The most compact laser printer for the home. Bubble and thermal inkjet printing. Inkjet printers – for every day

The printer is one of the most required devices Today. There are dozens of brands on the market, hundreds various models devices.

How to choose the best printer for your home or home office use? Should you pay attention to multifunctional devices (MFPs)? How to choose a color printer?

Main characteristics of printers

Regardless of whether the device belongs to one type or another, there are a number of general characteristics printers. Let's list them.

• Cartridge resource. This component of the printer is directly responsible for printing. This device contains a coloring element - ink or toner. The printer cannot work without a cartridge. Resource of this device usually measured in the number of sheets of paper processed, counted from the moment the first page is printed on a new (or newly refilled) cartridge. A typical measurement object is a sheet on which text is printed in medium font.

• Page processing speed. This characteristic Expressed in the number of sheets printed per minute. Just as in the case of the previous parameter, a typical object for measuring this characteristic is a text page.

• Chroma. There are two main types of printers in terms of printed shades. Firstly, these are monochrome (or black and white) devices (or, more technically speaking, devices that support only this type of cartridge). They are designed for printing texts, tables and other graphic data that do not require vivid visualization. Secondly, there are color printers (that is, those that, in turn, support this type of cartridge). Their cost, as a rule, is significantly higher. But this also opens up more possibilities for the owner of the device - you can print photographs, color booklets, covers, etc.

Main types of printers

Printers are available in a wide range of models. Manufacturers use dozens of different technologies for manufacturing these devices. At the same time, there are three main types of printers that are most common in household use: matrix, laser and inkjet. Let's look at what tasks each of them is optimized for, and also name the main pros and cons of the devices.

Dot matrix printers are historically considered the very first inventions for printing from a computer. Their use is best suited for printing single-color texts, very simple drawings and spreadsheets.

pros: economical.

Minuses: quite noisy during operation, relatively expensive repairs and components.

Laser printers, like dot matrix printers, are best suited for working with text and tables. However, in such devices you can use not only a black and white cartridge, but also a color one. This significantly expands the range of application of the printer. Of course, laser technology is not entirely optimal for printing high-quality photographs, but it is quite suitable as a tool for creating color booklets or, for example, covers. It is worth noting that color cartridges tend to become cheaper (both in terms of their retail price and in terms of refilling and maintenance costs).

pros laser printers: efficiency (cartridge life - 30-50 thousand pages of text, easy replacement of this component), versatility, high speed print.

Minuses: large size, unstable operation of cheap models.

Inkjet printers Ideal for printing color images. Modern photographers almost always use such devices in their work. At the same time, inkjet technologies allow you to print text of excellent quality.

pros: absolute versatility, low cost devices.

Minuses: low printing speed, low resource (about 150-200 pages of text) of cartridges, their high cost at retail, high cost of maintenance (refilling). Many IT specialists assign inkjet printers a specific niche related specifically to printing images. Or printing. If a user is thinking about how to choose a printer for printing photos, then he should pay attention to inkjet models first.

What is an MFP?

There is a special class of electronic equipment - MFPs. This abbreviation simply stands for “multifunctional device”. Despite the potential breadth of interpretation of the term, it is almost always understood as a device that combines the functions of a printer, scanner and copier. The classification of MFPs is carried out on the same basis as for printers (except that the matrix type of device is very rare). And therefore, the pros and cons for each type will be partly identical to those characteristic of printing devices.

MFPs are available in a wide range of specifications. You can always find a device that suits any desired function. How to choose a “printer-scanner-copier” “in one bottle”?

IT experts recommend paying attention to the most important aspect when selecting an MFP model - the functionality of functions if others are unavailable. Many manufacturers program their devices so that if, say, the cartridge used for the “printer” or “copier” function runs out of ink, then the scanner will not work. When choosing an MFP, therefore, you should find out in advance (through forums on the Internet or by asking the sales manager at a hardware store) how the device behaves with respect to the interdependence of functions.

Printer for the office: main nuances

How to choose a printer optimized for office use? First of all, let’s define the criteria that most clearly reflect the specifics of using this device in enterprise operating mode.

Firstly, an office printer will most likely be used to print black and white documents - contracts, invoices, tables. This will affect the choice of printer type: for typical “office” tasks, from an economic point of view, the most profitable device will be laser printer with black and white cartridge.

Secondly, in the office, unlike at home, the dynamics of work and labor productivity are fundamentally important, which to a certain extent will depend on the productivity indicators of the printer. The main criterion here is the number of pages printed (usually indicated in units per minute of time).

