By March 10, 2012

How to Choose your Ideal Laser Printer

rtaImage Laser printers were once so costly that only businesses could afford to use them. With office supply stores like Ryman now selling home laser printers, even colour versions, from around the £100 mark, their popularity as a home printing option is on the increase. Quieter, faster, and cheaper to run than standard inkjets, laser printers have some serious advantages for the home user too, particularly when it comes to printing high quality text and large volumes.

If you’ve decided to make the switch to laser printing, here are some of the aspects to consider before you make that purchase.

How do you want to connect?

Modern laser and uv flatbed printers offer a greater variety of connector options. As well as standard parallel connectors, you’ll find models that feature a USB interface (such as Brother Printers or the Konica Minolta Magicolour 5670 pictured) that allows you to connect other appliances, like scanners, directly to your printer, although these models often cost more.

r a laser printer for shared use, most laser printers these days can be hooked up to a network via an interface card. However, not all models can be, especially those sold for ‘home’ or ‘personal’ use, so check before you buy.

Size

If you’re using your laser printer in a compact space, then size can be an issue. While laser printers have traditionally been on the large, unwieldy side, modern models have slimmed down considerably, and you can now find affordable personal laser printers that won’t take up too much desk space – although you might not want to position one right next to your work station, as they do produce ozone, and the smell isn’t too pleasant.

Consider memory capacity

Printers use memory to store information about the pages you want to print. Typically, laser prints come with 2Mb to 4Mb capacity, which should be enough for your needs, unless you intend to print large volumes of graphic-rich print. One option is to purchase a laser printer that you can add extra memory capacity to later, if you require it.

GDI

Graphic Digital Interface (GDI) printers rely on your laptop or PC for memory and to configure pages that you want to print. They still produce the same quality prints that you would expect from a laser printer, only without the costly electronics of older non-GDI models. If you plan to print large volumes of graphically rich documents and pages, then investing in a more costly non-GDI printer may be more suitable, as they won’t slow down your PC when configuring print pages.

Ink & Toner

There are some great sites for getting your ink and toner supplies so it’s worth shopping around before you buy you next printer to see what your running cost will be.

Compare

Once you’ve decided on the kind of memory capacity you’re looking for, budget, and size, you’ll find the best deals of you compare laser printers online. Check out the Which? consumer website, who test run a variety of laser printer, allowing you to compare printer features, prices and performance more easily.

About the Author:

More than 20 years in the IT industry. Blogging with a passion and thirst for new technology since 2005.
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