Despite competition from laser printers, inkjet printers remain attractive as a useful work tool. Its affordability, ease of use and color management are crucial for many users. Additionally, its weaknesses compared to laser printers in terms of sharpness and consistency of typeface and speed are more tolerated in personal use than in industry. We want to support everyone who wants to buy an ink printer with our guide so our readers can find the device that best suits their needs.
Value for money and complexity
We present the most important aspects of inkjet printers to safely compare products. This does not necessarily mean more performance, as the price-performance ratio is just as important, especially for affluent consumers, and they are trained to relate printer performance in individual branches to price. Additionally, very high-quality and expensive printers are often incredibly complex and involve numerous connections to the virtual world.
Simple printers such as the PIXMA TS 3350 are recommended for users with less technical knowledge PIXMA TS 3350 Cartridge at a Glance These customers often suffer from technical problems that make it impossible to use the printer. They are unable to read the jargon-filled solutions, and even if they run the correct commands, they just end up with a technical error message.
If they can’t solve the problem and establish a connection to the Internet (which can be lost at any time), then they will have to live with a permanently dysfunctional printer that just takes up space in the apartment.
Given the complexity of the printer, its various functions also count. Possible functions of a printer include printing, scanning, copying and faxing. Some ink printers only support black and white, while others allow color printing.
Resolution and speed
Printer resolution is measured in dpi (dots per inch), where one inch corresponds to a length of 2.54 cm. Dot printer is what pixel is in computer. For typefaces, a resolution of 600×600 dpi represents the minimum level that can be expected. High-end devices achieve performance up to 9600×2400 dpi
It should be noted that in addition to typefaces on printers, this scale is also specified for other uses, depending on the type of work such as color printing, photo printing, foil printing, etc.
Print speed is measured in PPM (pages per minute), powerful inkjet printers produce about ten pages per minute. Laser printers are about three times faster in this category because they can print a single page instead of line by line.
Stable paper feed
Conventional printers are less prone to technical problems, but they can make feeding paper a pain. Users know the problem when, for example, the printer feeds several papers and the sheets get caught in the device. If customers have to load each paper into the printer separately, this negates the advantage of high print speeds.
The problem must be known by the manufacturer and various technologies are available to ensure smooth paper feeding. The main added value here are sensors for feed detection, a separation mechanism to ensure that only one paper is fed and processed at a time, and an automatic document feeder (ADF).
Environmental printing
A printer’s “typical electricity consumption” (TEC) is measured in kilowatt hours per week. Here is one Energy consumption Less than 0.2 kWh is a good value. There are also various quality seals that indicate environmentally friendly equipment. The “Blue Angel” certificate enjoys a high reputation. Printers can use it if the internal load is particularly low, the materials used are selected according to environmental criteria, the energy consumption is low and the design is suitable for recycling.
Other quality seals include the “Energy Star” and the European Commission’s energy label. Important functions for eco-friendly printing include duplex printing (the printer prints paper on both sides), an energy saving mode, automatic switch-off after a long period of inactivity, and an eco mode, which optimizes printing environmentally.
Price for customers slightly lower print quality. The choice of cartridge also offers an opportunity for environmental protection. Here you should pay attention to cartridges that are based on gentle materials and are recyclable.
