Choosing a computer printer

Computer printers are devices that support the printing of computer users, with diverse printing capabilities and high quality prints, printers are now used not only in the workplace but also in the world. used by many people for personal needs at home.

There are 2 common types of printers that are Laser printers and color inkjet printers, here are some suggestions to help users choose the right printer for their needs:

Laser printers

Laser printers

1. Using laser technology to cover ink.
2. Powder ink, replaceable separate ink tank.
3. Print on plain paper, cardstock or clear film.
4. High print speed.
5. Consumes a lot of power.
6. Monochrome (black) and color laser printers are available.
7. Although ink is expensive, it can print a lot (more than 2 thousand prints), due to its high efficiency, the cost of a print is very low.
8. Laser prints are very nice and sharp, suitable for text printing.
9. Because the ink must be melted to adhere to the paper through the thermal system, it cannot be printed on poorly heat-resistant papers, prints will become hot and often warp slightly due to high temperatures.
10. Long life and high working capacity.
11. Laser printers are often chosen for use in offices to print documents or when printing in bulk.

When choosing a laser printer, pay attention to the following parameters:

1. Paper size: The most common is A4 (210x297mm) and larger is A3.
2. Resolution: The true resolution of the printer from 600x600dpi or higher will give sharp text, higher resolutions will give a smooth image.
3. Memory: This is the buffer memory, the higher the capacity, the faster the print processing ability and the printing of complex images.
4. Ink: Usually will be given an ink bottle with the machine, but should pay attention to the cost of ink, some printers are cheap but ink is more expensive than others. If you want to recharge when the ink runs out, you must pay attention to whether the ink tank can be recharged, some ink bottles have Chip (IC) protected and tested so they cannot be recharged.
5. Print speed: Print speed is the number of pages printed per minute (ppm), printed pages are counted as one side of lowercase paper. The higher the speed, the faster the printer.
6. Communication standard: Currently, the most common is the USB communication standard, some machines have both USB and LPT (older printer ports), specialized machines have additional ports for printing in the network.
7. Some printers have an additional function of reversing paper for 2-sided printing and combined with a scanner (scaner), Fax, .

Color inkjet printer

Color inkjet printer

1. Using inkjet technology.
2. Ink is available in liquid form, usually there is 1 black ink tank and 1 ink tank with 3 basic colors, some machines use 3 separate color ink bottles or more.
3. Print on plain paper and special color paper.
4. Low print speed.
5. The ink is sprayed directly onto the paper surface and dries on its own.
6. Consumes less power.
7. Ink is expensive, sometimes it can be more expensive than the value of the printer, and because specialized paper must be used, the cost of a print is quite high.
   Printed pictures have beautiful colors but when printing text, it is not as sharp as laser machines.
8. When printing does not deform the paper, so it can be printed on most types of paper, but if printed on glossy or poor quality paper, the ink is easily smudged.
9. Long life and low working capacity.
10. Color inkjet printers are often chosen by home users because they are suitable for diverse printing jobs and are cheaper than Laser printers.

When choosing a color inkjet printer, pay attention to the following parameters:

1. Paper size: The most common is A4 (210x297mm) and larger is A3.
2. Resolution: The true resolution of current color inkjet printers is about 4800x1200dpi or higher, higher resolutions will give better images.
3. Ink: Usually supplied with the machine, use separate or shared color ink bottles, how many ink bottles to use and the cost of each bottle. If the general color ink bottle is cheaper, but when one color runs out, the whole bottle has to be replaced, and the individual color ink bottle runs out of color, just change that color.
4. Nozzle: The ink nozzle is located on the machine or on the ink tank, if the ink nozzle is on the machine, the ink tank will be cheap, but when the nozzle is damaged, it usually cannot be replaced or replaced at a very high price. If the nozzle is on the ink tank, the ink tank will have a high cost, but in return, when the nozzle is damaged, just replace the ink tank.
5. Print speed: Print speed is the number of pages printed per minute (ppm), printed pages are counted as one side of lowercase paper. Black and color print speeds are different, the higher the speed, the faster the printer.
6. Communication standard: Currently, the most common is the USB interface standard, some machines have both USB and LPT (older printer port). There are also printers that use a wireless connection (WIFI).
7. Some color inkjet printers have the function of printing directly on the surface of labeled CD/DVD discs, having a memory card reader, connecting to a digital camera, combined with a scanner (scaner), Fax, etc. .

Currently on the market, there have been many multi-function laser and inkjet printers on the market, including scanning, printing, photocopying, . some machines are large in size, supporting multiple paper trays to hold different types of paper. different, . suitable for use in the office.

Marvin Fry

Update 08 May 2023