The printer has become an indispensable device for putting digital documents and photos on paper, but choosing between the different models offered by the market is not easy. Classic, inkjet, laser, or multifunction: here are all our tips for an optimal purchase.
The old printer gets jammed
The time has come, long overdue, to buy a new printer that can meet your different needs. Choosing your choice may not be easy: is a classic inkjet better, or is it more convenient to focus on a laser printer? Does it make more sense to buy a traditional printer, or perhaps it is appropriate to have a multifunction model? There are so many questions to answer, but you have to start from an assumption that always applies, namely that the perfect printer does not exist, and it all depends on the needs you have and the type of use you intend to make of the device. When you choose the right Printing solution, then here are the options for you.
It will therefore be necessary to evaluate technical characteristics and prices, to understand if it works like scanning, the possibility of photocopying a document or sending a fax and the idea of being able to print the photographs directly, can do for us. Where to start?
There are mainly two types of printers on the market: laser or inkjet. Once the choice has been made, there will be a second division between traditional and multifunction printers and, among these, those that prefer colors to simple black and white. Let’s see them in detail.
Laser or inkjet?
One of the first choices to make is between laser (i.e., with toner) and inkjet (with ink cartridges) printers. There are laser printers in black and white and in color; they typically cost a little more than inkjet, as well as toner, which lasts a lot longer than a cartridge.
If you have to do a lot of text-only prints (or black and white images), the most convenient choice is certainly to opt for a black and white laser printer. For a better Printing solution, this is important.
Multifunction printer
Multifunction printers, available in both inkjet and laser, include a printer, scanner, and sometimes even a fax machine in one device. The uses are different and for different needs: print, photocopy documents, scan and fax both documents and photos.
Some models also support photo printing and generally, especially the inkjet models, have affordable prices like those of traditional so-called “pure” printers.
Black and white or color
In pure economic terms, the importance of color printing is a factor that must be carefully evaluated as well as the printing needs: in the event that the printer should be used exclusively for black and white documents, it will be good to buy a laser model that guarantees the highest quality and an essential economic advantage.
If, on the other hand, the printing need involves the use of colors, it will be more appropriate to focus on the inkjet model. Is your passion photography? In this case, it will be necessary to move towards a photo inkjet printer, taking into account that the more colors a printer has, the higher the costs.