How to Decide What Printer to Buy
Printers have come a long way in recent years. Once large, expensive devices often priced in the thousands of dollars, they can now be found in almost every home and business, often in large numbers. Ranging from sub-$50 inkjet printers to multifunction color laser printers that still carry price tags of more than $1,000, the average consumer has a great deal of choices when buying a printer. Using a few steps to narrow down the choices will make the selection easier.
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Instructions
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Determine what you want your printer to do. It's not as simple as it sounds, although presumably "print" is on the list. Do you also want it to fax, scan and copy? You'll want to look for a multifunction device. Do you want it to connect to several computers in your home or office? You may want one with wireless networking capabilities. Do you want it to print in color? Photos? You'll probably want an inkjet. Do you need to print high volumes of document pages? Maybe a laser printer would best suit your needs.
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Compare printers that meet your specifications. If you've decided you want to purchase a color multifunction inkjet printer, for instance, do research on different brands. Some things to keep in mind are: How many pages per minute (PPM) does it print in both monochrome and color, what type of print cartridges does it take, and what will the replacement cartridges cost? An inexpensive printer may take replacement cartridges that cost $30, creating an overall total cost of ownership much higher than that of a more expensive printer. Printer.com is a good resource for finding total cost information on different printers.
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Narrow your choices down to two or three, and get recommendations. Go online to sites such as Epinions.com, ask friends and read reviews of the printers you have chosen to find out if there may be one that is more often recommended.
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Visit a store such as Best Buy or OfficeMax that has printers on display. Getting a hands-on look at the printer may help you make the final decision.
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Purchase your printer of choice after finding the lowest price but also checking into the store's return policy. No matter how informed your choice, you may have second thoughts, and there is always the possibility of a defective product, so you'll want to be able to return your printer if necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
When determining the cost of replacement cartridges, don't forget to take into consideration the possibility of aftermarket cartridges. These are often much less expensive than the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges.
