Buying a printer out of necessity or even under pressure would likely result to the acquisition of a machine that does not even meet a user’s printing retinue. Certainly, it is good to be prudent but the cost alone must not dictate the choice of a computer printer. Consumers must conform to industry mandated set rules in order to come up with a printer that suits particular printing requirements. In this regard, choice has been narrowed down to either buying a laser printer or an inkjet and what provides flexibility to the consumer in the course of printing.
Buying an appropriate printer is not as easy as it may seem. Acquiring a good one, particularly a multifunction printer, entails an investment not only in the purchase of the equipment but more so in the replacement of its consumables as well as for periodic maintenance. After all, disposing what is supposed to be a good buy (prior to the end of its serviceable life) just because it runs counter to a workplace’s printing rhythm may be hard to swallow. Below are a few standards you can consider in your future purchase of a computer printer.
Use print quality as a gauge. If the user requires high-quality prints, then a laser printer unit is the likely choice as laser technology is designed to deliver clean, razor sharp and crisp copies. Inkjet printers on the other hand utilize micron size inkjet nozzles to literally spray ink onto paper; thus print results will not be as crisp as those produced by laser printers.
Determine networking requirements. If the printer is utilized as a stand alone unit for your home PC, then networking options won’t be necessary. But with printer units intended for shared usage across workstations, a network laser printer unit can efficiently provide print sharing capabilities.
Before digging into your budgets to acquire a particular laser printer model, check for interface compatibility from the print server linking the network to the Operating Systems running the workstations and finally the printer drivers subject for installation. This will help prevent hardware failure and likewise avoid lost hours and costs related to faulty print sharing.
Ascertain speed requirements. If the user couldn’t care less about how many pages a printer can churn out per minute, then an inkjet printer will do. But if high print speeds is required by print jobs, then getting a laser printer is the obvious choice because laser printers are designed with print speeds set in ppm (pages per minute) that are 6 to 10 times faster than inkjets.
Check your budget. Laser printers are much more expensive than inkjets with printer units retailing for at least $300. Meanwhile, basic inkjets can be acquired for less than $100. Consumables portray a different story as toner cartridges outlast all kinds if ink cartridges. Imagine buying an ink cartridge weekly for $25, compared to an OEM toner cartridge at $80 which can last for over 6 months. Certainly CPP (printing cost per page) for laser printing is very much lower than inkjet printing. CPP can also be significantly reduced when empty toner cartridges are reloaded with fresh toner powder using compatible toner refill kits.
Obviously laser printers tend to be much more dependable and reliable than inkjet printers because the former is designed to last longer and perform better than inkjets.
Always consider the above factors that will impinge on your choice when buying a printer.
