How to choose a home printer

It is necessary to choose a printer on the basis of its intended use - whether it will be used for printing only documents or images or photos.

maintenance

1. What parameters to pay attention to
2. Chromaticity
3. Types of printers
4. Print resolution
5. Additional functions
6. Top Printer Manufacturers
   

How to choose a printer for the home: the parameters that need attention

When choosing a printer for home use, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:

1. Chromaticity (color, black and white);

2. Type (laser, inkjet or photo printer directly);

3. Print resolution (important for photos);

4. Additional functions.

But characteristics such as print speed or the delay in output of the first page of the printer, designed for use in the home, can be ignored. In the end, it is hardly planned to exploit it very intensively.

Chromaticity

If the printer is planned to be used for printing essays, course papers and similar documents, in most cases a black and white device is sufficient. However, when displaying images, graphs and similar information on paper, it is desirable to use color.

However, there is one "but." If color and black and white inkjet printers are about the same, then laser printers with color printing function are much more expensive than black and white. In addition, refilling or replacing cartridges may require quite serious investments.

Type (inkjet, laser or photo printer)

Printers designed for use in the home, in terms of principle of operation are divided into three types:

1. Jet;

2. Laser;

3. Photo Printers.

They differ in the type of ink and printing mechanics.

So, inkjet printers use liquid ink. Through the nozzle, they fall on a sheet of paper, leaving an imprint on it - text or image. Inkjet printers are among the cheapest, they are compact, but they have a lot of disadvantages:

1. Increased print price (on average, the cost of printing text or images on a page is 2-10 rubles - this is the price of used toner);

2. Increased noise level - the printer may produce an unpleasant screech or similar sounds during printing;

3. The need for periodic "preventative printing" - if the printer is not used for a long time, the toner in the nozzle dries up, as a result of which damage may occur.

On the other hand, an ink jet printer can be equipped with a continuous ink supply system - a continuous ink supply system - which significantly reduces printing costs. However, this modification can not be done with each model, and it leads to a loss of warranty.

Laser printers are much more expensive. And the price for color models is higher than for black and white. However, they have a low cost of printing (up to a few kopecks per sheet), they work silently and do not need preventive maintenance.

The disadvantages of laser printers are also:

1. The appearance of dark stripes on the image due to baking toner on the roller.This problem occurs after prolonged use of the device and / or several refills;

2. The limited number and relatively high cost of cartridge refills;

3. The high cost of the new cartridge.

Thus, if you need to print infrequently (up to about 10 sheets per week) and at the same time the budget is very limited, then an inkjet printer will suffice. For operation in large volumes it is better to take a laser.

Photo printers stand out. These devices are designed for printing photos, for which use special consumables - glossy paper and pigment inks. These printers are equipped with 6- or 8-color toner, have very high print resolution and excellent color reproduction.

However, these printers have a very high cost of printing (about 10-15 rubles per photo). And therefore it is advisable to use them only for photos. Documents and "pictures" on them is better not to print.

Print resolution

Print resolution determines how smooth the image will look. In addition, the higher it is, the more small details can be seen in the photo. However, high resolution printers are quite expensive.

The vast majority of inkjet and laser printers are available with a print resolution of 300 × 300, 600 × 600 or 1200 × 1200 dpi (also may be abbreviated as DPI).

A resolution of 300 × 300 dpi is sufficient for printing texts and simple graphics (diagrams). With it, even the small print will remain quite readable. However, when printing images with high resolution or more details, some elements may be “lost” or blurred.

A resolution of 600 × 600 dpi is suitable for printing both text and images with an acceptable level of quality. It is these printers that are recommended for home use, as they are characterized by a balanced toner consumption. But they are also not recommended for photo printing.

If you want to print images, photos or very small text, it is better to use printers with a resolution of 1200 × 1200 dpi. It is worth remembering that it can be native or interpolated. The first option provides the greatest "smoothness" and image detail, but such printers are quite expensive. The interpolated resolution of 1200 × 1200 dpi allows to get only slightly higher quality prints than devices with 600 × 600 dots.

If you need a mixed print - that is, periodically you need to print highly detailed images on paper, and periodically just texts - a high-resolution printer with an economical mode will do. In it there is an “inverse interpolation”. In economy mode, the print resolution drops to 600 × 600 or even 300 × 300 dpi, which reduces toner consumption, while maintaining text readability.

The above parameters are valid for laser and inkjet printers. Due to their specialization, photo printers have a significantly higher print resolution — for example, the Epson Expression Premium XP-710 model has 5760 × 1440 dots per inch.

Additional functions

Many modern models of printers are equipped with a number of additional functions. The more of them - the higher the cost of the device. However, many of these features greatly simplify the work with the printer:

1. Existence of the built-in scanner and the photocopying mode. Models that have these modes of operation are called multifunction devices (multifunctional devices), and they are very convenient for use in the home;

2. Compatibility with alternative operating systems - for example, macOS or Linux family. If you plan to use the printer on a computer that does not have Windows installed, then you need to make sure that the manufacturer has a driver for your environment;

3. Ability to work in a local wired or wireless (Wi-Fi) network.This will install the printer in any convenient place and not connect it to the computer with a USB cable;

4. Compatibility with mobile devices (on Android or iOS). Printers equipped with this function can be used to print photos directly from a smartphone or tablet;

5. The possibility of two-sided printing without shifting the pages. A handy feature if you have to put books, manuals or simply voluminous documents on paper. It saves paper well;

6. Slots for memory cards. Most often, such a function can be found in photo printers. It allows you to put on paper pictures from a professional camera without using a computer;

7. Liquid crystal, often touch display. Another feature that is commonly found in high-end photo printers. In combination with the previous one, it allows you to select the necessary images and display them on paper, as well as to crop, or other image editing operations.

Nevertheless, it is worth paying for all these functions only if they are really necessary. There are dozens of manufacturers and thousands of models on the printer market today, so you can always choose an alternative.

Top Printer Manufacturers

The market for manufacturers who produce home-recommended printers is mainly represented by three brands - HP, Canon and Epson.

HP printers are mostly in the lower price range. They are suitable for everyday printing, but have a high maintenance cost — consumables are expensive. Nevertheless, almost all models of HP inkjet printers can be equipped with a system of continuous ink supply (which still leads to a loss of warranty).

Canon laser printers, as well as the mid-priced Epson models, are great for everyday use because they provide the best cost per print. However, some devices do not refill cartridges, which can be a serious problem.

And for photo printing, it is recommended to use Epson printers, since they offer the widest functionality and excellent features in their price range.

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Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.