How to Buy a Printer

Friday, June 15, 2007 6:00 AM PDT

Introduction

No matter how digitally savvy we think we are, most of us need to put ink to paper from time to time. It may not be as glamorous as the latest tiny gadget, but that trusty, dust-covered printer in the corner is the workhorse many people depend on. PC World tests and reviews three different types of printers--inkjets, monochrome lasers, and color lasers--on an ongoing basis, and also regularly tests multifunction devices that use each of those printing methods. No matter which kind of printer you're looking for, here's the information you need to make a well-informed purchase.

The Big Picture From inexpensive inkjets to monochrome and color lasers, different printers are designed to do different jobs. Here's how they stack up, feature by feature. more

Key Specs Explained We unravel the mysteries of print speed, print quality, and maximum resolution--and tell you which specs are really important. more

Printer Shopping Tips Whether you want an ink jet for home use or a laser printer to take care of the whole office, we've got recommendations to make your purchase easier. more

Sponsored Resource:Are you ready for virtualization? Try the sever assessment tool.
Sponsored Resource:Stay at home servers. Learn more about a home server for your family.
Sponsored Resource:Get the communications, data, and security a business needs in one neat package. Learn more.
Sponsored Resource:Learn more about ultra light notebooks from Asus and the best warranty in the industry.
Sponsored Resource:Thinking about a new Laptop? Lenovo has models to meet everyone's needs.
Sponsored Resource:Get the truth about remanufactured ink. Learn more from HP.
Sponsored Resource:Small budget, big impact. Create Brochures that pop with HP laser jets printers.
Sponsored Resource:Six smart ways to grow small business IT

Recommend this story?
Vote Yes
Vote No
0 Yes
0 No
Email
Comment

Community Comments

News For Your Business

More News

PC World's Marketplace

PC World's Free Whitepapers

Peripherals News

Peripherals - July 2, 2008
Slimkey V2 Stand Adds Side-mounted USB 2.0 Hub Macessity has introduced its Slimkey V2 stand, a new version of its aluminum stand for the Macintosh. It costs US$64.99 and...
Peripherals - July 1, 2008
Xerox Phaser 6130 Xerox's Phaser 6130 is a color laser printer designed for small workgroups or personal office use. At US$449, the Phaser 6130...
Products - June 29, 2008
Brace Yourself: Game Demand is Growing Console sales have only hit the top tier of the market, leaving plenty of room for growth, analyst says.
Software - June 29, 2008
Is that a Video Game -- or Therapy? New games purport to make it fun to lose weight, stop smoking, and get healthy with the help of a console.

Latest Expert Blogs

Glenn Fleishman on Hardware - July 08, 2008 4:33 PM
Would Wi-Fi Push You to Public Transport? If you could have a continuous Internet connection on your way to work, would it change whether you drove or used public transportation?
Neil McAllister on Software - July 08, 2008 2:12 PM
TrueCrypt 6.0 Improves Data Security Performance The latest version of the free drive-encryption tool can shield sensitive data from prying eyes at home and abroad, now faster than ever.
Erik Larkin on the Web - July 08, 2008 11:49 AM
Watch Out for an IE Zero-Day Attack There's no fix yet available for the latest attack against Microsoft's browser.

All Blogs

Featured Resources

Premier Content From Our Sponsors

Cisco Small Business Center Does your network give your business an advantage? Click here to find out...
Microsoft Servers Center Work from home? Find out how the Windows Home Server can help you.