Thirdly, when deciding how to choose a printer for the office, it is necessary to analyze how compatible the device is with the company’s current infrastructure. This can be expressed in many aspects.

Take, for example, the noise level: it is known that dot matrix printers are primarily famous for generating high decibels. And therefore, their installation is undesirable in “open” type offices that do not have walls (plastic partitions are used instead). Employees simply will not be able to work comfortably. When choosing a printer for the office, it is important to find out whether it is capable of working under the operating system that is installed on enterprise computers. The fact is that on the PCs of many companies, for various reasons, Windows may be installed, but a completely different architecture operating system(Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS, etc.). Before thinking about which printer to choose, you should analyze the specifics of the computer platforms on which the device is intended to be used.

Laser printers: operating features

As we determined above, a laser printer with a black and white cartridge is best suited for the office. What are the specifics of operating devices of this type?

1. “Laser” is incompatible with “gloss”. IT specialists recommend being careful when choosing paper used in laser black and white printers. First of all, it is not recommended to use coated paper of the glossy type for any purpose: printing toner is very poorly attached to sheets of this type. This causes the printer parts to become dirty and the service life of the device is significantly reduced.
2. It is better to entrust refilling of the “laser” to a professional. The toner used in printers of this type is a fine, very free-flowing and sticky material. If it gets on clothes or pieces of furniture, it is incredibly difficult to wash and clean them. Therefore, after purchasing a laser printer, you should find a company that provides refilling services for such devices.
3. "Laser" loves savings. Features of the technology used in printing in these devices are such that the visualization of many graphic elements on the page, such as texts and tables, requires relatively small portions of ink (toner). Therefore, it makes sense to enable the “toner saving” option (it is available in the software settings of most modern printers). The print quality will not be affected, but the cartridge life will increase significantly.

"Laser" brands

Having decided on the basic characteristics of laser printers, let’s move on to the practical selection of device models that are optimally suited for office use.

Which brands should you pay attention to first? How to choose a laser printer based on its brand?

Experts include products from HP, Samsung, Canon, Epson, and Xerox as printers that have the optimal combination of price and performance.

Devices can be roughly classified according to the intensity of their use.

1. Low-intensity (involved in small groups of 1-5 employees). These include printers like HP LJ CP1215 and their analogues from other brands. The printing speed of such devices is about 15-20 pages per minute, the maximum load on the cartridge is 30 thousand sheets.
2. High-intensity (for teams of 5-20 people). In this category, experts note devices like the Xerox Phaser 3140 and their analogues. They are characterized by printing speed (20-25 sheets), cartridge resource - 50 thousand pages.

So which printer is better to choose based on affiliation with a particular brand? It’s difficult to answer unequivocally. If only because printing technologies are constantly changing. If Samsung is now considered the conditional leader, then it is possible that in just a few months it will be overtaken by HP in some technological aspects.

Choosing a color laser printer

According to many IT specialists, a color laser printer is an ideal solution in terms of versatility and cost-effectiveness. Until recently, however, such devices were incredibly expensive and therefore were not very common.

The criteria for choosing a color laser printer are generally the same as those for black-and-white devices. This is the cost of refilling and the price of cartridges (branded and non-branded). Of course, some consumer characteristics of devices released by different manufacturers, may vary, but this is usually a very subjective criterion.

Choosing an inkjet printer: key criteria

How to choose an inkjet printer? Devices of this type operate using technology that is fundamentally different from that used in laser devices. As a rule, liquid ink is used as a coloring element in such printers. Therefore, the architecture of the device, as well as its typical areas of application, have their own peculiarities.

Inkjet printers are much better than laser printers at printing photographs (and also various types printing). Of course, they also cope with the text “excellently”. True, as we noted above, the technological features of these devices determine their high resource consumption. But if this aspect is not critical, then you can safely choose such devices. But by what criteria? How to choose an inkjet printer?

Apart from the characteristics that are universal for all devices (cartridge life, print speed), it makes sense to pay attention to a number of criteria specific to inkjet devices:

• “refillability” of cartridges;
• support for “non-brand” inks.

When choosing a device, we focus primarily on the extent to which we can reduce the costs of its operation. First, let’s find out whether it’s possible to refill cartridges in principle. Secondly, we will find out whether it is possible to use inexpensive ink produced not by the brand itself, but by a third-party factory.

The aspect associated with saving consumables is extremely important when the user decides how to choose a printer for photo printing and printing products. Otherwise, what is the point of buying a device? It’s easier to give digital layouts to a specialized salon - it will be more profitable.

