Printers happen to be essential peripherals, performing an important role as they render electronic information into tangible records and useful output. You are simply not using your computer to its fullest potential if you are unable to print reports, presentations, letters, photos, or whatever it is you need to output. Choosing a printer will be confusing sometimes, however, in today’s competitive, ever-changing landscape. This buying guide rounds out some of the more important criteria to consider before you make that all-important purchase decision.
In today’s world, no home with a computer is complete without a printer. If you come to think of it, the full potential of a PC isn’t unleashed when you are unable to print out pictures, letters, emails, reports and other crucial documents from the convenience of your own home. The same applies to businesses regardless of their size as they need printers to create proposals, memos, posters and so forth. You can also visit bonuses.
There is no one-size-fits-all printing solution. When it comes to buying a printer, there is no such thing as the best one. The choice you make will be affected by a number of factors key among them being the intended purpose. It is always important that you ask yourself;
– What would I be using the printer for?
– Will I use it to handle general printing jobs like black and white prints or Coloured Printing?
– Will I use it for small printing or for high volume printing jobs?
Once you have answered these questions, your choices will now be narrowed down to the manufacturer and brand you want, availability of accessories such as printer ink shops in your city or online.
Choosing the Ideal Printer for Business or Individual use
When buying a printer for yourself, make sure that it is produced to accommodate all the paper sizes as well as types that you will be using. If you need to print on heavy stock, for instance, make sure the printer can handle the heaviest paper you use. For this purpose, a printer’s paper path can give an indication of how it handles paper: Inkjets generally use straight-through paper paths, while lasers use S-shaped or U-shaped paths. Generally speaking, the straighter the path, the thicker the media that can be used. However, the curved paths typical of laser printers also makes it possible to have more flexible configurations for input and output trays.
Intended Use
As previously mentioned, the choice of a printer depends on the intended use. If you are a shutterbug who likes going out and snapping photos then an inkjet printer should be able to do the trick for you. Photo inkjets are designed for printing photos. As a matter of fact, there are special photo printers meant for printing 4×6 pictures. The Canon Pixma Pro-1, Epson Stylus Pro 3880 and the HP Design jet T120 ePrinter are the most popular models. These are ideal for graphic companies and tabloids. Small businesses and students often require a printer that is for general purposes i.e. handles light document printing plus the occasional photo. In this case, a laser printer would be perfect. For large scale companies, multi-function printers (MFPs) should be able to handle everything – from copying, scanning and faxing. The use of MFPs is not limited to large companies as they can prove to be economical for small businesses too.
Availability of Accessories
It can be quite inconvenient for you to buy a printer only for you realize that getting its accessories is difficult. It’s always a smart idea to buy a popular model as its accessories and spare parts (in case of a breakdown) are easier and cheaper to find.
Software and Networking features
Your printer should be able to print documents, photos and emails from all networked PCs. If it has features like Bluetooth then the better for you as you can print stuff from your smartphone or tablet. You can even install software to show you ink levels,
printing yields and so forth.
Ink Cartridges and Toners
The more you print, the more ink you use. This implies that you must do some research regarding the printing yield of the ink cartridges if you are to get the best value for your money. Make a calculation and evaluate how much an ink cartridge costs? How
many sheets of paper one cartridge prints? For example, the average HP Business Inkjet 1000 printer ink costs $30 so try to keep it in this range.
In conclusion, when purchasing a printer, you need to carefully consider its use, is it mostly general printing or for photographs, is it for occasional use or high volumes, will it be a stand-alone device or connected to a network? These are just a few tips you can take note of when selecting a printer. Then using the guideline information above you will be able to decide on which type of printer is most suitable for you at the time.
About Author
Ogunrinola Adam Hiidee is a Man of Many Hats. He is the Founder of HiideeMedia. He writes content on Gadgets, Travel, Technology, Internet, Blogging Tips, Social Networks, etc. He loves to share knowledge with others through Blogging.