Printers Buying Guide

Printers Guide

    * Which type of printer?

    * What should you consider when buying a printer?

Printers are a very important part of your home computer set-up - whether you want to print off letters, labels or even photographs. Home printers today are generally versatile, high-quality and good value. Our printer guide can help you understand the different kinds of machine, and what to look for when buying a new home printer.
Which type of printer?

There are four main types of printer for home and small office use - inkjet, photo, all-in-one and laser. Inkjet printers are the most popular printers for the home, offering an excellent standard at a low cost. Some are capable of producing photo-quality prints, while most will handle a variety of tasks. Laser printers are designed for businesses that turn out numerous documents. Photo printers are ideal for digital camera enthusiasts.

What should you consider when buying a printer?

The first thing you need to decide is what kinds of things you are likely to print. Will you be printing lots of word-processed documents, invoices and letters? Or will you be printing images and photos? You may want a machine that handles both functions - and in colour and black and white. Here are some of the features you should check before buying:
Printer speed

Measured in ppm (pages per minute), printer speed determines how quickly your print job can be completed. Colour documents take longer than black and white sheets. You should aim for a minimum of 4 - 8ppm.
Resolution

Resolution refers to the number of dots per square inch (dpi) and helps determines the print quality. Most printers are able to print in 600 x 600 dpi, which produces good quality results for most common print jobs.
Connectivity

Check which connector ports your PC has to make sure it is compatible with your new printer. Most new printers connect via a USB cable, though some inkjets connect using the older parallel interface.
Ink

With all printers you will have to replace the ink cartridges when they run out. Some cartridges are all in one, offering both colour and black and white printing. However, these tend to run out a little quicker than separate cartridges. If you expect to print lots of B&W sheets, you should try and make sure you have a separate black printer cartridge.
Control panel

Depending on the type of printer, there may be a control pad on the machine face. High-end printers and laser models offer LCD displays with progress reports. Inkjets are programmed using the software package installed on your home computer.
Media handling and paper input

Some printers can handle a variety of different paper sizes and types of media. If you want to print envelopes, for example, you need to make sure that the printer can handle these.

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