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Printer Buying Guide – We’ve Researched How To Choose The Most Cost-Effective Model Depending On Your Needs

printer buying guide

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Printers

In order to choose the printer that suits you best, you have to ask yourself a few questions. What type of printer do you need? Is speed or quality more important to you? Black and white or color? Will you be printing from one or more computers? Defining your needs will narrow your choices.

Depending on the technology they use, we can divide them into inkjet printerslaser printers and dot matrix printers.

Inkjet printers are comprehensive, i.e. they can print documents with a lot of text as well as photos. They are quiet, unobtrusive and small in size. However, there is also a downside, which is that they are usually more expensive to maintain and the toner for such printers will cost you more. They are cheaper to buy but expensive in the long run.

Laser printers are more than a great choice if you have a lot of black text to print. They are faster than inkjet printers and can handle more work if you plan to print a lot of pages each month. Although they are more expensive, noisier and larger than inkjet printers, they have a good investment/gain ratio.

Dot-matrix printers work on the principle of hitting the pins over the tape on the paper and are quite noisy. This type of printer is used in accounting services.

We briefly explained the basic specifications for certain types of printers. Everyone will find something for themselves depending on their needs and device performance.

Nowadays, the use of printers is almost a daily thing in the office as well as in households, and renowned manufacturers have recognized this and have adapted to it. Among the biggest names, we can find HP printers, Canon printers, Lexmark printers, Samsung printers, etc.
If buying a printer is one of your items in the future, consider the possibilities and needs or simply buy a printer on sale that you like.

Choosing the right printer can be quite confusing. There are so many different models for different users that choosing the right one can be a challenge. By analyzing the most popular consumer printers and comparing their best features to what you need, you can make an informed enough decision to save money on your purchase.

To begin with, you need to identify your needs and how much money you plan to spend. So what type of printer do you need? Is speed or quality more important to you? Do you only print black and white documents or color ones as well? Want to print photos? Do you print from one or more computers? And finally, but also very important, let’s try to find the most cost-effective model suitable for your needs.

Inkjet printer

The most common type of computer printer for the consumer market as well as for home use is the inkjet printer. Some of the cheapest printers available at hardware stores are inkjet printers that offer the ability to print text-heavy documents, including photo printing.

How does an inkjet printer actually work? So, an inkjet printer copies an image onto a piece of paper by spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink directly onto the paper. Ink is basically a mixture of water, glycol and color or pigments. Cheaper inks that are basically colored tend to fade faster than the more expensive, pigmented kind. Ink cartridges can be easily removed and replaced as needed. Some printers use only one cartridge for all colors while there are those that use separate ink tanks for each color.

Inkjet printers are usually the quietest of all consumer printers, they are unobtrusive and small in size. Furthermore, they heat up very quickly and the quality of the color printing itself, for example with photographic printers with ink, is excellent. However, ink cartridges must be replaced frequently, and ink can be expensive. So, take into account that the investment is initially cheaper, but it will definitely cost you more in the long run. There is another not-negligible disadvantage, which is that water-based ink creates a print that is extremely sensitive to water damage.

Inkjet printers are divided into three types, with one function, printers with multiple functions and photo inkjet printers.

So, if you want a printer with one function, the printing function, we suggest that you consider the following models:

HP OfficeJet Pro 8210 Printer

Canon Pixma TS205

Canon Pixma TS305 WiFi

The ideal model for private users and smaller offices is a printer device with multiple functions that, in addition to the basic printing function, offers the option of faxing and scanning. Our proposal is the following three models:

HP Deskjet 2130 All-in-One Prin. F5S40B

Canon Pixma TS8150

 

Photo inkjet printers

Although photos can be printed on any multifunctional device, professional photographers still use printers that bring a little more liveliness to their photos.

In order to make the photos as vivid as possible, photo printers require more ink cartridges than a regular inkjet printer. The tanks are filled with pigment or color or a combination of both, depending on the printer. They are designed to work with different photo papers and print sizes, and many offer wide format printing. And yes, they are expensive, but justifiably so. If you own a photo studio or need good photos, then they are definitely worth the investment.

We have singled out these three models that have a good value for money ratio.

Epson Artisan 1430 (uses dye-based inks)
Canon PIXMA Pro-100 (uses dye-based inks)

Laser printers

A laser printer is a toner-based printer that uses a laser beam to create an image on a drum and then electrically attracts powdered toner to the paper to transfer the image. Laser printers produce black and white prints very quickly and accurately, especially text, so they are much more cost-effective than inkjet printers if you print a lot of text. Black and white laser printers use a single toner cartridge, similar to a photocopier, while color laser printers can use one cartridge for all colors or separate ink cartridges for each color that can be replaced individually as needed.

Compared to inkjet printers, laser printers are faster and can handle more work, so keep that in mind if you plan to print more pages, say on a monthly basis. Although they are more expensive, noisier and significantly larger than ink jet printers, they have a good investment/gain ratio.

Monochromatic laser printers, i.e. those that print in black or white, will meet the needs of printing large quantities of documents and save you money. We suggest that you consider the following three models:

HP LJ Pro MFP M130a

Brother MFC-L2712DN MFC

If you are looking for a color laser printer that will add some color to your business reports, then we suggest the following models. Keep in mind that a laser printer is not the best solution for printing photos, but it will become indispensable for illustrations and graphics.

Canon MF631Cn

Oki MC363dn

HP LaserJet Pro 400 MFP M426fdw F6W15A

Dot printers

Dot matrix printers are still used in homes and small businesses due to their robustness, durability and low cost of use. Images are transferred to paper via a printhead that punches the paper through an ink ribbon – similar to an old-fashioned typewriter.

The print head transfers one line of text or a thin piece of graphics at a time, using a series of tiny dots to compose the print by moving back and forth across the page. The paper used in dot matrix printers comes with removable edges that are perforated with a series of small holes that are used to move the paper during printing. The print quality of these printers is not as high as that of ink jet or laser printers. They are quite noisy and not as fast as other printers. Nowadays, they are most often used in accounting services.

We tried our best to find three leading models for this season:

Oki 62418701 420 Dot Matrix Printer
Oki 62433801 620 9-Pin Narrow Carriage Dot Matrix Printer
OKI62411701 – Oki 321 Turbo Dot Matrix Impact Printer

 

POS printers

Pos printers or smart printers for printing receipts (and labels) have finally brought order to business and further accelerated it. Designed so that the account contains all the information needed by the service provider as well as the end user, these devices offer various possibilities. In addition to offering enviable print speeds, they also offer direct printing from different devices and thus greatly facilitate business.

There would be many proposals for POS printers, but as they depend on specific activities, we will not list them. You will receive their specifications directly from the bidder or competent persons.

As we stated at the very beginning, understanding your needs is the first step in finding the best printer for home or business use. Now you have several suggestions at your disposal, and we hope that you will find a suitable printer that meets your needs and is within your available budget.

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