Searching For Mr "Print" Charming?

There are plenty of tough decisions
to make whenever it comes to choose
your own printer. Here are some tips
on how to snag that dream printer which
is perfect for you:

Mr Look Sharp

Laser printing was once used only in
offices because of its high cost. But with
prices dropping, home users can now
enjoy monochrome laser printing, which
delivers much better text quality for documents
than inkjet printing. Also, laser printer is
much faster and less expensive to maintain
as toner cartridges cost less than inkjet
printer.

Print Speed
Printers with faster engines cost more.
If you do not need to print large documents
with many pages, then a cheaper version
with speeds of up to 12 pages per minute
should do.

Resolution Counts
Resolution is measured by the number
of dots per inch (dpi). Printers with higher
dpi produce sharper images. Typical monochrome
laser printers have 600 x 600 dpi resolution.

Memory Speed
With more memory, you can print documents
faster and store more fonts. Get a printer that
lets you upgrade RAM should you want more
memory.

Easy Connectivity
For home and small office users, a USB or
parallel port is enough but for businesses that
require sharing of printers, it is important that
printers come with an Ethernet port.

Paper Tray
If you need to print documents of various
paper sizes, pick a printer with a paper tray.
If you are a heavy user, a larger tray would
cut down the number of reloading sessions.

Mr Many Talents

The multi-function printer is a godsend for
small and home office users. With printing,
faxing, copying and scanning features all
in one-go, it saves space and money. However,
not all are similar. Some come with a flatbed
while others only have a sheet feeder for scanning,
copying and faxing. Some machines offer only
PC faxing, meaning PC is needed to send
and fax. Here are some tips for buying a multi-
function printer:

Determine Your Needs
Know what you really need and which features
are some important, then go for the two features
that are key to you. Do you need printing and
copying more than scanning and faxing, for e.g?

Pint Speed
Most low-end multi-function machines are not
exactly speed demons, especially when it comes
to color printing. But if you do not need to print
color regularly. then speed is a minor concern.

Built-In or PC-based Faxing
A multi-function machine with built-in fax features
usually costs more than one with PC-based fax
software. If you need to send and receive fax regularly,
get one with built-in fax. Otherwise, you need to turn
your PC on everytime you want to send or receive
fax. Also consider whether you need color faxing, as
not all machines offer this.

Flatbed, Sheet Feeder or Both
A sheet feeder would be enough if your typical scans
are standardized pages. However, if you need to scan
book or magazine, you need to rip the page out first
before you can scan it. It is also difficult or impossible
to scan odd or oversized documents such as news
clippings or passport size photos. A flatbed offers
greater scanning flexibility but the best is to have both
options.

Copying
The same applies to copying. It would be a pain
copying from a flatbed without a sheet feeder.

Mr Colorful Character

While most homes still use inkjet for color printing,
color laser printing is slowly penetrating households,
especially those that need to produce high quality
graphics and images. Fuelling this trend is a drop in
price now. If you're in the market for such a printer,
look out for:

Color Printing Speed
Get the fastest printer you can afford, but be mindful
that the print speeds listed in product sheets are based
on certain parameters and actual print speeds depend
on what you print. If it's a document full of graphics, printing
will take longer.

Print Quality
This is the main reason why people choose color laser
printers. Besides printing test pages, bring your own
documents and see how the printout looks. Color laser
printing generally produces better-quality graphics and
images and crisper text.

Hooking Up
While the majority of printers come with parallel ports,
you may need one with a USB interface if you are using
your PC's parallel port for a scanner or zip drive. Also
note that not all color laser printers can be connected
to a network interface card.

Memory Matters
For most color laser printers. the RAM that comes with
it should be enough. However, if you intend to print multiple
pages of graphic-intensive documents, consider adding
more memory.

Duplex Printing
If you need to print on both sides, make sure the printer
either has this feature built-in or available as an add-on
option.

Mr No Frills

Inkjet color printing is affordable and does a great
job for homes and school projects. Here are some
tips:

Print Speed
Faster printers tend to cost more, so choose a
printer that suits your needs. If you print occasionally,
speed is not critical. Shared printers should be faster
to accommodate the higher volume.

Cost of Supplies
A color inkjet may cost less but the cost of inkjet
cartridges may set you back a bit. Some printers
come with just a black cartridge and a tri-color cartridge,
while others may have four or more cartridges.

Compatibility Check
Most color inkjet printers today use USB interface
instead of parallel ports. See what your PC uses,
as older models may only support parallel port.

Paper Tray Capacity
If you print frequently, you may want a printer with
higher-capacity paper tray, or with the option to add
another paper tray.

Most of the times, users keep on changing PC
rather than printer. That happen naturally overnight
because the problem is, change your printer is
an obvious fact rather than PC.