How to Buy a Home Printer

Choosing the right home printer can be exasperating--there are so many to choose from it's hard to decide what type and features you want. Knowing how to choose a home printer requires knowing the types of printers, how they work and what each type can do best.

Instructions

1. 

   Look at ink-jet printers. These printers use ink cartridges--typically, one for color and one for black--and the printer head moves back and forth, forcing ink onto the paper. Ink-jets are the most common type, and cost less to buy than laser models. They can print text, graphics, and photos.

2. 

   Look at laser printers. These printers use a toner cartridge and the image is produced with a laser beam. Though not common, laser beams can become unaligned and need servicing. Laser printers cost more than ink-jet models, and typically print only black-ink text. But ink costs are lower than with ink-jets.

3. Determine what it will cost to operate the printer. For ink-jets, that's the ink cartridges; for lasers, that's the toner cartridges and the drum unit.

4. Compare printers for the functions they can perform. There are single-function printers, all-in-one multifunction printers and photo printers. If you need a fax/scanner/printer/copier, then the multifunction printer is the best choice. If you just need something to print your computer documents, any ink-jet or laser printer will work. If you print only photos, you can save some desktop space by choosing a specialized photo printer (but those typically print photos only up to 4 by 6 inches).