It is extremely necessary to take every attribute such as size, speed, cost, inks (color), etc., into account while purchasing a printer. Your selection of the right printer will vary based on your requirement. Toner cartridges and ink cartridges are the medium of inking the sheets are also equally important to be taken into consideration. There are alpha to omega types of printers available for office as well as home use. Below are few tips that will guide you to come to an informed decision before purchasing a printer:
- What is your need? Go through your requirements of owning a printer: What kind of daily purpose do you require the printer to have? Do you only need to print monochrome documents? Is the printing speed a huge concern for you? Do you need a printer for the office, or a printer for your home use where you can print photos via a memory card? The list goes on. So be ready to list and go through all your needs in a printer.
- Pin down what operating system your computer is breathing on, and whether or not if the printer’s manufacture can support your OS. (For example: Linux OS is not supported by Lexmark printers).
- Tailor out your usage need in such a way that buying a printer will not exceed your budget limit.
- Ever thought of using wireless printers? They can get the job done while not having to wire your computer to the printer.
- And now it’s time to conjoin all your above pieces to come up with one word of the required printer.
What’s your printing habit? If the printer is for occasional printing, then you can consider getting a basic inkjet or laser printer. But if you have a heavy printing habit in photo or graphic printing, then you should look into a high-quality photo printer. Faster laser printers can satisfy your printing habit if you need to print over 100 pages of documents daily. If you are setting up a home business, then a multi-function printer can satisfy all your needs, as it is an amalgamation of a scanner, printer, copier, and a fax machine.
Many consumers are often confused about the difference between ink and toner, and often think that they are interchangeable. But that is incorrect! The core difference between ink and toner is their “functionality”. Both cartridges are used to print documents, photos, etc. However, the way in which printing is implemented by inkjet and laser printers with ink or toner cartridge installed is completely different.
Toner Cartridges
- It comes in Powder-formed.
- Laser Printer use Toner Cartridges.
- There is the distinct role of toner in xerographic (printing process works on the basis of electrostatic charges). Hence, ink can no way be a substitute for.
- Toner is not directly pressed on sheets by laser printers, but instead, electrostatic template of the image is drawn first on rotating a metal drum of the printer.
- Then drum is ignited with either positive or negative charge.
- Precise laser changes electric charges on basis of data fed from the computer.
- The further drum is coated with magnetically charged toner and minute particles only stick on the areas which were previously drawn by laser.
- Magnetically charged sheet rolls past the drum and wipes out toner.
- Lastly, the image is set by fuser, which warms and melts the plastic particles.
Ink Cartridges
- It is Liquid-based.
- Inkjet Printer use Ink Cartridges.
- Inkjet printers are fed with ink cartridges.
- The ink fluid is stored in airtight foil compartment.
- These cartridges are mounted on print head which comprises of infinite microscopic ink nozzles.
- On movement of the print head, back or forth across the sheet, ink droplets via nozzles create an image.
- The technology used to control ink flow depends on inkjet printers brand and model.
Clear and precise utilization of printer along with core understanding of printer cartridges will simplify your search for the right printer.