Printer Buying Guide

1. How Printers Function (back to top)

A printer is the simplest of all computing devices with regards to how it operates. Simply put, the printer has a feeding side or the feeding tray which holds a given quantity of blank sheets of paper. The main body of the printer houses all the necessary mechanisms to guide the paper in to the machine and out the other side with the required printing achieved. The mechanism includes a simple apparatus for disposing small droplets of ink, measured as dots per inch (DPI), on the surface of the paper while it is being guided through the entire assembly path. The smaller the dot size, the more dots per inch, and thereby better the picture print out quality. Finally, the printed paper is carefully laid out of the main body in another simple tray area for the user to retrieve it.

While the basic mechanism is simple, the technology involved in achieving the desired shape of image or text printed out on the paper requires precise measurements. Such precision has been achieved through the use of various printing methods and technologies. The following list of technologies will help in clarifying the capabilities of such technology:

• Dot Matrix Printers (back to top)

Almost obsolete in terms of market availability, dot matrix printers implemented an array of metal pin heads in a grid of 9 or 24 pins positioned behind an ink ribbon. The ink on such a ribbon was held by a wax like layer. While printing, the paper would roll under the one side of the ribbon with the pins on other side. As per the shape of the character, the pins would eject out, and press against the ribbon. The metal pins, built out of a semi-conductor substance would be heated to a particular temperature required to melt the wax layer and thereby allow the ink to be transferred on to the surface of the paper.

 

This technology, though very primitive as it provides printing only in single color - black, in modern times can still be found in simpler devices such as cash registers, etc. Normal desktop printers may be sought out for those seeking printing simple text in high volumes, such as invoice printing, as the technology allowed for a high character per second print rate; as high as 80 characters per second.

 

• Inkjet Printers (back to top)

With the advent of high quality substrate materials that can be used to construct tinier and tinier shapes and designs, the printing industry saw the introduction of inkjet printers. Inkjet printers are available in two distinct methods of printing. The first one uses a reservoir of ink in a cartridge which ejects out of a nozzle upon the introduction of air bubbles heated to a particular temperature. The nozzle situated in the print head chamber, usually measuring a few Pico-meters in diameter, produces tiny ink droplets that fall on the surface of the paper at the exact location defined by the computer program. The technology is often referred to as the Bubble-jet technology in printers based on such technology. This technology is quite a bit faster compared to dot matrix printers while producing high quality text output. While printing high quality color graphics, the speed may reduce due to the time taken to accurately produce the ink droplet and position it on the paper. The average speed of an inkjet printer usually ranges between 3 pages per minute to 5 pages per minute in 'text mode'. Modern high-end inkjet printers boast speeds of 6 or 8 pages per minute for color print outs.

 

The second technology uses solid ink, instead of liquid ink, for creating Pico-meter sized pixels on the paper. When printing a document, the paper passes underneath the nozzle having a special piston at one end of the print head pushes the ink, which is initially melted before being introduced in the print head chamber, out of the nozzle hole. The piston is activated by specially devised and timed settings at particular level of voltage, such that it extends when the charge passes through it. Due to this action the ink is pushed out of the nozzle on to the surface of the paper. The technology is often referred to as 'piezo-crystal technology' by various printer manufacturers.

 

• Laser Printers (back to top)

For high volume print jobs, it is a necessity to produce multiple copies at one time while still maintaining high quality of output. The laser printer category was developed by considering the above criteria while quoting a much lower figure of running costs. The laser printer mechanism is fairly similar and simple as the inkjet printing technology. Inside a laser printer, as the blank sheet of paper enters the main body, it gets coated with a specialized dry ink powder called the Toner. The toner sticks to the paper while remaining unabsorbed at the same time. When the paper is done coating with the toner, it reaches a special chamber where a laser beam hits those particular areas on the paper according to the pattern of the actual document. The ink then heats up, and gets absorbed by the paper. The residue toner ink is then taken back into the special toner cartridge from where it was originally sprayed on to the paper.

 

Laser printers are supposed to be the fastest among the inkjet and laser-jet type of printers, they also tend to provide a very low cost per copy benefit compared to other technologies. The resolution offered by a laser printer at times can be substantially greater than other technologies, yet at lower resolution, a laser printer can print out excessively finer printouts due to the finer nature of a laser beam. Usually, the speed at which a laser printer prints out pages measures around minimum of 8 to 10 pages a minute, the fastest of the lot can produce almost 200 pages of monochrome colored pages per minute.

