Types of printers
The first thing you need to know is what types of printers you have to choose from.
Dot matrix printer – This type of printer is no longer sold to the public. It is used by some banks and for specific applications. It used fan fold paper with holes in it that were fed through the printer with a wheel with prongs on it. It also is impact technology. That is to say a letter contained on small wires or pins physically hits an ink ribbon which in turn hits the paper. These printers are noisy also. Print quality was poor compared to today’s printers.
Ink jet printers – These printers have become a standard and are used by the average homeowner and even some businesses. These machines have ink cartridges that spray ink on paper. They are not very good for permanent copies since the ink will smear if it gets wet or damp. These printers have become so inexpensive some people throw them away and buy a new one because the ink cartridges are more expensive than the printer itself.
Laser jet printer – These printers use an ink drum that contains a fine powder that is heated on the paper. They are extremely good for permanent copies and are very economical. For several years only businesses used them because they were very expensive. Color laser printers soon became available and were very expensive. THINGS HAVE CHANGED!! The prices of laser jet printer have dropped drastically and are now sold to the average public. You can buy certain printer for less than $100 and even colored laser jet printers are far cheaper than they used to be.
How to pick what you need
1. Do you need permanent copy?
2. If you need permanent copy you need to buy a laser jet printer.
3. Does it need to be color?
4. If you need permanent copies that are color buy a laser jet color print.
5. If you just want to print a web page or a simple printed page buy an ink jet printer. They are much cheaper. The price of a simple ink let printer (at this writing) can be as low as $30.
Another alternative that has become very popular is multi-function machines. These are normally ink jet. They scan, copy and print. You can get some with fax capability also.
The big advantage of these machines is that they take far less desk space. In the past you would have needed separate machines for each function. If you do all of these it is the only way to go. They are very cost effective because you are only paying for one item.
You can get printers that are called photo printers. They are usually more expensive and take an extra ink cartridge. I feel that they are too expensive. You can use a ton of ink for one picture although they are very high quality. It would be cheaper to have your pictures made at a retail store at very cheap prices. At last check you could get a 4×6 picture for 26 cents or less. With the special photo paper and the ink you would use it would cost at least one dollar per photo.