Archive for the ‘Hardware’ Category
Andrew Gates asked:
One of the more perplexing decisions when faced with choosing a new printer is which print technology is going to suit you best. At the moment there are two main printing systems: the laser technology, using toner cartridges and a transfer drum assembly; and ink jets using ink tank cartridges and fine-spray nozzles. The method that will suit you best will depend largely on what you plan to print on your new printer, and cost factors that affect the costs of running it. Laser printers are possibly better for high-volume printing, with lower ‘per page’ costs and they better black intensity text than most ink jets. Laser printers tend to have a faster page rate but ink jets still offer the important advantages in affordable colour printing.
For home use, you’ll probably want to print out digital photos or graphics, which makes colour a must. The traditional differentiation between lasers and ink jets has been office versus home use; however, colour offers obvious presentation advantages for business use as well. Fortunately, prices for both categories of printers have come down enough to make it practical to purchase both a laser and an ink jet if you absolutely need both colour and high-quality text.
The work you do
There are a number of different printer configurations available today, many of them quite specialised in the applications. There are specialised photo printers, direct disc CD printers, Multifunction printers, desktop ink jets and high-speed lasers.
If you want a printer that is specifically designed for printing photographs, you will most likely look for a colour ink-jet system that is a photo printer, allowing very high quality colour output and capable of printing all the way to the edge of the page. Recent releases by major brands now include all-in-one Multifunction devices that include scanning and printing capabilities. Many smaller units that are designed purely as a photo-printer to plug directly into your digital camera are also available. Much the same can be said for CD or DVD printing, with specialist printers available for printing directly onto discs, saving label application.
On the other hand if you are a small home-office worker, then your requirements may be more general, in which case you need to make a printer decision based on the types of documents your produce and how many. In general terms, ink-jet printers offer high quality colour outputs at a low hardware cost, but high consumable cost. Lasers offer significantly higher speeds but at a much higher hardware cost. High volume usage however, reduces the cost per page considerably.
Multifunction printers (MFP) are often ideal for home office or student needs because they combine multiple functions into one unit, usually a scanner, printer, copier fax machine, doing a little bit of everything, and saving considerable desk and office space in the bargain. Generally ink-jet style printers, some MFP may trade-off performance for price and convenience ( e.g. lower resolution, slower print speed) than if you were to buy a printer and scanner individually.
You can buy Multifunction printers specially configured for printing photographs, with some machines providing the ability to scan directly from 35mm slides and store digital files and print them, which is ideal for archiving old photo libraries. However, the scanned images may not exhibit the same clarity and brightness of digitally capture photographs, or as the kind of quality that you can obtain from a deidcated scanner. Search Myshopping.com.au for the specifications you require and compare prices and performance between brands and technologies.
Dealing with Technical Talk
One of the specifications that you will be faced with, is that of resolution. Up to a point, a printer’s resolution determines aspects of its print quality. Images are made up of tiny dots of ink or toner that is applied to the page, and resolution is the term given to the number of dots per inch-quoted as dpi. This usually represented in a two-dimensional matrix (eg: 600 x 300 dpi). Most printers today support a basic 600 x 600 dpi resolution that produces adequate quality in most instances. Many ink jets, however, especially photo printers and high-end plotters, offer higher resolutions and more dots in the vertical plane than the horizontal.
Resolution ratings are not the whole story however. Many printer manufacturers now incorporate smoothing and enhancing features through software algorithms. This means that some output from printers with a lower dpi looks just as good as that from a higher dpi unit. And, although some printers have very high resolutions, you’re not likely to notice any difference in quality with common print jobs once you go above 600 x 600 dpi resolution. What you will notice however, is much higher consumption of inks or toner. It is noteworthy, and perhaps obvious to some, that the higher resolution you are printing at, the higher will be your consumable consumption, and this is the most expensive part of your printer.
Speed is another important consideration. Vary rarely will you find that your printer performs at the ‘pages-per-minute’ rate (ppm) that is advertised or cited in the specification. There are a number of reasons for this including the size of the file being printed, the amount of ink coverage on the page, the proportion of black to other colours, the weight of the paper stock and possibly even the constancy of the power supply of electricity to your premises. This is not to day that the manufacturers, under laboratory conditions are not able to make the machine perform at spec, just not to rely on the claim as a gospel figure. However you can use the speed ratings to make some judgement of performance differences between brands and models. If speed is an important consideration, then you can short-list printers that claim to perform above a certain rate and the compare other factors. You can do this at Myshopping.com.au simply by searching for printers that offer a certain ppm speed.
Laser printers use powder toner that is electromagnetically attracted to the page by an image temporarily made on a transfer drum through a laser scanning process, and then fused to the page with a heat-setting system. This toner is supplied in cartridges, usually one for each of a four-colour printing system (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Manufactures give some estimate of how many pages of a given size each toner cartridge will print, based on a predetermined proportion of coverage (say 10%). As with the speed claims, these estimates are rarely accurate, but can be used to make some judgement between makes and models. The higher resolution of image you are printing, the more toner will be used in the process. Ink jet printers use a liquid ink stored in tanks that are sprayed by very fine nozzles onto the page as they are required. Just as you replace the toner cartridges in the laser system, you replace ink tanks when they’re depleted in an ink jet printer.
It is important to understand that even thought the printer might be cheap, consumables is where the manufacturers actually make enormous profits, so be sure to consider replacement consumables when doing your cost comparisons. With ink jet printers, some have colour cartridges in one unit, others have separate colour units. In the long run, separate tanks will most likely work out cheaper, because as one colour runs out, you replace only that colour. When all colours are housed in the one cartridge unit, you may have a nearly full tank of cyan when the yellow is completely gone, and you have to throw away unused ink. Not only does this waste your money, it can also be environmentally expensive.
Cost
There are two parts to your cost assessment of a printer. The first is the purchase price of the printer itself. This can vary considerably between brands and models, and is usually differentiated through different features being offered. Use Myshopping.com.au to search for a printer based on a given price range and compare the features. However, possibly more important is the ongoing cost, often measured in cost per page. A typical ink jet printer may cost you 40-50 cents per printed page, depending on how much ink you are using on the page, it may even cost more. By comparison, a colour laser may work out to 15-20 cents per page. These costs don’t usually include the paper stock, and are based on consumables and maintenance costs. Companies like Xerox often supply large colour Laser printers for a cost per page fee.
One cost assessment technique is to estimate how much printing you will do in a given period, load your calculations with a percentage of ink coverage (if you are printing all full gloss and high resolution photographs, for example, you might load the cost per page by a factor of 8-10), factor in the machine cost and make a comparison of what you will spend in a year, including the cost of the printer.
Other things you might consider
How paper travels through a printer can affect your whole printer experience. The closest you can get to a ’straight through’ paper path, the more trouble-free your printer will be. If all your printing is only on plain white bond paper, then paper path will possibly not be a major consideration. But if you’re printing on photographic stock, thick paper, envelopes, transparent film or other materials, then be sure the print path is compatible with your requirements. How you connect to your computer might also be a consideration, especially if you work with large files where connection speed is a consideration. Most printers today offer relatively high-speed USB interfaces. But you might want to consider wireless connections or networking capabilities.
When choosing a Laser printer, on-board RAM (read only memory) might be a consideration. A printer with a standard 64 Megabytes of RAM will be slow to print a quantity of documents that are larger in size than the printer’s memory. If large documents are a consideration, make sure you can upgrade the printer’s memory. The printer driver provides the software interface to your printer, offering you on-screen control over copies, page size, orientation, resolution, text smoothing and paper thickness and type. Many drivers now include advanced features and enable you to create your own custom-setting profiles for quick selection. Moreover a good driver provides complete printer management from on-screen, including paper jams and job queue management. Ink-jet drivers often provide graphical indications of remaining ink levels for each colour.
Search using Myshopping.com.au
Consider any bundled software offerings when you’re choosing a printer, for this can mean a significant bonus in value-added software. Bundled applications might include greeting card, poster, and banner creators, and photo editing programs. With computing becoming a major component of education, software for kids that provide a user-friendly way to create word processing and graphics documents can be a major bonus. Space may be an issue in your office, in which case you should consider the amount of space the printer will need to operate efficiently. This is often more than just its footprint. You need to also consider access to paper trays and airflow around the machine. While basic printer configurations may be fine for your immediate needs, take a look at the options available and their costs for each unit before you buy. You may see future applications. This is easy to do using Myshopping.com.au where you can simply compare types of technology, prices, vendors and the options each one offers.
One of the more perplexing decisions when faced with choosing a new printer is which print technology is going to suit you best. At the moment there are two main printing systems: the laser technology, using toner cartridges and a transfer drum assembly; and ink jets using ink tank cartridges and fine-spray nozzles. The method that will suit you best will depend largely on what you plan to print on your new printer, and cost factors that affect the costs of running it. Laser printers are possibly better for high-volume printing, with lower ‘per page’ costs and they better black intensity text than most ink jets. Laser printers tend to have a faster page rate but ink jets still offer the important advantages in affordable colour printing.
For home use, you’ll probably want to print out digital photos or graphics, which makes colour a must. The traditional differentiation between lasers and ink jets has been office versus home use; however, colour offers obvious presentation advantages for business use as well. Fortunately, prices for both categories of printers have come down enough to make it practical to purchase both a laser and an ink jet if you absolutely need both colour and high-quality text.
The work you do
There are a number of different printer configurations available today, many of them quite specialised in the applications. There are specialised photo printers, direct disc CD printers, Multifunction printers, desktop ink jets and high-speed lasers.