Printer for home

How to choose a printer for home use? First of all, let’s pay attention to how IT specialists characterize the policies of manufacturers in this segment. Brands produce fairly cheap devices (so that the average citizen does not think that a printer is an expensive thing, but goes out and buys it without hesitation), but the cost of the main printing element - the cartridge - is set very high. Moreover, it does not matter whether it is a black and white or color printer. For your home, you will need to choose one that, first of all, will not become a burden on the family budget. Or at least worth the investment in yourself.

Which printer to choose for your home? IT specialists recommend paying attention to its selling price last. Other aspects are much more important, namely:

• the price of a branded cartridge, its “non-branded” analogue (as well as its practical compatibility with printers);
• the cost of refilling with ink (if we are talking about an inkjet printer) or toner (laser device).

When deciding which printer to choose for your home, you can use this formula as a guide. First, we find out whether a cheap branded (or affordable and compatible “non-branded”) cartridge is sold for the device, whether the refill price is acceptable, and only then we look at the cost of the printer itself.

How to choose a color printer based on whether the device belongs to the laser or inkjet class? Very simple. If photo and graphic printing predominate, then choose inkjet. If text and tables - laser.

Does printer resolution matter?

When choosing a printer, you can pay attention to a number of important technical parameters. These include, in particular, permission. It directly affects print quality. The higher the resolution, the more detailed the image will appear on paper.

Technologically, the printing process works like this. The image is built from small dots applied to paper by a cartridge using ink or toner. Resolution is a measure of how many of these dots are per inch of paper area. This characteristic is expressed in two numbers (for example, 600 x 300). Should this indicator be considered important?

Many IT specialists believe that in modern printers resolution is a secondary characteristic. The fact is that the technologies used today use software and hardware image smoothing algorithms. Printers, even if they have a low resolution, can produce images comparable in quality to those produced by devices that support printing at a higher number of dots per inch. At least to the naked eye, the difference is almost invisible.

Additionally, as some experts point out, higher-resolution printers use much more ink (or toner). Which, in principle, is logical: more “dots” mean more intense consumption of the dye.

It turns out that expert assessments regarding such a characteristic as printer resolution are divided into “moderate” and “radical”. Those experts who adhere to the former do not consider resolution an important characteristic and urge users to treat it neutrally. Those who belong to the “radicals” even speak of high rates resolutions in a negative way.

Useful options and accessories

We have decided how to choose a laser printer or its inkjet equivalent. At the same time, additional criteria for the attractiveness of a particular device model may be the presence of a number of interesting options in the device, as well as its compatibility with various accessories. Let's look at examples.

The most popular accessory for printers is the system continuous feed ink (or CISS). This device ensures virtually uninterrupted operation of the device’s cartridge: it does not need to be refilled every time. At the same time, as IT specialists note, printer manufacturers really do not like CISS.

And therefore they program the devices so that they are not compatible with this accessory. Many IT specialists believe that the key criterion for choosing the right printer is a preliminary analysis of the device’s compatibility with CISS.

Useful options include the presence of a built-in Wi-Fi module. If it is, then the printer can be connected to a computer, located almost anywhere - no wires are needed. Moreover, when Wi-Fi assistance it is much easier to organize shared access to the device from different computers.

Another useful option is the presence of a card reader. If it is, then the printer can be used without a computer. This option is useful in offices where operational production tasks are being carried out, and it is difficult for some employees to give up their place at the PC to others. Also the option is useful if not technical feasibility connect your computer to the printer.

A home printer is not a luxury, but a necessity for most families. If you have children who are in school, then the scope of the printer becomes obvious. But even for families without a younger generation, a printer will be completely useful: printing digital photos It’s much more convenient at home than in the studio. Choosing a printer for the home - not only the desired model, but also suitable technology.

A printer is a computer peripheral device designed to print the necessary electronic information. This can be text, pictures, tables, graphs, and in general everything that we can visually observe on the screen of our monitor. Of course, even though now is the age of high computer technology and information is mostly stored electronically, but nevertheless, even at home, sometimes you have to print out documents and photographs.

As with office printers, when choosing a device for your home, you also need to decide on the format of the documents you will print. The most popular format is A4 (297 by 210 mm). However, for the home, the optimal photo card format may be 10x15 cm.

Key Technologies Used in Home Printers

Inkjet printers – for every day

Inkjet printers are rightfully one of the most popular printing devices for home and office use. We started looking at inkjet technology back in the article about office printers. Let's look at them in more detail. So there are several technologies inkjet printing: Epson and Brother use piezoelectric technology, Canon uses bubble technology, Lexmark and Hewlett-Packard use thermal jet technology.

