How to Choose the Right Printer

If you are thinking about buying a printer or replacing your old existing printer then now is the right time to get one because there are a lot of affordable printers available out there. However, with so many models to choose from, getting the right printer for you can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.

Decide if you need a printer

First, you need to decide for yourself if you absolutely need a printer. Do you have a home office or is it going to be used on school projects? If you are going to use it frequently then you are better off investing on your own printer.

How do you intend to use the printer?

How you are going to use the printer helps a lot in narrowing down your choices. If you have a home office, then it is best to get an all-in-one printer that can scan receipts, copy documents, or send fax to your clients. It is also cheaper to get an all-in-one printer than get a scanner and a fax machine separately. On the other hand, if you are just going to print photos then you need to find a printer that can produce quality images on quality photographic papers. For people on the go, a mobile inkjet printer is a very good choice.

Color or Monochrome

If you are not printing a lot of color documents then the best choice is to get a monochrome printer. It’s cheaper, the ink or toner is cheaper, more reliable and easy to maintain. This is applicable for those who print plain text for book or novel publications.

Consider the ink cartridges for your printing needs

Choosing the right printer does not only depends on the printer itself but ink cartridges is actually much more important. If you need to print in heavy colors then consider buying a printer with individual color ink cartridges. This is especially practical if you are always printing a particular color because it allows you to replace only the empty color cartridge and save you money. Otherwise, you should buy a printer with tri-color ink cartridge. It is also important to keep in mind that some printers don’t allow you to print if one of the cartridges is empty which is really an inconvenient so choose wisely. A more expensive ink-efficient printer is also a smarter choice for long-term than a cheap printer that consumes a lot of ink. The cost of ink cartridges or toner should also be taken in consideration in choosing a printer.

Connectivity

How you network your printer is also very important. If you are using desktop computers only then sharing a printer via a host computer will do the trick. However, if you have mobile computers like laptop, iPad, or other devices then you are better off with a wireless printer. Wireless printers or Wi-Fi enabled printers provides great convenience because it allows you to print anywhere in the room without cables and it complements the portability of your mobile devices. For people on the go, IP printers or Internet printers allows you to send documents to your printers via the Internet so it does not matter where you are as long as you are online.

Although price is a driving force, for some people convenience is always the main priority when buying a printer. For whatever reason, it is best to know the consideration when choosing the right printer for you.

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