Over the past decade, the arrival of the latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, 3D printing, and Laser printing has made the life of humans easy and effective. Printers are one of them. These computing devices have the capabilities to print documents and handle numerous printable tasks.
Printers are considered as the most essential digital equipment that is used to produce the best results for any home-based work, projects, and more. A user needs to choose the right printer for their business. A good decision plays a vital role in enhancing overall workability as well as productivity.
Whatever we need to print something, home printers that can do the tasks efficiently. For a user, there are numerous factors or decisions to make while purchasing the printer device for your workplace.
In this post, we will highlight a complete buying guide that can assist you to select the right printer for your organization or home. Continue reading
Before moving further, let's get understand the different types of printers and their factors.
What are Printers?
Typically, printers are electronic devices that easily convert your soft copy to a hard A4-sized document. When innovation meets creativity, results will be insane. The output will be produced on paper when you give the print command. Major deciding factors to keep in mind:
- The printer functionality
- Printer Type
- Connectivity
Apart from all, if you need any information about printers and their key specifications then you can take help from the printer models and get the best solutions.
Basic Functionalities of Printers
Typically, general or an all-in-one printer usually used to print documents, but a basic user needs to remember these valuable functionalities for decent results.
The basic functionalities of printers are displayed below-
Different Types of Printers
Printers can be categorized into the following types:
Impact Printer
This printing device is a machine that produces decent output in which a printing element strikes directly on the element. (Just like a typewriter). Under Impact printers, lots of printers are included. Some of them are listed beneath-
- Dot-matrix printers
- Daisy wheel printers
- Drum printers
- Chain printers
- Band printers
Non-Impact Printer
In this, simply a printer doesn’t strike directly on the surface. Laser printers are the first pick in non-impact printers. Categories may include these printers
- Inkjet printers
- Laser printers
- Thermal printers
- LED printers
- Photo printers
- Multi-function printer
Now we’ll explain these types of printer models effectively.
Inkjet Printers
Typically, Inkjet printers are one of the most common printing units that can be easily available in the market. It’s a computer peripheral device that produces a hard copy simply by spraying it onto the paper.
A typical inkjet printer can produce a copy with a resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi). Some inkjet printer models make full-color hard copies at the processing speed of 600 dpi.
In the inkjet printing mechanism, the print head has multiple tiny nozzles that are also known as jets. As the paper moves past the print head, the nozzle sprays ink into it. That sprayed ink formed the characters and images. The working efficiency of the Inkjet printers can deliver 100 to several hundred pages.
Laser Printers
A laser printer is digital equipment that uses a focused beam of light to transfer the text and images on paper. With time, laser printers have become the first choice for users with decent results.
Once the paper is inserted into the feeder and then the paper passes through the printer. The laser beam fires at the surface of the cylindrical drum called photoreceptors. The drum has an electrical charge that is reversed in the area where there is a laser beam hits.
Multifunction Printers
Multifunction printers are the full form of MFP as its name suggests, they handle multiple print commands. It is the piece of office machinery that serves the main purpose of scanning, printing, and copying the document. With time, multifunction printers can be used as the Xerox machine, copiers, photocopiers, and more.
Label and Barcode Printers
Label and Barcode printers are the digital equipment that produces the bar codes, labels, and serial numbers with perfection. This printer equipment is used to get the best-printed results. Although these printers are widely used in the commercial field or official use.
3D Printers
3D printers are used on a wider level worldwide. These devices gained the valuable attention of numerous printer users. In this printing method, users can get three-dimensional objects from a digital file. Numerous printer models come under 3D technologies.
Pros of using 3D printers
- Flexible design
- Rapid prototyping
- Print on demand
- Fast design and production
- Cost-effective
- Ease of access
- Environment friendly
Photo Printers
Photo printers, also known as snapshot printers, are intended specifically for the aim of printing out beautiful pictures, which any high-end color or multifunction printer can do. If you run a real estate office, a professional photography studio, or any other business that needs to print large quantities of images, this could be the solution.
Here is a complete Performa of the different types of printers.
Key Printer Features
Ample printer features are included in various models that made printing more efficient. Some of them are explained below:
Print Speed
The first factor that you need to remember while planning to buy a printer device for your workplace. Laser printers surpass inkjet printers in terms of speed. When we talk to the print speeds, the average speed for inkjet and laser printers are ranging between 9 to 25 PPM (Pages per minute). Also, inkjet printer varies between 5 to 18 pages per minute. While photo printer ranging from 1 to 4 minutes.
Print Quality
The print quality can be a crucial factor that assists you to made a decision accordingly. Let say an inkjet printer usually uses a combination of text, graphics, pictures, and documents. Print quality matters in the case of every organization. When you are deciding to buy a printer machine, always check the printable document quality whether It’s appropriate or not.
Connectivity
Make sure the connection is unique and well-established. It includes good-quality USB cables & a local network connection. Many models can share with multiple devices & get the results accordingly.
Different Types of Connectivity
USB
Typically, a USB connection is the most common type associated with printers. This allows you to attach the external hard drives. Numerous versions of USB cables are USB type B and USB type C.
Ethernet
Printers may also be equipped with Ethernet ports for wired connection to the internet. Printer data require less basic to get the best results.
WIFI
Most printer models have this feature for a great connection process. Through this, you can easily perform the printer machine. Send the documents from one portal to another. Moreover, WIFI printing also allows you to do seamless printing. One major benefit of using a WIFI printer is that allows geographical printing.
Printing Volume
Enterprises that produce high volumes of files will undoubtedly want to recognize a printer's ability to manage the workload. While it may be less costly to acquire a less expensive printer, the disadvantage may be that your employees must wait in line while a coworker completes a lengthy print job. A printer with insufficient memory to store jobs will also cause issues such as error messages and partial or unfinished print jobs.
Color/Monochrome
Printing type also matters during the printing process. Color or monochrome. You can't go wrong with a good high-capacity printer if you print in large quantities or need a variety of colors or pictures to be published quickly. Some models on the market can copy at 35 PPM or higher, with toner cartridges lasting up to 4,500 prints.
Security/Encryption
This factor is also essential for a greater printing experience. Security is the main concern that is common in all printer models. It protects the system from malicious or cyberattacks. Some printers such as multifunction printers can be connected over the Internet must be aware of this factor.
Several printer security functionalities require attention.
- User Authentication Feature
- Secure Communication Protocols
- Stored Data Protections
- Network Monitoring Software
- Follow me or Pull Printing
Furthermore, you can also take help from this guide to get relevant information about various printer factors.
Different Types of Brands Offer Printers
According to specifications, printer brands are categorized below:
These brands always focus on reliability & convenience for a better printing experience. Above all, two brands that have sold a wide number of printers worldwide are HP and Epson.
Here is a complete scenario that assists you to choose the best brand.
List of Epson printer models that are used widely
EPSON
HP
The decision is yours, choose the best, be the best.
Let’s say HP.
Why did you choose HP?
Ample factors that made Hewlett Packard the first choice. Some of them are illustrated below;
- Reputed market leader
- Helpful support & after-sales service
- Security-centric
- Low maintenance cost
- Ease to use
- Reasonable print per page costs
Conclusion
We hope that you’ll get all the answers to your questions regarding printers and their buying guide. Finding the right printer for your workplace and home can be difficult, but if you follow the adequate guide then you can easily decide on buying a printer for a great printing experience
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