If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me, “No one’s ever asked that before…” or “We’ve never done that before…”, well, I’d have a lot of nickels. Today, I’m going to ask you to do some things that might get you a nickel or two. This week we’re discussing what you need to know before buying a printer.

There are seemingly endless numbers of printers on the market today, so a comprehensive review is impractical for this column. Check CNET (reviews.cnet.com) and PC Magazine (pcmag.com) for detailed information, ratings, and pricing on specific printers. Also, pay close attention to end user reviews; they are often the most accurate and helpful.

Complete the following list to help you make the right printer choice for your needs and in the process you may pocket several nickels of your own.

1. Determine what kinds of documents you print. If you print primarily photos, you want a different printer than someone who mainly prints black and white documents.

2. Determine what other functions you require from a printer: color printing, scanning, copying, faxing, multi-sheet feed, mobility (battery powered printers), envelope printing, duplexing (automatically printing on both sides), etc.

3. Determine the total printer cost, which is roughly the cost of the printer plus the cost of ink or toner. Ask your sales person for the print cartridge page yield (and possibly collect a nickel because no one has asked that before). Then ask the per page cost (collect another nickel). To calculate the page cost, divide the price (for example, $21.99 for an HP 88 black cartridge) by its yield (found on HP’s web site) of 850 pages to get 2.6 cents per page (black ink inkjet costs vary from 1.5 to 6 cents per page). Compare that to an HP 8150 Laserjet toner cartridge cost of $167.99 and yield of 20,000 pages for a per page cost of less than a penny–0.8 cents. Add in paper cost and each page printed on the inkjet costs 3.5 times more than the same page printed on the laser.

4. Check for a USB printer cable. Imagine your surprise when you get the printer home or to your office and find there is no way to connect it. Very frustrating. If no cable is included, politely ask the sales person why it’s not included (and collect another nickel), then add $15-$50 for a USB cable, depending on length. Instead of purchasing a cable, consider purchasing a printer equipped with Wi-Fi to wirelessly connect to every Wi-Fi computer in your home or business. If you are a home user, avoid the extra expense of an Ethernet connection on your printer unless your house is wired and you actually need the printer wired directly to the network.

5. Verify printer drivers are readily available for your computer (on an included CD and/or on the manufacturer’s web site), especially if your operating system is 64-bit. Ask the sales person to check the manufacturer’s web site (you’re up to 20 cents now).

6. Be comfortable with paper tray capacity. Nothing (well, maybe not nothing) is more frustrating than loading your paper tray every day.

After you have completed the above list and narrowed your options to a few printers, save several types of documents you typically print on an SD card or compact disc. Then take that disc or card with you to the store and actually print your documents on those printers (collect many nickels here). Although most printers will print a sample document, it’s never the same as seeing your own, genuine document print.

Technically yours.



Greg Bott is a father, an author, programmer, and a

technical consultant who resides in Meridian. He has operated his own consulting firm, Bott

Technology Solutions since 1997. He is currently writing two white papers for Microsoft Corporation about their recently released Essential Business Server.