If you want a printer that is specifically designed for printing photographs, you will most likely look for a colour ink-jet system that is a photo printer, allowing very high quality colour output and capable of printing all the way to the edge of the page. Recent releases by major brands now include all-in-one Multifunction devices that include scanning and printing capabilities. Many smaller units that are designed purely as a photo-printer to plug directly into your digital camera are also available. Much the same can be said for CD or DVD printing, with specialist printers available for printing directly onto discs, saving label application.
On the other hand if you are a small home-office worker, then your requirements may be more general, in which case you need to make a printer decision based on the types of documents your produce and how many. In general terms, ink-jet printers offer high quality colour outputs at a low hardware cost, but high consumable cost. Lasers offer significantly higher speeds but at a much higher hardware cost. High volume usage however, reduces the cost per page considerably.
Multifunction printers (MFP) are often ideal for home office or student needs because they combine multiple functions into one unit, usually a scanner, printer, copier fax machine, doing a little bit of everything, and saving considerable desk and office space in the bargain. Generally ink-jet style printers, some MFP may trade-off performance for price and convenience ( e.g. lower resolution, slower print speed) than if you were to buy a printer and scanner individually.
You can buy Multifunction printers specially configured for printing photographs, with some machines providing the ability to scan directly from 35mm slides and store digital files and print them, which is ideal for archiving old photo libraries. However, the scanned images may not exhibit the same clarity and brightness of digitally capture photographs, or as the kind of quality that you can obtain from a deidcated scanner. Search Myshopping.com.au for the specifications you require and compare prices and performance between brands and technologies.
Dealing with Technical Talk
One of the specifications that you will be faced with, is that of resolution. Up to a point, a printer’s resolution determines aspects of its print quality. Images are made up of tiny dots of ink or toner that is applied to the page, and resolution is the term given to the number of dots per inch-quoted as dpi. This usually represented in a two-dimensional matrix (eg: 600 x 300 dpi). Most printers today support a basic 600 x 600 dpi resolution that produces adequate quality in most instances. Many ink jets, however, especially photo printers and high-end plotters, offer higher resolutions and more dots in the vertical plane than the horizontal.
Resolution ratings are not the whole story however. Many printer manufacturers now incorporate smoothing and enhancing features through software algorithms. This means that some output from printers with a lower dpi looks just as good as that from a higher dpi unit. And, although some printers have very high resolutions, you’re not likely to notice any difference in quality with common print jobs once you go above 600 x 600 dpi resolution. What you will notice however, is much higher consumption of inks or toner. It is noteworthy, and perhaps obvious to some, that the higher resolution you are printing at, the higher will be your consumable consumption, and this is the most expensive part of your printer.
Speed is another important consideration. Vary rarely will you find that your printer performs at the ‘pages-per-minute’ rate (ppm) that is advertised or cited in the specification. There are a number of reasons for this including the size of the file being printed, the amount of ink coverage on the page, the proportion of black to other colours, the weight of the paper stock and possibly even the constancy of the power supply of electricity to your premises. This is not to day that the manufacturers, under laboratory conditions are not able to make the machine perform at spec, just not to rely on the claim as a gospel figure. However you can use the speed ratings to make some judgement of performance differences between brands and models. If speed is an important consideration, then you can short-list printers that claim to perform above a certain rate and the compare other factors. You can do this at Myshopping.com.au simply by searching for printers that offer a certain ppm speed.
Laser printers use powder toner that is electromagnetically attracted to the page by an image temporarily made on a transfer drum through a laser scanning process, and then fused to the page with a heat-setting system. This toner is supplied in cartridges, usually one for each of a four-colour printing system (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Manufactures give some estimate of how many pages of a given size each toner cartridge will print, based on a predetermined proportion of coverage (say 10%). As with the speed claims, these estimates are rarely accurate, but can be used to make some judgement between makes and models. The higher resolution of image you are printing, the more toner will be used in the process. Ink jet printers use a liquid ink stored in tanks that are sprayed by very fine nozzles onto the page as they are required. Just as you replace the toner cartridges in the laser system, you replace ink tanks when they’re depleted in an ink jet printer.
It is important to understand that even thought the printer might be cheap, consumables is where the manufacturers actually make enormous profits, so be sure to consider replacement consumables when doing your cost comparisons. With ink jet printers, some have colour cartridges in one unit, others have separate colour units. In the long run, separate tanks will most likely work out cheaper, because as one colour runs out, you replace only that colour. When all colours are housed in the one cartridge unit, you may have a nearly full tank of cyan when the yellow is completely gone, and you have to throw away unused ink. Not only does this waste your money, it can also be environmentally expensive.
Cost
There are two parts to your cost assessment of a printer. The first is the purchase price of the printer itself. This can vary considerably between brands and models, and is usually differentiated through different features being offered. Use Myshopping.com.au to search for a printer based on a given price range and compare the features. However, possibly more important is the ongoing cost, often measured in cost per page. A typical ink jet printer may cost you 40-50 cents per printed page, depending on how much ink you are using on the page, it may even cost more. By comparison, a colour laser may work out to 15-20 cents per page. These costs don’t usually include the paper stock, and are based on consumables and maintenance costs. Companies like Xerox often supply large colour Laser printers for a cost per page fee.
One cost assessment technique is to estimate how much printing you will do in a given period, load your calculations with a percentage of ink coverage (if you are printing all full gloss and high resolution photographs, for example, you might load the cost per page by a factor of 8-10), factor in the machine cost and make a comparison of what you will spend in a year, including the cost of the printer.
Other things you might consider
How paper travels through a printer can affect your whole printer experience. The closest you can get to a ’straight through’ paper path, the more trouble-free your printer will be. If all your printing is only on plain white bond paper, then paper path will possibly not be a major consideration. But if you’re printing on photographic stock, thick paper, envelopes, transparent film or other materials, then be sure the print path is compatible with your requirements. How you connect to your computer might also be a consideration, especially if you work with large files where connection speed is a consideration. Most printers today offer relatively high-speed USB interfaces. But you might want to consider wireless connections or networking capabilities.
When choosing a Laser printer, on-board RAM (read only memory) might be a consideration. A printer with a standard 64 Megabytes of RAM will be slow to print a quantity of documents that are larger in size than the printer’s memory. If large documents are a consideration, make sure you can upgrade the printer’s memory. The printer driver provides the software interface to your printer, offering you on-screen control over copies, page size, orientation, resolution, text smoothing and paper thickness and type. Many drivers now include advanced features and enable you to create your own custom-setting profiles for quick selection. Moreover a good driver provides complete printer management from on-screen, including paper jams and job queue management. Ink-jet drivers often provide graphical indications of remaining ink levels for each colour.
Search using Myshopping.com.au
Consider any bundled software offerings when you’re choosing a printer, for this can mean a significant bonus in value-added software. Bundled applications might include greeting card, poster, and banner creators, and photo editing programs. With computing becoming a major component of education, software for kids that provide a user-friendly way to create word processing and graphics documents can be a major bonus. Space may be an issue in your office, in which case you should consider the amount of space the printer will need to operate efficiently. This is often more than just its footprint. You need to also consider access to paper trays and airflow around the machine. While basic printer configurations may be fine for your immediate needs, take a look at the options available and their costs for each unit before you buy. You may see future applications. This is easy to do using Myshopping.com.au where you can simply compare types of technology, prices, vendors and the options each one offers.
Kevin Gabrik of Techwaredist.com asked:
There are many factors to consider when making a decision on which CD printer to purchase for your business. This article will touch on a few of the basics like choosing the right printer manufacturer, cost of CD printers, inkjet or thermal, productivity, speed and durability. Part 2 of this article will dig in deeper on the basic criteria listed above as well as on more advanced points like print quality, color matching, unique printing on each disc, total cost of ownership, used DVD / CD printers and buying from a reputable dealer.
For the purposes of this article I’m focusing on just DVD / CD printers, not duplicators with printers that can print and/or copy CDs and DVDs at the same time. I will save that topic for a future article.
The goal of this article is to give you a basis for making the best decision when purchasing a CD printer so you get it right the first time. In this economy, you can’t afford to make the mistake of buying the wrong printer for your CDs and DVDs. Spending money on the wrong CD / DVD printer for your needs and wasting time figuring it out is both frustrating and a misuse of your company’s resources.
The research for this article was acquired over 13 years of selling, using, testing, supporting, and repairing CD and DVD printers. My experience is with mid-level and high-end professional disc printers, so these tips may not be relevant for potential purchasers of entry-level hand feed on-disc printers that sell for $300 or less. Sub $300 disc printers clearly have a niche, but for professional CD printing needs they tend to have high consumable costs, poor technical support, slow print speeds and in many cases poor print quality.
Tip #1 – Start with the Big 3 Manufacturers
Rimage, Microboards and Primera have been in the CD printer and duplicator manufacturing business since it’s infancy. In my estimation they have over an 80% market share of the CD / DVD printers sold in the world. The “Big 3″ are the leaders in their respective print technologies and offer the most stability in the disc printer marketplace. These three manufacturers are in a better position to be in business and support you than their less stable competitors in the coming months and years. They also have proven technical support and post-warranty support that is superior to the other manufacturers in the CD / DVD duplication and printing market.
Tip #2 – Cost of the CD / DVD printer – Inkjet or Thermal
Costs vary widely, but the main defining points are the type of print engine technology employed in the printer – inkjet or thermal transfer, and whether or not the CD printing system is manual or automated. Inkjet based CD / DVD printers are less expensive than thermal transfer CD printers. A good automated inkjet printer costs $2500, while a good color thermal transfer CD printer costs $8500 or more. Disc capacity and software features also play a role in cost. Part 2 of this article will dive in deeper on the pros and cons of inkjet and thermal based printers.
Tip #3 – Automated or Manual?
