Printer buying guide for Home & Small business

Table of contents

QUICK TIPS TO CHOOSE A PRINTER
FEATURES OF A GOOD PRINTER
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING
WHAT TO NOTICE WHILE BUYING A PRINTER ONLINE & OFFLINE (PPI, DPI, RESOLUTION, NOISE CANCELLATION, ELECTRIC BILL, HOW FAST ITB IS, CAN YOU INSERT EXTERNAL DEVICE)
HOW TO CHOOSE PRINTER FOR HOME
HOW TO CHOOSE A PRINTER FOR SMALL BUSINESS, OFFICE & BIG BUSINESS.
LIST OF BEST PRINTER COMPANIES

1. Quick tips to choose a printer

DESKJET=INKJET
Inkjet is good for printing photos.
The laser is good for printing texts.
Flatbed is the most commonly used scanner in printers.
If you are buying a printer for home then try to save as much buck you can. But avoid cheap printers.
Never buy cheap printers even if they provide a warranty.
Cheap printers have expensive ink refilling system
Always choose a printer that never jams papers while printing.
Laser printers are expensive compared to inkjet printers but you have to choose a laser printer for home usage.
For office usage, you can choose inkjet/ink tank/laser.
Ink tank printer is good if you use it on regular basis.
MULTIFUNCTIONALITY/ALL-IN-ONE SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST PRIORITY IF YOU WANT A PRINTER FOR BUSINESS.

2.Features of a good printer

A good printer has the following features:-

Multi-functionality/all-in-one functionality [COPY,SCAN & PRINT]
Less to no noise while printing
Consumes less electricity.
High-quality printing
Easy to install & operate
Compatible with multiple operating systems [Ex- windows, Linux mac etc..]
Backlight system
You can insert external devices [memory card, USB ]
Lightweight [less than 6KG if it is for home usage]
No paper jam
Easy & cheap refilling of ink.
Various paper size supported
Paper never jams
No, overheat problem.

3. Things you need to know before buying a printer

a. PRINTER TYPES

PRINTER TYPES
1.LASER
2.DOT MATRIX PRINTER
3.DESKJET
4.INKTANK
5.TONER BASED PRINTER
6.LIQUID INKJET/ BUBBLE JET
7.SOLID INK
8.THERMAL PRINTERS
9.DYE SUBLIMATION PRINTER

1. LASER PRINTER:-

PROS:-

No noise
Faster compared to other printers
Mainly used to print texts.
It uses toner instead of ink to print.
Toner is a Positively charged powder.
Toner is fused to the fiber of paper during the printing process through heat.
Paper never gets wet due to heat.
LASER PRINTERS are used for officials works [to print office document]

CONS:-

Consumes more electricity
Expensive
Not easy to maintain.
Not good for printing graphics. [ONLY GOOD FOR PRINTING TEXTS]

2. DOT MATRIX PRINTER

It is just like a modern typewriter.
This type of printers are slow and generate noise while printing.
You can find this type of printers in banks
This type of printers are only used for the print purpose [NOT FOR SCAN & COPY PURPOSE]

3.DESKJET INK ADVANTAGE PRINTER

Deskjet is the brand name for inkjet printer.
HP DESKJET = INKJET printer.

4.INK TANK PRINTER/ CONTINUOUS INK SYSTEM/ ECO TANK

It stores a large amount of ink.
Not good for home usage
Good for small & big business
You have to use this type of printers regularly.
If you stop using this type of printers for months then ink inside the tank will clog.

5. TONER BASED PRINTER

Toner is mostly used in laser printers.
Toner color can be black, yellow, cyan & magenta.

6. LIQUID INKJET/INKJET/BUBBLE JET PRINTER

Inexpensive
Lightweight
Risk of smearing and smudging.
Liquid ink can bleed
Easy to maintain

7. SOLID INK

Solid ink is just like liquid ink but it is it in the solid state.
It consumes more time & electricity.
Xerox was famous for manufacturing solid ink but it discontinued.
Liquid ink printer is far better than a solid ink printer.