The technologies are very similar, and their differences come down to how drops of ink get from the print heads onto the paper. However, each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages of the piezoelectric system is the ability to flexibly control the droplet size, which is carried out at the “electrical level”, which simplifies the production of high-resolution prints. In addition, the reliability of such a system is much higher than that of all other inkjet printing systems. One of its disadvantages is the relatively high cost of the print head, so it is usually installed in the printer and is not part of a replaceable cartridge. Unfortunately, the piezoelectric head is “afraid” of air ingress or the use of low-quality ink. In both cases, the head nozzles may become clogged and, as a result, the expensive head will need to be replaced. In addition, to maintain the print head in working condition, you should periodically print something on such a printer, otherwise the remaining ink may dry out, after which you will also have to change the head.

When using thermal inkjet technology, ink is heated to a high temperature and, due to pressure, it is ejected through the nozzles of the print head. The heating and cooling process is repeated several thousand times within one second.

Bubble technology used by Canon is a special case of thermal inkjet printing, in which ink is ejected solely due to the formation of gas bubbles that arise when the ink is heated. The quality of thermal inkjet printing is very high, and the manufacturing technology of print heads is close to that of microcircuits, which makes them cheaper than piezoelectric ones and they are usually built into a replaceable ink cartridge. It turns out to be a little more expensive than an ink container, but “non-original” consumables will no longer be able to completely damage the printer.

A printer in your home can perform a lot of functions, so you need to choose it carefully. Here it is worth considering some features of printing and its frequency. A regular office printer certainly won’t suit you, and no one will want to overpay a large sum of money for a universal model either. Therefore, before purchasing home printer, I highly recommend checking out our tips and tricks that we have published below.

Device type

The type of device directly depends on the breadth of capabilities. Nowadays, two types of printing devices are often produced:

• MFP (multifunctional device);
• A printer.

For your home, it is better to choose a multifunctional device (MFP), since in addition to the ability to print, this equipment has the following functions: copier, and some MFP models can even be used as a fax. Naturally, such a purchase will cost several times less than if you purchased the same devices, but separately, and the MFP will take up much less space, unlike all the listed devices separately, not to mention the minimum number of wires.

If you want to save money and are sure that you will not need a scanner, fax and copier, then it is better to buy a printer rather than an MFP.

Selection of printing technology

The next step is to select the device’s printing technology. Today you can find the following types:

• Laser printers. Designed for office work where high printing speed and low cost per printed sheet are needed. The quality of the printed text is really high. However, such equipment is significantly higher in price compared to its analogues.
• Inkjet printers. Widespread in home use. They have very high quality printing of color photographs and drawings. The price of inkjet printers is much lower than that of laser printers, but they consume an order of magnitude more ink, but if you consider that at home we do less printing than at work, then the consumption becomes quite adequate.
• Solid ink printers. Comparable to laser ones: they print quickly, can withstand heavy printing loads, are very durable (due to their design), and the quality is higher than laser ones. With all the apparent advantages, there is one caveat - the high price, which is 10-15 times higher than the price of conventional printers, which is not really an option for the home.
• Sublimation Printers. These models are used, as a rule, for printing small photographs in excellent quality.

Print color

It should be said right away that when choosing a home printer, pay attention, first of all, to printers with color printing. Black and white printing (the second type of device) is often preferred to be used in offices, where most of the printing is text, for which it is enough to have black ink.

The lack of color ink and color printing capabilities significantly reduce the cost of the printer, but be realistic about whether you are really willing to give it up. That is, if you do not plan to print highlighted text, color graphics and photos, then there is no point in overpaying for an inkjet printer. For the sake of several possibly printed photographs that can be printed in a photo salon, you have to overpay for color printing there is no point.

Print Format

Standard print formats are: A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A6.

Formats such as A0 and A1 can only be printed by wide-format printers and multifunction devices. These are quite rare devices, as they are specialized (used in engineering and advertising).

A2 format occupies a middle place between large format printers and regular printers, however, it is used quite rarely, both for work and at home.

The A3 format is often used in offices for printing such types of papers as: forms, advertisements or other documents in large format.

Format A4 (landscape sheet format) and A5 (half landscape sheet). These formats are supported by all printers and MFPs. Therefore, if you do not have special requirements for the print format, then choose a regular printer.

The A6 format has a size of 10x15 cm. As a rule, such printers are used to print photographs without a computer (directly from the camera).

Printing photos

Having the ability to print photos is a very beneficial feature of a home printer. Devices with this feature allow you to print any image in high quality, they can be compared with printing photographs in a professional laboratory.

