printer
What consumers should look for when buying
There are many things to consider when buying a printer.
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Especially during the corona pandemic, many people work from home. A printer can also be very useful there.
In the business area in particular, it is often necessary to print out documents in order to send them or to archive them. Many people are currently working from home because of the corona pandemic and either do not have a printer or only have an outdated device. If you want to buy a new printer, you should find out more beforehand. Depending on which functions a user needs or how a device is to be used, there are various alternatives.
Do you also want to print photos?
The first question is whether a black and white printer is sufficient or whether color is also important. If, for example, photos or colorful diagrams are to be printed, many conventional laser printers are not suitable, as these often do not support color printing. In this case, inkjet or color laser printers must be used. The latter, however, are often more expensive to buy than other devices.
In general, inkjet printers are in many cases cheaper than the competition and good all-rounders that are suitable for both text and image printing. If you do not place too high demands on the print quality, you can usually resort to an inexpensive alternative without hesitation.
With cheaper inkjet printers, however, it is also important to consider that the follow-up costs can be very high due to the cartridges required. Trade magazines often provide an overview of how high the costs for a printed page are for the individual models.
If a printer is not used for a long time, the used ink can also dry out. It can happen that cartridges become unusable without actually being empty. In general, a device that uses many different color cartridges is ideal here. So these can be changed individually. Third-party manufacturers also have cheaper cartridges on offer for many models – but these can also differ in quality.
Print black and white content
If you really only want to print black and white content like conventional letters, you can usually use a cheap inkjet device, as the print quality is usually completely sufficient. In the text area in particular, laser printers, which are often somewhat more expensive to purchase, are usually the better choice. They often offer very good print quality, often score points with a higher printing speed and the printing costs are often lower. However, colored photos cannot be printed out with many devices. There are also color laser printers, but they are always significantly more expensive to buy than the competition.
If you want to print out longer documents on a regular basis, you should make sure that the device has a fairly large paper compartment and offers a relatively high speed, otherwise you will have to frequently refill or wait a long time until all pages are printed. It can also make sense to rely on models with so-called duplex printing, which can independently print a sheet of paper on both sides without the user having to insert it again.
Multifunctional devices and features
It is also worth taking a look at the functions offered before purchasing. Some devices have large displays that make them easier to use, while others have a slot for memory cards so that content can be printed directly. In multifunction devices, built-in scanners are also common, with which copies can be made directly on the device. Some printers can also send documents directly via fax, while others can be connected to the home network via WLAN.
Frugal users should also pay attention to power consumption – especially if the device is to remain connected and not stowed in the cupboard in between. The individual models can have a high consumption and sometimes cause undreamt-of costs even in stand-by mode.