Comparison
Instnt Print vs the PC under the counter
Almost every counter that prints today has one: a machine that exists only to hold a print queue. It works, it costs nothing to set up, and it is the single most common reason someone ends up on this page.
| Instnt Print | a print server | |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | A bridge per location | Nothing, if the PC is already there |
| Running cost | A few watts and a subscription | Power around the clock, updates, and the person who restarts it |
| When it stops on a Saturday | The dashboard says which bridge dropped and when | Someone walks over to look at the screen |
| A second location | Plug in a bridge, name it, done | Set the whole thing up again by hand |
| Printing from outside the building | Same API, nothing opened in the firewall | A VPN, or a port you would rather not open |
Rows marked with a dot are ones where they are ahead. Figures come from their own published pricing and product pages; check them before you decide.
Pick us when
Choose us as soon as there is a second location, or the first time someone has to drive over to restart a queue.
Pick them when
Keep the PC if there is one counter, one printer, and someone who is standing next to it anyway.