6 things to consider before buying a new printer
Printers are essential for personal and office functions. However, with so many home and office printing options, choosing one that suits your needs can be challenging. This buying guide will help you decide which printer to buy based on your needs, budget, and lifestyle.
Before deciding on the right printer, you must evaluate several key factors. When you shop around, you'll find that printers come in a variety of sizes, prices, and form factors, and at varying prices. Your specific needs will determine the printer you purchase.
Here are the key areas to consider before investing in a new printer:
- How much will you spend?
- What are your printing needs?
- Do you need a basic single-function printer?
- Do you need to copy, scan and fax?
- Do you need a specialized photo printer?
- Do you need to print on the go?
Printers come in a variety of prices, so it's important to evaluate your needs and buy one with the necessary features. When purchasing a printer, you also need to consider operating costs. For example, you may need to purchase ink cartridges or laser toner.
Here are some ideas of what you can expect:
| price range | What you can expect |
|---|---|
| >$100 | For that price, you're probably getting an inkjet printer. Most people also copy and scan. These printers are typically suitable for one to five users, use regular photo paper, have a resolution of about 4800 x 600 dpi, and print speeds of about 8 ipm (black and white) and 4 ipm (color). |
| $100-$150 | You'll find inkjet printers and some photo printers in this range. You may also find some lower-level laser printers, although they may only print in black and white. A typical inkjet printer in this series will have all-in-one capabilities, print speeds of up to 14 ppm, and print resolutions of up to 4800 x 1200 dpi. |
| $150-$250 | A typical laser printer in this range will have built-in Wi-Fi, print speeds of up to 36 ppm, and print resolutions of up to 2400 x 600. A typical inkjet printer in this series will have all-in-one capabilities, with print speeds up to 20 ppm and resolutions up to 4800 x 1200 dpi. |
| $250-$500 | Features will vary greatly. You might see an inkjet color all-in-one with wide-format capabilities, 25 ppm speeds, and optimized resolutions of up to 4800 x 2400 dpi. These laser printers offer mobile and cloud-based printing, 40 ppm speeds, touch screens, and energy efficiency. |
| $500+ | You'll start to see printers with more business-friendly features, such as color laser multifunction printers with automatic duplex capabilities, networking capabilities, and more. |
Once you've decided on a printer you like, check out similar models from other manufacturers to see if there's a significant cost difference.
Your first job is to assess the amount of work you need the printer to handle. Some printers can print thousands or even tens of thousands of pages a month. These office-style printers are perfect for small businesses and global offices.
If you're a home professional or a student, you may want a printer that can handle lighter workloads, such as monthly expense reports, term papers, and other simple documents. If you plan to use your printer sparingly, look for one with a small loading tray that you can store as compactly as possible to make room for other equipment and furniture.
If your business requires web capabilities, versatile features, and fast page-per-minute speeds, consider these factors.
Single-function printers do one thing: print. The single-function model is perfect for kids to write and print papers or other assignments. These printers are also perfect if you occasionally print documents, such as online purchase receipts and confirmation emails for personal records. Single-function models tend to have smaller loading tray capacities, lower print capacities, and attractive prices when you need to print on a budget.
If you need your printer to do double or triple duty, consider an all-in-one printer. An all-in-one or multifunction printer (MFP) can print, copy, scan, and fax. These printers are ideal for small businesses, home professionals, students, and large offices. If you work with multiple document types and projects and need a quick way to create and send reports and images, consider an all-in-one printer.
These printers are also ideal for artists working with traditional media and digital art programs. For example, sketch and paint on paper, then scan the image into your favorite program for line art and coloring.
Mobile printers are lightweight, compact, and some come with built-in batteries, allowing you to print anywhere and anytime. Most models fit into a backpack or laptop bag for travel convenience. Mobile printers can also connect to mobile devices and laptops using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to print with or without an Internet connection. This feature is useful for digital nomads, professional contractors, and others who travel to places without reliable internet connections.
Mobile printers are also a good option for commuting college students. These printers can print papers or other assignments when students don't have access to (or don't have time to travel to) a campus computer lab. With a compact mobile printer, you can print last-minute papers from the comfort of your car and have them ready before class.
While you can print photos using other printers, consider using a dedicated photo printer to create stunning, realistic images and art. Photo printers use specialized inks and high-gloss photo paper to produce lab-quality photos. Some will connect to your social media accounts (such as Facebook and Instagram) to print candid photos.
Inkjet and laser printers are best for printing documents. Inkjet printers use a lot of ink, and if you use an inkjet printer to print photos, you run the risk of smudging and ink bleed due to long drying times. You don't get the same amount of rich color saturation with laser printer toner, and are better suited for tasks like printing visual aids for meetings.
The two main categories of printers are inkjet printers and laser printers.
Inkjet printers use black or cyan, magenta and yellow ink cartridges to print documents and photos. You probably have an inkjet printer at home or in your dorm room because these printers are affordable and easy to set up. Inkjet printers use pigment inks to print high-quality photos and print higher-density colors than other printer types.
The type of paper used for inkjet printing can also affect ink smudging and bleeding.
Laser printers use a toner cartridge and a complex drum mechanism to fuse the toner to the paper to produce the document. Toner cartridges can handle a larger workload than ink cartridges and are better suited for office environments.
Consider printing costs when choosing between inkjet and laser printers. Laser printers are expensive, and so are toner cartridges. However, the toner has a lifespan of up to a year, depending on the workload.
Inkjet printers and cartridges are cheaper. The downside is that the cartridges hold a small amount of ink and can last for several months under light workloads.
Ink cartridges can easily clog if not used regularly. Dried ink can condense on the printhead, causing error messages, frustration, and spots on documents or photos.
There are no hard and fast rules on what type of printer you should buy. However, some typical buyers of various printer categories include:
- Inkjet Printers . Inkjet printers are ideal for a variety of category types. Low to mid-range inkjet printers are ideal for homes, home offices, and small offices. Most of them come with multi-functional features to meet your scanning and faxing needs. High-end (around $1,000) inkjet printers are great for small businesses and workgroups, especially with unlimited free ink deals.
- laser printer . Since laser printers can output large volumes of monochrome and color documents for multiple users, they are better suited for office and corporate use. High-end models come with comprehensive features including organizing, stapling, USB printing, printing and scanning via cloud apps, and more. However, home office users may also prefer the quality and features of a lower-end laser printer.
- Photo printer . Dedicated photo printers are the purview of professional photographers and graphic artists. High-end photo printers can cost $1,000 or more and have paper rolls and a wider range of paper options.
After purchasing a new printer, you will need:
- Set it up . Set up the printer according to the manufacturer's instructions, printer type and location, and connect it to your network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
- Purchase necessary accessories . You should stock up on inkjet cartridges, laser toner, and various paper types for different functions.
If you are experiencing streaks on your inkjet printer output, try cleaning the inkjet printhead. On a Windows PC, go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners . Select your device > Printer Properties > Maintenance > Clean Printhead and follow the instructions. On a Mac, go to System Preferences > Printers > Options & Supplies > Utilities .
To create decals on an inkjet printer, purchase water-slip decal transfer paper. Print the image onto special paper. If it's clear paper, use a craft knife to carefully cut a quarter-inch border around the decal. If it is white paper, there is no need to cut the borders. Place the decal in a bowl of water until it slides easily between two fingers.
A monochrome laser printer is a laser printer that can only print in black and white. They are more economical than color laser printers, making them a laser printer of choice for home or home office use.
