| Contents | |
|---|---|
| Paper and paper issues | Which Paper Should I Use ? Experiencing Paper jams? Click here for information |
| Ink printer advice and information | Important information and advice for buying Ink-based printers. |
| Office printer advice and information | Important buying advice and information for Laser printers |
| Do dot matrix printers still exist? | Are dot matrix printers still available? Are they a viable alternative? |
| What is a SOHO laser printer? | Personal printers, and a comparison compared to office printers |
| Is my printer worth anything? | Have an old printer? Don't know what to do with it? |
| About Lasertecs | Who are Lasertecs, and how can we provide you the best service? Find out about us here. |
Ink printers are by far the most common personal printers purchased today because they are cheap to buy and usually offer affordable colour printing, which can often improve or add to the look of your assignment or report.
Starting at around $200 these units are quiet and produce better looking documents, not only in colour but also in black.
They are slow and relatively expensive to run. Colour is great if you need it, but at around $1.00 per page (or more if you have a lot of solid colour objects on the page) you will need to be careful how you use it. The biggest complaint we get about these printers is the cost of ink cartridges (around $50 each) and that they don't last very long. Even black printing can cost up to $.20 per page so you don't want to be printing lots of draft copies.
Due to these costs, quite understandably, some users resort to ink cartridge refills which are much cheaper. However, a word of caution: these are messy and have been known to cause damage to the printer so take care and make sure that you don't void the manufacturers warranty by using such alternatives.
A common problem with these machines is the ink accumulating and drying on the various working parts inside the machine and having these units checked and serviced will prolong the life of the unit.
Bottom line :Choose an inkjet printer if you need colour but consider the cost of printing not just the purchase price. We suggest that you see these machines in use in order to compare the quality, speed of printing and value for money before you buy.