This photo printer is best to buy if you often take photographs and create an album. It is also beneficial to buy it when you plan to have children, whom you will photograph many, many times. This class of devices, as a rule, has the ability to print directly from memory cards of cameras and .

But it is also worth noting that in addition to the high price of such a device, you need to take into account the need for frequent ink refills.

Wi-Fi interface

Modern printers and MFPs have the amazing ability to connect a device without unnecessary wires via the Wi-Fi interface. Standard wireless communication allows you to install the printer anywhere in the house and send photos or documents for printing from any devices that support WiFi connection(from a phone, tablet, netbook, laptop and, of course, from a computer). However, such devices will cost a little more than regular ones, but believe me, such convenience is worth the money spent.

CISS, cartridges and ink

Today, such a thing as CISS (continuous ink supply system) is very popular. This design costs about 25% of the cost of the printer. Its essence lies in the fact that the system saves ink consumption during printing several times. If you have a printer with color printing, and at the same time you will print a lot and often, then the CISS will quickly pay for itself and the ink savings will be enormous, especially since it is very easy to refill it yourself.

In other cases, it is best to give preference to a printer with a type of cartridges that will make it possible, instead of the original ones (when they run out), to insert non-original - serviceable cartridges (so that you can do it yourself). It is better to do this in view of the fact that original cartridges are unreasonably expensive.

An excuse to watch a video about the printer, which gives useful tips by his choice.

In order to print beautiful photographs on a printer, you will need a high-quality camera, about which I gave advice in one of the previous articles. Happy shopping!

All owners of a desktop computer or laptop eventually have the idea of ​​purchasing another printer, scanner, and maybe even an MFP (a multifunctional device that combines a printer, storage device and scanner). After all, schoolchildren and students constantly have to print out abstracts and coursework. But working people also need a printer to print lesson plans, pay stubs or money transfer. But there are still people who are passionate about photography, because it’s not enough to take a photo - you also need to print it!

Today we will talk about what is a printer? How to choose a printer for your home, so that it meets all your requirements. Which printer is better to buy: expensive or budget option, branded or unknown brand, what is better to buy a color printer or subsequently install a CISS (continuous ink supply system). And finally, we’ll find out which printer is better: laser or inkjet, discuss the advantages and disadvantages and make a verdict.

What is a printer and what is it for?

So, what is a printer? This is a computer peripheral device (i.e. not located in), which is designed for printing illustrations, text, photographs on paper with electronic form. The process of transferring information from a PC to a hard medium (paper) is called printing, and the resulting document itself is called a printout. Imagine that you urgently need to print out any application, complaint, appeal, invoice, abstract, or just the necessary illustration. It is in such situations that it becomes clear what is a printer for?. Agree, it’s unpleasant to leave the house and go somewhere 2 blocks away just to print out one page. Therefore, if you have a computer in your home, a printer is a must!

Having asked the question - how to choose a printer for your home, some consult with friends, some with consultants in specialized stores, and some compare models and read reviews on the Internet. Printers are matrix, laser, inkjet and sublimation (thermal printers). They differ in cost, printing speed, size and color (that is, the printer will print only black (monochrome) or will be multicolor). Which printer is better to buy? only you can determine. After all, if in a computer store they tell you about a certain model, you purchase it, and later it turns out that you needed a completely different printer, then this will not be very pleasant. Let's say they sold you an expensive inkjet photo printer Epson Stylus Photo R2000,

This is good. The bad thing is that you are not into photography, but you needed a simple laser printer, for example HP LaserJet P2035

since you print once a month, and only half a page.

So, which printer to choose? First you need to decide for what purpose you need it. If you are a schoolchild or student and print quite a lot of documents, it makes sense to purchase a laser or inkjet printer. It should be noted that you can use a laser printer occasionally, but in an inkjet printer the ink dries out due to long periods of inactivity. If you are engaged in or decide to engage in photo printing, then you should definitely purchase an inkjet printer; printing on original cartridges is quite expensive, so experts recommend installing a CISS.

But here again the question of ink arises; with the CISS installed, it is recommended to make a printout once a week test page printer, unless of course you printed something else this week.

What is CISS and what are its advantages?

I would like to talk about it in even more detail. The continuous ink supply system successfully replaces the cartridge, making the printer more efficient. Ink is automatically supplied through special tubes, which has a positive effect on print quality and saves you money. To work with CISS, you need to purchase paint on time, which is much cheaper than buying new cartridges, and pour the paint into special containers. You can install and refuel the CISS yourself, but I recommend inviting a specialist in the first few steps. It should be noted that CISS may not work with all inkjet printers, since it is more profitable for manufacturers to sell original expensive cartridges.

