!44: The Right Small Office/Home Office Printers

!±8± The Right Small Office/Home Office Printers

Choosing an output device (notice I did not say "printer") is an arduous task indeed: inkjet, laser, LED, 3-in-1, 5-in-one, 7-in-one, photo printers, MFPs..... the choices are seemingly endless.. To make matters worse, the employee at the big retail/computer/electronics store has held the job for less than a week and is a lot more knowledgeable about PlayStation than anything else. So what do you do? Here's a little quick guide to help you sift through most of the choices.

These tips are based on how much paper you use per month. If you do not know (I wouldn't if somebody asked me), then think of how often you buy paper and how much; then divide by the appropriate timeframe. Regular office paper (A4, letter- or legal-size) normally comes in 500-page reams or 2500 or 5000-sheet boxes. If you buy a 2500-sheet (5 ream) box once a quarter, you therefore use 833 sheets per month.

A - Less than 50 sheets per month: Get as cheap an inkjet as you can - just make sure there are store-brand or knockoff cartridge brands readily available so you can purchase those as soon as the warranty on your printer runs out. If your printer dies, DO NOT fix it: it will be cheaper to get a new one (which will come with a new cartridge pack). I would personally buy a "multi-function" with a flatbed scanner, as they are now quite cost effective. The more mainstream the brand, the more retailers carry it, the better.

B - 50 to 250 sheets per month: If your usage dictates that you need colour and/or a multi-function (any combination of 2 of the following: printer/fax/scanner/copier), then definitely get a multi-function inkjet. However, before you do, do some research (15 minutes on the internet) to determine how much cartridges cost and what their yield (how many pages you can get out of them) is. If a cartridge costs and yields 450 sheets, it will start getting expensive. If you do not need anything other than straight B/W printing, then get an entry-level laser/LED printer. They now come with a very good price tag (under 0) and are very cost-effective.

C - 250 to 1000 sheets per month: In this case, there is no doubt you need to get a laser or LED since it does not make any kind of sense to get an inkjet - the cost will be much higher. If you can, try to get a Multi-function, but remember to do your homework on cartridge cost vs. yield - and do not let the comparatively lower cartridge cost fool you (a 0 cartridge with a 5000 page yield is a lot better than a 0 cartridge with a 1000 page yield). Also, get a system that is suited to your primary application: do not get a fax-based system if 90% of your usage will be copying.

D - Over 1000 sheets per month: In this case, your best bet is to call 3 or 4 office-equipment providers, as they will guide you towards the best choices according to your needs. Just be sure to get 3 or 4 quotes (just to keep them honest) and get an all-inclusive service contract; they include toner and all your services and are typically cheaper (at this stage) than buying toner alone for a laser system.

A few parting words: These tips are for basic office use only; if you need oversize paper (11x17 or A3), o photo-quality finishes for pre-press, these tips are not for you. Also, I do not recommend refilling laser cartridges, as the systems themselves are somewhat of an investment and can be picky. For inkjets, however, since the machines themselves are almost disposable nowadays, it should not be a major issue.