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Printer Buying Guide
Professional-quality printing doesn't have to cost a fortune. You can
now get the same level of quality in-house with inkjet and laser printers
designed specifically for your small business needs. Laser printers are now
more affordably priced, and a number of inkjet printers provide laser-image
quality. It's simply a matter of choosing the options you want at the price you
can afford. Use the following features to help choose the model that's just
right for you:
Office Depot...Your One Stop Printer Shop!
Resolution measures the level of
sharpness of a printed image or character measured in dots per inch, or dpi.
Image quality increases with resolution. A printer with a resolution of 600 dpi
will print higher quality images than a printer with 300 dpi resolution. Many
of the laser and inkjet printers currently available have resolutions of 600
dpi or more.
Speed is typically measured on pages per
minute, or PPM. Laser printers speeds range from 4 to 24 PPM while inkjets
range from 2 to 7 PPM. These speeds can vary, however, depending on other
factors such as the presence of complex graphics and the quality of the
printer's microprocessor.
Memory also influences a printer's
performance level. All of the information contained in the document is stored
in memory prior to printing. Insufficient memory can cause delays in the
printing process, which can be very problematic for both single-user and
networked printers.
Duty cycle refers to the expected
performance level of the printer usually expressed in pages per month. For
small business and home offices, a duty cycle between 10,000 and 20,000 pages
per month may be sufficient. For larger organizations a duty cycle twice this
size may be required. This is especially true if the printer in question is
networked.
Paper size capacity is your standard
8.5"x11" sheet paper. If your business requires printing materials of different
sizes, you should look for models with multiple paper trays varying in size,
manual feed trays or models that have an adjustable paper tray. |
