Simple guide to color printers

With so many choices out there, sometimes it's very hard to figure out where to start. Compiled below are some strategies one can employ to make sure they find the right color printer for themselves or their business.

• What will you be printing and what software will you be using? Higher end graphics programs will require a more robust printer than simple printing jobs from Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.
• Print volume is another consideration. If the printer will be for a business, these types of machines are measured by the monthly print volume. One can expect somewhere between a 10-25% increase in printing due to the printer being on site.
• It is also important to keep in mind what brand of computers your business will be using. If your staff uses Macintosh computers versus PCs, that will determine which printers will work for you.

• There are multiple types of color printers, and the two most common are laser color printers and inkjet color printers.
• Laser printers are very robust with the low-end models able to do about 30,000 pages per month, and the high-end models will do around 200,000 pages per month. Most pages that come from laser printers will not smudge when handled and the operating costs are lower than the other types of printers. If the volume of your print jobs will be high, then the laser is the best bet for you and your office.
• Inkjet printers are less expensive than laser printers and rely on making profit not from printer sales, but by ink cartridge sales. They have a much higher ongoing cost than laser printers, running between fifteen to fifty cents per pages versus two to eight cents for laser printers. Top of the line inkjet printers will be able to handle roughly 5,000 pages per month. They are best suited for low volume color printing needs.

• Print speed is one of the most common specs that you will see or hear about when looking at a printer. You can print a black and white document much more quickly than a color document. The tests performed by manufacturers are run in ideal conditions, another reason that the pages-per-minute numbers get inflated.
• Print volume is also a large factor. The higher the monthly volume, the faster the printer generally is. A good guideline is to buy a printer that is rated for 25% more pages than you will print.
• Resolution is the last major specification to consider. It is important to note that while the dots-per-inch (dpi) is a somewhat important, it is not absolute. Different printing methods will produce varying quality. The minimum dpi recommended is 600 x 600, though for high quality printing 1200 x 1200 dpi is a good standard.

• Memory is another important consideration when buying a color printer. Simple black and white jobs or and jobs with little color will only require the standard amount of printer memory. As the jobs get more complex, the more memory you will need. For graphics-heavy applications, 128 to 256 MB is the base line. Most ink jets are not expandable, but almost all laser printers can be upgraded.
• There are two types of printer languages, PCL and PostScript. PCL is generally the language of inkjet printers and is fine for typical office jobs. PostScript is the top of the line standard from printing and can handle even complex jobs with ease.
• Some other features to keep in mind are related to printer paper. Paper capacity can vary a lot between different printers. Duplexing allows you to print on each side of the paper without taking it out of the machine. If your office uses heavy stock paper, it is advisable to buy a printer with a straight path.