Are you in the market for an upgrade to your printer? There are so many printers out there that it is difficult to select the ideal one for you.
To ensure you don't get disappointed by the purchase, here are a few things you need to think about before heading to the stores. When you wish to discover detailed information on printer technology, you must look at Pen Technology website.
1. Stay within your budget
The price of printers differs widely. It is best not to spend more money on your printer than you are able to afford.
But, the problem of budgeting a printer runs deeper than its upfront cost. You also need to consider the cost of replacing ink.
It is typical for printers with the lowest prices to utilize the highest priced ink. This is how the printer companies make money. Before you head to the nearest Best Buy, do some investigation online. Be sure that the cost of the replacement cartridges are in line with other models that are at an identical price.
2. Ink types
There are three standard cartridge types for ink cartridges.
Two cartridges of ink: A black cartridge and an all-in-one color cartridge.
There are four cartridges of ink available: A black cartridge and three cartridges for magenta, yellow and the color cyan. This is the CMYK color model.
Inkwells: Instead , of using cartridges, the printer draws its ink from refillable, large wells.
Inkwells can be the most economical of the three. The Epson Expression ET-3700 EcoTank is an example. It can print 14,000 black pages or 11,200 pages color with a single refill. It's enough to last for two years of heavy use (read our review of the best printers for inexpensive ink to find out more).
Printers with lasers are available. Laser printers use toner and not ink. Laser printers can produce sharper edges and clearer images than inkjet printers.
3. Print Quality
Laser printers may be the highest quality, they can also be expensive to purchase and carry higher running expenses.
Inkjet printers are sufficient for the home user. But the quality of printout varies significantly among inkjet printers.
A variety of factors affect print quality, including the shape of the printhead, driver for the printer, as well as the quality of ink. However, the main spec to look out for is the printer's DPI (dots per inch). This is the measure of how accurately the printer is in reproducing pixels of an image source.
4. Print Speed
We have all experienced this, waiting in a tense manner while a printer produces documents at snail's speed. It's frustrating.
Print speed is a key factor in any purchase decision especially when you print a lot or have documents that span many pages.
The speed of a printer is measured in terms of pages per minute (PPM). Printers have different PPM speeds for pages of text and pages with images. However, when you open a container in a shop there's usually only the PPM number. It's the amount of pages of black text that the printer is able to produce in a single minute.
5. Wireless Connectivity
Another major thing you should look for when purchasing an new printer is the connectivity. To establish which connections you need consider asking your self two questions:
What printers will you print on?
All printers on the market have wired connectivity. They are able to connect to your computer via the USB port.
But, certain models include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Additionally, you'll see models that support Google Cloud Print and Apple AirPrint. Bluetooth lets you print from your mobile device, while cloud or Wi-Fi support lets you print documents from any location you want to.
6. Additional Features
Printers are more than just print. Printers are able to do more than just print. All-in-One machines can also scan, copy, and send faxes. Some people still use these devices.
Although you might pay more for All One printers than regular printers, many users consider the additional features to be worth it.
Additionally, watch open for manufacturer-specific added attributes including exclusive picture publishing methods and also web apps.
7. Paper Format
Some printers are not able to print legal-sized papers. The scanner beds on some all-in-one printers may be too small to handle legal documents.
High-end all-in one machines often have an additional scanner feeding tray at the top. It is able to scan larger documents , or to stack multiple papers and scan them all to create a single PDF.
8. Compact, Portable, or Desktop?
Printers come in various dimensions and shapes. If you're looking for an printer that will fit into a small area There are a variety of compact versions available. Sure, you might be forced to give up the copier and scanner functions, but it's a good alternative for those who only use it occasionally.
At the other end of the spectrum, some devices are significantly larger. They are normally aimed towards the smaller office market and therefore not appropriate for your home.
