Things to consider when buying a new printer

Despite the widespread use of computers, which was supposed to usher in the era of the “paperless office,” more printing is being done today than ever before. Consequently, whether you’re printing at home or in a business, printers and their supplies must be replaced on a fairly regular basis.

High-resolution photo printing, multi-function printers that can also scan and fax documents, digital memory card readers, and a variety of other features are available on today’s printers. However, there are some fundamental considerations that you should take into account before making a final decision regarding buying a new printer.

5 things to evaluate before buying a new printer

Operating Cost

The first consideration while buying a new printer is the printer’s long-term cost. These days, you can get a very good colour printer for well under $100, but the catch is that the ink cartridges for most of these low-cost models are extremely expensive.

You should research the cost of replacing the ink cartridges on a budget printer before making a purchase decision. You should also determine whether generic or refilled cartridges are available for the printer.

Compatibility

Second, determine whether or not the printer you’re considering is compatible with standard-sized ink cartridges. Many of today’s printers come with “starter” ink cartridges, which contain significantly less ink than a standard cartridge does.

Cartridge Size

When you have to purchase a new set of ink after printing 40 or 50 pages, the printer may not appear to be such a good deal. Take a look at the price of the black ink cartridge next. The majority of people prefer to print in black and white rather than colour. When compared to other printers, some have significantly larger black cartridges than others, and if you do a lot of black printing, the larger cartridges can save you a significant amount of money over time.

Type of Prints

Fourth, think about what kind of items you’ll be printing in the first place. If you want to be able to print your own digital photos, you should consider purchasing one of the many photo printers currently available on the market.

Photo printers, on the other hand, are generally more expensive to operate than other options if you are not printing photos. Perhaps a laser printer would be preferable to an inkjet printer because of the lower operating costs associated with laser printers.

Requirement of available features

Finally, consider whether you really require all of the extra features, such as faxing, scanning, photocopying, and so on, before purchasing a printer. Although having all of these options sounds wonderful, the majority of people rarely, if ever, take advantage of them. Also, take into consideration the cost of these additional features. What makes you think you want to make photocopies at home, which could cost $0.50 to $1.00 per page when you can get them for 5 to 10 cents per page at your local copy store?

So, you have the checklist to go through now before making a decision for buying a new printer. Hope this helps.