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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. |
