Printers vary almost as much as the messages they reproduce- a fact which might confuse you about what to buy. The following buying guide will help you find the right printer for your needs.
Most printers are either inkjet or laser. Some printers are designed for businesses, while others are good for home use. You can also get specialized photo printers and multifunction printers which fax, copy and scan.
Basic inkjet printers are great for printing text and the occasional photo. Most mix cyan, magenta and yellow ink in order to reproduce the whole color spectrum. The colored ink can come from one ink cartridge or from separate cartridges for each color. Separate cartridges are convenient because printers don't use all colors at the same rate, so when you run out of one you don't have to replace all the others as you would with an all-in-one color cartridge. Inkjets usually have a separate black ink cartridge for text and grayscale printing. Portable inkjet printers that you can take along with your laptop are also available.
Laser printers save time and money when printing large volumes. They print faster than inkjet printers, and laser toner usually costs less per page compared to ink cartridges. Color laser printers produce sharp, vivid colors. They are typically more expensive than black and white laser printers though. Personal laser printers have a smaller capacity than large professional printers. However, they still print quickly and are perfect for a home office or small business.
If you need a printer for a large office, a network laser printer would be ideal, with a large paper capacity and fast printing. Many network laser printers have a built-in print server. They also have a connector port for connecting to a local area network. Most models offer expandable memory and optional extra storage trays. Higher-end printers offer several output trays with a collator and stapler.
Photographers will probably want an inkjet photo printer, which usually adds light cyan and light magenta to the color mix for deeper, brighter hues. A built-in camera dock or flash memory card reader make these printers especially handy for printing photos directly from your digital camera. Many photo printers also have small LCD screens for previewing the picture before printing. Most photographers would probably want to make sure the printer is capable of borderless printing, so the picture goes all the way to the edge of the photo paper.
Printers that also fax, copy and scan can be very handy. These all in one printers probably won’t do a single task as well as a machine dedicated to that task would, but saving space is more important than optimum performance for many people. Multifunction printers can be either laser or inkjet.
I have seen a lot of photo printers featuring Pictbridge. What is that ?
Pictbridge is an industry standard that allows for direct transfer from digital camera to printer, without going through a computer. Overstock.com has a great selection of affordable photo printers with Pictbridge.
Is there a way to get cheap ink cartridges for my inkjet printer ?
Generic discount ink cartridges are available, and they usually cost much less than the printer manufacturer’s ink cartridges. You can also get ink refill kits or recycled ink cartridges that cost much less. All of the above are available from Overstock.com, along with lots brand new cartridges.
What kind of printing does your life require? Here are some suggestions for the right equipment for a dorm room, a home office and a small business.
Dorm room
A college student will print a lot of text, along with the occasional colored graph for those important presentations. A basic inkjet printer would work just fine for those tasks. Pick up an additional cheap ink cartridge or ink refill accessories from Overstock.com for when the printer runs out of ink the night before that research paper is due.
Home office
A multifunction laser or inkjet printer would be handy for a home office where you will need to make the occasional copy or send a fax once in a while. If you have a lot of old photographs you want to preserve, make sure you get one that has scanning capabilities.
Small business
A network laser printer would work well for a small business with several employees. If you produce a lot of your advertising in-house, you could get one that prints in color and has a high capacity output. Make sure the printer is expandable for the day when your business grows.
You will be producing professional documents in no time with your new printer. And we will help you to keep it going for many years. It’s all a great buy at Overstock.com.
