How to Choose an All in one Printer for a Home Office
Determine the ideal size of your printer., Pick between inkjet and laser technology., Decide if you need to print high quality photographs., Decide if you need a scanner feature., Decide if you need a fax feature., Decide if you need any peripheral...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine the ideal size of your printer.
The best way to determine this is to go into your home office and pick out the spot that your printer will occupy.
Measure in all 3 dimensions the maximum amount of space you're willing to allot for the printer.
Do not exceed these measurements when you go out to purchase. -
Step 2: Pick between inkjet and laser technology.
InkJet has been one of the most popular options for all-in-one printers for the past few years, particularly because they have a much lower upfront cost than laser printers.
Inkjet printers also have a reputation for printing higher quality photographs than laser printers.
However, inkjet printers are slower than laser printers and they perform poorly when printing something that has a low-quality or low-resolution source.
Laser printers are better suited for printing quickly and printing in high volumes, but also tend to be larger in size.
If you are only going to print text documents, the laser printer is the better choice.
They are fast, low-maintenance, and high quality.
While inkjet printers can print at a similar quality, they print slower and require far more maintenance.
If you plan on printing in color often, the inkjet printer is the better choice.
Unlike black and white printing, color printing on a laser printer requires 4 toners, which can bump up maintenance costs noticeably.
On top of that, color laser printers are significantly more expensive upfront.
If you plan on printing photographs, the inkjet printer is the better choice.
Laser printers are not good at printing on specialty papers, including photo stock, resulting in poor quality photographs.
Inkjet printers, on the other hand, print very high quality photographs. , If you are planning on doing photography work, then you'll want to buy a printer with a memory card reader slot for your camera's data card, which will allow you to print photos directly.
Some printers are even equipped with an LCD screen for viewing and editing photos before printing.
If photo printing is important to you, be sure to purchase a printer that has the ability to print on standard photo paper. , If you ever plan on scanning an item into your computer, be sure you buy an all-in-one printer with a high quality scanner.
Standard scanners often produce images with low quality.
On the other hand, higher quality scanners tend to produce much cleaner and crisper pictures.
Keep in mind that higher quality scanners will increase the price by a noticeable amount. , Most all-in-one printers are equipped with the ability to fax.
Some of the better models will allow you to store hundreds, even thousands, of fax numbers and use them for speed dialing.
Some machines will have the capability to hold an outgoing fax until a scheduled time. , Many high end all-in-one printer models come with built-in duplexer, which allow the printer to print on both sides of paper.
Some models can print labels directly onto CDs and DVDs.
More recently, all-in-one printers have been coming equipped with the ability to connect to the Internet in order to print content directly or to send printing jobs to remote printers. , A lot of the lower end all-in-one printers typically support a single computer connected by a single USB cable.
However, if you need an all-in-one printer for a larger network with multiple computers, then be sure to buy one that can be connected to a network.
Higher end models often have Local Area Network, Bluetooth, and WiFi capabilities.
Keep in mind that some networked printers will only allow specific features (e.g., printing only) over a network.
If you need to scan, fax, or copy over the network, make sure the printer you purchase is able to do so. , Many of the specifications given by vendors, such as print speed and resolution, are tested using in-house methods.
There is no standardization across companies and brands.
Because of this, most of these specifications can be arbitrary and, therefore, useless for comparison. -
Step 3: Decide if you need to print high quality photographs.
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Step 4: Decide if you need a scanner feature.
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Step 5: Decide if you need a fax feature.
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Step 6: Decide if you need any peripheral or convenience features.
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Step 7: Consider your networking requirements.
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Step 8: Avoid paying too much attention to vendor specifications.
Detailed Guide
The best way to determine this is to go into your home office and pick out the spot that your printer will occupy.
Measure in all 3 dimensions the maximum amount of space you're willing to allot for the printer.
Do not exceed these measurements when you go out to purchase.
InkJet has been one of the most popular options for all-in-one printers for the past few years, particularly because they have a much lower upfront cost than laser printers.
Inkjet printers also have a reputation for printing higher quality photographs than laser printers.
However, inkjet printers are slower than laser printers and they perform poorly when printing something that has a low-quality or low-resolution source.
Laser printers are better suited for printing quickly and printing in high volumes, but also tend to be larger in size.
If you are only going to print text documents, the laser printer is the better choice.
They are fast, low-maintenance, and high quality.
While inkjet printers can print at a similar quality, they print slower and require far more maintenance.
If you plan on printing in color often, the inkjet printer is the better choice.
Unlike black and white printing, color printing on a laser printer requires 4 toners, which can bump up maintenance costs noticeably.
On top of that, color laser printers are significantly more expensive upfront.
If you plan on printing photographs, the inkjet printer is the better choice.
Laser printers are not good at printing on specialty papers, including photo stock, resulting in poor quality photographs.
Inkjet printers, on the other hand, print very high quality photographs. , If you are planning on doing photography work, then you'll want to buy a printer with a memory card reader slot for your camera's data card, which will allow you to print photos directly.
Some printers are even equipped with an LCD screen for viewing and editing photos before printing.
If photo printing is important to you, be sure to purchase a printer that has the ability to print on standard photo paper. , If you ever plan on scanning an item into your computer, be sure you buy an all-in-one printer with a high quality scanner.
Standard scanners often produce images with low quality.
On the other hand, higher quality scanners tend to produce much cleaner and crisper pictures.
Keep in mind that higher quality scanners will increase the price by a noticeable amount. , Most all-in-one printers are equipped with the ability to fax.
Some of the better models will allow you to store hundreds, even thousands, of fax numbers and use them for speed dialing.
Some machines will have the capability to hold an outgoing fax until a scheduled time. , Many high end all-in-one printer models come with built-in duplexer, which allow the printer to print on both sides of paper.
Some models can print labels directly onto CDs and DVDs.
More recently, all-in-one printers have been coming equipped with the ability to connect to the Internet in order to print content directly or to send printing jobs to remote printers. , A lot of the lower end all-in-one printers typically support a single computer connected by a single USB cable.
However, if you need an all-in-one printer for a larger network with multiple computers, then be sure to buy one that can be connected to a network.
Higher end models often have Local Area Network, Bluetooth, and WiFi capabilities.
Keep in mind that some networked printers will only allow specific features (e.g., printing only) over a network.
If you need to scan, fax, or copy over the network, make sure the printer you purchase is able to do so. , Many of the specifications given by vendors, such as print speed and resolution, are tested using in-house methods.
There is no standardization across companies and brands.
Because of this, most of these specifications can be arbitrary and, therefore, useless for comparison.
About the Author
Jean Thomas
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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