The cartridge is a special plastic box. It stores ink (for an inkjet printer) or powder (for a laser printer). Manufacturers produce cartridges so that they fit only a certain printer model. The price category is quite broad and is formed depending on functionality, size, and capacity of consumables.

Dot matrix printers are too noisy and their print speed is much lower than laser and inkjet printers.

Of course, on this moment New faster and quieter models have appeared, but they are unreasonably expensive. They are used mainly in banks, government and educational institutions.

Dye-sublimation printers are mainly used for printing DVDs, CDs and plastic cards, although thermal printers print higher quality images, they are rarely used for home printing because Consumables too expensive.

These printers are also used to print images on T-shirts, mugs, etc.

Another disadvantage of this printer is the extremely slow output of the photo; it takes about 3 minutes to print a photo of 10 x 15 cm, but the advantage is the long-lasting image due to the protective layer that prevents the ink from evaporating.

Models Epson Stylus Photo 1410, Epson Stylus Photo P50, Sony DPP-FP55, Canon SELPHY CP730, Xerox ColorQube 8570N, Canon Selphy CP800 and Epson Stylus S22, Epson Stylus Office T1100 have proven themselves to be the most optimal in terms of price/quality.

How to choose a printer for your home? Which is better?

Which printer is best for home? It should be a relatively inexpensive, high-quality, economical printer that does not take up much space. I think you will agree that with all the positive qualities (quality two-sided printing, a large number of printed sheets per month, more than 100 thousand and the ability to print in A3 format) you still won’t need an HP LaserJet 5200DTN office printer with dimensions of 140 cm by 1 meter and a weight of more than 50 kg. For your home, you need to purchase a high-quality printer that is easy and inexpensive to use. Only laser printers meet these requirements. Inkjet printers are much cheaper, but here's the catch: these printers are too expensive to operate.

Laser printer.

So, what is a laser printer? This is one type of printer that allows you to quickly produce high-quality prints on plain paper. Prints of text and graphics are resistant to fading and abrasion, and are not afraid of moisture. The quality of such images is high. The basic principle of operation is the process of laser scanning, then applying and transferring toner, and then fixing it.

How to choose a laser printer so that you can subsequently enjoy printing and not scold yourself (for the purchase), consultants (for advice), friends (for help in choosing). Manufacturer's choice ( trademark). When you buy a printer, you are not only paying for the product itself, but also for the brand. And this is fair, since branded items have an excellent service system. The availability of spare original and compatible parts and consumables is worth you paying a certain amount for the brand. In my opinion, the best are HP, Canon, Xerox, Samsung.

Next you need to select a printer model. First, decide on your monthly load, that is, how many pages you will print every month. Please note that if the recommended print volume is 6,500 pages per month, your printer will not work longer than the stated period (since the load will be exceeded). In other words, if you need to print 5,000 thousand pages per month, buy a printer with a recommended print volume of 6,500-7,000 thousand pages.

The printer configuration depends on your needs: duplex (double-sided printing, additional trays and memory, finishing devices and built-in hard drives).

It is very important to find out before purchasing a printer whether you can refill it; some manufacturers put a chip on the cartridge to prevent refilling and force the consumer to buy new cartridges.

Jet printer.

Now we will answer the question what is an inkjet printer. This is a peripheral device designed for printing not only documents, but also photographs, color diagrams, and graphs. The image on special paper is formed from dots; inkjet printers use a matrix that prints with liquid dyes. In order to reduce the cost of printing and improve the characteristics of the printer, CISS is used.

Now we will look in more detail, Which printer is better, laser or inkjet?? As mentioned above, many consider an inkjet printer best choice for the home, it is supposedly 2-3 times cheaper than a laser, and it is easy to refill and the ink is inexpensive. But let's look at this statement from the other side. Since inkjet printers are often purchased for multi-color printing, you can refill ink 1-2 times, and then you will have to buy a new original cartridge, which costs as much as new printer. A laser printer costs much more than an inkjet printer, but at the same time, it is much cheaper to maintain, since the toner for it costs between $2-7 and you can refill it yourself. In terms of printing speed, laser printers are much superior to inkjet printers; for comparison, 17 pages per minute for a laser printer and 7-9 for an inkjet printer. At the same time, the laser makes less noise, you don’t need to worry about dried ink, and the toner in the cartridge can be stored for up to a year. In an inkjet printer, you will have to constantly send a test page to print or clean the print head (if the CISS is installed, you will have to clean the nozzles).

