How to Buy a Printer

Printer Shopping Tips

• Introduction
• The Big Picture
• The Specs Explained
• Printer Shopping Tips

Ink Jet Printers

• Ink jet printers might be inexpensive, but the cost of replacement ink can drive up the overall cost. Check the prices of ink cartridges, and find out how many pages each cartridge will print. Once you figure out how many pages you will print per month, you can determine the cost of the printer plus ink over the course of a year. Consider getting individual cartridges if you know you'll need one color more than others--for instance, if many of your documents have a red logo.
• Manufacturers often list faster print speed specifications on their packaging than we see in testing. The print engine of a typical ink jet can produce two to four pages per minute of text and one full-page, 8.5-by-11-inch photo or graphic in two to three minutes.
• Some color ink jets can print photos at a quality that approaches the level of a professional photofinisher. If you plan to use your printer primarily for photos or graphics, look for models that specialize in that type of printing. If you plan to print mostly photos, look for photo printers with extra features such as a built-in PC Card slot, an LCD panel that allows you to view and print an image without using your PC, and bundled image-editing software.
• Price does not necessarily translate to print quality or speed. Shop around, check the latest Top 10 Ink Jet Printers chart for the most recent test results, and research prices on PCWorld.com Product Finder before making a purchase. If you plan to print lots of photos, keep an eye on the Top 10 chart column where we list the print speed for full-page graphics.

Monochrome (Black and White) Laser Printers

• If you print lots of text-only documents, consider buying an inexpensive monochrome laser printer. These printers provide superior text quality compared with high-end ink jet printers.
• Some monochrome lasers cost as little as $200, making them a good deal for home users. If you need to print a lot of text and high-quality graphics, buying a good photo ink jet printer in addition to an inexpensive monochrome laser printer could save you money on ink and maintenance costs in the long run.
• Many monochrome lasers come with optional ethernet ports for networks. If you plan to use the printer with one PC, don't pay the extra money for an ethernet card.

Color Laser Printers

• PC World tests consistently find that color laser printers print color graphics more slowly than the printers' manufacturers claim they do. If print speed is a factor for you, always check the speeds listed on the latest Top 10 Color Laser Printers chart (see link in left column) before deciding on a model.
• Color laser printer toner cartridges are the most expensive consumable you can buy for a printer, but their yield is so much higher than an ink jet cartridge that, in the long run, color laser toner is less expensive on a per page basis.
• Color laser toner cartridges are also potentially hazardous to the environment. Make sure your office supply store or supplier accepts spent units for recycling.
• If you're not running a graphics department but still want to print color, you'll most likely choose an ink jet printer, which can create beautiful graphics at a tenth of the cost of a color laser. However, keep in mind that the inexpensive price of an ink jet is quickly surpassed by the cost of replacement ink.