Printer Guide
A printer is arguably the most important peripheral of your PC. Printers have become both attractive and affordable today with ink-jet printers giving you top quality output and lasers priced within the reach of most Small Office Home Office (SOHO) users. This guide will help you scan the plethora of options available and help you find the one that best suits your pocket and your purpose.
Resolution is the most important criterion for choosing a printer. Resolution refers to the number of dots per inch (DPI). 600x600 DPI is adequate for most purposes. Speed is another consideration while shopping for a printer. Most SOHO lasers give 6-10 pages per minute (PPM) while ink-jets deliver 4 PPM for black texts. Printers do not always deliver the promised speed but it is still a good indicator to decide between various models.
Printers are available in a wide range today to suit most pockets. They can be bought for as low as £35. Ink-jets usually range between £80 and £200, while SOHO lasers begin at £200. The real indicator of a printer’s cost is the cost per page. Lasers offer the lowest cost per page. Ink-jets often use a more expensive glossy paper to deliver high quality colour output while lasers can work with uncoated paper. Ink-jets often use tanks that combine black ink with colour ink. This means you have to replace both the cartridges when the ink in one of them is finished. Make sure you buy one with separate black and colour cartridges.
Paper handling and paper paths determine the versatility of your printer. Ask your vendor about options like straight and curved paths, and compatibility with media like envelopes, posters, card stock, transparencies, special glossy photo paper, fabrics etc. Do not forget to check out other features like memory upgrades, optional paper feeders and network cards.
Printer interface accounts for the flexibility of printing solutions. Most ink-jet printers are compatible with both PC and Macintosh connectors. If you want to use a printer among several users, use one that comes with an Ethernet interface standard. Infrared I/O ports allow wireless printing from your notebook or other devices with infrared ports. However, a printer may not have the hardware for all these options. Check with your vendor about the additional hardware required for your chosen interface.
Tip: For a printer tailored to your needs, look for: resolution, speed, cost per page, media, and printer interface.
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