So you have a swanky desktop with a plasma monitor, your children have Sony Vaios and you have a netbook for your travels. Now all you need is a user friendly printer.

Think about what you want to use your printer for. School work may require essays and articles, possibly the odd colour printed geography diagram of tectonic plates. On the other hand a business working from home will mean heavy usage, particularly on the black ink. Then there is the arty and the sentimental who will use more colour for printing photographs for their old school albums and scrapbooks.

In choosing a printer you will naturally want to get the most for your money. It is important to remember that even though you may need to spend a lot on a printer, if it meets your needs effectively you will find it more economical in the long run.

The first choice is laser-jet or ink-jet? Laser jet printers are more expensive in the outset but in the long run more economical if you are a business printing reams of text. Not only will it work out cheaper, the printing will be of impressive quality. If you have colour charts interspersed then consider a colour laser printer. These are more accessible than they once were and will deliver good looking professional quality documents.

Ink-jet printers may appeal to the family home. They are good at printing photos and although you will not get the same finish on text as you would with a laser-jet, it is likely to be a quality suitable for your everyday needs. They do not hold the same volume of paper and they come with fewer settings but they are arguably more versatile. Ink-jets are not to be scoffed at, they are getting more and more advanced and now many come with networking functions and varied settings. In addition there are a huge range of papers available for your different projects.

Ink-jets come at a range of prices but overall they tend to be cheaper than laser-jets. Try not to be fooled by the offers too much and price up the ink before you purchase, some come with the option of using cheaper cartridge counterparts. Shop around too and keep an eye on the newcomers to the market.

If you simply want to print photos think about a portable photo printer. These are relatively inexpensive and have limited functions but they do serve the purpose of printing photo sized pictures with as little effort as possible. They can be particularly useful if you are not savvy with larger models. Many will print directly from your SD card and allow you to make small modifications to the image.

Shop around before you commit to a make and model. The internet can offer reviews and offers which can guide you through the process of finding the printer that’s right for your needs. Price may reflect quality. but realistically speaking, if your printer is more recreational than a business necessity then go for an all round good value printer rather than a top of the range high speed commercial one.

Author Bio: Dave Matthews is a freelance copywriter. He writes articles for a range of interests, causes and businesses – in this case, Ink Technologies, a leading manufacturer of bulk printer ink.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: printing, printer, ink, cartridges