| Inkjet printers are now the standard for | | | | odd-numbered pages of a document first, then flip |
| home-computer output. They can turn out color | | | | those pages over to print the even-numbered pages |
| photos nearly indistinguishable from lab-processed | | | | on a second pass through the printer. A few printers |
| photos, along with banners, stickers, transparencies, | | | | can automatically print on both sides, but doing so |
| T-shirt transfers, and greeting cards. Many produce | | | | slows down printing. |
| excellent black-and-white text. With some very good | | | | HOW TO CHOOSE |
| models going for less than $200,inkjets account for | | | | Be skeptical about advertised speeds. Print speed |
| the vast majority of printers sold for home use. | | | | varies depending on what you’re printing and |
| Laser printers still have their place in home offices. If | | | | at what quality, but the speeds you see in ads are |
| you print reams of black-and-white text documents, | | | | generally higher than you’re likely to achieve in |
| you probably need the quality, speed, and low | | | | normal use. You can’t reliably compare speeds |
| per-copy cost of a laser printer. | | | | for different brands because each company uses its |
| Printers use a computer’s microprocessor and | | | | own methods to measure speed. We run the same |
| memory to process data. The latest inkjets and | | | | tests on all models, printing text pages and photos |
| lasers are so fast partly because computers | | | | that are similar to what you might print. As a result, |
| themselves have become more powerful and contain | | | | our scores are realistic and can be compared across |
| much more memory than before. | | | | brands. |
| WHAT'S AVAILABLE | | | | Don't get hung up on resolution. A printer’s |
| The printer market is dominated by a handful of | | | | resolution, expressed in dots per inch, is another |
| well-established brands. Hewlett-Packard is the | | | | potential source of confusion. All things being equal, |
| market leader. Other major brands include Brother, | | | | the more ink dots a printer puts on the paper, the |
| Canon, Epson, and Lexmark. | | | | more detailed the image. But dot size, shape, and |
| The type of computer a printer can serve depends | | | | placement also affect quality, so don't base a decision |
| on its ports. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) port lets a | | | | solely on resolution. |
| printer connect to Windows or Macintosh computers. | | | | Consider supply costs as well as a printer's price. High |
| A few models have a parallel port, which lets the | | | | ink-cartridge costs can make a bargain-priced printer |
| printer work with older Windows computers. All these | | | | a bad deal in the long run. Shop around for the best |
| printers lack a serial port, which means they | | | | cartridge prices but be wary of off-brands; we have |
| won’t work with older Macs. | | | | found brand-name cartridges to have better print |
| Inkjet printers. Inkjets use droplets of ink to form | | | | quality overall, and per-page costs are often |
| letters, graphics, and photos. Some printers have one | | | | comparable. |
| cartridge that holds the cyan (greenish-blue), | | | | Glossy photo paper costs about 25 to 75 cents a |
| magenta, and yellow inks, and a second cartridge for | | | | sheet, so use plain paper for works in progress and |
| the black ink. Others have an individual cartridge for | | | | save the good stuff for the final results. |
| each ink. For photos, many inkjets also have | | | | We’ve gotten the best results using the |
| additional cartridges that contain lighter shades of | | | | recommended brand of paper. You may be tempted |
| cyan and magenta inks; some have added red, gray, | | | | to buy a cheaper brand, but bear in mind that |
| blue, or green inks. | | | | lower-grade paper can reduce photo quality and may |
| Most inkjets print at 2 1/2 to 11 pages per minute | | | | not be as fade resistant. |
| (ppm) for black-and-white text but are much slower | | | | Decide if you want to print photos without using a |
| for color photos, taking 1 1/2 to 21 minutes to print a | | | | computer. Printing without a computer saves you an |
| single 8x10. The cost of printing a black-and-white | | | | extra step and a little time. Features such as |
| page with an inkjet varies considerably from model | | | | memory-card support, PictBridge support (a standard |
| to model—ranging from 3 to 7.5 cents. The cost | | | | that allows a compatible camera to be connected |
| of printing a color 8x10 photo can range from 80 | | | | directly to the printer), or a wireless interface are |
| cents to $1.50. | | | | convenient. But when you print directly from camera |
| Price range: $80 to $700. | | | | to printer, you compromise on what may have |
| Laser printers. These work much like plain-paper | | | | attracted you to digital photography in the first |
| copiers, forming images by transferring toner | | | | place—the ability to tweak size, color, brightness, |
| (powdered ink) to paper passing over an electrically | | | | and other image attributes. And with a 4x6 printer, |
| charged drum. The process yields sharp | | | | you give up the ability to print on larger media. |
| black-and-white text and graphics. Laser printers | | | | Weigh convenience features. Most printers make |
| usually outrun inkjets, cranking out black-and-white | | | | borderless prints like those from a photo developer. |
| text at a rate of 12 to 18 ppm. Black-and-white laser | | | | This matters most if you’re printing to the full |
| printers generally cost about as much as midpriced | | | | size of the paper, as you might with 4x6-inch sheets. |
| inkjets, but they're cheaper to operate. Laser | | | | Otherwise you can trim the edges off. |
| cartridges, about $50 to $100, can print thousands of | | | | If you plan to use 4x6-inch paper regularly, look for a |
| black-and-white pages for a per-page cost of 2 to 4 | | | | printer with a 4x6-inch tray, which makes it easier to |
| cents. Color laser printers are also available. Price | | | | feed paper of this size. With these small sheets, |
| range: $150 to $1,000 (black-and-white); $400 and up | | | | though, the cost per photo may be higher than |
| (color). | | | | ganging up a few images on 81/2 x11-inch paper. |
| IMPORTANT FEATURES | | | | With some models, if you want to use the photo |
| Printers differ in the fineness of detail they can | | | | inks to get the best picture quality, you have to |
| produce. Resolution, expressed in dots per inch (dpi), | | | | remove the black ink cartridge and replace it with the |
| is often touted as the main measure of print quality. | | | | photo-ink cartridge. Then you have to replace the |
| But other factors, such as the way dot patterns are | | | | black for text or graphics. This can get tedious. |
| formed by software instructions from the printer | | | | Models that hold all the ink tanks simultaneously |
| driver, count, too. At their default | | | | eliminate that hassle. |
| settings—where they’re usually expected | | | | Consider connections. Printers with USB 2.0 ports are |
| to run—inkjets currently on the market typically | | | | now fairly common. However, they don’t |
| have a resolution of 600x600 dpi. For color photos | | | | enable much faster print speeds than plain USB. All |
| the dpi can be increased. Some printers go up to | | | | new computers and printers have either USB or USB |
| 5,760x1,440 dpi. Laser printers for home use typically | | | | 2.0 ports, both of which are compatible. Computers |
| offer 600 or 1,200 dpi. Printing color inkjet photos on | | | | more than six years old may have only a parallel port. |
| special paper at a higher dpi setting can produce | | | | Decide whether you need scanning and copying. A |
| smoother shading of colors but can slow printing | | | | multifunction unit provides scanning and color copying |
| significantly. | | | | while saving space. The downside is that multifunction |
| Most inkjet printers have an ink monitor to warn | | | | units’ scanners may have lower resolution than |
| when you’re running low. Generic ink cartridges | | | | the latest stand-alone scanners. Stand-alone scanners |
| usually costs less, but most produce far fewer prints | | | | are best for handling negatives and slides. And if one |
| than the brand-name inks, so per-print costs may not | | | | part of the unit breaks, the whole unit must be |
| be any lower. And print quality and fade-resistance | | | | repaired or replaced. |
| may not be as good. | | | | Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of |
| For double-sided printing, you can print the | | | | U.S., Inc. |