printing and copying kiosks are an easy and convenient way for students and teachers to process documents.
Students can print completed assignments after school, especially in places where printers aren’t common. Teachers can print out worksheets and make copies of handouts quickly and easily.
Government
Kiosks are a convenient and secure way for government facilities to provide forms and documents on demand to the public.
Printing and copying kiosks can also be used inside government offices as a way to save time and money without opening the door for hackers.
Challenges Faced by Industries with Printing Kiosks
Printing kiosks are a convenient option for many businesses, but they can also have some downsides.
Keep these three challenges in mind when considering a copying and printing kiosk for your business.
Maintenance Issues
A printing and copying kiosk system that isn’t properly maintained can cause problems or even quit working.
To prevent delays and frustration, you need to maintain a regular maintenance schedule for your printing kiosk.
Upfront Costs
While printing and copying kiosks are a great way to save and earn money, the initial cost can be high.
It’s important to ensure your business can handle the cost of purchasing and installing your new printing kiosk.
Technological Upgrades
Technology is constantly evolving, and it can seem like no time at all before a piece of tech is outdated.
When selecting a copying and printing kiosk, it’s important to use a reputable supplier who can keep you up to date.
Tips for Businesses Implementing Printing and Copying Kiosks
If you’re ready to add copying and printing kiosks to your business, follow these tips to get the most out of your new system.
Design a User-Friendly Interface with Simple Navigation
A user-friendly interface with simple navigation will make your kiosk easy to use for customers.
Large font, contrasting colors, and clear labels and menus improve the usability of printing kiosks. The easier a printing kiosk is to use, the more customers will be happy to use it.
Offer a Variety of File Format and Printing Options
Offering different file formats and print options opens your printing kiosk to more customers. Some earlier versions of photo printing kiosks required files to be PDFs.
By accepting more file types and offering printing options, there’s less chance customers will change their minds.
Ensure Secure Payment and Data Privacy for Users
Nothing shatters a customer’s trust like a data breach. Always make sure that your printing kiosks are fully updated to patch security problems.
Performing regular security audits can also help you find problems before hackers do.
Regularly Maintain and Stock the Kiosk with Supplies
Just like a traditional printer, printing kiosks can only work when they’re stocked with paper and ink.
Regular maintenance and restocking can prevent equipment breakdowns and problems for customers. Maintenance and supply are best done during off hours to prevent customer delays.
Provide Clear Instructions and On-Screen Guidance
While they are quickly gaining popularity, not everyone is familiar with using kiosks.
Providing clear step-by-step instructions and on-screen guidance can go a long way to making nervous customers more comfortable.
Trends and Innovations of Printing and Copying Kiosks
Technology is always evolving, and printing and copying kiosks are no different.
Kiosks became even more popular during the pandemic as a way to reduce contact and exposure risk. They proved their worth then, and even years later, they are still only growing in popularity.
As new technology is released, new features can be added to printing kiosks. Here are a few innovations that may be integrated with printing kiosks as the tech develops:
Mobile Integration
Higher-end kiosks already allow you to connect directly to your phone or mobile device, and the trend is growing.
Connecting directly with customer devices could allow printer kiosks to offer a more customized experience, such as saved settings.
AI
Artificial intelligence is a field growing by leaps and bounds. Future printing kiosks might integrate AI to help customers make edits on the fly.
AI could also serve as customer support and answer questions, and help save even more on overhead.
3D Printing
3D printers are expensive and usually kept behind locked doors for exclusive use by specialists.
However, as technology develops, printing kiosks might someday branch out into 3D printing.
Advanced Identification
As digital security advances, kiosks can be used in more secure locations, such as sensitive government sites.
Future printing kiosks could include fingerprint reading or retina scanning to allow authorized people to access classified documents more easily.
Product Analytics
Printing kiosks can monitor customer interest and help businesses determine what interests their customers most.
Businesses can use this data to refine their product line and offer more of what customers really want.
Conclusion
Printing kiosks are a great way to offer customers more options and improve office experiences.
They’re a massive upgrade to the bulky and complicated printers and copy machines of the past.
Keep an eye open, and you’ll surely see this great technology installed in your favorite business or restaurant eventually. BestKiosk can help you with custom printing and copying kiosks. Contact us now to get a free quote.
