How to Compare PC Printers

In order to print documents, graphics and pictures from your PC, you must purchase a printer. Although some new computers come packaged with a printer, these printers usually have minimal features and poor performance. There are several types of printers you can purchase, including inkjet printers, laser printers, all-in-one machines and digital photo printers (also called "snapshot" printers). Before buying a new printer, you should first determine the type of printer that fits your needs, then compare printer models based on speed, connectivity, print quality and features.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Select an appropriate printer type. The type of printer you purchase should be based on how you will most often use your printer. Inkjet printers are generally the least expensive and slowest type of printer. They use separate black and color ink cartridges to print photos, text and graphics and are ideal for smaller print jobs. Laser printers are faster than inkjet printers, use a toner----a powdered form of ink----that lasts longer than ink cartridges and are ideal for larger text document print jobs. All-in-one printers offer a variety of features, including copying, scanning, faxing and printing, and may use toners or ink cartridges. Digital photo printers are used solely for printing high-quality digital photos.

2. Compare printing speed. Printer speed is gauged in pages per minute (ppm). A printer that advertises an 11 ppm speed will take longer to print one page than a printer that has a 30 ppm speed. Color printers have two printing speeds--one for color printing and one for grayscale printing, with grayscale printing being the faster of the printer's speeds. Generally, photo printers and inkjet printers have the slowest speeds, while laser printers and all-in-one printers have the fastest printing speeds. You should keep in mind that the actual time required for a print job is also affected by the delay the printer experiences before beginning a print job.

3. Review the printers' connectivity options. If you plan to have multiple PCs share one printer or you wish to make the printer accessible wirelessly, you should purchase a printer with wireless connectivity options, such as WiFi, Bluetooth or infrared connectivity. All new printers use a USB cable to connect to PCs and typically require that you purchase this cable separately. If your computer is old and is not equipped with a USB port, you should purchase a printer that has a parallel cable port in addition to a USB port.

4. Compare print quality. Printers with the best print quality will have a higher resolution, which is gauged by dpi (dots per inch). Printers with higher dpi will generally print smoother, clearer and more accurate colors. If you are purchasing a digital photo printer, you should purchase a printer with the highest dpi if you wish to print large photos (8" x 10" and larger).

5. Compare additional features and options. The best printers will offer a wide variety of features and options in addition to high print quality and fast speeds. Printers with memory card slots allow you to insert a memory card from your digital camera for immediate printing. Other beneficial features include double-sided printing, document feeders (on all-in-one machines) and multiple paper trays for loading envelopes and larger paper.

Tips & Warnings

• When purchasing a new printer, remember to consider the cost of replacing ink. A printer's documentation will provide an estimate of how many pages can be printed before you must purchase more ink. This is referred to as "yield" or "cartridge life." You can save money on ink cartridges by getting your old cartridges refilled with ink, as opposed to purchasing new cartridges.

Resources

• Consumer Reports -- Printers
• PC World - Printer Reviews
• Consumer Reports - Printer Buying Guide