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Printer Guide

Choosing the Perfect Printer

Ann Hartnett avatar
Written by Ann Hartnett
Updated over a week ago

With such a large variety of printers available on the market choosing a printer can seem like a daunting task.  There are many types of printers including multifunction printers, photo printers, inkjet printers and laser printers.  Generally if you are printing photographs it is better to use an inkjet or ideally a photo printer however if you’ve a lot of documents to print then a laser printer is ideal.

The main factor in choosing a printer is what the printer will be used for and the amount of printing you will doing.

Home Users
If you just do occasional printing, an inkjet printer is a good option.  You can get multifunctional inkjet printers that will also scan and copy at very reasonable prices.

Photography
If you plan to use a printer mainly to print photographs then a photo printer should suit you’re needs.  Photo printers have come a long way in terms of quality, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a photograph printed on a photo printer and a photograph produced the conventional way.  Most photo printers can produce good quality photographs however the more expensive photo printers generally offer you extra features or faster photo printing.  However if you’re serious about photography and want guaranteed photolab quality photos then you may need to pay more and purchase a professional photo printer.

Home Office
If you have Home Office sometimes space can be a factor so that is why many home offices choose a multifunctional printer, you can get a multifunctional printer that has printing, copying, scanning and faxing facilities.  You can get inkjet multifunction printers or laser multifunction printers however it might be more economical to purchase a laser version if you have a lot of printing as the cost per print page is cheaper so in the long run a multifunction laser printer can work out cheaper.

Business
If you have a business you will you probably require a printer with more memory, fast processing time so you can process multiple print jobs at one time and you can print lots of documents.  You may also want a printer with network features so multiple staff can access the printer.  You should also consider the size of the paper you print on, whether or not you require duplex printing facilities etc.

Most business owners understand that paying extra for a good quality laser printer is a worthwhile investment as it may work out more economical in the long run when you calculate the cost per page.  You can choose a mono laser printer or a colour laser printer.  Many small businesses only have a small requirement for colour printing so they often purchase a high quality mono laser printer and maybe a small inkjet for any colour printing they might do from time to time, it’s really depends on the requirements of the business.

When purchasing a high quality printer make sure you take the time to not only compare prices and features but you should also compare warranties and the price of the consumables.

Ink & Toner - Ink V's Laser

Ink Cartridges for Inkjet printers are usually cheaper on replacement than Laser Toners. Inkjet provides excellent quality photo prints compared to Laser and is economical if you are not printing in large volumes. 

Laser Toners are ideal for large volume printing and you also benefit from increased print speeds. Laser Toners are more expensive thank inkjet cartridges but are the ideal choice if you are printing in large quantities.

You can see our full ink & toner range HERE. Just select your brand/model of printer and the cartridge/toners options will be displayed.

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