| Before you plunk down your hard earned cash on a | | | | to be incredibly expensive for the home user but have |
| new printer, there are a few things you need to | | | | come down in price dramatically with several models |
| carefully consider. How will your family be using this | | | | available for less than $500. These lower cost color |
| printer? Do you need to print in color? Do you have a | | | | lasers are a real alternative to color inkjet printers. |
| shutterbug in your family that loves to print digital | | | | Multifunction or All-In-One Printers |
| photos? Will you need to scan and backup important | | | | All-In-One printers are a smart choice for the small |
| documents to your computer? After you have | | | | business owner or even a home user because they |
| examined all of the possible uses only then can you | | | | offer so many features. Your all-in-one can print, copy, |
| begin to match the correct printer to your needs. You | | | | scan or even fax documents. They come in both |
| should also consider the cost of the consumable | | | | inkjet and laser models and start at around $100 but |
| printer cartridges. What seems like a bargain initially | | | | can increase in price quickly depending on the printer |
| may turn into your worst nightmare. You will also need | | | | technology and the included features. However, no |
| to think about which technology best fits your budget. | | | | matter the cost, multifunction printers are incredibly |
| The two most common types of printer technologies | | | | capable and you can save money by rolling 4 |
| are inkjet and laser. However you will find several | | | | machines into one. It saves space on your desk too! |
| different variations of printers within each technology, | | | | Dedicated Photo Printers |
| including all-in-one, photo printers and small portable or | | | | If you print a lot of pictures, you may want to purchase |
| mobile printers. This guide will offer you a little more | | | | a printer specifically for that purpose. Most photo |
| information to help you select the right printer for the | | | | printers transfer color dye in a continuous tone from a |
| job. | | | | ribbon onto paper, followed by a protective clear |
| Inkjet Printers | | | | coating. The photo quality is equivalent to professional |
| Inkjet printers are the most versatile printers. They are | | | | developing. There are also inkjet photo printers |
| capable of producing crisp text documents or rich | | | | available. These printers can accept memory cards |
| photographs. Inkjet printers work by forcing droplets of | | | | and other storage cards or take pictures directly from |
| ink onto your paper. The process is often slower than | | | | your digital camera. A snapshot printer is a small |
| a laser printer. Inkjet printers are relatively inexpensive | | | | printer; it cannot take full size sheets of paper and |
| and can be purchased for less than $100 up to $1000 | | | | prints to 4x6 or smaller. They usually cost at least |
| depending on the print quality and features of the | | | | $200 and the ink and photo paper can be expensive |
| printer. Despite the initial low cost of the printer, you will | | | | but they are a good investment if you print a lot of |
| often find the cost of replacing the ink cartridges | | | | photographs. |
| nearly equals the initial purchase price of the machine | | | | Mobile Printers |
| itself. | | | | If you need to print while on the go, there are a few |
| Laser Printers | | | | mobile or portable printers available. These printers |
| Laser printers have been around since the mid 1980's. | | | | allow you to easily print in cars, client's offices or even |
| They are extremely popular for business users | | | | airports. They often have optional Bluetooth and WiFi |
| because of they print quickly, have excellent output | | | | adapters. You can print to them from a variety of |
| and cost very little when you calculate the cost per | | | | mobile devices including your laptop, personal digital |
| page printed. Laser printers work like copiers using | | | | assistant, your digital camera or even your phone. |
| toner and a heated roller to fuse toner onto the paper. | | | | They may not be the best choice for a home user, but |
| Most laser printers print only in black and work best for | | | | if you need a printing solution that takes you away |
| documents and gray scale images. Color lasers used | | | | from your office, these mobile printers should fit the bill. |