How to choose a printer for home use?

Technological progress does not stand still, and if before, to get photos, people stood in line at the studio, now they prefer to print them without leaving their homes. The printer in our time is no longer a luxury that is available only to a few, but a device that is available in most families, especially if schoolchildren or students grow up in the house. How to choose a printer for home use? Now there are a lot of models, companies, and the prices for devices are completely different, how to navigate in this variety and which printer to choose for the home?

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Printer or MFP?

Basically, all devices are divided into two categories - printers or MFPs.

The MFP is decrypted as a multifunctional device, since in addition to the print function, it also contains a scanner, a copier, and in some models, even a fax. Therefore, which device you choose depends on your needs:

• If you do not need either a copier or a scanner, then there is no need to buy an MFP, you can get by with a printer, it will be cheaper.
• But if you constantly use a scanner or you often need to make photocopies, then it makes sense to think about buying an MFP. This will cost less than purchasing all the devices separately, and the MFP will take up less space and no need to get confused in the wires.

Important! If you still decide to choose a multifunction device, be sure to check out our rating of the best MFPs for home.

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Printing technology

The modern market is teeming with different models that differ in price, appearance and type of printing. The main competitors for home use are laser and inkjet printers. Which printer is best for home - laser or inkjet? Let's look at the strengths and weaknesses of each of them.

Inkjet printing

Printers of this type use liquid ink placed in a special cartridge. As a result of operation, such a printer is not insured against breakdowns; situations arise when the cartridge leaks or ink runs out. But such devices are relatively cheap and almost everyone can purchase them. It is very convenient for schoolchildren and students.

The main advantages of this printer:

• Relatively low cost.
• Ability to install a continuous ink system or refillable ink cartridges.
• Good quality photos.
• Easy refill ink.
• Some inkjet printer models may print on discs.

Important! If you pick up a new device specifically for printing photos, then good consumables will definitely come in handy. We have prepared a separate publication on this subject - click on the link to find out which photo paper is better.

But along with the pros, there are also disadvantages, these are:

• Low print speed.
• High cost per page.
• After printing, the drawings are afraid of water, since the ink is water soluble.
• Not very high quality printing on plain paper.
• If used for a long time, ink may dry out.

Important! Such a printer is suitable for users who do not care about print speed, who print in small volumes. In this case, there is no need to spend money on a more expensive laser printer, and you can refill or replace cartridges yourself at home. Read more about this in our article. “Replacing a print cartridge in a printer”.

Laser printing

If you print large volumes of text, then laser devices will be a more profitable acquisition than their inkjet “brothers”, despite their high initial cost. Such a printer operates on the basis of powdered toner, which falls onto the sheet using a drum.

What benefits can a laser machine provide us?

• High quality printing on plain paper.
• High print speed.
• Low cost per sheet.
• The printed sheet is not afraid of water.

Among the shortcomings can be identified:

• The high cost of the printer.
• Not suitable for photo printing.
• Difficulties in self-refilling a cartridge.
• In case of breakdowns, the repair is expensive.

Important! We can conclude that such a printer is suitable for users who have constantly large volumes of documents for printing. Then such a purchase will pay off. That is why in all offices, banks are laser devices.

Before buying a laser printer, find out what it will take to refill its cartridge.

Important! There are other printing technologies, but they are not suitable for home use, as they are too expensive and are more suitable for mini-printers.

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Color or black and white?

All printers are available in two types - color and black and white. Well, it’s clear that color is much more expensive than their black and white “relatives”. It is up to you to decide which printer to use for home use, since the quality of the printer does not depend on the number of colors - this is a matter of your convenience and necessity.

If you plan to print photos, color pictures, then the choice is obvious. So evaluate your priorities and financial opportunities and go.

Important! Pay attention to the cost of one color image and note that the laser color printer is not suitable for printing photographs.

There are special models, but they are very expensive, and it is unprofitable to buy them for home use.

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What else do you need to pay attention to?

Which printer to choose for home use, what else you need to pay attention to when buying?

