How to choose a printer for home use? Which firm to buy a color printer for the house?

At a time when modern technology "attacked" humanity on all fronts, the printer for home use became a harsh logical necessity. At home it is much more convenient to print digital pictures than in the studio. If your children are in school or university, this device gets 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 print photos or documents, choose an inkjet or laser unit.

Types of printers

For a start, we will plunge into the thick of the diversity of these devices. What are the printers:

• Inkjet;
• Laser, light-emitting diode;
• Inkjet photo printers;
• Jet multifunction devices;
• matrix printer.

What are they characterized by?

What are their characteristics? Inkjet printer (for home use is the best option) is perfect for printing images, color documents, small amounts of text. If you plan to use the machine solely for printing documents, safely purchase a laser machine. Thermo-sublimation photo printers are created to please amateur photographers. This color printer for the house implements high-quality 10 x 15 cm prints. The MFP is a photocopier capable of creating documents and photographs, as well as scanning photos, documents and photographic films. Matrix printer - a device for printing black and white documents, a characteristic feature of which is dot printing. On sale practically does not occur, it is possible to find out in the state banking structures.

Printer specifications and types

And we will start with inkjet technologies. Choosing a color printer for the home, you need to understand that there are three types of inkjet technologies. It:

• Piezoelectric;
• Bubble;
• Thermojet.

An example of piezoelectric printing is the Epson printer. Thermo-jet is owned by Hewlett-Packard devices. Bubble has a Canon printer (but not all models). By the way, inkjet analogs are winning on performance characteristics. They are able to print up to 19 pages of color documents per minute, while for "laser" this figure is 3-4 sheets.

Piezoelectric technology

Among themselves, these technologies are very, very similar, but their main difference is the way that ink drops from the printheads hit the surface of a sheet of paper. Nevertheless, each species is endowed with its own merits and demerits. The advantages of a piezoelectric method of image imaging include the possibility of fine-tuning the size of a drop. This simplifies printing with high resolution. In addition, this system is considered more reliable, but also more expensive. More precisely, the printer's more expensive print head. In the process of using low-quality ink, its nozzles may become clogged, and it will have to be replaced. Among other things, when using any of the inkjet units, whether it's an Epson printer or HP, you'll occasionally have to print something out so that the ink remains dry and do not have to change the head.

Bubble and thermal inkjet printing

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

Thermal-jet printing (it has a Canon printer) is carried out in the process of increasing the temperature of the ink. They spill out of the print head under high pressure.

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

Photo printers: what is it and why is it?

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

Types of photo printers

Photo printers are of two types:

• Sublimation;
• Inkjet.

The latest in the technology of printing practically does not differ from those that were described above. It must be said that stripes are classified as shortcomings of the jet. It can make itself felt in different degrees in different models. As a rule, it is difficult to detect, but it manifests itself when the unit malfunctions or when some nozzles become clogged. As a result, the image becomes divided into horizontal bars. Sublimation apparatuses are free of this shortcoming.

Sublimation units, which work even in the conditions of the lowest resolution, are not inferior in quality to inkjet analogues with a much higher resolution. To the negative qualities of sublimation models, the high cost of consumables is reckoned.

They print much faster than inkjet "fellows". In such devices, their main task is carried out by heating the film on which the dye is applied. The latter evaporates, thereby applying an imprint on the special paper. As a result of increasing the temperature, the pores open and the ink is firmly fixed on it. The future photo cools down, the surface again becomes glossy and smooth. The whole process is divided into several approaches, because to get the result you will have to put in the correct sequence the three main dyes.

Laser printing technology

Every day it's easier to buy a laser inexpensive printer. And no wonder, because laser printing technology has recently been much cheaper for producers. Many people buy such printers for home. Print documents using this device is much more profitable than using inkjet. This fact is explained by the fact that consumables when converted to a page are much cheaper. However, the printer itself is more expensive, the price of which pays off with a high return at large volumes of printing. Do not lose sight of one more thing. It should also be taken 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 a jet printer (at least 2 times).

The economic benefit from the purchase of such a device appears when the user needs to print out daily large volumes of text documents - from a few tens to several hundred. A couple of pages a week is enough for an inkjet printer. If you want a color printer for your home, it's better to ignore the laser. The quality of color printing of the laser apparatus leaves much to be desired. Good photos are unlikely to work.

What should I look for when buying a home printer?

1. The cost. A good thing can not be cheap. In addition, no one wants to communicate closely with the service centers to repair 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 buying a printer, you need to decide for yourself which features you plan to use, and which ones you can neglect. In modern units (especially this applies to MFPs), a lot of additional functions that increase the price of the device.
3. 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, you will have to change cartridges from time to time. Why do you need additional spending?
4. Quality assurance. Ask the store for warranty service.

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

1. What is the average speed of printing.
2. On how many copies on average will be enough for one set of consumables.
3. Are there available supplies that are compatible with this model, the use of which can make printing cheaper.
4. Can the user on his own cartridges refill. Is it possible to buy ink in this (or any other) store.
5. Is there protection in this device against refills on the cartridge.
6. Is it possible to install a continuous ink supply system. According to experts, this makes it possible to significantly save and deprive yourself of pleasure at an unexpected moment to see the absence of one of the colors of the paint.

Cartridges from laser printers are highly recommended to fill in 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 vapors of toner is extremely harmful for the body. And the matter 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 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. Do you want to print colorful photos? Pay attention to the sublimation or inkjet photo printer. If you plan to build a photographer's career, and the quality of the images created is a matter of fundamental importance, it is better to buy a sublimation printer. Do you make a purchase for work or study? Is it supposed to print large amounts of black and white documents? In this case, a laser unit will come to the rescue. In any case, pre-calculate the average cost of refilling the cartridges of the selected device and the average monthly costs for a particular unit. Find out if there are any manufacturer service centers in your city. So you will save time in case of freelance problems. Be vigilant, attentive and reasonable. Pleasant shopping for you and great mood!

So, we found out the technology of printing and the characteristics of printers.