For most people, buying a new printer means driving to the local office supply store and grabbing whatever model is on sale. Unfortunately, this really isn't the most efficient way to shop for printers. A little research in this area will go along way in helping you make an educated buying decision. Most people will narrow their research down to either an inkjet model or a laser printer. Here are some facts that separate the two models:
Quality of print - Both styles will produce good quality prints, although laser tends to be the more crisp of the two. Like the name implies, inkjets spray ink on the paper so they aren't as clean looking as a good quality laser printer. However, for most homes or small businesses, an inkjet will perform just fine. Specialized businesses that have to provide specific paper based documentation (like a lawyer, CPA, etc) will most likely be better suited with a laser printer.
Print Speed - In terms of print speed, laser printers win hands down. Standard inkjet printers usually max out at 5-12 pages per minute, while a typical laser printer averages 22-26 pages per minute. A high speed laser printer can go all the way up to 35 pages per minute.
Connectivity - A question that is commonly overlooked when choosing a printer is how it connects to the system? Nearly all computers manufactured today come standard with a few USB (united serial bus) ports, and nearly all printers can connect through a USP port. But what if your system is older and doesn't have a USB port? Then you'll have to link to the printer using a serial port. Since not all printers will connect through a serial port, it's important to be aware of this fact. Trust me, it's a real bummer to get your new printer all the way home and find out that it won't connect to your computer.
Price - When you start shopping for a new printer, one of the first things that you'll notice will be the fact that inkjet printers are less expensive than laser printers. If you happen to come across a sale, you can purchase a decent inkjet printer for $50 to $100, while a comparable laser printer will run you closer to $250 to $300. Based on those figures, you would think that an inkjet is the way to go. Unfortunately, most people think this way and end up falling into a trap with all the hidden operational costs of inkjets compared to a laser.
Operational cost - By far the biggest differences between an inkjet printer and a laser printer are the long term operational costs. This is an area that is rarely considered or even talked about when shopping for a printer, although it can make a major difference in your savings account over the long run. When you do the math, you will probably find that a $50 inkjet printer costs far more to operate than a $250 laser printer over a 12 month period. Most inkjet printer cartridges contain enough ink to print 150 to 200 pages, but cost anywhere from $20 to $50 per replacement cartridge. Compare that to a laser toner replacement cartridge that costs anywhere from $100 to $150 to replace, but houses enough ink to print 7000 to 8000 pages (depending on the printer model). As you can see, if you are using an inkjet printer for any significant printing volume, you can quickly spend several hundred dollars a year in ink alone. Inkjet printers are really best served for low volume use in homes or home offices where printing average 10-20 pages per month.
As you can see, it really makes sense to do your homework on printers so you can get the best printer for your needs. Learning the ins and out about printers can save you some money over time.
With all the different models on the market today, selecting a new printer can be a confusing decision. One major question that seems to come up when making this decision, is the choice between a laser printer or inkjet printer. If you need some help on this topic, feel free to visit our printer website at => Office Printers.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
No comments:
Post a Comment