• Almost all printers support A4 format - this is the standard size of the landscape sheet. But if for some reason you need a larger size, then pay attention to printers in A3 format.
• In modern models there is such a useful feature as connecting the device via Wi-Fi. This allows you to install the printer anywhere and send documents from any device that supports Wi-Fi connection. Of course, for such a pleasure you have to pay extra.
• Separately, it must be said about the CISS - stands for continuous ink supply system. Such a system costs well, about 25% of the cost of the printer. But then you do not need to think constantly about refilling cartridges, and the paint will not end at the most inopportune moment. Especially such a system is relevant if you often print a lot. Time by setting the CISS, you will easily refuel it yourself.

Important! Printers with an integrated system are already on sale.

• Instead of CISS, you can use special non-original cartridges with the possibility of self-refueling. But not all printer models support such cartridges.

Important! If you use only original cartridges, then such a print will cost you a lot.

• Paper weight is a measure of the thickness of the paper on which the printer can print. All printers can print on plain paper, but some models have problems with heavy paper. If the printer does not support printing on thick paper, then you cannot print on it, for example, business cards or photographs.

Important! As a rule, inkjet printers are optimal in this respect, modern models can print not only on thick paper, but also on films.

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Choosing a color laser printer

How to choose a color laser printer for home? Usually for home use do not buy a laser printer. Of course, he prints high-quality color pictures on plain paper, the colors are pleasing with their richness, but the price of such pleasure will be somewhat overpriced. In addition, these devices have a big significant minus - they are not suitable for printing photos. But if you still decide to purchase such a model, then pay attention to the following models.

Canon i-sensys lbp7018c

This model is considered a budget option and makes high-quality prints:

• 50 sheets of paper fit in the tray.
• The device is capable of printing 4 color and 16 b / w sheets per minute.

Important! The strength of the model can be considered effective energy conservation. The cost of one sheet is approximately 17 cents.

HP Color LaserJet Pro CP1025

Considered the smallest printer in the world:

• Due to its small size, it can be placed almost anywhere.
• It is equipped with a system for connecting the device via Wi-Fi, which allows you to print documents from any mobile device.
• Thanks to the Smart Web Printing function, you can print only the necessary fragments of web pages, which significantly reduces costs.

Important! The cost of one sheet is approximately 33 cents.

Samsung Xpress C410W

Allows you to easily print from any modern mobile device that supports Internet access. It has the function “Print Manager”, thanks to which you can remotely change the settings.

Important! When choosing any model of printer or MFP after the purchase, you will have to solve several issues - some immediately, some later. And so that you don’t have to look for the necessary information for a long time, bookmark our articles now:

• Printer Setup.
• Printer cleaning.

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Choosing a color inkjet printer

How to choose a color inkjet printer for home use? Typically, color inkjet devices are bought for printing photographs. Modern models can print on photo paper, cardboard, film, tracing paper, and some even on discs. So this is a pretty good investment.

How to choose an inkjet printer for the home and what other parameters still need to be considered?

• A standard color printer has four colors, but for a good photo printer, it is desirable to have at least six colors in order to accurately transmit all the colors in the photo. But keep in mind that the cost of one photo will increase, because you have to refuel already 6 cartridges.
• The drop size must be taken into account for a smoother transition between the shades of color in the picture. With 6 cartridges, the minimum droplet size should be no more than 1.5 picoliters.
• Pay attention to the possibility of borderless printing, in this case there will be no white edges at the edges of the image.
• Resolution should be at least 5760x1440 pixels. The higher the print resolution, the higher quality image will be output.

Consider a few home models.

HP Deskjet 3745

Universal inkjet printer for the home, which takes up very little space. It supports color printing and allows you to get pictures of very tolerable photographic quality.

Canon PiXMA MP800

This multifunctional device can do literally everything. Of course, he will not bake pancakes for you and he will not wash the laundry, but even film can be easily scanned, and the resulting frames can be immediately printed. The device is equipped with a card reader capable of reading all kinds of memory cards.

Epson PictureMate 500

This model, similar to a toaster, will make you great photos, however, the size is 10x15 cm. It has a convenient carrying handle. There is also a color LCD display and a card reader that can read any memory card.

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Stock footage

In this article, we examined all the basic nuances regarding how to choose a printer for home use and collected a rating of the best models.We hope that this information is enough for you to make a competent purchase and use the equipment for your pleasure!