Printers

Ink is a major ongoing cost for printers. In fact, over the life of a printer, it’s not unusual to spend more on replacement ink than you spent on the machine itself.

Because inkjets use liquid ink, a lot tends to be wasted when it dries on the printhead. Lasers use dry ink, so they don’t have this problem. For more about ink usage and common problems with ink cartridges, read our article about printer ink.

Ink tank printers have lower ink costs

Some inkjet printers don’t use replaceable cartridges at all, instead storing ink in high-capacity tanks. Tanks can print a lot more pages and are easier to refill. They’re also less wasteful, which is better for the environment. However, the printers cost more upfront because the business model is different – the manufacturer needs to make most of its profit from the machine itself rather than from replacement cartridges.

Each printer manufacturer has a different name for their ink tank technology: Epson has EcoTank, HP uses Smart Tank and Canon has Pixma Endurance.

A multifunction can do more than just print. Think about whether you’d find these features useful.

Scanning: A built-in flatbed scanner allows you to capture photos and documents and save them to your computer. Most models come with optical character recognition (OCR) software, which allows text to be scanned in and saved as a word processor file. With all flatbed scanners, depth of field can be a problem. Most models only scan clearly when the item’s pressed hard up against the glass plate – tricky when copying a book.

Copying: The combination of a scanner and printer allows a multifunction to act as a copier too. However, you may find the speed frustrating if you’re used to a standard photocopier – and the cost per page is much higher.

Faxing: Some multifunction printers have a faxing function, but it’s no longer common.

• Colour or mono: All inkjet printers can print colour, while less than half of lasers can.
• Resolution: This is measured in dots per inch (dpi). Quality can be limited by low resolution, but high resolution doesn’t guarantee good results.
• Tray size: Most home printers hold 150 to 250 A4 sheets. If you want to print in larger quantities or a different paper size, make sure the printer has a suitable tray.
• Auto-duplexing: Automated double-sided printing, where a printed page is fed back into the printer.

Think about which computer, tablet or phone you’ll be printing from, and how you’ll connect to it. On smaller devices, you’ll likely need to download an app. The most common connections are:

• WiFi – connects your printer to a home WiFi network, letting you wirelessly print from any device on that network.
• WiFi Direct / Bluetooth – one-on-one wireless connections, similar to WiFi but with no router involved.
• Ethernet port – connects the printer directly to a router or PC via ethernet cable.
• USB port – allows printing from a flash drive.
• Near-field communication (NFC) – lets you print by “tapping” your phone or tablet on to the printer, using similar tech to contactless payment.
• Memory cards – some printers have slots that accept various memory cards used in digital cameras. Examples are SD (Secure Digital), MS (Memory Stick) or CF (Compact Flash).

The driver is the software that tells the printer how to interact with other software, such as your word processor or picture viewer. Many printers don’t come with up-to-date drivers, but the latest version can often be downloaded online.