| Buying a printer can be a complicated | | | | instead of a bright light to scan with. They |
| business, there are more shapes, sizes and | | | | work by creating an electrostatic image of |
| types of printers available to the home and | | | | the page onto a charged photoreceptor, which |
| small business user than ever before. | | | | in turn attracts toner in the shape of an |
| Printers have also become specialised for | | | | electrostatic charge. Toner is the material |
| their intended purpose.It is no longer a case | | | | used to make the image (as ink is in an |
| of "a printer is a printer". Printers are now | | | | inkjet printer) and is a very fine powder, so |
| designed to be good in a particular area | | | | laser printers use toner cartridges instead |
| rather than a "Jack-of-all trades", which | | | | of ink cartridges.Laser Printers have |
| will do everything.An often overlooked issue, | | | | traditionally been the best printing solution |
| is the very serious consideration of cost of | | | | for heavy office users as they produce a very |
| ownership, which is all about of how much it | | | | high quality black text finish and offer |
| will cost to keep your printer running (see | | | | relatively low running costs. However, laser |
| below). So making that decision on which | | | | printers have advanced a great deal recently |
| printer to go for can be a seriously arduous | | | | and their prices have steadily dropped, as a |
| task, especially if you are keen to buy a | | | | result there are now compact laser printers, |
| printer that is not only affordable to buy | | | | multi-function and colour laser printers all |
| but also cheap to run.So here is the | | | | at very affordable prices. Laser printers |
| information that you need to know and | | | | make sense if you need to do a lot of high |
| consider, but no one tells you! We have not | | | | quality black or colour prints, not photos. |
| expanded on which printer is the best at any | | | | The great thing about a colour laser printer |
| given time because models constantly change | | | | is that they can print a very good quality |
| and you can find that information in any | | | | colour image on standard copier paper, so you |
| current glossy PC magazine off the shelf. | | | | do not need to use expensive photo paper for |
| Instead, here you will find the good, bad and | | | | large jobs. Do check the prices of the |
| ugly bits from the different types of | | | | consumables before you buy the printer as |
| printers available so you can make an | | | | these can be very expensive for colour laser |
| informed decision yourself.Inkjet | | | | printers.Laser printers are the best solution |
| TechnologyInkjet printers form images by | | | | for people who are printing in large volumes, |
| spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink onto | | | | that is, in 100's of pages at a time or |
| paper. The size and precision of the dots of | | | | 1000's of pages per month. Colour lasers also |
| ink and the type and quality of the ink | | | | take quite a while to warm up, so are not |
| itself govern how good the print quality is. | | | | ideal for printing single pages.Solid Ink |
| A quality inkjet printer can produce very | | | | PrintersSolid ink printers use solid wax ink |
| near photo-quality images using specialist | | | | sticks in a "phase-change" process, they work |
| photo coated paper. In general there are two | | | | by liquefying wax ink sticks into reservoirs |
| types of inkjet printers, those with the | | | | and then squirting the ink onto a transfer |
| printhead built into the printer like Epson, | | | | drum from where it is cold-fused onto the |
| Brother etc and those where the printhead is | | | | paper in a single pass. Solid ink printers |
| actually on the ink cartridge like HP and | | | | are marketed almost exclusively by Tektronix |
| Lexmark. There are many arguments for and | | | | Xerox and are aimed at larger businesses and |
| against both technologies, but in our | | | | high volume colour printing.Solid ink |
| experience we have found both to be very | | | | printers used to be cheaper to purchase than |
| good, the major difference seems to be that | | | | similarly specified colour lasers and fairly |
| the cost of running a printer using the | | | | economical to run owing to a low component |
| "printhead" type ink cartridge is usually | | | | usage, today it is not necessarily any |
| higher.Inkjet ink is specially formulated for | | | | cheaper than a colour laser printer. Output |
| specific printer models and their purpose, | | | | quality is good but generally not as good as |
| much technology is involved in the | | | | the best colour lasers for text and graphics |
| development of these inks to improve print | | | | or the best inkjets for photographs. Print |
| quality, longevity, drying speeds and | | | | speeds are not as fast as most colour |
| printing speeds etc. Most inkjet ink is | | | | lasers.Dye-Sublimation |
| produced using dye based ink which can flow | | | | PrintersDye-Sublimation printers use heat and |
| easily through the tiny nozzles of the | | | | solid colour dyes to produce lab-quality |
| printhead, this type of ink is good for | | | | photographic images. Dye-Sub printers contain |
| photos and colour shades but not so good for | | | | a roll of transparent film made up of |
| longevity or solid vibrant colour, think of | | | | page-sized panels of colour, with cyan, |
| it like a water colour painting. In recent | | | | magenta, yellow, and black dye embedded in |
| years pigment ink technology has advanced | | | | the film. Print head heating elements |
| considerably to enable use in inkjet | | | | vaporize the inks, which adhere to a |
| printing. Previously ink pigments were too | | | | specially coated paper, as the ink cools it |
| large and would block up the nozzles. This | | | | re-solidifies on the paper. Colour intensity |
| type of ink is good for solid colours and | | | | is controlled by precise variations in |
| longevity, think of it like an oil | | | | temperature.Dye-sublimation printers lay down |
| painting.Manufacturers like Epson, HP and Jet | | | | color in continuous tones one color at a time |
| Tec are now increasingly using a fusion of | | | | instead of dots of ink like an inkjet, |
| dye based and pigmented inks to create superb | | | | because the colour is absorbed into the paper |
| quality photo printing with vibrant colours | | | | rather than sitting on the surface, the |