The print quality of both printers is the same, but it should be noted that high-quality printing on an inkjet printer is only possible when using paper with a special coating; on regular paper, the design or edges of the letters become “shaggy.” Please also note that inkjet printouts are susceptible to fading, smearing, and exposure to water.

In defense of the inkjet printer, I would like to say that it is much more environmentally friendly than a laser printer, since ozone is released when printing on a laser printer.

Advantages and disadvantages of inkjet and azure printers.

Advantages and disadvantages monochrome laser printer:

• Plus: high printing speed, low cost of consumables, ideal for printing large and small volumes of text, designed for high printing load.
• Minus: not suitable for printing images, photographs.

Advantages and disadvantages color laser printer:

• Plus: high printing speed, printing images, color diagrams.
• Disadvantage: high price, not suitable for printing photos, presence of elements with high power consumption

Advantages and disadvantages inkjet printer:

• Plus: low price, in modern (and, as a result, more expensive models) high printing speed, excellent color printing, low price for a set of cartridges.
• Disadvantage: high cost per print, intensive replacement of cartridges, ink dries out if not used.

Laser printers of these models: HP LaserJet Pro 400 M451dn, Lexmark T650n, Xerox Phaser 4600N, Canon LBP-7750CDN, without a doubt, deserve your attention. Which inkjet printer is better? It's up to you to decide, the main thing you should pay attention to is the quality and speed of printing, price, ease of use, here are several models that combine all of the above: Canon Pixma iP-4200, Epson L-800, Canon Pixma iX-6540, HP OfficeJet Pro K8600dn.

This is the end of the educational tour of another one - the printing device. I hope that now you can easily navigate and not confuse inkjet, matrix and laser printers, and CISS will no longer be an incomprehensible abbreviation for you. Good luck!

At a time when modern technologies “attacked” humanity on all fronts, a printer for home use became a severe, logical necessity. It is much more convenient to print digital photographs at home than in the studio. If your children are in school or university, this device becomes as indispensable as a kettle in the kitchen.

So, when selecting any device, you first need to answer a simple question - what is it for? Depending on whether you will print photos or documents, choose an inkjet or laser unit.

Types of printers

First, let's dive into the thick of the diversity of these devices. What types of printing devices are there:

• jet;
• laser, LED;
• inkjet photo printers;
• inkjet MFPs;

How are they characterized?

What are their features? An inkjet printer (this is the best option for home use) is perfect for printing images, color documents, and small amounts of text. If you plan to use the unit exclusively for printing documents, feel free to purchase a laser machine.

Dye-sublimation photo printers are designed to delight photography enthusiasts. This color printer produces high-quality prints of 10 x 15 cm photographs. The MFP is a copying machine capable of creating documents and photographs, as well as scanning photo cards, documents and photographic films. A dot matrix printer is a device for printing black and white documents, the characteristic feature of which is dot printing. It is practically not found on sale; it can be found in state banking institutions.

Printer characteristics and types

And we will start with inkjet technologies. When choosing a color printer for your home, you need to understand that there are three types of inkjet technologies. This:

• piezoelectric;
• bubbly;
• thermal jet.

An example of piezoelectric printing would be Thermal inkjet devices from Hewlett-Packard. Bubble has Canon printer(but not all models). By the way, in terms of performance characteristics, inkjet analogs win. They are capable of printing up to 19 pages of color documents per minute, while for laser printers this figure is 3-4 sheets.

Piezoelectric technology

These technologies are very, very similar to each other, but their main difference is the way ink drops from the print heads get onto the surface of a sheet of paper. However, each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the piezoelectric image application method include the ability to fine-tune the droplet size. This makes high-resolution printing easy. In addition, this system is considered more reliable, but also more expensive. More precisely, a more expensive printer print head. If you use low-quality ink, its nozzles may become clogged and you will have to replace it. Among other things, when using any of the jet units, whether Epson printer or HP, from time to time you will have to print something so that the remaining ink does not dry out and you do not have to change the head.

Bubble and thermal inkjet printing

Bubble technology works as follows. Ink is ejected only due to gas bubbles. They, in turn, appear during the heating process of the ink. This technology is cheaper than the previous one, and the print quality is high.

Thermal inkjet printing (Canon printer has it) is carried out by raising the temperature of the ink. They spill out print head under high pressure.

Despite the significant difference in technology, it is quite difficult for the average user to discern the difference between the results.

Photo printers: what is it and why is it?

