If you consider the sheer number of printers on sale today, it is not a big surprise that many consumers find shopping for printers quite challenging. To simplify the process for you, read this short guide:
It Can be Expensive If You Buy Cheap
One of the most common and expensive mistakes that people make when buying a printer is going for the cheapest one they can find. Most cheap printers often use lots of ink and costly brand name cartridges that have smaller payloads.
It might not be an issue if you only need to print your movie ticket monthly or so. However, for students with tons of printed assignments and term papers, this can add up fast. When shopping for printers, check the specs not only of the printer, but also the ink cartridges compatible with it.
All manufacturers provide an average number of pages that can be printed by the ink cartridge model. Compare these figures against the cartridge price and determine if the cheap printer is really a great buy or not.
Don’t Let Superficial Features Lure You
It is important to always take a step back and consider the features that you will be using on a regular basis. For instance, a multifunction all-in-one printer is perfect for business people and students, who save notes and excerpts from library books, make invoice copies for accounting purposes, and track receipts.
But you might not really need such functions if you have never once shopped for standalone scanners, or you don’t need to copy documents at the last minute. Similarly, printing with Wi-Fi is a convenient and cool feature provided that your desktop is not directly located right beside the location of your printer.
Understanding the specific features, you need and want can give you a good idea of where you should be spending extra money. If you are a photography enthusiast, you will be better off if you invest more into printheads and inks and avoid all-in-one printers, for instance.
Choose between Laser or Inkjet Printers
Knowing the type of printer that best suits your needs will save you from overspending and get better results with your prints. You are probably familiar with the two usual types of printers – laser and inkjet. An inkjet printer applies ink layers through shooting small droplets through the printer head’s jets. These are often more affordable and are ready for printing in color.
Many of the printers meant to print photos are actually inkjets because they can produce better images compared to the pricier laser printers. A laser printer uses powder toner and not ink. These can print faster and in a more efficient way than an inkjet printer when they print text. In spite of their higher initial costs, these printers can produce more text pages for less money most of the time. In case you usually print out documents that are longer but are not heavy with images, laser printers may be better investments down the road.
