How to Choose the Right Printer

What you need to know:

Multifunction printers with copying and scanning functions are equally suitable for office and home use.

Depending on the purpose and frequency of use, either inkjet or laser printers are recommended.

Thanks to a wide range of connectivity options, printers can be operated and controlled in different ways.

Special functions such as duplex printing and page feed largely automate the work with modern printers.

Anyone who buys a printer should keep an eye on the follow-up costs for ink and toner in advance.

The all-rounder for office and home
You may think that printing documents in the age of digitalisation is a bit out of date. But far from it: Even though a paperless future is highly anticipated for efficiency and environmental reasons, the annual print volume in companies and private households remains at a high level. A letter to the authorities, for instance, cannot always be replaced by an e-mail, important documents are still filed in printed form, and worksheets are necessary for school and studies. Printers are still common in most households.
Multifunction printers are all-purpose tools for the office or home. They combine at least three functions — printing, scanning, and copying — in one compact device. In this case, they are called 3-in-1 multifunction printers. There are also 4-in-1 devices that offer an additional fax function.

 

Multifunction printers are all-purpose tools for the office or home. They combine at least three functions — printing, scanning, and copying — in one compact device. In this case, they are called 3-in-1 multifunction printers. There are also 4-in-1 devices that offer an additional fax function.

A printer for each purpose
Depending on the number of users, frequency of use, and primary application, a different type of printer is recommended.

Photo print
Amateur photographers often want to print high-quality pictures on special paper with great colour depth. However, buying a printer with only this one function can be rather inefficient. Instead, they could use an inkjet multifunction printer that is optimised for photo printing with five separate ink cartridges. Here, spending a few extra bucks might be a good idea, as inexpensive models rarely deliver the necessary quality. Laser printers cannot be considered in this case, as they cannot print on photo paper.

Text print
Laser printers promise sharply contoured letters without colour gradients and fast printing speeds. They are, therefore, a great choice for the office. When using cheaper printer paper, inkjet printers show slight colour fringing. Laser and especially LED printers can handle larger print jobs much more quickly than inkjet models. In addition, the toner range exceeds that of a conventional ink tank by far.

Text with illustrations
Anyone who regularly prints texts that include images or other visuals should go for an inkjet-based multifunction printer. These are the most popular devices, especially for home use, as they are rather versatile. Higher-priced models now achieve good results at high printing speeds, so they are also becoming increasingly popular in smaller offices, even competing with laser printers.

Rare use
If you only print sporadically and at irregular intervals, you should go for a laser printer. If you do not use an inkjet printer for a long time, the ink will dry out eventually. In this case, the printer nozzles will have to be cleaned with each use, resulting in increased ink consumption and thus high follow-up costs.

To make your purchase decision easier, let’s take a look at a concrete example:

Private users, for example families with school-age children, usually have a relatively low printing volume. The printer has to handle small print jobs a few times a week, mostly text documents — in some cases with illustrations — and now and then a high-quality photo. Occasionally, documents also need to be scanned or copied. For this user profile, multifunction printers with inkjet-based printers are best suited. Those who value high-quality photo printing should look out for an additional pigment black ink cartridge. If, on the other hand, you can do without photo printing altogether and rarely use the printer, you should go for a multifunction laser printer. Laser printers are also recommended for larger offices where numerous large print jobs are performed regularly.

Reference: Final Check