At a time when modern technology "attacked" humanity on all fronts, a printer for home use has become a harsh natural necessity. It’s much more convenient to print digital pictures at home than in the studio. If your children go to school or university, this device acquires the same indispensability as a kettle in the kitchen.
So, when choosing any device, you first need to answer a simple question - what is it for. Depending on whether you will print photographs or documents, choose an inkjet or laser unit.
Types of Printers
First, dive into the thick of the variety of these devices. What are the printing devices:
- inkjet;
- laser, LED;
- inkjet photo printers;
- inkjet MFPs;
- matrix printer.
What are they characterized by?
What are their features? Inkjet printer (this is the best option for home use) is perfect for printing images, color documents, small amounts of text. If you plan to use the machine exclusively for printing documents, feel free to purchase a laser machine.
Thermosublimation photo printers are created to please amateur photographers. This
color home
printer provides high-quality printing of 10 x 15 cm images. The MFP is a photocopier capable of creating documents and photographs, as well as scanning photographs, documents and photographic films. Dot matrix printer - a device for printing black and white documents, a characteristic feature of which is spot printing. Almost never found on sale, can be found in government banking institutions.
Printer Features and Types
And we will start with inkjet technology. When choosing a color printer for your home, you need to understand that there are three types of inkjet technology. It:
- piezoelectric;
- vesiculate;
- thermal spray.
An example of piezoelectric printing will be an Epson printer. Hewlett-Packard devices own the heatjet. Bubble has a Canon printer (but not all models). By the way, in terms of performance, inkjet counterparts win. They are capable of printing up to 19 pages of color documents per minute, while for "laser" 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 droplets from the printheads get onto the surface of a sheet of paper. Nevertheless, each species is endowed with its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the piezoelectric method of applying the image include the ability to fine-tune the size of the droplet. This simplifies high-resolution printing. In addition, this system is considered more reliable, but also more expensive. More precisely, the more expensive print head of the printer. In the process of using low-quality ink, its nozzles may become clogged and will have to be replaced. Among other things, when using any of the inkjet units, whether it is an Epson or HP printer, you will have to print something from time to time so that the ink remains do not dry out and there is no need to change the head.
Bubble and thermal inkjet printing
Bubble technology is as follows. Ink is only ejected by gas bubbles. They, in turn, appear in the process of heating the ink. This technology is cheaper than the previous one, and the print quality is high.
Thermal inkjet printing (a Canon printer has it) takes place as the ink temperature rises. They splash out of the print head under high pressure.
Despite the significant difference in technology, it is quite difficult for the average user to consider the difference between the results.
Photo printers: what is it and why is it?
Every day, people are increasingly taking pictures. Digital pictures are accumulated 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 returned to fashion, and photo printers along with them. 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 demonstrating 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
Photo printers come in two forms:
The latter in terms of printing technology are practically no different from those described above. I must say that the disadvantages of streamers include banding. It can make itself felt to varying degrees in different models. As a rule, it is difficult to detect, but it manifests itself in the event of malfunction of the unit or with the clogging of some nozzles. As a result, the image becomes divided into horizontal stripes. Sublimation apparatuses are free from this drawback.
Sublimation units, which work even in the conditions of the lowest resolution, are not inferior in quality to inkjet counterparts with a much higher resolution. The negative qualities of sublimation models include the high cost of consumables.
They print much faster than inkjet "brothers." 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 printing on a special paper. As a result of the temperature increase, the pores of the paper open, and the ink is firmly fixed on it. The future photo cools, the surface regains its gloss and smoothness. The whole process is divided into several approaches, because in order to get the result, three main dyes will have to be applied in the correct sequence.
Laser printing technology
Every day it is easier to buy a low-cost laser printer. And no wonder, because laser printing technology has recently cost much cheaper to manufacturers. Many people buy such printers for the home. Printing documents using such a device is much more profitable than using an inkjet. This fact is explained by the fact that consumables when converted to a page are significantly cheaper. However, the printer itself is more expensive, the price of which is more than paid for with large print volumes. One more point should not be overlooked. It should be borne in mind that if you buy a laser printer, the price of accessories and consumables (including toners) in case of repair will be lower than for an inkjet (at least 2 times).
The economic benefit of buying such an apparatus appears when the user needs to print large volumes of text documents daily - from several tens to several hundred. An inkjet printer is sufficient for a couple of pages per week. If you want a color printer for the home, then the laser is completely better to neglect. The quality of color printing of the laser machine leaves much to be desired. Good photos are unlikely to work.
What to look for when buying a home printer?
- Cost. A good thing cannot be cheap. In addition, no one wants to talk closely with service centers to fix the purchased printer. Therefore, the price should be at least average (about 100-150 US dollars for inkjet and 200-300 for laser).
- Functionality. Before purchasing a printer, you need to decide for yourself what features you plan to use, and which can be neglected. In modern units (especially this applies to the MFP), there are a lot of additional functions that increase the price of the device.
- Possibility of color printing. If you do not need it, feel free to buy a monochrome printer. Even if the price is practically the same, from time to time you will have to change the cartridges. Why are you spending extra?
- Quality assurance. Ask the store for warranty terms.
What else do you need to find out from the seller in the store (applies only to inkjet printers)?
- What is the average print speed.
- How many copies on average will be enough for one set of consumables.
- Are there any consumables on sale that are compatible with this model, the use of which can make printing cheaper.
- Can the user refill the cartridges on their own. Is it possible to buy ink in this (or any other) store.
- Does this device have protection against cartridge refills?
- Is it possible to install a continuous ink supply system? According to experts, this makes it possible to significantly save and deprive oneself of pleasure at an unexpected moment to see the absence of one of the colors of the paint.
Cartridges from laser printers are strongly recommended to be refilled at specialized service centers. Without the necessary preparation, you can disable the cartridge, which costs up to 50% of the total price of the entire device. In addition, inhaling toner fumes is extremely harmful to the body. And the thing is troublesome and dirty.
Which company to buy a color printer for home use?
At the moment, there are many manufacturers of this equipment. However, the following companies are most popular:
- Hewlett-Packard.
- Epson
- Canon
- Lexmark
- Xerox.
- Panasonic
- Samsung
We summarize!
When purchasing a printer for home use, remember the purchase goals. Want to print colorful photos? Pay attention to a sublimation or inkjet photo printer. If you plan to build a career as a photographer, and the quality of the shots taken is a matter of fundamental importance, it is better to buy a sublimation printer. Making a purchase for work or study? Are you planning to print large volumes of black and white documents? In this case, the laser unit will come to the rescue. In any case, pre-calculate the average cost of refilling cartridges of the selected device and the average monthly cost for a particular unit. Find out if there are manufacturer service centers in your city. This will save you time in the event of a malfunction. Be vigilant, attentive and reasonable. Enjoy your shopping and good mood!
So, we found out the printing technology and the characteristics of printers.