Choosing between a printer that you manually hand feed the CDs or DVDs, or picking a automated CD printer with a robotic arm or mechanism that moves and prints the discs for you is a big decision in regards to upfront costs, labor, and productivity. Good hand-fed manual disc printers start at $699, whereas an entry-level automated CD printer with a 20-disc capacity costs about $999. Larger and faster automated systems that hold as many as 300-discs can cost up to $9500. So how do you decide which is best for you?
First, estimate the number of discs you will need to print per week, per month and per year. Factor in any growth in that number quarter over quarter or year over year. I have found that many organizations under-estimate their usage projections because they fail to take into account that other departments or employees will need the services of the new CD printer as well. Second, determine if you will have intense peak periods of CD or DVD production. Many organizations need to produce discs only 1 once a week or month, but need all 100 or 500 in a few hours or just one day. Third, determine what is the value of your time. Do you have the time to put each disc in the printer by hand, or is your time or that of your employee better spent doing something else?
Tip #4 – Speed
A question I get over and over again is how many discs per hour or day can a CD printer print? The speed at which a CD or DVD is printed depends on a few factors. (1) Print coverage, (2) the resolution chosen in the printer driver, and (3) the actual printer itself. For example, an inkjet printer that prints a CD label with a small color logo, just a few lines of text, with the print driver set at a lower resolution, can print 200 CD’s per hour. That same printer may only have a print throughput of 50 CD’s an hour with a full color edge-to-edge graphic and the print driver set to the highest resolution.
To a lesser degree the same holds true for thermal CD printers. The Rimage Prism thermal CD printer will have greater throughput with less print coverage, but will not suffer as drastic a drop off in throughput while printing a graphic with more print coverage like inkjet printers do. Interestingly, the Rimage Everest thermal printer has the same disc per hour throughput with one line of text in the graphic label as another artwork featuring 100% print coverage. The Rimage Everest III and Everest 600 printers will each print about 65 discs per hour regardless of print coverage.
Tip # 5 – CD Printer Durability
Generally disc printers that are made out of plastic are less durable than those made out of metal. Most inkjet printers that I have used and tested over the years are made mostly of plastic components whereas most of the thermal printers are made from metal parts. That being said we have had good success and our customers have had success with Primera and Microboards inkjet printers with an average useful in-service life of 3-5 years depending on how the users treat them. We have some Rimage Prism thermal printers in our CD / DVD production room that are well into their 10th year of service. As a footnote, these thermal and inkjet CD printers have had scheduled cleanings and parts replacement over the years.
In Conclusion
Begin your DVD CD printer research with the three major manufacturers – Rimage, Microboards, and Primera. Forecast your daily, monthly and yearly CD and DVD printing needs and determine whether a manual or automated printer makes more sense. Look at both inkjet and thermal options, while keeping in mind your budget and how long you would like the CD printer to last. If you do not have the budget for the CD printer that best fits your needs, try looking for a good used printer or you may find that outsourcing your CD and DVD duplication and printing to a professional service company makes more business sense.
There are many factors to consider when making a decision on which CD printer to purchase for your business. This article will touch on a few of the basics like choosing the right printer manufacturer, cost of CD printers, inkjet or thermal, productivity, speed and durability. Part 2 of this article will dig in deeper on the basic criteria listed above as well as on more advanced points like print quality, color matching, unique printing on each disc, total cost of ownership, used DVD / CD printers and buying from a reputable dealer.
For the purposes of this article I’m focusing on just DVD / CD printers, not duplicators with printers that can print and/or copy CDs and DVDs at the same time. I will save that topic for a future article.
The goal of this article is to give you a basis for making the best decision when purchasing a CD printer so you get it right the first time. In this economy, you can’t afford to make the mistake of buying the wrong printer for your CDs and DVDs. Spending money on the wrong CD / DVD printer for your needs and wasting time figuring it out is both frustrating and a misuse of your company’s resources.
The research for this article was acquired over 13 years of selling, using, testing, supporting, and repairing CD and DVD printers. My experience is with mid-level and high-end professional disc printers, so these tips may not be relevant for potential purchasers of entry-level hand feed on-disc printers that sell for $300 or less. Sub $300 disc printers clearly have a niche, but for professional CD printing needs they tend to have high consumable costs, poor technical support, slow print speeds and in many cases poor print quality.
Tip #1 – Start with the Big 3 Manufacturers
Rimage, Microboards and Primera have been in the CD printer and duplicator manufacturing business since it’s infancy. In my estimation they have over an 80% market share of the CD / DVD printers sold in the world. The “Big 3″ are the leaders in their respective print technologies and offer the most stability in the disc printer marketplace. These three manufacturers are in a better position to be in business and support you than their less stable competitors in the coming months and years. They also have proven technical support and post-warranty support that is superior to the other manufacturers in the CD / DVD duplication and printing market.
Tip #2 – Cost of the CD / DVD printer – Inkjet or Thermal
Costs vary widely, but the main defining points are the type of print engine technology employed in the printer – inkjet or thermal transfer, and whether or not the CD printing system is manual or automated. Inkjet based CD / DVD printers are less expensive than thermal transfer CD printers. A good automated inkjet printer costs $2500, while a good color thermal transfer CD printer costs $8500 or more. Disc capacity and software features also play a role in cost. Part 2 of this article will dive in deeper on the pros and cons of inkjet and thermal based printers.
Tip #3 – Automated or Manual?
Choosing between a printer that you manually hand feed the CDs or DVDs, or picking a automated CD printer with a robotic arm or mechanism that moves and prints the discs for you is a big decision in regards to upfront costs, labor, and productivity. Good hand-fed manual disc printers start at $699, whereas an entry-level automated CD printer with a 20-disc capacity costs about $999. Larger and faster automated systems that hold as many as 300-discs can cost up to $9500. So how do you decide which is best for you?
First, estimate the number of discs you will need to print per week, per month and per year. Factor in any growth in that number quarter over quarter or year over year. I have found that many organizations under-estimate their usage projections because they fail to take into account that other departments or employees will need the services of the new CD printer as well. Second, determine if you will have intense peak periods of CD or DVD production. Many organizations need to produce discs only 1 once a week or month, but need all 100 or 500 in a few hours or just one day. Third, determine what is the value of your time. Do you have the time to put each disc in the printer by hand, or is your time or that of your employee better spent doing something else?
Tip #4 – Speed
A question I get over and over again is how many discs per hour or day can a CD printer print? The speed at which a CD or DVD is printed depends on a few factors. (1) Print coverage, (2) the resolution chosen in the printer driver, and (3) the actual printer itself. For example, an inkjet printer that prints a CD label with a small color logo, just a few lines of text, with the print driver set at a lower resolution, can print 200 CD’s per hour. That same printer may only have a print throughput of 50 CD’s an hour with a full color edge-to-edge graphic and the print driver set to the highest resolution.
To a lesser degree the same holds true for thermal CD printers. The Rimage Prism thermal CD printer will have greater throughput with less print coverage, but will not suffer as drastic a drop off in throughput while printing a graphic with more print coverage like inkjet printers do. Interestingly, the Rimage Everest thermal printer has the same disc per hour throughput with one line of text in the graphic label as another artwork featuring 100% print coverage. The Rimage Everest III and Everest 600 printers will each print about 65 discs per hour regardless of print coverage.
Tip # 5 – CD Printer Durability
Generally disc printers that are made out of plastic are less durable than those made out of metal. Most inkjet printers that I have used and tested over the years are made mostly of plastic components whereas most of the thermal printers are made from metal parts. That being said we have had good success and our customers have had success with Primera and Microboards inkjet printers with an average useful in-service life of 3-5 years depending on how the users treat them. We have some Rimage Prism thermal printers in our CD / DVD production room that are well into their 10th year of service. As a footnote, these thermal and inkjet CD printers have had scheduled cleanings and parts replacement over the years.
In Conclusion
Begin your DVD CD printer research with the three major manufacturers – Rimage, Microboards, and Primera. Forecast your daily, monthly and yearly CD and DVD printing needs and determine whether a manual or automated printer makes more sense. Look at both inkjet and thermal options, while keeping in mind your budget and how long you would like the CD printer to last. If you do not have the budget for the CD printer that best fits your needs, try looking for a good used printer or you may find that outsourcing your CD and DVD duplication and printing to a professional service company makes more business sense.
Charles Sutton asked:
Choosing a printer – inkjet or laser?
The right printer is an essential part of your home or office computer set up. The buying process can be a confusing one, not least because leading manufacturers seem to release a new model of each type almost every day, and lets not forget the huge range of ink cartridges and laser toner, which seem to change on an hourly basis!
So, what is the best choice? Well, unfortunately there is no definitive answer for this question as it really depends on your individual needs. What you can do however, is clue yourself up on the advantages of each type, and make an informed decision when purchasing.
We’ve listed the two types of printer below, and included a simple list of the pro’s and con’s of each. After all, there is no sense in us waffling on when all you’re trying to do is buy the right printer!
Inkjet Printers – Pro’s
Cheap to buy. Main brand printers retail from as little as £30 (US$60).
Choice. Wide range available, from specialist photo printers to all in one printer/scanner/copier devices.
Footprint. An inkjet printer generally has smaller dimensions than a laser, often making it more suitable for the home office.
Ease of use. Designed primarily for the home and small office market, inkjets tend to be simple to use and have easily accessible features.
Paper options. Just about every printer manufacturer also offers its own range of printer paper. Depending on the desired finish you can choose anything from standard inkjet copier paper, to matt or gloss photo paper specifically designed for this type of printer.
Inkjet Printers – Con’s
Cost per copy. Despite the low initial purchase price of an inkjet printer, the cost per printed page remains high when compared to laser printing due to the higher relative cost of ink cartridges vs. laser toner. This issue however is not particularly serious for home users, who print in low volumes. It becomes more of an issue the more pages you print. Buying your ink cartridges from www.accentyourpc.co.uk could help to minimise this difference even further.