 

 

• Pen-Based Plotters (back to top)

Pen-based plotters are basically printers, but are designed more like human hands. The entire device is structured as a standalone mechanism with an actuator arm that moves to-and-fro on the rod holding it at perpendicular direction to the paper. As per the design, the plotter pen would touch the paper surface and draw lines, arcs or other geometrical shapes with utmost precision. Heavy duty print jobs requiring graphical color output cannot be achieved on a plotter. Though, the plotter is actually designed specifically for printing tasks such as computer aided design (CAD), technical drawing, etc, the primary advantage a plotter has over other methods is the sheer speed and higher resolution offered while managing to print on large papers sizes. Modern technological advances have turned the older pen-based plotters obsolete by establishing newer standards. The latest range of plotters use the basic inkjet technology in place of a single colored pen. Such plotters use an inkjet nozzle in place of a pen to draw line art.

 

 

 

2. Purchasing Criteria (back to top)

With various options existing in the market, deciding the best amongst them for a particular need can be quite a daunting task. While choosing a printer, the most important thing to be considered is the kind of use the printer would be put through. For high quality printouts, there exists an entirely different range of devices disregarding any reference to time-saving factors. For those looking for speed, a marginal compromise on quality may have to be borne. The following list of criteria will make clearer the parameters that define the qualities of a printer:

• Method of Printing (back to top)

For simple text printouts, at quick speeds, a laser printer should suffice. For those on a really tight budget, a dot matrix printer would do wonders, only if you can lay your hands on one. You might get high-end dot matrix printers from select companies, but realistically, they are now almost obsolete in the market. While the initial start up cost of owning a laser printer can be high, the running costs in the long run may come to be absolutely negligible or offer a much lower cost-per-page.

 

On the other hand, those looking for high-quality or rather photo-quality printouts, the inkjet series of printers should be a natural selection. Although, speed would not be much of an advantage, the kind of quality reproduced by an inkjet printer while printing color or even monochrome graphics would far outweigh the quality delivered by most other technologies. Even regular text printouts can be handled easily by inkjet printers, considering the expected daily delivery doesn't run in thousands. A plotter can only be considered the best choice for industry specific purposes such as computer aided designs and technical drawings or charting.

 

• Resolution (back to top)

For graphics professionals, high resolution printers make more sense instead of faster printers due to the requirements of the job. High resolution printers, such as those offering 1200 dpi (dots per inch) and above, can deliver razor sharp images in vivid colors at relatively slower speeds. For regular home or small office use, a monochrome laser printer makes for a more sensible buy. For artists or media agencies, high resolution, high color, large sized printouts are the need of the day. Thus, for these professionals expensive color laser printers or even specialized plotters should be the basic choice.

 

 

• Cost of Consumables (back to top)

With the purchase of a printer, the cost of regular printing must also be taken into account. Simple regular text along with the occasional color printing may just use up the in-built color cartridges at a much slower rate. While daily color printouts, usually a chore of artists, students, designers, etc., may use up the ink reservoir much faster than as rated by the manufacturer. Thereby, the cost of reinstalling or repurchasing the running consumables frequently may add to the operational costs of the printer. Any printer that makes an efficient use of the 'ink tank', while delivering high quality printouts can be considered to be much better than the one whose sole aim is to drain it out on the sheet of paper beneath it.

 

• Print Quality vs. Print Speed (back to top)

An average printer usually provides a user with multiple choices before undertaking a print job. Such choices or 'settings', define the final quality of output as well as time taken to print. For a high-resolution, full color print out, the usual print time may be much longer than a low resolution monochrome black-only print out. For those looking for extensive printouts in a day, one may go for laser printers specifically designed for use in corporate houses. For high-quality printouts, slower printers will deliver stunning results while printing images.

 

• Connectivity Options (back to top)

While most printers may be used at home or in small offices, there can be instances when multiple users might want to print multiple documents at the same time. Also, in big corporate houses, the demands of the job may require users to print frequently through out the day in succession or run continuous print jobs.

 

For such situations, high speed printers can be the best choice when coupled with a built-in networking adaptor or connectivity option for connecting to the local area network or LAN. As these printers have some sort of network connectivity feature, they are able to connect with multiple computers on the network at the same time. These printers have a larger print capacity and churn out more pages per minute while maintaining a low running cost. These are often known as network printers regardless of the technology implemented to print pages. Multi-purpose devices often include network printers coupled with a scanner to essentially function as a photocopier. An extension to such devices is also available with a built in modem or phone line connection to function as a fax machine.

 

3. Making the Decision (back to top)

The final decision before buying a printer can only be achieved by analyzing the kind of use and expected quality from the printer. By looking for features and criteria mentioned above at a comparison shopping site such as www.smarter.com, you can evaluate and gauge various different types and brands of printers. Check out for maximum supported print resolution modes, the time taken to print each mode, as well the number of colors supported while printing. For monochrome or even color models surely check out the cost of consumables such as: ink cartridges, paper, cost of replacement parts, etc.

You can evaluate prices and features across numerous models and also check across multiple suppliers on the Internet. On the other hand, you could also visit a nearby outlet for personally experiencing the picture quality and speed of printing of a given printer model. Hopefully now you have more information to help make your purchasing decision more informed, now go find a great printer!