Inkjet printers are dirt cheap, low
maintenance (if they break, you just replace them) and the ink doesn't cost a
huge amount. They can be utilized for almost any purpose, as long as you're
willing to wait for the output - printouts of high-detail images or a large
number of pages can take far longer than it's convenient to wait around for.
Even so, they can't be beaten on price and their versatility is hard to argue
with.
Example Models: Epson Stylus S22 ($48), HP
Deskjet 1000 ($52), Epson XP30 ($56)
Fastest Printer
You want a printer that's going to chuck
out a large number of pages in not much time at all. Perhaps you expect to
print long projects and reports on a frequent basis, often to close deadlines.
Maybe you want to share one printer between multiple people (in a student
household, for example). Printing will occur at least once a week, if not more
frequently, but you'll largely be printing text and greyscale diagrams - you
certainly don't expect to be printing photos at any point!
Best Choice: Monochrome Laser
A monochrome laser will handle pages and
pages of text without breaking a sweat. Toner might cost a bit more than the
cartridges for an inkjet printer, but they'll last significantly longer. The
only real problem here is with fragility. If a laser printer breaks, they're
expensive enough to be worth repairing, but that can leave you without a
printer for days while you wait for an engineer. The lack of color printing
might be a sporadic irritation, but ultimately color capabilities would just be
nice to have - they're not an essential requirement.
Example Models: Dell 113ON ($115), Samsung
ML-21 60 ($121), HP LaserJet Pro P1102W ($144)
Laser
printers: fast, and cheaper in the long run?
Most Versatile Printer
You're looking for a printer than can
handle whatever you throw at it: low quality drafts, high quality images, small
documents, long documents -everything from compilations of photos to example
letters. Money isn't as much as a concern as having the capabilities there - as
long as it does the job, you don't mind paying extra to make sure that it does
it well. Performance, however, is important: not only do print-outs need to look
good; they have to be produced quickly as well.
Printer Jargon
DPI / Resolution - Stands for 'dots-per-inch' and, in practical terms, describes the
level of detail that a printer can reproduce. The higher the DPI, the better
the image will be, and the more ink it'll use. DPI values higher than 600 are
more than enough for photograph reproduction in a home setting (magazines, for
example, are usually printed at 300 DPI) and even basic inkjets will go
somewhere towards 1200 if pushed. Remember, though, that to get quality that
high, you will need to use high-quality paper that can handle that level of
output, otherwise the ink will bleed and run, reducing the quality and
appearance of the printout.
Duplex -
Printers with a duplex setting can automatically print on both sides of a sheet
of paper, without intervention from the user. Great for saving paper, and an
undeniable time-saver if you print a lot of booklets or handouts that need to
use both sides of a page.
Inkjet - The
current standard for home printers, 'inkjet1 refers to the method of image
production, where fine droplets of ink are used to create high-quality images
at low cost. Inkjet technology may also be called 'bubble jet' by printer
manufacturer, Canon.
Laser -
Laser printers offer substantially higher image quality and much faster speeds
than inkjet ones, but at a much higher cost for toner. Usually reserved for
business use where one printer will be expected to serve several people.
Multifunction / MFP - A multi-function printer usually comprises a printer, scanner,
photocopier and fax machine rolled together into one hulking beast of a
machine. MFPs are ideal for home and small offices where space is at a premium,
and it can be simpler to deal with one accessory instead of several - though
obviously, if it breaks down, things could grind to a halt.
Best Choice: Color Laser
Color laser printers are expensive enough
to begin with, and that's before you consider how much the toner is going to
cost when it runs out. Still, there's no denying that they'll handle any job
you throw at them. A color laser printer will print everything you could
possibly want without ever producing sub- standard results. Just be careful to
maintain them properly if you're a heavy user - a complex set of internals means
color laser printer failures are just waiting to turn up at the least opportune
moment.
Example Models: Brother HL-3040CN ($204),
HP LaserJet CP1 525N ($315), Lexmark C540n ($158)
Most Features
You don't just want a printer - you want a
piece of home office equipment that's capable of acting as a photocopier and
scanner, and maybe even fax machine. Why use separate devices when a few
modifications can allow a printer to do all that they do, and probably more
besides? You don't mind spending a little more than usual, safe in the
knowledge that the price will justify itself in the long-term.
Best Choice: Multi-Function Printer
Under the right conditions, an all-in-one
device can save you both money and desk space. Of course, even though they do save
space overall, all-in-one printers are still fairly large and will require
specific pride of place in order to have all their features accessible and
working, so bear in mind that they are fairly demanding in that area. Perhaps
the most valuable function of all-in-ones is their ability to act as a
photocopier - a highly useful addition to a home office, as well as for
education-focused tasks like revision and collation.
Example Models: Canon PIXMA MX435 ($95), HP
Deskjet 2050A ($57), Epson Stylus Office BX62 5FWD ($140)
High-End Printer
You want a top-of-the-line printer, and you
don't care how much you spend to get one. You want it to do everything except
the laundry, and you want it to do it without making you wait or delivering
anything less than the highest standards. Photos, text, diagrams - everything
you do have to be perfect first time.
Best Choice: Color Laser MFP
Multifunctional laser printers are
incredibly expensive compared to their similarly capable Inkjet-based siblings,
but there's no getting away from the fact that they also offer superior
performance. Admittedly, laser all-in-one printers are so large that a home
office or bedroom computer setup would struggle to house them conveniently, but
price aside, that's the only area in which they're demonstrably worse than
other devices. Before you buy a multifunction of any kind, you should probably
consider how often you'd use it as a photocopier or fax machine -
multi-function printers are often more expensive than a stand-alone scanner and
color laser printer would be alone, so make sure you're only paying for the
extra features if you plan to use them.
Example Models: HP Color LaserJet CP1 525N
($315), Epson CX16 ($398), Brother MFC-9120CN ($403).
