Whether for work or home, a new printer is a hefty piece of equipment with a hefty price tag. It’s a choice to consider, and often it can be a little overwhelming. There are different printing speeds, sizes, integrations, paper types, and printer ink and printer supplies costs to consider. What’s more is that they all look so similar, so how do you pick?

Thankfully, there are a few specific features and numbers to look at to help you nail down the perfect printer for you. So today we’ve explained what the many terms mean, why they matter (or don’t), and given some reference points. And armed with this knowledge you’ll be enjoying the pleasures of proper printing in no time.

 1. Printer Cost Efficiency

For most, cost efficiency is the biggest factor, but when it comes to printers it’s not as simple as the price tag. In fact, it’s the opposite.

An inkjet printer is the cheaper choice up front, making it a popular choice for casual use, but it struggles at high volumes. What’s more is the ink cartridges are a hidden cost, and they’re not cheap.

A laser printer is the opposite: a higher cost up front, but easily handles high volumes with fewer toner replacements.

Finally comes the ink tank printer, which has cheaper ink than an inkjet but the ink can dry in the machine if not used, making it an odd in-between.

So, if you’re buying for an office, a laser printer tends to be the best choice, but for the home or small business, an inkjet should be your choice.

2. Printer Supplies

Surprisingly, not even every printer of the same type uses the same ink cartridges or toners. This means that your new HP might look like a total steal at the check out, until you need to buy more cartridges and you see they’re at a heavy markup. So before you buy your printer, check how much a refill costs and how many pages it’ll be good for.

3. Print Quality

Though the average user will not care about print quality– even low-end printers manage impressive quality these days– there are exceptions. DPI is what to look for when you want high quality prints. It stands for dots per inch, so a higher DPI means more detail. If you’re a photographer or a graphic designer, you’ll want to invest in a high DPI printer– that way you can see every line or hair of your hard work on the paper. Inkjets outclass laser printers in this respect. But aside from jobs like this, you’ll have little use for it, especially if you’re not working with high-resolution images.

Be sure to keep an eye on the quality and consistency of your printer’s print jobs too. If the quality of your printer output is inconsistent and some papers come out with faded ink or even thick ink smudges, there’s a chance your printer may be experiencing an operational fault. Familiarise yourself with some of the most common printer problems and their tell-tale signs to make sure any printer faults are diagnosed and addressed promptly – either using a DIY fix or with the support of expert printer and computer repair service providers.

4. Print Speed

PPM is pages per minute, your number to watch if you’re interested in high-volume printers– for things like pamphlets, flyers, meeting minutes, or manuscripts. Here is where the laser printers shine. The fastest inkjet barely beats slower laser printers. In fact, high end laser printers can shoot out pages nearly every second (50PPM). The one thing to look out for here is if you’re printing double-sided. Each printer does double-sided pages differently so be sure to check how your choice handles them if duplex printing will be common.

5. Paper Handling

Most people are printing for A4, and most printers can handle that just fine. If you’re not printing for A4, or you want to use photo paper, you’ll have to make sure your printer pick can handle that. Just be wary that if you’re printing for A3, your printer will be bigger and pricier.

6. Printer Size

Printer size is simple enough. Bigger is better, but more expensive. More advanced, higher capacity printers are also more likely to be accompanied by complicated printer setup requirements. For instance, chunky Brother office printers may need to be connected via ethernet or use higher yield toner cartridges, while smaller home printers can just be set up by plugging them in at a wall outlet and connecting them up to your WiFi network. There are also extra-small printers, pocket sized ones for printing out postcards, stickers, or business cards. So, the more serious you are about your printing, the more functionality you’ll need. And generally the more functionality your printer boasts, the larger the printer unit size, and the more complex its setup.

7. Connectivity Options

The majority of printers today have wireless capabilities. You can use them to print from your computer, your phone or your iPad. Besides this they can plug into your computer too, but that’s standard. Some printers come with bluetooth too, but it’s rarely a necessity. As a general rule, you’ll get the most use out of bluetooth capabilities at home, while an office printer will just use WiFi.

Conclusion

If you’re just the average printer buyer, buy an inkjet printer the size of an apple box, plug it in, and start printing. The average printer is a surprisingly capable machine. But if you’re looking for a workhorse, a real team player, you’ll want to opt for a laser printer, the bigger the better. And if you’re still scratching your head over the PPMs and DPIs, you can always go into the local tech store and ask what’s selling. Chances are the only thing you’ll complain about are the cartridge prices.