Is An Inkjet Printer Right For Your Home Office? - 1

By Author: John Pickering
Total Articles: 3
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Your New Year's resolution was to get your home office organized, updated and well, whipped into more of an office and less of a mess. Among the things you've decided to do is replace that old printer that eats more paper than it prints with a new, sleek model. With so many choices available, where do you start to look? How do you know which one is right for you? This article will discuss major issues, things that all inkjets, regardless of brand name, have in common. We'd rather educate the consumer to the pros and cons of owning an inkjet printer than to tout the superiority of a model that may be tomorrow's dinosaur.

Let's look at few things to take into consideration when making your decision, shall we?

*Quality - Inkjets are supposed to be far superior at printing graphics, and better able to handle different kinds of documents, than laser printers. Laser printers, on the other hand, are far superb at printing text. So, consider which kind of printing do you do most. If it's mostly black and white text or spreadsheets and the like, you may want to rethink your decision to get an inkjet printer. Inkjets are ...
... better able to handle color printing than lasers, though. They produce a wider array of colors, making them ideal for printing graphics. Some models can produce almost lifelike, natural hues, especially important when printing photographs. Bottom line - If you're looking for something that will handle your new resume', Junior's school report complete with photos and charts, and Mom's recipe cards with the cute little spoon people on them, an inkjet may be exactly what you are looking for.

*Quantity - Consider your needs. If you only print every now and then, or print less than a dozen or so pages a day, an inkjet is a better choice than a laser. Toner cartridges can clog if left unused over long periods of time, making laser printers a poorer choice for the casual printer. Lasers, though, can handle more volume faster than inkjets are capable of producing. Some inkjets can handle large amounts of printing, but are usually much slower than their laser counterparts. If you produce a large amount of printed material every day, look for a model with a high yield capability. Speed may need to take a back seat to print quality, especially if you do print a great deal of color documents or graphics. Bottom line - how often you print and how much you print will determine which kind of printer you need.

*Price - What's your budget? Inkjet printers tend to cost less than the typical laser printer. They tend to be more expensive to operate, though. They use more ink, or use it faster, than laser printers, requiring more replacement cartridges. Laser cartridges cost more upfront, but last longer and produce more printed pages. Some inkjet models are pricier than others, especially the all-in-one multifunction models. If you go with a multifunction model, consider the costs of the various paper supplies you will need - photo paper, brochure paper, cardstock, and whatnot. Do some price comparison of the ink cartridges your prospective model needs. Some models perform well with generic or store-brand cartridges, which tend to be less costly than the brand name. Other models are picky - only high-test brand name ink will do. (A note about multifunction models - Consider how often you really need to fax something, versus scanning to email. A fax model will require a phone line, dedicated or otherwise, which can lead to another possible expense. Some multifunction models come with card readers for digital camera memory cards, too. If you already have a card reader, or don't yet own a digital camera, consider whether or not the other functions are worth the added price.) Bottom line - Don't pay for features that you don't need and won't use! Do your homework to find the best model for your needs, as well as for your budget.

John Pickering is the owner of EezyTrade.co.uk - an online retailer of new and refilled printer cartridges http://www.eezytrade.co.uk/ for Brother, HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark and Xerox printers. Visit us online today for hp ink cartridges http://www.eezytrade.co.uk/acatalog/hp-printer-ink-cartridges-hewlett-packard.html and more and begin saving.