Finding the Best Computer Printer

There are over a dozen different computer printer manufacturers. They all promise high quality printing, fast page per minute output, and ease of use.

The brand name of the printer is not as important as its intended use and compatibility with your computer. This is one area of computing where it is possible to buy too much of a good thing. Many computer printers today advertise their excellence of photo quality printing. However, unless you print a large number of photos from your computer this is not a good deal. You pay extra for that high quality printing. Let us determine the different uses for computer printers.

1. Student: Students write reports. Often their reports include graphs. Most students perform their photographic work and communications online. They do not need an expensively priced computer printer with all the bells and whistles, usually. A basic color capable printer with a quick page per minute output is probably the best for them. There are many such computer printers available under a hundred dollars. Be careful though, some ink cartridges cost more than the printer does! Check the cost of replacing the ink before buying the cheapest printer you find.

2. General Individual: Individuals need computer printers for a broad range of uses. Many printers, called all-in-one devices can copy, scan, and fax as well as print. It is certainly cheaper to pay a couple of extra dollars to have a fax capable printer in your home than have to pay seventy-five cents or more to use a commercial fax service if you have frequent or long term fax needs. Most of us however, need a fax only occasionally. Why pay for more than you need? If you do not need a fax more than once a month, look at a computer printer without that option. The scanning and copying options on the computer all-in-one printers are still a good buy for the general individual. Almost everyone likes to save newspaper articles and recipes for future reference. The photo quality of the print is an individual consideration here as well. If you enjoy taking photographs to share with others you may want to pay extra for that high quality print. If you can upload your photos online, though, the high quality photo printing option may be more than you want to pay. Remember, photo printing uses a lot of ink!

3. Home or Small Office: Here again, we need to determine just what use the computer printer will have. This is where you might want to consider purchasing that fax option and high quality photo option. While you may not need them all that often, the money saved in terms of time lost in leaving the office, to have it done, can more than make up the difference in cost.

Base you computer printer decision on what you will use it for and compatibility with your operating system and you will be able to buy the best printer for you. Remember to pay attention to the cost of replacing the ink this is where you will spend the bulk of your printing dollar.