Printer Interface Design Options

Date: February 11, 2010

New York, NY -- To touch, scroll, or push, that is the question. Recently PC World-Australia compared some of the interfaces that are available to consumers today.

Touch Screens

Gaining popularity seemingly every day, touch screens are available on a variety of devices, so it was only a matter of time before printers were included. HP, Lexmark, and Epson all offer touch screens in varying sizes (and with varying success). Of the three brands, PC World felt that HP and Lexmark were the best bets based on intuitiveness of use and added functionality (like web connectivity).

Scroll Wheels

Really the only company to use and perfect the scroll wheel is Canon, who uses them consistently in their Pixma line of AIO devices. The wheel makes the menus offered easy to navigate and the buttons that accompany the wheel are always labeled clearly. PC World contends that the scroll wheel make not be the best interface for entering in long Wi-Fi passwords.

Buttons

Seemingly overly simple, buttons can still be more than adequate for manipulating your printer. That said however, printers that go “button-crazy”, take away from usability. PC World feels that no more than 10 buttons should suffice unless the AIO also has a fax included. Kodak is credited with a simple and functional design on its ESP 7 model.

BY ADAM HAIGH, Editor