Efficiency. Since inkjet printers spray ink on to the page, the result is that much of the ink cartridge is wasted through absorption when using standard paper. High quality prints often require multiple coats of ink to ensure the correct density and therefore maximum clarity.
Print speed. Inkjet printers are much slower than laser printers in general, especially when printing in colour.
Longevity. Inkjet printers tend to be produced on the cheap in order to keep retail prices down. The quality of components can be much lower than laser printers. The fact that they spray ink to the page also means that they are liable to clogging over time. An inkjet printer will rarely outlast a laser if both are subjected to equal use.
Accuracy. Spraying ink on to a page from ink cartridges is much less accurate than the precise methods of a laser printer. This results in a slight blur effect on most printed pages.
Vibration. The movement of the ink cartridges or print nozzle across the page whilst printing can often lead to a strong vibration effect if the printer is placed on a computer desk. This can prove to be an annoyance for some people.
Ink drying time. It stands to reason that the ink is sprayed on to the page wet. Consequently, pages require a little time to dry before being picked up. Ignoring the drying requirements can see smudges appearing across your printed document. Inkjet prints also do not stand up to rain very well, which whilst not normally a problem, if you print the address on an envelope with an inkjet, postal workers may have a hard time reading it on occasion!
Inkjet Printers – Summary
If you print mainly at home and in lower volumes, consider an inkjet printer. They are versatile thanks to the range of combination devices, and the cost per copy, whilst relatively high, is probably largely irrelevant to you thanks to the low purchase price. A wide choice of paper gives you a good selection of finishes for your photo prints and the quality is likely to be more than satisfactory for framing and display.
Laser Printers – Pro’s
Cost per copy. Laser technology makes very efficient use of toner when printing resulting in a low cost per copy. Whilst toner cartridges appear expensive, you can usually print somewhere in the region of 4,000 pages before replacing your laser toner cartridge. Compared to an approximate average yield of 300 pages for a typical ink cartridge costing roughly a third of the price, the long term savings are highly apparent. Laser copier paper is also generally cheaper than the equivalent paper designed for inkjet printers.
Efficiency. These printers work by attracting the laser toner (ink) on to the page using an electronic charge. Since the printer is able to calculate the precise pattern of the print, only the exact amount of laser toner required is applied. This results in very little wastage.
Print speed. Laser printers are able to print at very quick speeds, in some cases up to 35 pages per minute. Compared to approximately 10-15 pages per minute for an inkjet printer, this represents a significant advantage during large print runs, or when production time is critical.
Longevity. A properly maintained laser printer can last for many years and print in excess of a million copies during this time providing you use the recommended original laser toner cartridges.
Accuracy. The electrostatic technology behind laser printers ensures that the ink is applied to the toner in a highly precise manner. Since the ink is not sprayed but attracted to the page via an electronic charge there is little margin for error.
Print quality. Once the toner has been attracted on to the page it is then heated causing it to fuse with the paper. This produces a clean and clear finish which is water resistant and has a natural sheen. Photo paper can be used to give a gloss or matt finish to an image printed on a colour laser printer.
Networking features. Laser printers often have built in networking designed for environments where multiple users require the ability to print over a network.
No ink expiry. Whilst ink cartridges for inkjet printers can dry and be rendered useless if left unused for an extended period, laser toner does not suffer from this issue.
Laser Printers – Con’s
Expensive to buy. Traditionally, laser printers cost more to acquire than their inkjet counterparts. However, this trend is now changing with mono laser printers starting to appear on the market for as little as £100 (US$200). Colour laser printers however, remain relatively expensive, priced at around the £300 (US$600) for an entry level model.
Footprint. Laser printers tend to be larger in size than inkjet models, which can cause an issue for home users, yet presents less of a problem in the office environment.
Electricity requirement. Laser printers have a higher power requirement than inkjet printers which may be noticeable on your electricity bill over time.
Warm up time. If a laser printer has not been used for a while, it requires time to warm up the printing drum before a print can be output. This time varies considerably, but is extended if the printer has been switched completely off to save power.
Laser Printers – Summary
For home users who print mainly text documents a mono laser printer may be an economical choice. The initial purchase price aside, you are likely to see a better return on your investment over time. Until colour lasers reduce significantly in price, users wishing to undertake colour printing at home may be better served with an inkjet printer for the time being.
In terms of office users, the increase in print volume seen in any typical office justifies the purchase of a laser printer, colour or mono, from the outset. Choosing an inkjet for business would almost certainly be false economy unless it is required for a special task such as large format printing on paper of A3 size or above.
Don’t forget, when your cartridges do run out, visit www.accentyourpc.co.uk for the best deals on ink cartridges and laser toner.
Stay tuned for our next article!
Choosing a printer – inkjet or laser?
The right printer is an essential part of your home or office computer set up. The buying process can be a confusing one, not least because leading manufacturers seem to release a new model of each type almost every day, and lets not forget the huge range of ink cartridges and laser toner, which seem to change on an hourly basis!
So, what is the best choice? Well, unfortunately there is no definitive answer for this question as it really depends on your individual needs. What you can do however, is clue yourself up on the advantages of each type, and make an informed decision when purchasing.
We’ve listed the two types of printer below, and included a simple list of the pro’s and con’s of each. After all, there is no sense in us waffling on when all you’re trying to do is buy the right printer!
Inkjet Printers – Pro’s
Cheap to buy. Main brand printers retail from as little as £30 (US$60).
Choice. Wide range available, from specialist photo printers to all in one printer/scanner/copier devices.
Footprint. An inkjet printer generally has smaller dimensions than a laser, often making it more suitable for the home office.
Ease of use. Designed primarily for the home and small office market, inkjets tend to be simple to use and have easily accessible features.
Paper options. Just about every printer manufacturer also offers its own range of printer paper. Depending on the desired finish you can choose anything from standard inkjet copier paper, to matt or gloss photo paper specifically designed for this type of printer.
Inkjet Printers – Con’s
Cost per copy. Despite the low initial purchase price of an inkjet printer, the cost per printed page remains high when compared to laser printing due to the higher relative cost of ink cartridges vs. laser toner. This issue however is not particularly serious for home users, who print in low volumes. It becomes more of an issue the more pages you print. Buying your ink cartridges from www.accentyourpc.co.uk could help to minimise this difference even further.
Efficiency. Since inkjet printers spray ink on to the page, the result is that much of the ink cartridge is wasted through absorption when using standard paper. High quality prints often require multiple coats of ink to ensure the correct density and therefore maximum clarity.
Print speed. Inkjet printers are much slower than laser printers in general, especially when printing in colour.
Longevity. Inkjet printers tend to be produced on the cheap in order to keep retail prices down. The quality of components can be much lower than laser printers. The fact that they spray ink to the page also means that they are liable to clogging over time. An inkjet printer will rarely outlast a laser if both are subjected to equal use.
Accuracy. Spraying ink on to a page from ink cartridges is much less accurate than the precise methods of a laser printer. This results in a slight blur effect on most printed pages.
Vibration. The movement of the ink cartridges or print nozzle across the page whilst printing can often lead to a strong vibration effect if the printer is placed on a computer desk. This can prove to be an annoyance for some people.
Ink drying time. It stands to reason that the ink is sprayed on to the page wet. Consequently, pages require a little time to dry before being picked up. Ignoring the drying requirements can see smudges appearing across your printed document. Inkjet prints also do not stand up to rain very well, which whilst not normally a problem, if you print the address on an envelope with an inkjet, postal workers may have a hard time reading it on occasion!
Inkjet Printers – Summary
If you print mainly at home and in lower volumes, consider an inkjet printer. They are versatile thanks to the range of combination devices, and the cost per copy, whilst relatively high, is probably largely irrelevant to you thanks to the low purchase price. A wide choice of paper gives you a good selection of finishes for your photo prints and the quality is likely to be more than satisfactory for framing and display.
Laser Printers – Pro’s
Cost per copy. Laser technology makes very efficient use of toner when printing resulting in a low cost per copy. Whilst toner cartridges appear expensive, you can usually print somewhere in the region of 4,000 pages before replacing your laser toner cartridge. Compared to an approximate average yield of 300 pages for a typical ink cartridge costing roughly a third of the price, the long term savings are highly apparent. Laser copier paper is also generally cheaper than the equivalent paper designed for inkjet printers.
Efficiency. These printers work by attracting the laser toner (ink) on to the page using an electronic charge. Since the printer is able to calculate the precise pattern of the print, only the exact amount of laser toner required is applied. This results in very little wastage.
Print speed. Laser printers are able to print at very quick speeds, in some cases up to 35 pages per minute. Compared to approximately 10-15 pages per minute for an inkjet printer, this represents a significant advantage during large print runs, or when production time is critical.
Longevity. A properly maintained laser printer can last for many years and print in excess of a million copies during this time providing you use the recommended original laser toner cartridges.
Accuracy. The electrostatic technology behind laser printers ensures that the ink is applied to the toner in a highly precise manner. Since the ink is not sprayed but attracted to the page via an electronic charge there is little margin for error.
Print quality. Once the toner has been attracted on to the page it is then heated causing it to fuse with the paper. This produces a clean and clear finish which is water resistant and has a natural sheen. Photo paper can be used to give a gloss or matt finish to an image printed on a colour laser printer.
Networking features. Laser printers often have built in networking designed for environments where multiple users require the ability to print over a network.
No ink expiry. Whilst ink cartridges for inkjet printers can dry and be rendered useless if left unused for an extended period, laser toner does not suffer from this issue.