8. THERMAL PRINTERS

This type of printers are faster than dot matrix printers
You can find this type of printers in petrol pumps, shopping malls, electric bills

9. DYE SUBLIMATION PRINTER

Dye sublimation printers are mainly used to print T-shirt, cup printing, mobile cover etc..

b. SCANNER TYPES

FLATBED (Good for small business and offices)
SHEETFED (Alternative of flatbed works slowly and not good for scanning books. Only good for single papers)
HANDHELD
DRUM SCANNER (Upgraded version of FLATBED & expensive)
FED IN

Flatbed scanners are the best for small business and home usage.

c. What means PPI, DPI & RESOLUTION?

PPI:- Pixel Per Inch

DPI:-Dots Per Inch [ Mostly used in printers ]

RESOLUTION:- Quality of display.

If you are going to buy a printer always notice Its DPI. If iots DPI is less than 300DPI then never buy that printer. MORE DPI IS BETTER FOR A CRYUSTAL CLEAR PRINTING.

d. What are the paper types for printers?

A4
A5
A6
B5
C6
DL ENVELOPE

There are so many paper sizes according their length & breadth but most commonly used paper gtypes are A4,A5,A6,B5,C6,DL ENVELOPE,LEGAL SIZE PAPERS

e. What means legal size in a printer/ Foolscap size paper?

Legal size papers are longer compared to normal papers.
This type of papers has width*height= 8.5inch*14 inch.

f. What means duplex printing?

Duplex printing means printer can automatically print both sides of a paper.
To know if your printer is duplex or not you can check its product description.
IF DUPLEX: MANUAL is written on it then it is not an automatic printer.
You have to print manually both side of the printer if MANUAL is written on a printer.

4. What to notice while buying a printer online & offline.

IF YOU ARE BUYING A PRINTER ONLINE THEN NOTICE THIS

Never go for brand. Go for quality
Avoid cheap.
Most of the cheap printers have expensive ink refilling system.
Never read reviews
First, note your necessities (what features you want in a printer)
Then check if it has required features or not.
Always check if it has good print quality or not.
If you are not tech savvy then you should choose a printer that is easy to operate and maintain.
Always buy from an e-commerce site who values customers.
If they don't have return policy then don't buy a printer from them.
Most of the times you will get a defect printer while buying online. That is why the return policy will be the best.

IF YOU ARE BUYING A PRINTER FROM OFFLINE STORE

Print images and check image quality before buying.
Before buying offline check ONLINE PRICE OF THAT PRODUCT.
IF YOU CAN BUY IT CHEAPER ONLINE THEN WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT OFFLINE.
Before buying a printer check about its refilling system. Never BUY A PRINTER WHICH HAS EXPENSIVE REFILLING SYSTEM.

5. How to choose a printer for home?

Multi-Functionality/All in one should be the first priority [PRINT, SCAN & COPY]
If you are buying a printer for personal use then the quality of printing does not matter.
You can save bucks by compromising the quality.
Always choose a printer that causes less noise and consumes less electricity.
The weight of the printer should be less than 6 kg if you are buying it for home usage.
Never choose less than 300DPI but 1000DPI is enough for home usage.
A laser printer will be best for you. If you are not going to use the printer regularly.
It should be dustproof.

6. How to choose a printer for business?

Multi-Functionality/All in one should be the first priority [PRINT, SCAN & COPY
Prefer quality over bucks.
If you have regular customers then you should choose a big one.

If you use the home printer for business use then it will not last long.
You have to choose a printer that consumes less energy/electricity.
Never choose overheating printers.
Inkjet printers /laser will be best for business.
If you print text files most of the time then you should choose a laser printer.
If you print photo & texts most of the time then you should go for an inkjet printer.
If a printer has external input options [To insert SD card, USB] then buy it otherwise avoid it.
Wireless printers are best for both home and business usage but never buy wireless printers IF THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO CONNECT.
If you are buying the wireless printer then also consider if it is B/G/N or AC version.
If you buy B/G/N then your printing process will be slow because B/G/N is an older version and AC is the latest version.
Never buy a printer that has PAPER JAMMING ISSUES.
It will be better if you buy printers offline for business purpose.
But if you can buy a printer at a cheaper price then you should select from the online store.
Check how fast it prints papers.
Check how many papers you can print in a month

7. List of best printer companies

HP
EPSON
CANON
BROTHER
RICOH
PIXMA
SAMSUNG
DELL