Know what you want your printer to do
What you intend to print will determine the best printer for you. If you work a lot with shopping lists, concert tickets, or travel plans, excellent print quality is undoubtedly more important than print speed and price. If you use your printer for professional materials or photo printing, then color accuracy, print quality, and features like borderless printing will be considerations when choosing the right home printer.
Inkjet versus Laser or other types
The two main types of home printers are Inkjet and laser. Both have different advantages and disadvantages. There are also other options if you have specific needs.
- Inkjet: Inkjet printers spray tiny droplets of colored ink onto a page to produce images and words. They use multiple pots of liquid ink fired from multiple jets to create a wide gamut of colors. If you use the right glossy paper, the image quality is very good. If you print a mixture of images and words in your home office, you should use an inkjet printer. Brochures and web pages look great on an inkjet printer.
- Laser: Laser printers use dry toner and heat to print pages. The toner is attracted to the charged surface — shot by the lasers, hence the name — and then heated to the page to adhere it. They are especially capable of printing high-volume documents that contain small images. That being said, most laser printers can print decent photos, and in color, so they are very versatile. Use a laser printer if you are printing large documents or need a large volume. Toner can be expensive, but it lasts longer than Inkjet ink.
- Other: Many of the other types of ink on this list are useful for specific niches.
- Thermal printers use heat on special paper to print adhesive labels. Perfect for people who ship a lot of packages.
- DTF printers print on a special film that can be heat transferred onto items such as t-shirts and jackets. Perfect for small creative businesses
- Sublimation printers use special ink to allow you to print on paper, then heat press it onto mugs, mugs, and other merchandise. And it’s great for small creative businesses.
- UV printers spray a special inky resin onto the material and use UV to cure it. It’s perfect for medium-sized businesses looking for something a little more special.
Print only against all-in-ones
All-in-one printers are almost everywhere these days, and if you’re looking for something for a small home office, there’s no reason not to find one. Built-in scanning and copying alongside printing makes sense for a small business.
However, if your printing needs are based on photos, or one of the niche types on this list — such as sublimation or thermal printing — then an all-in-one may not work. You want a printer that does one job very well, rather than a jack of all trades.
Budget
Another factor to consider is the cost of ink and making sure you have enough ink to print everything you need. (There is nothing more frustrating than having a printer but no ink in the tank.) Inkjet printers use liquid ink to print, while laser printers use toner cartridges that contain powder. Even if you get a good printer deal, be sure to research how to refill the ink, so you can choose the best printer for your overall budget. Some new printers include ink subscriptions in the original price tag, so that may be something to consider.