Laser Printers – Con’s
Expensive to buy. Traditionally, laser printers cost more to acquire than their inkjet counterparts. However, this trend is now changing with mono laser printers starting to appear on the market for as little as £100 (US$200). Colour laser printers however, remain relatively expensive, priced at around the £300 (US$600) for an entry level model.
Footprint. Laser printers tend to be larger in size than inkjet models, which can cause an issue for home users, yet presents less of a problem in the office environment.
Electricity requirement. Laser printers have a higher power requirement than inkjet printers which may be noticeable on your electricity bill over time.
Warm up time. If a laser printer has not been used for a while, it requires time to warm up the printing drum before a print can be output. This time varies considerably, but is extended if the printer has been switched completely off to save power.
Laser Printers – Summary
For home users who print mainly text documents a mono laser printer may be an economical choice. The initial purchase price aside, you are likely to see a better return on your investment over time. Until colour lasers reduce significantly in price, users wishing to undertake colour printing at home may be better served with an inkjet printer for the time being.
In terms of office users, the increase in print volume seen in any typical office justifies the purchase of a laser printer, colour or mono, from the outset. Choosing an inkjet for business would almost certainly be false economy unless it is required for a special task such as large format printing on paper of A3 size or above.
Don’t forget, when your cartridges do run out, visit www.accentyourpc.co.uk for the best deals on ink cartridges and laser toner.
Stay tuned for our next article!
John C. Arkin asked:
What is a Computer Printer?
A computer printer is a device that would allow a user to create a hardcopy of a document or image that is electronically created. Normally, the electronic data is created through a computer. Today, printers can now be attached to a digital camera or a scanner to develop the hard copy of the document or image.
Kinds of Computer Printer Technology
Computer technologies found in printers that are available in the market today can be grouped into two: impact and non-impact.
Impact printers refer to printers where the image or text is developed by the printer head touching the paper to be printed on. These kinds of printers were developed based on the concept followed by the typewriter. Impact printers usually use a printer ribbon to transfer the text and the image to the paper surface. These kinds of printers are often limited in functions and only produced low resolution text and images. Because of the process of transferring the text and image on the paper with the printer head touching the ribbon and paper, these printers can be quite noisy to use. The most common kind of impact printers that is still being used today is the dot-matrix printer.
Common Non-Impact Printers
Inkjet printers
Laser printers
Solid ink printers
Thermal printers
Dye sublimation printers
Non-Impact Printer Technology
Modern-day printers use a number of technologies that allow them to create high quality images and text at a short amount of time. The most common non-impact printer technology is the use of liquid ink. This is commonly found in inkjet printers. The liquid ink is sprayed directly onto the paper surface through ultra fine nozzles located on the printer head.
Another printing technology that is found in modern-day printers is the use of heat. A special paper is passed through and then heated using varying temperatures in order to develop the text and image.
Some printers use a combination of these printer technologies in order to provide high quality text and images. One example is the solid ink printer. It combines the technology used in inkjet printers and thermal printers. First, the printer uses heat to melt the solid ink sticks before it is then sprayed on the paper before it hardens.
Another printer that uses a number of printer technologies is the laser printer. The printer first uses electrostatic charges to allow the toner to stick onto the light-sensitive drum. It then uses a beam of laser light to keep the static energy from dissipating. This forms the text or image to be printed. The toner is then transferred to the paper. Finally, the paper is then heated to embed the toner onto the paper permanently.
What is a Computer Printer?
A computer printer is a device that would allow a user to create a hardcopy of a document or image that is electronically created. Normally, the electronic data is created through a computer. Today, printers can now be attached to a digital camera or a scanner to develop the hard copy of the document or image.
Kinds of Computer Printer Technology
Computer technologies found in printers that are available in the market today can be grouped into two: impact and non-impact.
Impact printers refer to printers where the image or text is developed by the printer head touching the paper to be printed on. These kinds of printers were developed based on the concept followed by the typewriter. Impact printers usually use a printer ribbon to transfer the text and the image to the paper surface. These kinds of printers are often limited in functions and only produced low resolution text and images. Because of the process of transferring the text and image on the paper with the printer head touching the ribbon and paper, these printers can be quite noisy to use. The most common kind of impact printers that is still being used today is the dot-matrix printer.
Common Non-Impact Printers
Inkjet printers
Laser printers
Solid ink printers
Thermal printers
Dye sublimation printers
Non-Impact Printer Technology
Modern-day printers use a number of technologies that allow them to create high quality images and text at a short amount of time. The most common non-impact printer technology is the use of liquid ink. This is commonly found in inkjet printers. The liquid ink is sprayed directly onto the paper surface through ultra fine nozzles located on the printer head.
Another printing technology that is found in modern-day printers is the use of heat. A special paper is passed through and then heated using varying temperatures in order to develop the text and image.
Some printers use a combination of these printer technologies in order to provide high quality text and images. One example is the solid ink printer. It combines the technology used in inkjet printers and thermal printers. First, the printer uses heat to melt the solid ink sticks before it is then sprayed on the paper before it hardens.
Another printer that uses a number of printer technologies is the laser printer. The printer first uses electrostatic charges to allow the toner to stick onto the light-sensitive drum. It then uses a beam of laser light to keep the static energy from dissipating. This forms the text or image to be printed. The toner is then transferred to the paper. Finally, the paper is then heated to embed the toner onto the paper permanently.
Nitzan Daphna asked:
Why is it important to research before buy computer peripherals? The answer is simple, just to get the best quality in cheaper rates. Whenever you buy cartridges, you are sure to negotiate on its price, you are sure to buy the best quality product, you would want to get discount, you would want to get special offers, you would want to get a good quantity of it. To get all these benefits on your purchase of cartridges, it is very necessary to research the market before buying the cartridge so that you do not run into losses. It is important to make research before buying printer ink and toner cartridge as researching and analyzing the market before shopping for cartridges would prove to be a lot beneficial for you as you may get the best product in cheap rates thereby saving some extra cash.
Saving money by spending less is the first priority of a buyer when buying cartridges. It depends upon the type of cartridge you buy. An OEM cartridge is the new original cartridge manufactured by the original manufacturer under the same brand name. Compatible ink or toner cartridge is the one manufactured with original parts but not by the original manufacturer. These cartridges work good or even better than OEM cartridges. Compatible cartridges are much cheaper than OEM cartridges. A remanufactured cartridge is the one which is being re-used by recycling it. A cartridge which is disassembled, cleaned, refilled and assembled again before being sold is the remanufactured cartridge. The price of these cartridges is half or one-third the price of OEM cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges give the finest print quality. There is absolutely no doubt on their quality.
For spending less and saving more on buying the good quality cartridge as an OEM cartridge, you should opt for the compatible or remanufactured cartridges. This is why it is important to research on the prices of cartridges before buying them so that you add some extra cash to your pockets and do not get into losses.
The second thing why you need to research before buying printer ink and toner cartridges is the quality factor. In spite of spending a good amount of money, if you get a cartridge which does not best suit your printer then it would be like throwing money to the garbage. Researching on the quality of the cartridge should be one of your priorities when looking to buy the ink or toner cartridge. The best the quality, the better the print. Getting the best quality of the ink or toner cartridge is worth investing money.
Buying under special offers can save you money as well. For doing so, research is well needed. In this point, you need to research on what offers are coming to the market. Which retailer or superstore is selling the ink or toner cartridges under special offers like one cartridge free on purchase of two. Discounts provided on cartridges can be another way to save money. Prefer to go for those retailers or superstores who offer discount on cartridges and discount coupons. This is why research is necessary to be done in order to save money on buying cartridges.
Why is it important to research before buy computer peripherals? The answer is simple, just to get the best quality in cheaper rates. Whenever you buy cartridges, you are sure to negotiate on its price, you are sure to buy the best quality product, you would want to get discount, you would want to get special offers, you would want to get a good quantity of it. To get all these benefits on your purchase of cartridges, it is very necessary to research the market before buying the cartridge so that you do not run into losses. It is important to make research before buying printer ink and toner cartridge as researching and analyzing the market before shopping for cartridges would prove to be a lot beneficial for you as you may get the best product in cheap rates thereby saving some extra cash.
Saving money by spending less is the first priority of a buyer when buying cartridges. It depends upon the type of cartridge you buy. An OEM cartridge is the new original cartridge manufactured by the original manufacturer under the same brand name. Compatible ink or toner cartridge is the one manufactured with original parts but not by the original manufacturer. These cartridges work good or even better than OEM cartridges. Compatible cartridges are much cheaper than OEM cartridges. A remanufactured cartridge is the one which is being re-used by recycling it. A cartridge which is disassembled, cleaned, refilled and assembled again before being sold is the remanufactured cartridge. The price of these cartridges is half or one-third the price of OEM cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges give the finest print quality. There is absolutely no doubt on their quality.
For spending less and saving more on buying the good quality cartridge as an OEM cartridge, you should opt for the compatible or remanufactured cartridges. This is why it is important to research on the prices of cartridges before buying them so that you add some extra cash to your pockets and do not get into losses.
The second thing why you need to research before buying printer ink and toner cartridges is the quality factor. In spite of spending a good amount of money, if you get a cartridge which does not best suit your printer then it would be like throwing money to the garbage. Researching on the quality of the cartridge should be one of your priorities when looking to buy the ink or toner cartridge. The best the quality, the better the print. Getting the best quality of the ink or toner cartridge is worth investing money.
Buying under special offers can save you money as well. For doing so, research is well needed. In this point, you need to research on what offers are coming to the market. Which retailer or superstore is selling the ink or toner cartridges under special offers like one cartridge free on purchase of two. Discounts provided on cartridges can be another way to save money. Prefer to go for those retailers or superstores who offer discount on cartridges and discount coupons. This is why research is necessary to be done in order to save money on buying cartridges.
