How to Choose a New Printer

So its time to get a new printer; but which one is going to be the best? First things first, you need to figure out what you want to do with your printer. Is speed of printing the most important quality for you or do you want to be able to print photo quality pictures? There are many different features that may be important to you and discovering these will help you select your ideal printer much more easily.

Speed of Printing

When choosing a printer, consider your need for a high speed of printing (measured in Pages Per Minute or PPM). But be for-warned, advertised printer speeds on printers are notoriously inaccurate.

Its also important to note that sometimes, a high speed can compromise the quality of printing offered by a machine, where as in other printers, you can find speed and quality, but often for a bit more money!

Color and/or Black and White

If you want to produce photo quality prints or other color documents, you'll likely want a different printer than if you're just interested in fast black and white printing. Photo quality printers are generally slower, of course, so there's no reason to use one if you aren't going to be printing a lot of pictures; but they can be exactly what you need if you're really into digital photography.

You could always get a model that can do both, but make sure and do your homework so you don't compromise the print quality in exchange for these extra options.

Affordability

For most of us, affordability is always a consideration. But, the true cost of a printer isn't just the price listed at the store. You've got to consider what it's going to cost to keep your printer in ink for the entire life of the machine.

Some printers simply require more expensive ink cartridges, and these printers often carry the most affordable looking price at the store. But, if you're paying a lot to replace the ink cartridges, you'll likely make up that initial savings pretty quickly.

Multi-Function Printers

Many printers today are often combined with scanners and/or copiers. Take a minute to consider if these additional functions would benefit you. For a home office, having a small scanner and copier is often very useful. However, if you use these features regularly, having a stand alone model may be more helpful since the quality will likely be higher. For infrequent use though, multi-function printers can be a great deal.

Resolution

When investigating the resolution or clarity a printer offers, you'll likely want to try and compare from actual printouts instead of the DPI (Dots Per Inch) listed on the printer's specifications.

If that's not possible, look for the highest number of DPI possible as that will provide the best resolution. As with printer speeds though, take the manufacturers reporting of the printer's DPI with a grain of salt; they aren't always accurate.

When it comes time to purchase a new printer, taking the time to do the research on several models and their options will help you, in the end, to purchase the printer that will be the best and most useful for your situation. Take a look at all the different features that seem important for your intended use, review the specifications on several different printers that look as though they'll meet your needs, and then, you'll be ready to make a final purchase you'll actually be pleased with!

Source: http://goo.gl/axvEY