Every day people take more and more photographs. Digital photographs accumulate on media. They can be viewed, edited, improved. At the same time, the romance of tangible photographs, touchingly pasted into the album, disappeared somewhere. Therefore, photo frames have returned to fashion again, and with them photo printers. These are units that connect to a digital medium (camera) and print an image within a minute. There are devices that create standard A4 formats, but there are also compact models for displaying 10 x 15 cm images. The latter are needed when it comes to offline printing from a camera or flash drive.

Types of photo printers

There are two types of photo printers:

• sublimation;
• jet.

The latest printing technology is practically no different from those described above. It must be said that the disadvantages of ink jets include banding. It can make itself felt to varying degrees in different models. As a rule, it is difficult to detect, but it appears when the unit malfunctions or when some nozzles are clogged. As a result, the image becomes divided into horizontal stripes. Sublimation machines do not have this disadvantage.

Sublimation units, which operate even in the lowest resolution conditions, are not inferior in quality to inkjet counterparts with much higher resolution. The negative qualities of sublimation models include the high cost of consumables.

They print much faster than their inkjet counterparts. In such devices, their main task is carried out as a result of heating the film on which the dye is applied. The latter evaporates, thereby making an imprint on special paper. As a result of the increase in temperature, the pores of the paper open and the paint is tightly fixed to it. The future photograph cools down, the surface regains its glossiness and smoothness. The whole process is divided into several approaches, because to get the result you will have to apply three main dyes in the correct sequence.

Laser printing technology

Every day it is becoming easier and easier to buy an inexpensive laser printer. And no wonder, because laser Lately much cheaper for manufacturers. Many people buy these printers for their home. Printing documents using such a device is much more profitable than using an inkjet. This fact is explained by the fact that consumables are significantly cheaper per page. However, the printer itself is more expensive, the price of which more than pays for itself with large print volumes. One more point should not be overlooked. It is also necessary to take into account that if you buy a laser printer, the price of components and consumables (including toners) in case of repair will be lower than for an inkjet printer (at least 2 times).

The economic benefit of purchasing such a device appears when the user needs to print large volumes daily text documents- from several tens to several hundred. An inkjet printer is sufficient for a couple of pages a week. If you want a color printer for your home, then it’s better to neglect a laser printer altogether. The color printing quality of the laser device leaves much to be desired. Nice photos It's unlikely to work.

What to look for when buying a home printer?

1. Price. A good thing cannot be cheap. In addition, no one wants to communicate closely with service centers about repairing the purchased printer. Therefore, the price should be at least average (about 100-150 US dollars for inkjet and 200-300 for laser).
2. Functionality. Before purchasing a printer, you need to decide for yourself which functions you plan to use and which ones you can ignore. Modern units (especially MFPs) have a lot of additional functions, which increase the price of the device.
3. Possibility of color printing. If you don't need it, feel free to buy a monochrome printer. Even if the price is practically the same, you will have to change cartridges from time to time. Why do you need additional expenses?
4. Quality assurance. Ask the store about warranty periods.

What else do you need to find out from the salesperson in the store (applies only to inkjet printers)?

1. What is the average print speed.
2. How many copies will one set of consumables last on average?
3. Are there consumables on sale that are compatible with this model, the use of which can make printing cheaper?
4. Can the user refill the cartridges on his own? Is it possible to buy ink in this (or any other) store?
5. Does this device have protection against cartridge refills?
6. Is it possible to install? According to experts, this makes it possible to significantly save money and deprive yourself of the pleasure of unexpectedly seeing the absence of one of the paint colors.

It is strongly recommended that laser printer cartridges be refilled at specialized service centers. Without the necessary preparation, you can damage the cartridge, which costs up to 50% of the total price of the entire device. In addition, inhaling toner vapors is extremely harmful to the body. And this is a troublesome and dirty business.

Which company should I buy a color printer for home use?

At the moment, there are many manufacturers of this equipment. However, the most popular are the following companies:

• Hewlett-Packard.
• Epson.
• Canon.
• Lexmark.
• Xerox.
• Panasonic.
• Samsung.

Let's summarize!

When purchasing a printer for home use, remember the purpose of the purchase. Want to print colorful photos? Consider a sublimation or inkjet photo printer. If you are planning to build a career as a photographer, and the quality of the images created is a matter of fundamental importance, it is better to buy a sublimation printer. Are you shopping for work or school? Are you planning to print large volumes of black and white documents? In this case help will come laser unit. In any case, first calculate the average cost of refilling cartridges for the selected device and the average monthly costs for a specific unit. Find out if there is one in your city service centers manufacturer. This way you will save time in case of emergency problems. Be vigilant, attentive and reasonable. Happy shopping and good mood!

So, we have found out the printing technology and printer characteristics.