Hey all!
I’m a Florida resident, after 10 years in the medical field & 12 years in law enforcement prior to that, I’ve decided to walk away from the medical field and pursue starting my own notary business. I’ve got a general idea what needs to be done, and will be starting an LLC, but would much appreciate recommendations on training, both notary and RON.
I’ll be investing in a dedicated computer and printer, and would also appreciate advise on maybe a particular laptop & printer. I do know go with at least a two tray printer.
Any insight or advice would be so much appreciated!
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I would definitely invest in a brother dual tray printer. Costs around 2-300 but so worth it. I would also recommend purchasing a Epson 500W scanner. Alot of business that I handle deals with scanbacks so this scanner is powerful enough to handle small and large documents. Lastly, I would recommend going with a Dell or HP laptop with an extended warranty. Hope this little bit helps. Best of luck to you.
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Thank you so much Stacey for your insight! I didn’t think about a scanner but realize it’s a must have.
I am an IT consultant and a notary. I invested in the printer in the below link. also added two 520 page trays and a $40 table from amazon. That is what you need for a serious notary business. You may need more printers if you get more business. Toner is very cheap on Amazon. Paper is the cheapest on Staples website. All other stationary is from Amazon. Invest in a good mobile phone, like iphone with good reception in your area. Also you need a good car to go around for closings. Hope this helps.
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Thank you so much! Toner is a major expense, and didn’t think to check it on Amazon. I do already have an iphone, and a good car. Training is the next major hurdle.
I am following up on Lakshmana’s response. In regard to paper NOBODY beats Walmart. You don’t have to wait for a sale, same price always. Their brand name is Pen & Gear, legal is cheap too. I don’t know if he was referring to Brother branded toner or third party off-brand.
To be clear, the off-brand toner and drums, of which there are many on ebay & Amazon, are the items I and many others use. If you buy in 3-4 packs you can pay as little $13 each. In six years I have never used Brother products, voiding your warranty is nonsense.
More importantly, I can’t tell the difference between my docs and others that I see.
The savings are serious money.
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I am also a Florida Resident. I did my NSA training through National Notary Association and have no complaints. They also send me weekly articles specific to issues and difficult scenarios that Notaries can face so that you can be ready to deal with it if it happens to you.
I would caution against spending a lot for RON. I did it and paid a lot of money to docVerify for a year. Only had a couple of Customers who needed to perform a RON so it was a big loss of money. I did not find there to be a lot of demand for this…at least for me. Maybe others have had a better experience? docVerify platform was also very glitchy and difficult for older Customers to navigate through.
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I have only been a loan signing agent for about a month now and I have already discovered a printer/scanner is the most important piece of equipment to have. The recommended brand is the Brothers, but I preferred an “All-in-One” model so I went with the Canon. It is pricier than what was recommended ($500), but I made my money back for the printer with the 1st week of signings. Good Luck!
Canon imageCLASS MF424dw
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My offices run all Brother. MFC6800 are my multifunction machines - scanning and printing is fast, clean and accurate. Printers are HL-L6200 and 6300. All use the same toners and drums, so that I can save by buying in volume. Mobile scanners are Brother AD1200 - compact, good software, tough, fast.
Off brand toners? Not a chance. Yes, there is a difference. Try scratching over that off brand print with your fingernail. Watch it flake away. Now, imagine what happens to that document when it has been shuffled around for a few weeks or months…
One hint: Use a good quality copy paper rather than more expensive multipurpose or printing paper. So long as you stick with 20 lb 92 bright, for black and white print the copy paper will do fine, and it costs a lot less.
One thing no one has mentioned: Get yourself a good quality briefcase. Keeps you organized, protects your documents, and announces your status as a professional from the moment you walk in the door.
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Thank you Dan! Did you go with the Basic Notary package, Notary, or Complete Notary (including the $25k/4 year O & E Insurance)?
Hi,
I use third party brand toner and it costs me $36 for two toners. Paper, I will look into what you said. Thank you very much for the info !!
