Video:Tips for Buying a Simple Printer

Transcript:Tips for Buying a Simple Printer

Hi! This is Meghan Lynn Allen for About.com, and today I'll share some tips about buying a simple printer.

Laser or Inkjet Printers

If you're geared for printing out those family photos or maybe those photos from your favorite trip, you should try an inkjet printer, which is generally better for that photo quality. But if you're looking for a small printer for the office and you're looking to print off some documents and word processing, you might want to try a laser printer. Laser printers generally have a much faster print speed, which could be helpful in the office setting.

Check Prices of Basic Printers

Next, analyze your price range. Perhaps you're looking for something cheap to save a little money when purchasing your next printer. And in that case, the inkjet printer is usually the way to go. You can find some for as low as $30, and some come bundled with your computer package. But don't forget about the price of those cartridges. Inkjet cartridges can range in price from about $10 to $15, and you need to have more then one color in order to have vibrant colors when you print out. Perhaps you're focused on a laser printer, and prices can be reasonable for those as well. The lowest price range is usually around $100. Now, you don't need to worry about ink cartridges, but you do need to buy a toner cartridge, which could range from around $70-$90. Those laser printer toner cartridges could last from up to tens of thousands of pages, whereas in the case of inkjet cartridges, you need more of them, and they run out more frequently.

Best Printer Brands

Next, what brand name are you looking for? If you're looking for a name you can trust, that has some simple printers in your price range, why not try HP, Canon and Epson? And if you're looking for a reliable, inexpensive option for a laser printer, why not try HP or Brother?

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