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4 Steps to choosing the right Printer

Step 1: Decide if speed will be a major factor

A printer’s speed is rated in PPM or pages per minute. It can be a very important factor to consider when buying a printer. However, when printing coloured documents, the pages printed per minute will be fewer than when printing in black and white. Laser printers have a faster PPM than Inkjet printers.

Step 2: Research the Ink and Toner costs

Some manufacturers require the customer to buy ink cartridges directly from them otherwise the warranty would be voided. Be wary of the fact that if the printer will be used very frequently, the cost of ink would greatly outweigh that of the printer. It is also important to distinguish whether ink or toner is used with the selected printer. Also, if the cartridges are ink or ink and nozzles, keep in mind that ink and nozzles will cost more than just ink.

Step 3: Is resolution important – will you be printing photos?

When it comes to resolution dots per Inch or DPI is the measuring unit. The higher the resolution, the better the quality. This is an essential factor to consider especially if you plan to use the printer to print photos.

4. Is the type of connectivity (e.g. Wireless) a factor?

There are three main ways a printer can be connected to a computer. A parallel port connection can be found in older printers. More recent printers offer parallel and USB connections. The third method is to connect via your network or over WiFi. A Wireless Printer can be very useful if the space for your printer is limited and you want to keep it stored away on a shelf or somewhere other than where your computer is.

Conclusion

1. Inkjet Printers are recommended for home use whereas Laser Printers are more suited to the higher-usage office environment

2. The speed of a printer determines the number of pages that can be printed in a minute (PPM) and it is advisable to research the cost of consumables such as ink or toner

3. Dots per inch (DPI) measures the printer’s print quality or resolution. The higher the DPI, the more detailed the image, this will not matter if printing text documents but will matter hugely for photos

4. Printers use three methods to connect to the computer (parallel port, USB, network), many users prefer a wireless option for flexibility