How to Buy an Ink-Jet Printer

While most people think that ink-jet printers are just cheap substitutes for laser printers, they're actually better for some things, such as photographs. And color ink-jets print vivid hues for a fraction of the cost of a color laser printer. However, ink-jet printers can be slow.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Ink Cartridges
• Ink-jet Printers
• Notebook Papers

Investigating Capabilities and Prices

1. Prioritize among price, versatility, print quality, speed and reliability.
2. Add specific capabilities such as photo printing, compatibility with operating systems other than Windows, ease of use, cost of use, ability to handle large files quickly, USB connectivity and ability to print on various media without jamming.
3. Choose a specialty photo printer if you plan to print a lot of photos.
4. Choose a higher-end model with a small dot size (and thus higher reso-lution) if printing presentation-quality text, graphics and photos.
5. Choose a printer whose paper path is no sharper than 90 degrees if you want to print on envelopes, labels, transparencies or card stock.
6. Spend $250 or less unless speed is the most important consideration.

Comparing Printers

7. Limit your search to models made by Canon, Epson and Hewlett-Packard, which offer a wide selection of consumer models ranging from $100 to $600.
8. Compare resolution, expressed in dots per inch (dpi), and print quality of display models.
9. Compare speed specifications. Although you will not experience the rated speed at home, the ratings are useful for comparing printers.
10. Look for an Epson printer with unparalleled 1440-by-720 dpi resolution if print quality for text, graphics or photo reproduction is most important.
11. Look for a Hewlett-Packard printer if speed is critical and you want to spend $250 or less.
12. Consider a Canon printer if primarily younger children will use it, if you plan to print challenging media often, or if space is very limited.
13. Consider a higher-end Epson printer for the best combination of speed, quality and reliability.
14. Compare bundled software packages and service contracts.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy a model with at least 600-by-600-dpi resolution. Avoid single-cartridge printers, which only come with a color cartridge'they can't print true color.
• Most ink-jet printers are not PostScript-compatible. If you need to print PostScript graphics or fonts, consider a laser printer. Color ink-jet cartridges can be expensive, offsetting the low cost of the printer. Special coated papers can also add to the cost of color printing.
• Most ink-jet printers are not PostScript-compatible. If you need to print PostScript graphics or fonts, you'll need to find one of the few that understands PostScript, or else consider a laser printer.
• The speed at which a printer prints a test page or demo is not the same as the speed it will print at when connected to your computer. File size and computer RAM have more to do with actual speed than the printer does.
• Canon printers produce a lighter, less impressive black than other brands.
• Epson printers are noisier than others.
• Lower-end Hewlett-Packard printers lack quick-drying inks.
• A service contract should cover annual cleaning and alignment.

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