As more of us work or go to school from home, the demand for a home/office printer has grown. You may be a parent who requires workbooks for your child. Alternatively, you may find it simpler to take notes on a business report with a pen or pencil rather than a laptop. Or perhaps you’ve found that a government office requires you to mail a form to them. Or you’re sick of going to your local office supply store to print off a few documents.
Whatever the cause of your need for a printer, you won’t have any trouble finding one. Printers haven’t evolved much in recent years; they’ve grown more efficient and less costly. There will still be laser and inkjet printers, color and black-ink-only printers, and print-only and multifunction devices. Because you have so many choices, it’s a good idea to think out what you want before clicking “purchase” on your preferred purchasing site.
Laser Printers vs. Inkjet printers:
If you haven’t purchased a printer in a while — or if you haven’t required one until now — you might want to brush up on the differences between inkjet and laser printers. The explanation is very simplified, but it will give you a rough sense of how they function.
Inkjet:
Tiny droplets of liquid ink are sprayed onto a page by inkjet printers. There are several inkjet delivery systems, but most consumer systems employ separate ink cartridges, each with a printhead that splits the ink into tiny droplets. (Separate printheads on professional-level inkjets are replaceable on their own.) Colors are produced by blending several colored inks.
The number of ink cartridges required by a color inkjet printer varies. The most affordable printers typically utilize only two cartridges: one with black ink and one with cyan, magenta, and yellow ink. Most low- to medium-priced inkjet printers come with four various cartridges containing cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink. More expensive printers will have a separate black cartridge for text, whereas printers utilized by photographers or companies will have a broader assortment of colored inks.
However, even the most inexpensive inkjet printers may quickly add up. Although the printer itself may not cost more than $50 or $100, a single set of cartridges might be almost as expensive. And, because most color inkjet printers will not print if any of the cartridges run out of ink (for example, you can’t print in black if the cyan cartridge runs out), you’ll need to replace any wasted cartridges.
A few inkjet printers called supertank printers to feature refillable tanks and cost less per page than regular ink cartridges. They are supplied by several manufacturers, including Brother, Canon, and Epson, and may be worth considering if you intend to do a lot of color printing.
Laser Printer:
Lasers are used in these devices to generate static electricity on a rolling drum inside the printer. Static electricity draws toner (powder ink), which is melted into the paper.
While toner cartridges are initially more expensive than ink cartridges, they last significantly longer than liquid ink, resulting in a lower cost per page. Laser printers are also more costly than inkjet printers at first, but they can save money in the long run.
Unless you require color, laser printers offer numerous significant benefits over inkjet printers. They are quicker than inkjets (particularly low-end inkjets, which may be sluggish), and the text printing quality is better.
Color laser printers are also more widely available than they were previously. However, they are more expensive, and unless they are professional-level printers, the color will not be as excellent as an equivalently priced color inkjet.
Which printer should you buy?
Before acquiring a new printer, there are various considerations to consider. Here are some questions to consider before determining what to buy.
What to look for while buying a printer:
Consider what you want to accomplish with it when deciding whether to buy a laser or an inkjet printer. If you don’t care about color, it’s a no-brainer. A laser printer will be less expensive and speedier. However, if you want to print your children’s computer artwork in color, you’re looking for an inkjet printer.
Printers with multifunction:
If you plan on working from home shortly, or even if you don’t, you should think about getting a multifunction (also known as an all-in-one or AIO) printer. These devices let you print from your computer, scan existing documents, and copy or save them as files. They are beneficial for reducing the amount of paperwork in your house since you can save PDFs of most of your papers and then dispose of the hard copies.
Output and Input Trays:
Most modern printers function by drawing paper from the front, running it around the drum or roller, and then pushing it out to the output tray. If you’re printing on thicker material and don’t want the paper to bend, seek a printer with an input tray. So, the page comes in a straight line.
Some printers also allow you to have more than one paper tray in front, allowing you to use colored paper or have one tray hold a letter-sized page and the other hold a legal-sized page.
Duplexing:
Printing on both sides of a single sheet is more popular than it used to be, although not all low-cost printers contain it. It’s beneficial, especially if you print a lot and want to save money on paper. Most printers allow you to print on both sides of paper by manually re-feeding the page into the printer after the first side has been produced, but this can be a real nuisance.
Wireless Access:
When buying a printer, check to make sure it supports wireless networking through Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi – and that it is compatible with the computer or mobile device you intend to use with it.
If you have a Mac, an iPad, or an iPhone, ensure your printer is Apple AirPrint compatible.
Check the manufacturer’s website to ensure your printer is Chrome OS-compatible if using a Chromebook.
LCD with or without touch:
Most printers have LCD screens that allow you to connect to your wireless network and change printer settings, such as whether you want to print double-sided or from a specified paper cassette.
Unless you’re into saving money, you’ll find a touchscreen simpler to use. Non-touch screens typically require you to press a combination of buttons to navigate to the feature you want to access, select it, navigate to the setting, select it, and return to the main menu. Touchscreens make this procedure much simpler.
Photo Printers:
A picture printer is usually not essential unless you want to fill multiple albums with tangible images. Some photo printers have capabilities such as the skill to erase red-eye from portrait images. However, a similar function is widely available in various photo applications.
Where should you purchase it?
Printers may be purchased practically anywhere that sells laptops and other computer equipment, such as Acom Distributors. You may also buy a printer of different bands from Acom.pk like HP, Canon, and Epson all sell through their websites.
