What Kind of Printer is Best For Me?
73Choosing a printer that fits your needs can be an overwhelming task. There are several different types of printers, they come in all shapes and sizes and a there are a wide range of manufacturers to choose from. For some people, size and portability may be an issue, while others may be concerned about color quality, speed or the expense of ink cartridges. Whether you are a home user, an aspiring writer, amateur photographer or a small business entrepreneur there is a printer that is right for you.
Home Office User
People require a lot from their home based printers. Kids need to write school reports, print items off the internet, and parents may need to print photos or write newsletters and other documents. Versatility, without too much expense, is the goal for a home based printer. A versatile and affordable choice is a small office color inkjet printer. Inkjet printers are not quite as fast at printing word documents but they definitely are the choice for photo printing and give you a lot of versatility without giving up too much efficiency. If you are really concerned about quickly printing documents, you can get a laser printer and a smaller inkjet or dedicated photo printer for your pictures if you want to print them.
Aspiring Writer
If want to turn your passion or your child's passion for writing into a full time occupation, a laser printer is probably the right choice for your printing needs. A laser printer can produce page after page of text. A good laser printer costs around $400 but they cost less to operate than inkjet printers. However, unless you pay a lot of money, they only print in black and white. An inexpensive laser printer is probably the best choice for a college student.
Digital Photographer
For photo enthusiasts, it is important to consider your inkjet options so that you can maximize functionality and quality in your prints. If you only take an occasional photograph, a letter size inkjet printer will work best for you. It can handle a wide variety of printing tasks and produce fairly good quality pictures. Smaller, dedicated photograph printers can print directly from cameras or memory cards and have a LCD screen to preview your pictures. Another option might be a multi-function printer, which has many of the features of snapshot printers plus the best of traditional inkjet printers.
Small Business Owner
If you do a lot of work from home or run a small business, a multifunction printer will probably be an excellent choice to fulfill your needs. Multifunction or all-in-one printers, combine a bunch of different functions in one machine. These printers can print, fax, copy or scan documents. They save space and money and come in either inkjet or laser printing.
Executive On The Go
For people who want to print wherever they go, there are portable printers that weigh as little as 2 pounds and usually come with a battery or charger to make it convenient for traveling. Of course, it's usually a lot easier to travel without a printer and find one wherever you go. The widespread use of printers makes this a relatively easy task.
In Conclusion
Think about how you're using the printer and make a decision on the type of printer that will best for your needs. Good luck and keep your printer supplied with ink!
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I did not realize there were so many types of printers and they each function differently. Next time I look for a printer, I am taking your blog along. Thanks for the explanations.
Andy,
For the aspiring writer, I'd suggest a monochrome (black and white) laser printer. The Brother HL-2170w is my current favorite for a low cost printer.
My cousin has the Brother HL-2170w and she is quite happy with it. Like you say, it is a good value for the price. Thanks for the good recommendation on that printer; I'm now seriously considering buying that one myself.
This does help you buy the right printer for your need. Would go for small office color inkjet printer.
Well for me i use HP DeskJet 5650 Color Inkjet Printer this good for office and home use to print project and kids research and even my own things from picture.. to making cards.
This was a great read, Great informative article on printers. This read has helped me find the printer that is perfect for me! The Aspiring Writer is perfect for me being a college student.
I fully agree that HP printers are most widely used in offices. But I personally use "Lexmark Inkjet Printer - All in One". This is cheaper than HP and probably supports all my home needs. Do yuo have any further suggestion on this please.
Really informative thanks a lot, i should have read this a while back before i bought my printer. Now i know what kind of printer i should buy next time, i'll just have to deal with what i got now.
thanks again
Yet another informative article. To be completely honest, I've never realized the amount of printers out there on the market. What kind of printer would you recommend for architectual drawings and drafters diagrams? Oh, and where in Louisiana are you from? :)
Thank you for the informative article! I used to be lost between an inkjet, laserjet, all-in-one. I think I could fit into any of the above categories, but I think the best category for me is: "Home Office user." Thank you for the great description of each category!
I use printers that cost less than $100.00 and they work for me. For writing, I actually mostly submit online and self-publish online. However, this article is likely good for those who need to print out their document and sell it as is. I also post digital photos online, so I suppose most items I use my printer for would fall under home office user.
The low cost printers are great for draft copies and internet documents for later use.
Thank you for the informative article!This article is likely good for those who need to use printers in their day to day life.....
As an aspiring writer myself, I've been looking for an extra printer to spit out oodles of pages at low cost. Thanks for the suggestions!
i only use hp products. they are the best.
right now i have the all in one fax printer scanner copies and it was onsale from 299.00 to 199.00 at office depot and engraves cd's and exceletn photo
That's very much appreciated! and i am very much thankful for providing such great information!
shaarukh khan, salma khan
Andy 3 years ago
Thanks, I'm an aspiring writer and this helped sway me to buy a laserjet printer. Well written and very informative. Are the pictures posted your recommendations for each type or are they just examples?