IBM Printer and Printers

Buying a Printer

Inkjet, Laser, Multifunction and so on...Printers are available in different varieties. Choosing one for your needs can be quite tricky. There are also numerous brands that add to the number of options available on the market to choose from. Such a wide variety seems to confuse when you plan to select a printer for yourself. New models of printers are being introduced every now and then. It becomes hard for an average customer to make an informed choice.

To make sense of it all, here are some tips for buying a Printer:

Your Printing needs

The most important aspect to consider before buying a printer is your printing requirement. If your needs are limited to taking occasional printouts of documents like notices, letters, web-page printouts, or simple spreadsheets then go for a low-end Inkjet or Laser Printer. But if you require to do presentations with high quality print outs and photographs, a Photo Printer is best. For non-color print outs over 100 pages a day, buy faster Laser Printers. A Multifunction Printer is best for those who run a home business and need a combination of Scanner, Printer, Copier, and Fax Machine.

Consider other factors

Some other important factors that need to be considered before buying a printer are:

* Resolution - Resolution refers to the number of dots printed in per square inch area. Over 1440 dpi resolution is good. You must select a high-end model that gives higher resolution to print quality text, graphics and photos.

* Operating Cost - This is one important factor to consider. The cost of replacing paper and ink-cartridges must be calculated, because users have to continually buy more ink cartridges and toners when the old ones run out or dry up. You should know the operating cost which may sometimes exceed the actual cost of the printer within a year.

* Speed - For large volume of black-and-white printouts, it is essential to look the pages per minute output of a printer.

* Size of the printout - It differs according to the need. You may require an over-sized or non-standard paper, heavy card stock, blueprints, transparencies, etc. Buy a printer that has at least 90 degrees of paper path to facilitate uninterrupted printing on various types of media.

* Post-Script Fonts - Most of the Inkjet printers are not compatible to PostScript. A Laser Printer is best to print PostScript graphics or fonts.

* Photo Quality - To get photo lab quality it is essential to have Specialty Color Printers. They give high-resolution images' print on photo paper.

* Network enabled - If you wish to connect your new printer to a home or office network then your printer must be a network-enabled one.

* Image processing - Image processing is a power-consuming task. Printers generally have similar computing power and memory as a PC. Some high-end printers use their memory to form the complete image before printing it, thus handling large files quickly.

* Ease of use - Also look at the ease in its use and installation.

* Compatibility - The compatibility of your printers with USB, which means it will work with Windows 98/2000/XP, and with Mac System 8.1 or higher.

* Your workplace area - If you have a small workplace area, consider the printer's footprint and how it will be connected to your existing system.
* Warranty - Make sure you buy a printer with a warranty of at least 90 days, so you don't need to run here and there in case of any problem.

Compare stores and options

Once the list of your requirements is finalized, look for some of the large comparison review sites. They will give you an an idea of new available range of printers and their prices. Always remember that MRP is not the end limit. You can bargain below it! Also check the cost of Printer ink cartridges, Toner and Printing paper for the different types and brands.

Some people find reading reviews to be a waste of time, but believe me it is not. Such reviews and comments give important information on the products' reliability, their ease of use, and any issues or defects.

Once you are done with this home work, go ahead and buy a printer. Stores like superwarehouse can be your preferred destination. A vast collection of Printer and Printers' accessories are available here at best prices. IBM Printer and Printers are favorite among all for the wide array of options they provide. Choose Printer and Printers of your choice and get started!