Printer Reviews |
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Printer Buyers Guide
Welcome to your interactive printer buyers guide, where you can help users determine their needs: Color or black and white? Many daily copies or just a few printed occasionally? Fast replication required? Printing directly from a camera or data card? Using heavy card stock or envelopes? Need an all-in-one machine that scans, faxes, copies, and prints? Want a name-brand model so printer drivers will be available for your system upgrades? Networked? Is it for home or office? If you're a first-hand user of a laser or inkjet version, we want your review for this printer buyers guide.
Inkjet printers are inexpensive, print in color and black and white, and have a variety of footprints and manufacturers. Some can even run on a battery, operating with laptops for true portability. Those with higher resolution are ideal for printing photographs, and some will even bypass the need to hook up to a computer to do so. Drawbacks to inkjets include slow speed, costly ink cartridge replacements, and ink smearing if print heads clog or documents are wet.
Laser printers cost more than inkjets, and color ones cost more than black and white, which is about their only detriment. The main paper tray generally holds a full ream of paper, so you refill it less often, while a second or manual bypass tray accommodates envelopes and other media like transparency film. Since toner is fused to the paper, documents don't bleed or smear, printing is fast, and toner cartridges last for a few thousand copies.
Add your experiences to the printer buyers guide, and let the evaluations begin!