| and longevity too.Inkjet printers use | | | | output is more photo-realistic, more durable |
| anything between two and eight ink cartridges | | | | and less vulnerable to fading than other ink |
| to do their job. Generally speaking the | | | | technologies.The downside of Dye-Sub printers |
| entry-level machines use two cartridges, good | | | | is that they are generally more expensive to |
| all round machines use four and specialist | | | | buy and run, usually limited to photo sized |
| photo printers use six or more. The two | | | | prints only and can only print onto one type |
| cartridge system works fine though can be a | | | | of specialised paper as well as being quite |
| bit wasteful on the colour ink, so go for a | | | | slow to print.Dye-Sublimation printers are |
| four-cartridge system where possible | | | | best for those who want to link up their |
| especially if you do colour printing. The six | | | | digital camera to a purpose built printer and |
| or more cartridge systems produce outstanding | | | | print out the finest quality photos at home |
| photos, but can be costly and a pain to keep | | | | without fuss.Dot Matrix PrintersDot matrix |
| changing cartridges (printer does not work if | | | | printers are relatively old fashioned |
| any one cartridge is empty).Inkjet printers | | | | technology today with poor quality print, |
| are the best solution for most people and are | | | | slow and very noisy output. This type of |
| usually the most cost effective way to print | | | | printer is no longer used unless you wish to |
| - unless you are printing large | | | | create invoices using the continuous paper |
| volumes.Portable Inkjet Printers | | | | with holes on both sides. The good thing is |
| | | | that they are very cheap to run!Cost of |
| These printers are small, lightweight and | | | | OwnershipMany printers today are very cheap |
| ideal for people on the move. Although the | | | | to buy, but people are sometimes shocked to |
| printing of high quality photographs is | | | | discover the cost of replacing the |
| usually beyond this type of printer, basic | | | | consumables (ink or laser cartridges, imaging |
| colour printing is of good quality and the | | | | drums, fuser, oils, specialist papers etc). |
| quality of text print is mostly outstanding | | | | The cost of replacing the ink can sometimes |
| considering the size of these tiny portable | | | | cost more than the printer itself! This is |
| A4 printers. These printers are not suitable | | | | one of the most commonly overlooked factors |
| for high volume printing.Inkjet PrintersThe | | | | when printers are reviewed and yet one of the |
| Inkjet Printer is the most commonly used type | | | | most important things to consider before |
| of printer among home and small business | | | | handing over your hard earned cash. Tests run |
| users. With excellent all round printing | | | | in 2003 by Which? magazine famously compared |
| capabilities, from black & white text print | | | | the cost of HP's ink with vintage 1985 Dom |
| and good colour prints through to very | | | | Perignon.A Sheffield City Council report |
| hi-resolution, high quality photographs using | | | | aimed at helping schools decide on the |
| Inkjet Photo Printers. Inkjet printers are | | | | best-value printers to buy, calculated total |
| available from cheap entry level to high-end | | | | cost of ownership over the lifetime of a |
| business use machines and can print from | | | | printer (not sure how long that is!). Adding |
| photo size prints to massive A2 and bigger | | | | up all the running costs, ink or toner, |
| sizes, there are models for occasional use | | | | paper, maintenance and even electricity, SCC |
| and others for high volume print jobs too. | | | | worked out that a colour inkjet costs approx |
| One of the many great things about Inkjet | | | | 38p per page to run compared to a colour |
| printers is that you can use a wide variety | | | | laser which costs approx 7p per page. |
| of media to print on, including standard | | | | Sheffield City Council advised its schools |
| paper, photo paper, card, t-shirt transfers, | | | | that if they printed more than three colour |
| canvas, projector film etc, achieving | | | | pages a day (assuming a 40-week academic |
| different looks and textures for your prints | | | | year) they should buy a laser.These figures |
| and print for different purposes. Most Inkjet | | | | cannot be taken hard and fast due to the many |
| printers are USB connections and not suitable | | | | variables involved, but it is generally |
| for networks, although models are also | | | | accepted that the cost per print of a laser |
| available for networks and with parallel | | | | printer is cheaper than that of an inkjet, |
| connections.Multi-Function Inkjet | | | | which is in turn cheaper than that of a |
| PrintersMulti-Function Inkjet Printers have | | | | sub-dye printer. However, you would have to |
| been built to meet the needs of home offices | | | | do a fair amount of colour printing to take |
| and small businesses. These excellent value | | | | advantage of the economy offered by a laser |
| machines provide multiple solutions in one | | | | printer.SummaryWhen buying a printer, firstly |
| compact and easy to use machine i.e. | | | | carefully consider its use, is it mostly |
| printing, scanning, copying and some also | | | | general printing or for photographs, is it |
| have built in fax machines too. Not only are | | | | for occasional use or high volumes, will it |
| these machines great for saving space on your | | | | be a stand alone device or connected to a |
| desk, but they are also very good for | | | | network? Then using the guideline information |
| printing too using the same technology as | | | | above you will be able to decide on which |
| standard inkjet printers. The only thing you | | | | type of printer is most suitable for you at |
| should be aware of is that you can only use | | | | the time.Article by Iggy Quazi director of |
| one function at a time and if anything goes | | | | Ecommerce business Mouse2House based in |
| wrong with an "All-in-one" machine, you may | | | | Essex, England stocking a wide range of |
| lose the all the functions at once!Laser | | | | digital imaging devices. ...For more |
| PrintersLaser printers work in a similar way | | | | information visit for the latest digital |
| to photocopiers, except they use a laser | | | | media products. |