David Thomson asked:
Toner cartridges are the most important parts of your printers. Since toner cartridges hold and control the ink, we cannot do without them. That makes taking care of laser toner cartridges is crucial. It’s very important to make your printer function efficiently.
A laser toner cartridge contains the powder-like substance that releases ink to create images on your paper. The toner cartridges are made of plastic and are installed in the cartridge holder. Whenever you buy a toner make sure you get an original toner cartridge.
Original equipment manufacturer (or OEM) laser toner cartridges are ones that are designed by printer manufacturers companies. A toner cartridge will work for a particular printer models only. Usually OEM toner cartridge comes with new laser printers at the time of purchase.
There are other types of toner cartridge also available. These are called compatible laser toner cartridges. These are made by third-party toner cartridge manufacturers. These manufacturers use the brand new OEM parts in making these toner cartridges.
The compatible laser toner cartridges are as good as the OEM cartridges and offer great alternative to original equipment manufacturer cartridges. Since these toner cartridges are manufactured with same high quality and meet the standards of OEM cartridges, they are of great help when it comes to reduce costs without compromising print quality. Almost every branded company that deals in printers sells these toner cartridges.
Another type of toner cartridges are remanufactured laser toner cartridges. These are reassembled toner cartridges. Though these are the cheapest cartridges but will not give you’re the same quality either.
The toner cartridges are developed to deliver high quality black text and image printing and they are really excellent when it comes to print something professional. But there is a drawback as well. These toner cartridges can be used for black printing purposes. This is when the necessity of ink cartridges arises.
Ink cartridges are very good when we need to print these color text and images. However, getting the best quality ink cartridges is very important. To get quality printing results, it’s very crucial that you choose a superior quality ink cartridge.
If the printer is a quality product, it’s always advisable that you use an equally high quality ink cartridges. Since branded ink cartridges are printer specific also, any kind of ink cartridge may not suit your branded printer. For example, if your printer is of a particular brand you would also need ink cartridge of similar brand only. If your have a HP printer, you will have to use HP Ink Cartridges of that particular printer type only.
To get the superior quality printing results and to minimize the running costs, it’s very important that we use good quality ink cartridges only. Select the best quality ink cartridges that will enable you to save some money while you need not to compromise the quality of your work.
All these factors indicate that instead of getting some cheap and inferior ink cartridges and toner cartridges, get the best quality and branded one. There is a lot of discount rate branded ink cartridges also available.
Toner cartridges are the most important parts of your printers. Since toner cartridges hold and control the ink, we cannot do without them. That makes taking care of laser toner cartridges is crucial. It’s very important to make your printer function efficiently.
A laser toner cartridge contains the powder-like substance that releases ink to create images on your paper. The toner cartridges are made of plastic and are installed in the cartridge holder. Whenever you buy a toner make sure you get an original toner cartridge.
Original equipment manufacturer (or OEM) laser toner cartridges are ones that are designed by printer manufacturers companies. A toner cartridge will work for a particular printer models only. Usually OEM toner cartridge comes with new laser printers at the time of purchase.
There are other types of toner cartridge also available. These are called compatible laser toner cartridges. These are made by third-party toner cartridge manufacturers. These manufacturers use the brand new OEM parts in making these toner cartridges.
The compatible laser toner cartridges are as good as the OEM cartridges and offer great alternative to original equipment manufacturer cartridges. Since these toner cartridges are manufactured with same high quality and meet the standards of OEM cartridges, they are of great help when it comes to reduce costs without compromising print quality. Almost every branded company that deals in printers sells these toner cartridges.
Another type of toner cartridges are remanufactured laser toner cartridges. These are reassembled toner cartridges. Though these are the cheapest cartridges but will not give you’re the same quality either.
The toner cartridges are developed to deliver high quality black text and image printing and they are really excellent when it comes to print something professional. But there is a drawback as well. These toner cartridges can be used for black printing purposes. This is when the necessity of ink cartridges arises.
Ink cartridges are very good when we need to print these color text and images. However, getting the best quality ink cartridges is very important. To get quality printing results, it’s very crucial that you choose a superior quality ink cartridge.
If the printer is a quality product, it’s always advisable that you use an equally high quality ink cartridges. Since branded ink cartridges are printer specific also, any kind of ink cartridge may not suit your branded printer. For example, if your printer is of a particular brand you would also need ink cartridge of similar brand only. If your have a HP printer, you will have to use HP Ink Cartridges of that particular printer type only.
To get the superior quality printing results and to minimize the running costs, it’s very important that we use good quality ink cartridges only. Select the best quality ink cartridges that will enable you to save some money while you need not to compromise the quality of your work.
All these factors indicate that instead of getting some cheap and inferior ink cartridges and toner cartridges, get the best quality and branded one. There is a lot of discount rate branded ink cartridges also available.
Nitzan Daphna asked:
What do we do with the used cartridges? It goes to the garbage bin instead. When you are into business and use cartridges very often, then you are certain to increase your expenditure if you spend on new cartridges every time. Thinking what to do? How to decrease the expense?
Re-use, remanufacture…… You can re-use your money spent on these cartridges and re-using the money means saving the money. Remanufactured cartridges are the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges that have been used and remanufactured (recycled) and refilled with ink. Original cartridges are disassembled, cleaned, refilled and repaired again before they come to the markets. Remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges work the same way as the original ones. Remanufactured ink cartridges give splendid print results and are compatible to your printers. These cartridges are as good as or even better than their original counterparts.
Compatible Ink/Toner cartridges are the ones which are not manufactured by their original manufacturers. Compatible Ink/Toner cartridges come in two of the types. They are new cartridges as well as recycled ones. Although these cartridges are priced at half or one-third the amount of original OEM cartridges, they may be recycled cartridges or even new ones. The purchase of these cartridges help you save some additional bucks to your pockets at the quality of original cartridges.
Compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges have various positive facts. These are listed below;
Cost Effective. Compatible remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges are priced at almost half or one-third the rates of original cartridges. The prices of these cartridges fit the size of your pockets easily. Hence, you save lot of money on printing while maintaining the same standard of the print when you buy remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges. So, why pay double the amount when you get the same quality print at a much cheaper cost. Head to remanufactured and compatible Ink/Toner cartridges……..Now
Quality Oriented. Remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges promise to maintain the standard of printing. These cartridges are of the best quality, built to the highest standards. The printing quality of these cartridges sets a standard which goes much ahead of original cartridges. Remanufactured Ink/cartridges come with warranty and 100% satisfaction guarantee. These cartridges never damage your printers as they become compatible to your printers when they pass various tests before they are sold to end consumers.
Environment Friendly. Remanufactured Ink/Toner Cartridges are recycled cartridges made from reusing the original ones. Remanufacturing is the process of renovating used products in order to make them equal in quality as per the original ones. Remanufacturing Ink/Toner cartridge puts less pressure on the environment than turning parts back into raw materials for input into the manufacturing system or reusing parts in other products. By purchasing a remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridge, you save the environment from the long-lasting, non-decaying materials from which plastic toner cartridges are made.
Readily available. Today, compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges are readily available with almost all the companies. You name the company and they have it for you. HP, Dell, Lexmark, Canon, Brother, NEC……… all these companies have various ranges in remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges. As the demand for these cartridges is increasing day-by-day, companies have started to produce them in big numbers.
These are some of the benefits of Remanufactured Ink/Toner Cartridges. In short, here’s why you should opt for these cartridges rather than original ones;
Compatible. Remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges perform as well or better than new Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges.
Compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges generally last 20% longer than OEM cartridges.
Compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges cost 30%-60% less per copy than OEM cartridges.
Using a Compatible, remanufactured Ink/toner cartridge reduces pollution and waste by minimizing the amount of materials disposed of in landfills.
What do we do with the used cartridges? It goes to the garbage bin instead. When you are into business and use cartridges very often, then you are certain to increase your expenditure if you spend on new cartridges every time. Thinking what to do? How to decrease the expense?
Re-use, remanufacture…… You can re-use your money spent on these cartridges and re-using the money means saving the money. Remanufactured cartridges are the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges that have been used and remanufactured (recycled) and refilled with ink. Original cartridges are disassembled, cleaned, refilled and repaired again before they come to the markets. Remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges work the same way as the original ones. Remanufactured ink cartridges give splendid print results and are compatible to your printers. These cartridges are as good as or even better than their original counterparts.
Compatible Ink/Toner cartridges are the ones which are not manufactured by their original manufacturers. Compatible Ink/Toner cartridges come in two of the types. They are new cartridges as well as recycled ones. Although these cartridges are priced at half or one-third the amount of original OEM cartridges, they may be recycled cartridges or even new ones. The purchase of these cartridges help you save some additional bucks to your pockets at the quality of original cartridges.
Compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges have various positive facts. These are listed below;
Cost Effective. Compatible remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges are priced at almost half or one-third the rates of original cartridges. The prices of these cartridges fit the size of your pockets easily. Hence, you save lot of money on printing while maintaining the same standard of the print when you buy remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges. So, why pay double the amount when you get the same quality print at a much cheaper cost. Head to remanufactured and compatible Ink/Toner cartridges……..Now
Quality Oriented. Remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges promise to maintain the standard of printing. These cartridges are of the best quality, built to the highest standards. The printing quality of these cartridges sets a standard which goes much ahead of original cartridges. Remanufactured Ink/cartridges come with warranty and 100% satisfaction guarantee. These cartridges never damage your printers as they become compatible to your printers when they pass various tests before they are sold to end consumers.
