About Printer

Printers fall into four basic categories: color inkjet printers, monochrome laser printers, color laser printers, and multifunction devices that fax and scan as well as print. For college use, cost considerations will probably rule out color laser and multifunction devices. So you’ll most likely want to choose between color inkjet and monochrome laser printers. Although laser printers continue to slightly outperform inkjet printers, the difference in print quality is not enough to justify the price differential. As a result, your budget will likely determine which printer is best. Although monochrome laser printers are more expensive that color inkjet printers are cheaper to use in the long run because laser toner cartridges, priced on a cost-per-page basis, are cheaper than inkjet cartridges. Fastness matters, too. The slowest laser printers are faster than the fastest inkjet printers, and the slowest inkjet printers, and the slowest inkjet printers operate at a glacial pace. High-end laser printers can print as many as 60 ppm (pages per minute). Still, the best inkjet printers churn out black-and-white pages at a peppy pace-as many as 18 ppm. If you go the inkjet route, look for a printer that can print at least 8 ppm. Stay with a major brand name, and you’ll be served well. It’s always a good idea to purchase an extra print cartridge and stash it away with 30 or 40 sheets of paper. This way, Murphy’s Law won’t catch you at 2 a.m. trying to finish an assignment without ink or paper.