| The choice of home printers has grown | | | | Laser printers work by attracting the laser toner |
| significantly in the last few years. Whilst many | | | | (ink) on to the page using an electronic charge. |
| people deliberate over the cost of the printer and | | | | Since the printer is able to calculate the precise |
| how small or light it is, the main focus of | | | | pattern of the print, only the exact amount of |
| consideration should be on the different types of | | | | laser toner required is applied. This results in very |
| print jobs it can undertake, such as letters, | | | | little wastage. |
| reports, envelopes, thesis papers, greetings and | | | | 2. Resolution of Your Home Printer |
| thank you cards, invitations, posters, cd/dvd labels | | | | Think about the type of things you are going to |
| and pictures. | | | | print. If you're going to be printing a lot of colored |
| Of course, serious consideration must be given to | | | | prints using your home printer, one of the first |
| how economic and affordable the home printer is | | | | things you need to check is the print resolution. |
| both in the purchase price and running/operation | | | | The resolution refers to the number of dots |
| costs. Home printers do vary in price and there is | | | | printed per inch. The higher the number of dots |
| generally something to meet everyone's price | | | | per inch, the sharper and clearer the image |
| range, starting from basic printers for the | | | | becomes. A good print resolution would really |
| budget-conscious home user and the higher-end | | | | come in handy for printing colored documents, |
| models packed with a variety of features. | | | | especially photos. |
| Features of Home Printers | | | | 3. Types of Connectivity |
| When choosing a home printer, there are four | | | | Connectivity is also a great feature for home |
| features to consider. | | | | printers. The majority of home printers are not |
| - Inkjet or Laser | | | | generally networked. A printer with a USB 2.0 will |
| - Home Printer Resolution | | | | connect to most desktop computers and laptops. |
| - Connectivity | | | | Ask yourself what else you would want your |
| - Paper Handling | | | | printer to connect to. Options include memory |
| 1. Inkjet or Laser Printer? | | | | card slots, flash drive ports, and PictBridge ports. |
| Quality inkjet printers can be purchased at good, | | | | A lot of brands offer printers with these standard |
| competitive prices. However, the cost per printed | | | | connectivity features, but there are some models |
| page remains high when compared to laser | | | | that offer infrared and Bluetooth connectivity that |
| printing due to the higher relative cost of ink | | | | provides greater mobility. |
| cartridges versus laser toner. This issue however | | | | 3. Paper Handling Options |
| is not particularly serious for home users, who | | | | Many home printers offer a variety of paper |
| generally print in low volumes. | | | | handling options. If you are expecting to print |
| Inkjet printers spray ink on to the page, resulting | | | | various types of documents using your home |
| in the inefficient use of the ink cartridge. High | | | | printer, you will most probably use different types |
| quality prints often require multiple coats of ink to | | | | of paper, ranging from 80gsm multi-purpose |
| ensure the correct density and therefore | | | | paper, glossy or paper, sticker paper, cards, |
| maximum clarity. On average a typical ink | | | | envelopes, and to 280gsm photo card. |
| cartridge provides an average yield of 300 pages | | | | Top-end models may have duplexing and auto |
| and costs approximately a third of the price of a | | | | document feeders, but for a basic home printer, |
| laser toner cartridge. | | | | you just need compatibility with various paper |
| Printing with laser toner technology is more | | | | types and sizes. |
| efficient resulting in a low cost per printed copy. | | | | Whatever your requirements and specified |
| Whilst toner cartridges appear expensive, you can | | | | preferences there is a home printer just right for |
| usually print somewhere in the region of 4,000 | | | | you. |
| pages before replacing your laser toner cartridge. | | | | |