Environment Friendly. Remanufactured Ink/Toner Cartridges are recycled cartridges made from reusing the original ones. Remanufacturing is the process of renovating used products in order to make them equal in quality as per the original ones. Remanufacturing Ink/Toner cartridge puts less pressure on the environment than turning parts back into raw materials for input into the manufacturing system or reusing parts in other products. By purchasing a remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridge, you save the environment from the long-lasting, non-decaying materials from which plastic toner cartridges are made.
Readily available. Today, compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges are readily available with almost all the companies. You name the company and they have it for you. HP, Dell, Lexmark, Canon, Brother, NEC……… all these companies have various ranges in remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges. As the demand for these cartridges is increasing day-by-day, companies have started to produce them in big numbers.
These are some of the benefits of Remanufactured Ink/Toner Cartridges. In short, here’s why you should opt for these cartridges rather than original ones;
Compatible. Remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges perform as well or better than new Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges.
Compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges generally last 20% longer than OEM cartridges.
Compatible, remanufactured Ink/Toner cartridges cost 30%-60% less per copy than OEM cartridges.
Using a Compatible, remanufactured Ink/toner cartridge reduces pollution and waste by minimizing the amount of materials disposed of in landfills.
17
Feb
John C. Arkin asked:
e=”font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";”>Ink cartridges are the most disposed part of any inkjet printer. These small plastic cases store the ink that is used to print out text documents and colored images. Once the ink is used up, this is replaced with a new cartridge. Unfortunately, OEM ink cartridges distributed by the printer manufacturer can be quite expensive.
Kinds of Ink Cartridges
Currently, there a number of different inkjet printer cartridges available in the market today:
OEM ink cartridges. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are ink printer cartridges that are distributed by the printer companies who have manufactured the printer model that you use.
Generic ink cartridges. Generic ink cartridges are manufactured by third party companies. That means, these ink cartridges are manufactured by companies other than the printer manufacturers. Generic ink cartridges are also known as compatible ink cartridges. Remanufactured ink cartridges. These are ink cartridges also have been manufactured by companies other than the printer manufacturer. Unlike generic ink cartridges, these ink cartridges are made from recycled cartridges.
Refilled ink cartridges. Refilled ink cartridges are not sold in computer stores or office supplies stores. Instead, the user either fills up their already used printer cartridge with ink with the use of ink refill kits or sent to refilling companies to have the printer cartridge refilled.
Advantages of Alternative Ink Cartridges
Printer users have begun switching to generic, remanufactured and refilled ink cartridges over OEM printer cartridges due to a number of reasons:
Cost. These printer cartridges are relatively cheaper than original printer cartridges. The difference of the prices may be as much as 50% lower than OEM printer cartridges.
Availability. Some printer cartridge brands are hard to find, such as printer cartridges for Dell printers. Generic and remanufactured printer cartridges, on the other hand, are a lot easier to find. The same holds true with ink refill kits that are used to refill already spent cartridges.
Disadvantages of Alternative Ink Cartridges
Printing Quality. Because alternative choices for ink cartridges use generic ink tints and colors, there is a possibility that the quality of the print out is not be as high as those printed out using printer cartridges that have been manufactured by the printer companies.
Possible Damage to the Printer. Remanufactured and refilled ink cartridges used already spent cartridges for holding the ink. Because these cartridges already have worn out parts, there is a higher risk for the ink to leak out if the remanufacturing or refilling process is not done properly, causing damage to the entire printer.
Alternative Ink Cartridges and Printer Warranty
One of the major concerns of printer users in using generic, remanufactured and refilled ink cartridges is that the printer warranty may be voided. This is not true. Printer consumers are protected by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act. This law states that under no circumstance can a printer manufacturer void the warranty of a printer unit for using generic, remanufactured or refilled ink cartridges.
e=”font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";”>Ink cartridges are the most disposed part of any inkjet printer. These small plastic cases store the ink that is used to print out text documents and colored images. Once the ink is used up, this is replaced with a new cartridge. Unfortunately, OEM ink cartridges distributed by the printer manufacturer can be quite expensive.
Kinds of Ink Cartridges
Currently, there a number of different inkjet printer cartridges available in the market today:
OEM ink cartridges. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are ink printer cartridges that are distributed by the printer companies who have manufactured the printer model that you use.
Generic ink cartridges. Generic ink cartridges are manufactured by third party companies. That means, these ink cartridges are manufactured by companies other than the printer manufacturers. Generic ink cartridges are also known as compatible ink cartridges. Remanufactured ink cartridges. These are ink cartridges also have been manufactured by companies other than the printer manufacturer. Unlike generic ink cartridges, these ink cartridges are made from recycled cartridges.
Refilled ink cartridges. Refilled ink cartridges are not sold in computer stores or office supplies stores. Instead, the user either fills up their already used printer cartridge with ink with the use of ink refill kits or sent to refilling companies to have the printer cartridge refilled.
Advantages of Alternative Ink Cartridges
Printer users have begun switching to generic, remanufactured and refilled ink cartridges over OEM printer cartridges due to a number of reasons:
Cost. These printer cartridges are relatively cheaper than original printer cartridges. The difference of the prices may be as much as 50% lower than OEM printer cartridges.
Availability. Some printer cartridge brands are hard to find, such as printer cartridges for Dell printers. Generic and remanufactured printer cartridges, on the other hand, are a lot easier to find. The same holds true with ink refill kits that are used to refill already spent cartridges.
Disadvantages of Alternative Ink Cartridges
Printing Quality. Because alternative choices for ink cartridges use generic ink tints and colors, there is a possibility that the quality of the print out is not be as high as those printed out using printer cartridges that have been manufactured by the printer companies.
Possible Damage to the Printer. Remanufactured and refilled ink cartridges used already spent cartridges for holding the ink. Because these cartridges already have worn out parts, there is a higher risk for the ink to leak out if the remanufacturing or refilling process is not done properly, causing damage to the entire printer.
Alternative Ink Cartridges and Printer Warranty
One of the major concerns of printer users in using generic, remanufactured and refilled ink cartridges is that the printer warranty may be voided. This is not true. Printer consumers are protected by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act. This law states that under no circumstance can a printer manufacturer void the warranty of a printer unit for using generic, remanufactured or refilled ink cartridges.
Sher Matsen asked:
Plastic card printers have changed the way business takes care of their ID card needs. Today, many businesses (big and small) opt to print their cards in-house, because there are so many ID printer options on the market. Just as it’s important to choose the right printer, it’s just as important to choose the right printer ribbons for your ID printer.
The ribbon in your printer will wear out at some point. How long will depend a great deal on how much printing you do, the type of ribbon, and the quality of the ribbon. You should know a bit about the various plastic card printer ribbons that are available, so that you find the one that’s designed for your ID printer. There may even be more than one ribbon for your printer.
The type of printer ribbon you need, will depend on the printer you have. Each manufacture of ID printers also makes their own line of printer ribbons for that machine. It’s best to use a ribbon that is designed and recommended for your printer, to ensure the highest quality printing.
There are a variety of different plastic card printer ribbons available on the market. It will help if you understand a little bit about these ribbons. That will make it easier for you to choose the ribbon that’s right for your company’s situation.
Some of the ID card printer ribbons have a holographic overlay added for security. This 3-D image is impossible to duplicate, and it doesn’t require any special device in order to be viewed.
It cannot be stressed enough, just how important it is for you to choose the correct ribbon for your ID printer. If you buy an incorrect ribbon it could make your ID cards very difficult, if not impossible, to read. Since your ID cards are a critical part of your business you want to ensure that the print quality meets or exceeds your expectations. Using only ribbons recommended by the manufacturer will ensure just that.
Worse then poor print quality is the damage to your printer that can occur if you use a ribbon not recommended by the manufacturer. Your warranty could also become void. Those few pennies saved on an after market ribbon, won’t seem like much of a savings if you damage your printer. Sometimes it’s not about savings. It makes a lot more sense to buy the correct ribbon right away.
If you’re thinking, what’s the big deal, how hard can it be? You might be surprised to learn that it might not be quite as simple as you anticipated. It might be one of the smallest parts of your printer, but it’s definitely one of the most important. It needs to be the right type for your ID printer to work properly.
Datacard printer ribbons are available in both monochrome and color. They range in price for as little as $18.00 to the more expensive Datacard Tonal Black Photo Ribbon for non SP Series 860 printers. Your Datacard printer will tell you which ribbon you need to use. Datacard produces color ribbons, monochrome ribbons, holograms, overlay film, the Magna series of ribbons, the SP75 series of ribbons, the RP90 ribbons, and several others.
Evolis ribbons range from as little as $14.00 to the more expensive Evolis YMCKO color 5 panel ribbon for the Quantum printers. Your Evolis printer will tell you which ribbon you should use. Evolis produces color ribbons, monochrome ribbons, holograms, tattoo ribbons, Securion ribbons, Quantum ribbons, the Dualys series or ribbons, and the Pebble Series of ribbons, as well as several others.
Polaroid printer ribbons include color ribbons, monochrome ribbons, the Legacy series; as well as the P110i, P3000, P4000, and P75i ribbons. Your Polaroid ID printer will tell you which printer ribbon you should use.
Fargo is a popular ID printer choice, and they have a large number of ID printer ribbons on the market, starting as low as $25. There are far too many choices to list. Margicard and Zebra also have a very large number of printer ribbons. Prices vary according to the ribbon you need to purchase.
It all begins with choosing the right ID printer for your company. After that, it really is quite easy. Simply purchase the ribbons the manufacture recommends for your printer. By doing so you’ll ensure your warranty remains valid, and you’ll also ensure you get top notch, professional printing of your ID cards.
