Now we look at specific printer features you need to investigate
Following the thread we started last time in Cheap Printers? yes or no! quite often the computer user buys a printer based on price alone, only to find out later that it wasn't such a good deal after all. Then other times we run across a deal that seems almost too good to be true and it turns out to be a killer printer for mere pennies.
Price Points Price does not equate to print quality or even durability. Chances are, a manufacturer will only design and build one or two print engines. So you'll probably be getting the same engine and guns from the bottom model through the intermediate models. Price points are usually based on features: faster print speed, oversized paper support, roll paper support, direct printing, and even PC-Card slots for printing directly from a digital camera or pocket drive memory card. In these cases you have to determine which features are most beneficial to you, and if they're worth the added cost.
Imaging Media: - Unless you have a specific requirement for laser printing, the inkjets and dye-subs, offer the best quality at the lowest price. Both types of printers will print plain paper for every-day use and photo quality prints comparable to traditional film prints.
Image Quality - If you don't plan on printing photo quality prints the lower priced "non photo" printers will do. However, don't think you won't. Sooner or later you'll want to print something really nice. So, to avoid buyer remorse, spend a few more dollars by making sure the box shows the word "photo" in the names of these models. For the best photo quality you'll need a printer engineered specifically to render digital images.
Resolution - With today's printer driver interpolation, you really no longer need to worry about resolution. That means a higher printer resolution doesn't necessary give you better print quality. In the market today, virtually all these printers, even the cheap ones, have sufficient resolution for near-continuous tone prints.
Paper Path - Always be aware of paper path -- or the 'shape' of the path the paper takes as it goes through the printer. A straight paper path is the ultimate. However you won't find this in any but the higher end printers, or those with a sheet-feed "back door" that by-passes the feeder path. Look for a lazy "L" path or one that makes a turn no greater than 90-degrees, preferably through a wide arch. If the printer has a "U" or "J" path, then you'll sometimes have problems printing heavier stock and envelopes. (Ignore the manufacturer's claims. Wrapping three thicknesses of paper, as in envelopes, around pinch rollers in a switch-back spells squeeze, creep or wrinkle.) One printer I tested with a "J" path printed photographs to the heavy 50lb gloss stock beautifully, but also gave the final print a very objectionable 'curl' which was difficult to impossible to remove.
Inks and Ink Cartridges - Always insist on at least four ink reservoirs, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. There are five and six color models available which print superb color rendition far better than 4-color models. However you should compare prints from both because in many cases you won't be able to visually see enough difference to justify the additional cost. (The real difference actually is in the shadow detail of photographic images.) If you're not printing a lot of critical-color photo prints on a regular basis, a four-color head should do fine.
Obviously replacing four color cartridges will cost more than three, and less than five or six. Again this is an end-user decision on cost-to-quality. Demanding color printing demands the higher level printer along with the relative increased cost.
Consumer Reports ranked the leading printer manufacturer cartridges against the leading off-brand cartridges with some predictable results: manufacturer cartridges always print better, and almost always make more prints. The research showed that off-brand carts are plagued with clogged orifices, and often delivered off-color prints. Inkjet USA carts performed so poorly (only 2 out of 12 were good), they were removed from the research.
Don't expect to get any gratification from those complicated ink charts put out by the manufacturers or even in the magazines. Not only are they very difficult to figure out, they're usually wrong. (The manufacturers intentionally try to confuse and misinform you. It's their job.)
Macworld Magazine recently ran a big printer comparison chart. You could spend an hour studying the results, decide on a cartridge, then try to buy it only to find it's out of stock -- or no long manufactured. At that point you have to make the decision on the fly anyway. If you're going to be doing a lot of color printing, you're going to have to buy cartridges more frequently.
The bottom line to remember is to use a printer that offers individual ink cartridges. Don't be fooled by the 4-in-1 cartridges for less. They will cost you more in the long run. If you print even 20% of your pages in color you'll run out of yellow when the red and blue are still half full. Now you'll throw away a cartridge half full of ink because the manufacturer has configured the firmware NOT to print if one color bay is empty. Gotcha! With separate carts, you simply replace the one that's empty and keep on truckin'. In most cases, you'll be able to buy an extendede reservoir black. This is well worth a few extra dollars because most home and office printers use black most of all.
The most important rule of buying any piece of hardware or peripheral for your computer is to get the opinions and experiences of everyone you can. Don't let yourself get backed into a corner where you've got to buy a printer right now, this moment. Begin the shopping process early. Ask around. Invite yourself over to "see" their printer in action. If they really like their printer, they'll be happy to show you samples. If they don't they'll be quick to say so.
Here's where you'll find lots of information and "testimonial" advice on any piece of equipment, not just printers. And nothing ever replaces person-to-person help. There you have it!
Until next time, happy mousing.
Fred Showker, Editor/Publisher UG Net News
Fred Showker is co-editor of "MUG Info Manager," the User Group Network News service, and a founding Apple User Group Advisory Board (UGAB) member. He was an original founder of the User Group Forum on AppleLink Personal Edition which became America Online in 1988 ... read more
"This Old Mouse" presents short, interesting articles about computers and computing for reprint in Macintosh user group newsletters, and the Macintosh computer community at large.
If you would like to reprint "This Old Mouse" in your nonprofit newsletter contact us for details. We can supply header graphics, slugs for both web and print publication. We welcome your questions, problems, tips, tricks and input. Macintosh User Groups should register your group before reprinting
Return to: the top of this page, or read more from This Old Mouse
Exit to: The User Group Network front page
Read more The User Group Articles
Check the The User Group News Department
Read this week's MUG Info Manager