Top Tips for Picking the Best Printer for Your Needs

Home printers are capable of printing just about anything you could possibly need. However, understanding how to pick a printer may be difficult, especially with the wide variety of alternatives available on the market. Our quick shopping guide for choosing a home printer is designed to assist you in your selection process by providing you with some top tips.

Laser or Inkjet Printers?

The first and most important question to ask yourself while shopping for a printer is how much and what exactly you want to print. Laser printers employ toner, a form of ink dust that adheres to paper for fast results and economical resource usage. In contrast, inkjet printers use ink cartridges that are applied wet to paper and quickly dry.

Laser printers offer high-yield toner cartridges that can print from 3,000 and 20,000 pages before needing replacement. Cartridges for inkjet printers can last anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 pages before needing replacement. If you don’t print a lot or regularly, this isn’t as crucial, but if you do, or if you’re buying for an office, it may make a big difference.

Connectivity

Almost all printers these days come with a variety of connection options. While basic Wi-Fi and cloud printing connectivity are now expected, other forms of connections may be more beneficial depending on the project.

• Wi-Fi – A wireless printer is built to function with your Wi-Fi network right out of the box. During the setup process, you’ll supply your Wi-Fi details so the printer can connect to your home network. Using a computer, phone, or other devices with software downloaded, you may print straight to the printer without using a cable. It’s a great alternative for small-scale DIY tasks around the house. Remote printing to an office is also possible with Wi-Fi connections, which is critical for working from home.
• USB – Printing through USB is quite common, and typically the USB-A connector is standard. The printer’s menu screen lets you print files straight from external hard drives and other devices that are connected to the printer’s network port. If you don’t want to utilise your computer as a middleman, this is a good option. Be aware that most home printers do not currently support USB-C connections.
• Ethernet – Additionally, printers may be outfitted with Ethernet connection ports. This allows for wired Internet connectivity. However, printer data requirements today are rather simple, and a wired Ethernet connection is rarely required for a home printer. However, it can be more useful in office settings.