Choosing The Right Printer – Pros & Cons of Popular Types

Posted by My Dallas Mommy on Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 at 6:00 PM
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Finding the right printer can be really tough!  You may get some of what you want, but the price may be too high.  You may have the perfect price for the printer, but there’s no copier and the ink is expensive!  Remember, a printer is an investment.  You don’t want to have a printer with too many bells and whistles if you don’t need them, and you definitely don’t want to be replacing ink every week. Keep these things in mind when you’re shopping for a printer.

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1.  Use– What will it be used for?  Printers can be very helpful in many ways.  Will it be a nice addition to your office with a scanner, copier and fax? Will you be printing photos from it?  Will it be a used for printing coupons?  Does it need to have wireless printing capability?

The average family that loves to print the occasional picture, coupons and documents. You need a good quality ink that doesn’t get sucked up by the printer and isn’t too expensive. Having extras like a scanner or fax component are only good when they are necessary or don’t hike up the price of the unit.

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2.  Quality & Reviews – Knowing a printer works well for me doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best printer for YOU and your needs. That’s why along with the questions above, we need to check out the rating and reviews of the printer.  Previous buyers that review it will be using it for all sorts of reasons.  They’ll give us a great indication of the quality and lifespan of a printer.  This Canon Pixma MX459 has a 4.2 out of 5 star rating from nearly 130 reviewers.  It’s also such a  great bargain that Walmart runs out of stock frequently. That’s pretty awesome!  You can read their reviews by clicking on the product page and scrolling down.

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3.  Ink Life– We definitely don’t want a printer that’s going to waste or use a lot of ink.  That stuff is expensive!  Great prints with the least amount of ink – that’s the goal. Ink life will depend greatly on how often you use the printer, and what you’re printing.  Check the pages per cartridge numbers for inkjet printers (on the packaging or owner’s manual).  On average, you should expect to get at LEAST 215 pages.

 

Not sure if you should be purchasing an inkjet or laser printer? Here is a very quick run-down of the pros and cons of each:

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INKJET PRINTER – PROS

* Very affordable to purchase

* Great for photos, fine point printing and general printing needs

* No warm up time needed to get started

* Most cartridges can be refilled and reused

* Small and lightweight

* Variety of paper weights is compatible (regular printer paper, stock paper, photo paper, etc.)

 

INKJET PRINTER – CONS

* You’ll need to replace ink more frequently than a laser printer

* Ink is water-based, which can lead to fading over time

* If your printer requires cleaning constantly, that can waste ink.

 

LASER PRINTER – PROS

* Very fast printing capability, in high volumes

* Perfect black pitch of color – great for presentations

* Great for producing a lot of cheaper prints like coupons

 

LASER PRINTER – CONS

* If your toner leaks (common problem), you’re in big trouble

* Not compatible with different paper weights

* Warm up time

* Bigger and Bulkier

So, now that you have a bit of a comparison, you’ll be able to make the right choice in printers for you and your home!

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