LASERJET PRINTER BUYING GUIDE

Since their introduction in the 1980s, laser printers have become popular due to the high quality of the print output and the relatively low operating costs. Black and white laser printers are relatively inexpensive and are common in many homes and small offices. Color laser printers are more likely used by offices and professional printers.

Product Types:

Personal
Personal laser printers are commonly used by a single person or by a few people within an office or at home. The printers are smaller and slower than network printers and only handle a few types of paper.

Network
Network laser printers are used by several people within an office. The printers contain an interface that allows them to connect directly to a local area network. Printing speed is much faster on a network printer compared to personal printers. They can also handle a variety of paper sizes and types.

Workgroup
Workgroup computers are utilized by a few people within a workspace. The printers are smaller and slower than high-speed network computers, but are network ready for workspaces.

Features to Consider:

Resolution
The printerÕs resolution directly affects the quality of the final print output. A rule of thumb when choosing a printer based on resolution is the higher the number, the better the print quality. Some contemporary standards for resolution are as follows: 600x600dpi, 1200x600dpi, 2400x600dpi.

Media
Media refers to the standard media types that the particular printer model can print on. Media types are materials such as copy paper, premium paper, glossy photo paper, premium glossy photo paper, semi-gloss photo paper, and transparencies.

PPM (Pages Per Minute)
PPM is the rate at which the printer can output complete prints. There are a number of ways manufacturers gauge this output rate. The first rate comparison to look out for is between Black & White and Color. Color prints will take longer than B&W prints as they are using all the print heads to create their output. The second rate comparison to look for is the print rate based on quality. When sending a file to the printer for processing you have options for the quality level of the output. These qualities are generally listed as Draft, Normal, and Best.

Paper Capacity
The Paper Capacity of a printer is the number of blank sheets of paper the printer can hold for a single run in its paper tray. It is common for printer to hold 250, 500, 1000 or even more depending on the model type. There are two ways that paper capacity can be gauged, on input and on output. Input capacity is the number of blank sheets the printer can hold in its input tray without causing errors. Output capacity is the number of printed sheets the printer can hold in its output tray after pages are printed.

Memory
Memory or RAM is a way of storing data from the prints that are sent into the printers queue. The more memory you have, the more prints you can send to the printer at once without it causing errors on the printer side. Common memory sizes are as follows 32MB, 64MB, and 128MB. Some printers also have the capability to be upgraded to greater levels of memory.

Interface/Connectivity
The interface is what cables are used to connect the printer to the computer itself. The two standard types of interfaces are parallel (printer port) and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connections.

Network Printer Software
This is an option in some printers that allows for greater control of printers that are used over a network. There are many types of network printer software out there, it's best to look for ones that include the following drivers; HP PCL 6, HP PCL 5e, PostScriptš Level 2. These are common options within these types of software.

Buying Tips:

1. Take your media output needs into consideration when choosing a printer to purchase.
2. Review and compare manufacturers warranties.
3. Consider the size of the space you have available for a printer in your home or office to help in the buying decision.
4. If the printer is going to be used to print complex graphics, additional memory, or RAM can speed up the printing process.
5. Look for a printer that is Energy Star compliant. These printers should save you a modest amount in electricity bills each year and are likely to last longer, since lower energy usage translates to lower demands on the cooling system.