How To Choose An Ink Jet Printerby Joyce Calloway, Copyright 2010
It’s as easy as pie to find a pretty good ink jet printer these days as the market is saturated with them. You will find them at various shops and online outlets all over the world. They will range in price quite a bit, but there should be no problem in finding a good printer to fit any budget. While the sheer amount of these printers on the market is a bonus for buyers, as the competition often drives the prices down, it can sometimes be a headache when you just don’t know what model you should buy.
The volume of ink jet printers on the market can sometimes be pretty overwhelming, and you need to realize that they’re not all the same when it comes to features, quality and capabilities. They may actually look the same, but the printing quality, resolution, speed and difficulty of use often varies from one model to the next. .
It is usually a wise move to buy the best model you can afford. For example, if you have $200 to spend and there is both a no-name model available and a well-known brand name at the same price, you might want to go with the brand name. The reason for this is you know the company you’re buying from is reputable, and maintenance and replacement parts should prove easier to get. However, if you can’t find a name brand ink jet printer within your budget, there are a few features you should look into before making your purchase.
You should consider the ink system the printer uses. There are some three-color printers that mix magenta, yellow and cyan inks to create colors. But it’s actually a better choice to find a printer that uses both color and black ink cartridges. .
The resolution is also important. A printer’s resolution is measured in (dpi), which stands for dots per inch. The more dots per inch means the better the resolution will be, which translates into sharper text and crisper graphics and photos. Typically, lower grade printers can’t print color documents above 300 dpi. This could be a problem if you’re using the printer for professional purposes. You should also consider things such as ink dot size and shape as these can also affect the look of your documents.
If you’re just printing general documents you may not notice the difference in quality very much. However, the difference between ink jet printers can be really noticeable when it comes to printing photographs. If the printer is able to reproduce excellent quality photos, then it should be able to handle just about any job you give it. Don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson to show you examples and ask them to print off some samples for you. This will allow you to see how well the printer can reproduce colors and how sharp the photos look.
The printer’s speed should be considered too. If you work in a busy environment, you don’t want to be waiting all day for documents to be printed. You should be looking for about 12 pages per minute as a minimum. Just make sure you ask if the pages per minute are for color or black and white documents. Any other features of an ink jet printer will depend on your needs. You may want a multi-function model that can also scan documents, photocopy them and fax them. Once you have selected a printer, you will need replacement ink or toner. One of the best online outlets to check out is InkMart.com.
It’s as easy as pie to find a pretty good ink jet printer these days as the market is saturated with them. You will find them at various shops and online outlets all over the world. They will range in price quite a bit, but there should be no problem in finding a good printer to fit any budget. While the sheer amount of these printers on the market is a bonus for buyers, as the competition often drives the prices down, it can sometimes be a headache when you just don’t know what model you should buy.
The volume of ink jet printers on the market can sometimes be pretty overwhelming, and you need to realize that they’re not all the same when it comes to features, quality and capabilities. They may actually look the same, but the printing quality, resolution, speed and difficulty of use often varies from one model to the next. .
It is usually a wise move to buy the best model you can afford. For example, if you have $200 to spend and there is both a no-name model available and a well-known brand name at the same price, you might want to go with the brand name. The reason for this is you know the company you’re buying from is reputable, and maintenance and replacement parts should prove easier to get. However, if you can’t find a name brand ink jet printer within your budget, there are a few features you should look into before making your purchase.
You should consider the ink system the printer uses. There are some three-color printers that mix magenta, yellow and cyan inks to create colors. But it’s actually a better choice to find a printer that uses both color and black ink cartridges. .
The resolution is also important. A printer’s resolution is measured in (dpi), which stands for dots per inch. The more dots per inch means the better the resolution will be, which translates into sharper text and crisper graphics and photos. Typically, lower grade printers can’t print color documents above 300 dpi. This could be a problem if you’re using the printer for professional purposes. You should also consider things such as ink dot size and shape as these can also affect the look of your documents.
If you’re just printing general documents you may not notice the difference in quality very much. However, the difference between ink jet printers can be really noticeable when it comes to printing photographs. If the printer is able to reproduce excellent quality photos, then it should be able to handle just about any job you give it. Don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson to show you examples and ask them to print off some samples for you. This will allow you to see how well the printer can reproduce colors and how sharp the photos look.
The printer’s speed should be considered too. If you work in a busy environment, you don’t want to be waiting all day for documents to be printed. You should be looking for about 12 pages per minute as a minimum. Just make sure you ask if the pages per minute are for color or black and white documents. Any other features of an ink jet printer will depend on your needs. You may want a multi-function model that can also scan documents, photocopy them and fax them. Once you have selected a printer, you will need replacement ink or toner. One of the best online outlets to check out is InkMart.com.