Plastic card printers have changed the way business takes care of their ID card needs. Today, many businesses (big and small) opt to print their cards in-house, because there are so many ID printer options on the market. Just as it’s important to choose the right printer, it’s just as important to choose the right printer ribbons for your ID printer.
The ribbon in your printer will wear out at some point. How long will depend a great deal on how much printing you do, the type of ribbon, and the quality of the ribbon. You should know a bit about the various plastic card printer ribbons that are available, so that you find the one that’s designed for your ID printer. There may even be more than one ribbon for your printer.
The type of printer ribbon you need, will depend on the printer you have. Each manufacture of ID printers also makes their own line of printer ribbons for that machine. It’s best to use a ribbon that is designed and recommended for your printer, to ensure the highest quality printing.
There are a variety of different plastic card printer ribbons available on the market. It will help if you understand a little bit about these ribbons. That will make it easier for you to choose the ribbon that’s right for your company’s situation.
Some of the ID card printer ribbons have a holographic overlay added for security. This 3-D image is impossible to duplicate, and it doesn’t require any special device in order to be viewed.
It cannot be stressed enough, just how important it is for you to choose the correct ribbon for your ID printer. If you buy an incorrect ribbon it could make your ID cards very difficult, if not impossible, to read. Since your ID cards are a critical part of your business you want to ensure that the print quality meets or exceeds your expectations. Using only ribbons recommended by the manufacturer will ensure just that.
Worse then poor print quality is the damage to your printer that can occur if you use a ribbon not recommended by the manufacturer. Your warranty could also become void. Those few pennies saved on an after market ribbon, won’t seem like much of a savings if you damage your printer. Sometimes it’s not about savings. It makes a lot more sense to buy the correct ribbon right away.
If you’re thinking, what’s the big deal, how hard can it be? You might be surprised to learn that it might not be quite as simple as you anticipated. It might be one of the smallest parts of your printer, but it’s definitely one of the most important. It needs to be the right type for your ID printer to work properly.
Datacard printer ribbons are available in both monochrome and color. They range in price for as little as $18.00 to the more expensive Datacard Tonal Black Photo Ribbon for non SP Series 860 printers. Your Datacard printer will tell you which ribbon you need to use. Datacard produces color ribbons, monochrome ribbons, holograms, overlay film, the Magna series of ribbons, the SP75 series of ribbons, the RP90 ribbons, and several others.
Evolis ribbons range from as little as $14.00 to the more expensive Evolis YMCKO color 5 panel ribbon for the Quantum printers. Your Evolis printer will tell you which ribbon you should use. Evolis produces color ribbons, monochrome ribbons, holograms, tattoo ribbons, Securion ribbons, Quantum ribbons, the Dualys series or ribbons, and the Pebble Series of ribbons, as well as several others.
Polaroid printer ribbons include color ribbons, monochrome ribbons, the Legacy series; as well as the P110i, P3000, P4000, and P75i ribbons. Your Polaroid ID printer will tell you which printer ribbon you should use.
Fargo is a popular ID printer choice, and they have a large number of ID printer ribbons on the market, starting as low as $25. There are far too many choices to list. Margicard and Zebra also have a very large number of printer ribbons. Prices vary according to the ribbon you need to purchase.
It all begins with choosing the right ID printer for your company. After that, it really is quite easy. Simply purchase the ribbons the manufacture recommends for your printer. By doing so you’ll ensure your warranty remains valid, and you’ll also ensure you get top notch, professional printing of your ID cards.
erin wong asked:
For the most part, choosing a printer can be a daunting task and entails balancing price, speed, and print quality. In order to choose the right printer for you, you will have to ask yourself how much you print per month, what types of documents you will need to print, what quality print you require, whether or not you need color, and if you care more about the initial cost or cost over the printer’s lifetime. The difference between inkjet printers and laser printers is day and night, but once you understand their differences and decide which type is most suitable for your needs, you are more than half-way to finding the right printer for you.
As a rule of thumb, laser printers produce crisp, speedy text documents and decent images, while inkjet printers produce top-quality, long-lasting photos and not-so-crisp text, all at an uncomfortably-slow pace.
Inkjet printers are best if printing high-quality photos are much more important that high-quality text and graphics and if speed is not an issue for you. Their major selling point is their superior color accuracy and print resolution for vivid photos, so this does add time to printing each page. They are also best if you have light printing needs and are more concerned with the cost upfront since replacing the ink cartridges can get pricey if you start to print a lot, but you can often find a good inkjet printer for under $100 or $200.
Laser printers are best if high-quality text documents are more important than high-resolution photos and that speed is essential. Laser printers major selling point is their ability to quickly print crisp documents at a very low cost per page. Color laser printers major selling point is their ability to print documents with a mix of text, graphics and photos at a fast speed, but they do run a bit more expensive because they can “do it all.” Overall, laser printers and color laser printers cost much less to maintain and operate and have a lower cost over the printer’s lifetime, but have a higher price-tag initially.
It’s worth explaining in detail the huge difference in the cost of ownership of the two types of printers. An inkjet printer costs a lot less initially but its cost per page is much higher than a laser printer’s cost per page. In fact, companies practically give away inkjet printers because the profit for most manufacturers is in the ink cartridges, or consumables as they call them. On the other hand, a laser printer costs a lot more initially, but over time its toner will cost much less per page. For example, let’s say you print 5000 pages in two months. You would have to replace the inkjet’s ink cartridges about 25 times compared with the two times you would have to replace the laser printer’s toner cartridge. The cost of the inkjet ink cartridges would almost double the cost of the laser toner cartridges. If you print a couple hundred pages per month or a thousand pages per month, laser printers are more cost effective overall.
Conclusively, if your business’ output volume is moderate to heavy, your best bet is to go with a laser printer due to the laser printer’s total cost of ownership. If you print very infrequently, whether it’s for personal use or for your small office, then an inkjet printer would be more cost effective. At the end of the day, the types of documents you need to print may determine what printer, or printers, you select. If you’re printing mainly photos and documents for personal use, such as directions in which you don’t care about the quality, then you should get an inkjet printer. If you print a lot of text documents and are cost conscience, then a budget monochrome laser printer would be your best fit. Finally, if you print a moderate volume of text, graphics, and mixed documents, then a color laser printer would definitely best suit your needs and would be a good investment.
HP printers are great in both the inkjet printers and laser printers categories. Epson printers, Canon printers, and Kodak printers are very popular for inkjet and photo printers. Brother printers, Xerox printers, HP printers and Samsung printers are best in class for laser printers with Xerox probably the best in class for color laser printers for businesses. So figure out your printing needs and do your research and you will find the right printer for your needs at the right price.
For the most part, choosing a printer can be a daunting task and entails balancing price, speed, and print quality. In order to choose the right printer for you, you will have to ask yourself how much you print per month, what types of documents you will need to print, what quality print you require, whether or not you need color, and if you care more about the initial cost or cost over the printer’s lifetime. The difference between inkjet printers and laser printers is day and night, but once you understand their differences and decide which type is most suitable for your needs, you are more than half-way to finding the right printer for you.
As a rule of thumb, laser printers produce crisp, speedy text documents and decent images, while inkjet printers produce top-quality, long-lasting photos and not-so-crisp text, all at an uncomfortably-slow pace.
Inkjet printers are best if printing high-quality photos are much more important that high-quality text and graphics and if speed is not an issue for you. Their major selling point is their superior color accuracy and print resolution for vivid photos, so this does add time to printing each page. They are also best if you have light printing needs and are more concerned with the cost upfront since replacing the ink cartridges can get pricey if you start to print a lot, but you can often find a good inkjet printer for under $100 or $200.
Laser printers are best if high-quality text documents are more important than high-resolution photos and that speed is essential. Laser printers major selling point is their ability to quickly print crisp documents at a very low cost per page. Color laser printers major selling point is their ability to print documents with a mix of text, graphics and photos at a fast speed, but they do run a bit more expensive because they can “do it all.” Overall, laser printers and color laser printers cost much less to maintain and operate and have a lower cost over the printer’s lifetime, but have a higher price-tag initially.
It’s worth explaining in detail the huge difference in the cost of ownership of the two types of printers. An inkjet printer costs a lot less initially but its cost per page is much higher than a laser printer’s cost per page. In fact, companies practically give away inkjet printers because the profit for most manufacturers is in the ink cartridges, or consumables as they call them. On the other hand, a laser printer costs a lot more initially, but over time its toner will cost much less per page. For example, let’s say you print 5000 pages in two months. You would have to replace the inkjet’s ink cartridges about 25 times compared with the two times you would have to replace the laser printer’s toner cartridge. The cost of the inkjet ink cartridges would almost double the cost of the laser toner cartridges. If you print a couple hundred pages per month or a thousand pages per month, laser printers are more cost effective overall.
Conclusively, if your business’ output volume is moderate to heavy, your best bet is to go with a laser printer due to the laser printer’s total cost of ownership. If you print very infrequently, whether it’s for personal use or for your small office, then an inkjet printer would be more cost effective. At the end of the day, the types of documents you need to print may determine what printer, or printers, you select. If you’re printing mainly photos and documents for personal use, such as directions in which you don’t care about the quality, then you should get an inkjet printer. If you print a lot of text documents and are cost conscience, then a budget monochrome laser printer would be your best fit. Finally, if you print a moderate volume of text, graphics, and mixed documents, then a color laser printer would definitely best suit your needs and would be a good investment.
HP printers are great in both the inkjet printers and laser printers categories. Epson printers, Canon printers, and Kodak printers are very popular for inkjet and photo printers. Brother printers, Xerox printers, HP printers and Samsung printers are best in class for laser printers with Xerox probably the best in class for color laser printers for businesses. So figure out your printing needs and do your research and you will find the right printer for your needs at the right price.