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What Printer is Right for You?<\/h2>\r\n
One way to determine the right printer for you is by understanding your printing needs. Here’s a quick rundown based on the environment you’ll be printing in. We go deeper after this section.<\/p>\r\n
Home Printing<\/strong> Office Printing<\/strong> Students\/School Printing<\/strong> Creative Printing<\/strong> If your printing needs are a mix of a few of the above categories or you’re still not sure about what to get, we suggest you read on to get a better understanding of available printer capabilities and which one you really need.<\/p>\r\n However, to say that laser printers aren’t good for colored prints would be an injustice. Although laser printers are known\u00a0for their ability to print documents fast and for being more cost-effective than\u00a0inkjet printers in the long run, it is worth noting\u00a0that color laser printer technology\u00a0now delivers competitive color image quality<\/a> when compared to\u00a0inkjet printers. Though color laser printers still have a long way to go in producing pristine gallery quality prints, it is now very much an affordable option for the everyday user for day-to-day photo or color printing.<\/p>\r\n In terms of print volume<\/strong>, get a laser printer if you print a lot. Laser printers are built to be\u00a0more durable and can print more pages over time compared to inkjet printers which are built more for occasional printing. Using an inkjet printer for high volume printing is guaranteed to be\u00a0incredibly expensive due to ink replacements in the long run not to mention considerably shorten the lifespan of your printer.<\/p>\r\n Quick sidenote<\/span>:\u00a0If you plan on\u00a0printing different media like brochures or cards, and you need a printer that accommodates a varied range of paper types and sizes, shop for inkjet printers. A\u00a0printer’s manual usually indicates the types of paper it accepts.<\/p>\r\n To summarize:<\/em><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n When we say printing budget, we don’t just mean the price of your printer<\/strong>. Your overall printing budget covers operational costs including<\/strong> ink or toner replacements for the time you’ll be using your printer. These two items need to be considered hand in hand because cartridges are notorious for being more expensive than the printer itself.<\/p>\r\n With that said, don’t be fooled by cheap new printers that look pretty.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n Remember, the cheaper the printer is, chances are the more expensive its replacement cartridges are. And by expensive, we don’t just mean the cost of each ink cartridge.<\/p>\r\n To illustrate:<\/strong> Take the HP 63 and the HP 952 ink cartridges. A black HP 63 costs $21.99 and a black 952 costs $35.99. Just looking at the initial price, you’d immediately think the 63 is a more economical choice. A very important consideration is the page yield of each cartridge (which is the number of pages each cartridge can print). The HP 63 black prints up to 190 pages while the 952 black prints up to 1,000 pages. If you get the cost per page which is price divided by page yield, that’s how you’ll learn which cartridge is more economical. The HP 63 black has a cost per page of 11 cents while the 952 black’s cost per page is 3 cents. By comparing cost per page, it’s clearer what the more economical cartridge is.<\/p>\r\n When shopping for a printer, apart from the price of the printer, make sure you also consider ink cartridge cost<\/span> and its page yields<\/span>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n Here’s a more elaborate example. Let’s take the top 3 newest and cheapest<\/em> inkjet printers out in the market today and compare them with more ink efficient pricier models\u00a0to see the true cost each printer.<\/p>\r\n
Printers\u00a0built for low volume printing and have the versatility to handle documents as well as colored images are best for\u00a0home printing. Inkjet printers were\u00a0traditionally the go-to choice by home users but the economy, durability, and improved\u00a0performance of laser printers have made it favorable\u00a0home printer option as well.<\/p>\r\n
The go-to option when shopping for a printer for the office is a laser printer. Laser printers can print large volumes of text for a long period of time, making them the\u00a0workhorses of the\u00a0workplace. You can choose between\u00a0print-only printers and multi-function printers that also provide\u00a0scanning, copying, and faxing capabilities. Colored laser printers are perfect if you\u00a0occasionally need colored prints in addition to the high volume document printing needs of\u00a0the office.<\/p>\r\n
Low page yield laser printers are best for school use. They’re more affordable than inkjet printers in the long term, more affordable than office laser printers, but just\u00a0as reliable when it comes to producing\u00a0documents as you need it.<\/p>\r\n
Nothing beats the colored imagery produced by inkjet printers.\u00a0Avoid the cheap inkjet printers, however. Most cheap inkjet printers tend to use a lot of ink, not to mention their\u00a0cartridges usually carry a small amount of ink compared to\u00a0pricier models so you end up replacing ink often that you very soon out-price your printer.\u00a0For high quality colored prints, go for inkjet printers with no less than 6 ink pots. Epson and Canon\u00a0are great brands\u00a0you should look into.<\/p>\r\n
\r\nDo you need a printer for just<\/em>\u00a0printing, or\u00a0will\u00a0you need it to also have\u00a0scanner, fax, and copier capabilities?<\/h4>\r\n
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\r\nWill you print mostly documents or will you print photos and colored images? Will you\u00a0print a lot?<\/h4>\r\n
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\r\nWhat’s your printing budget?<\/h2>\r\n
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