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Computer Technology Tip
Choosing A New Printer Don Trauger - Kennett
Printers don't often wear out but they seem to fail at inopportune times. They are in the same class as computer
monitors where it's cheaper to buy new than repair the old. I find choosing the correct printer more difficult than
choosing the right computer. The reason being is that there are many overlapping features, specifications, and
prices between printers often made by the same manufacturer.
In choosing a new or a replacement printer decide what your needs are. If you want to print photographs certainly
you want an inkjet model that can print in color. If you only print text documents a personal laser printer might be
ideal for you. Some laser printers can print in color too. Confusing - you bet! You also need to decide on whether
an all-in-one model is best. All-in-ones can print, scan, copy, and some can fax. There are other features too like
wireless connectivity. For example, if you have a wireless router installed in your home and use a wireless laptop
computer, you can print from the laptop to a wireless printer using the wireless feature of the router. Again, no
printer cables are needed. Some printers even have plug-in ports to accommodate memory cards from digital cameras. This
is a handy feature for photography buffs.
Now that you have an idea of popular printer types let's look at some of the model names you may run across. I'll use
Hewlett Packard as an example. First, on the low price end is the Deskjet model. This line of printers provides for
basic color and black & white printing needs. There's one model (F4480) that does have a copier/scanner feature. Next up
is the Photosmart series. Within this series almost all the models are all-in-ones. They lean more toward color printing,
copying, and scanning, but don't slack off when it comes to black and white printing. This series is most ideally suited
for the home environment. The Laserjet series printers are best suited for those that want faster black and white printing
and don't need color. Personally, I use a HP Laserjet and have been very satisfied with it. The Officejet series offer
somewhat faster print speeds, network capability, bigger capacity paper trays and a few other features that are of interest
to office environments. Speaking of print speeds, disregard the manufacturer's claim of 30 pages/minute print speeds. In
real life it's more like 10 pages/minute for black & white and even less for color.
If you go store shopping try pressing the demo button if the model you have selected has one. It will give you an idea
of speed and print quality. One other thing to watch out for is to make sure you have a printer cable unless you are
connecting via wireless. Most new printers do not come with a USB type printer cable. If you are just replacing a printer
your old cable should work fine. Another reminder is don't buy by price. A higher cost printer is not necessarily a better
printer. Printers have come down in price and sales abound. As I write this a $150.00 HP Photosmart Plus all-in-one printer
can be bought for $99.00 at a reliable Internet store called Newegg (www.newegg.com). It's also available from HP (www.hp.com)
for the same price. Both were offering free shipping. I've purchase this printer and it works well with Windows 7, Windows Vista,
or Windows XP.
Please come to our PC club meeting for answers to your computer or printer selection questions. Our April 13th meeting will
feature a beginner's session on computer maintenance. It starts at 7:00 PM in the Ardmore room upstairs in Winfield Hall.
To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club
meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Winfield Hall.
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