How to choose the best cheap printer
We give you tips so that you can choose the printer that best suits your needs
Choosing a printer may seem like a fairly simple task, but it has its crumbs. We must take into account a series of parameters that in the long run can help us choose the best cheap printer. It is not only the price of the printer, we must take into account the use that we will give it and the price of the inks, and even the printing technology it uses.
Table of Contents
How we will use the printer
The first thing we must take into account when choosing a printer is the use that we will make of it. A printer for home use that we will use from time to time is not the same as a printer for a small office that we will use quite continuously.
If we are going to make a spaced use of it, we can opt for an economical solution that is compliant. There are many simple printers on the market that will make the paper for us. In case of more intensive use, we already have to look at many more aspects. For a more continuous use, we should already look at the price of the ink, the number of pages per minute it prints, if it is double-sided, etc.
In addition to supporting you in the aspects that we consider fundamental, you also have a guide with the best cheap printers.
Ink price over printer price
Large stores have a large number of very low-priced printers. In many cases the printers are sold at a loss, charging the difference in inks. So the important thing is not the price of the printer, it is the price of the ink.
Before deciding on a printer we have to look at the price of the inks, rather than the price of the printer. We even have to investigate if there are generic cartridges for these printers or if there are refillable cartridges for them.
This point is very important to find the best cheap printer, since in addition to the price of it, we must take into account the cost of the printed page.
Printing technology
Inkjet
They are quite popular due to the low price of the printers. Current business models add document scanning and photocopying capabilities.
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Laser printer
These types of printers are based on a toner instead of cartridges, this allows the price per page to be lower than ink printers. Typically this type of printer is intended for black and white (monochrome) printing. They are especially suitable for intensive use.
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Print speed
Speed ​​in printers is measured in pages per minute (PPM)
Depending on the end use of the printer, we will need some speeds or others. For domestic use, that we are going to print little and spaced out, this is not a relevant factor. Yes, it is an important factor in offices and work centers.
Ink printers tend to be quite slow, mostly because it relies on head movement. Laser printers tend to be faster, as they print in monochrome. They do not usually offer a perfect quality impression, a good quality / speed ratio is sought.
Print quality
This factor in home or small office use is usually not a key factor.
If we want to look at it, we must look at the DPI (Dots Per Inch) parameter. It tells us the precision that our printer will finally offer us when it 'writes' on paper. The higher the DPI value, the better the image quality.
Ink printers tend to offer better precision than laser printers. This is because for offices, simple documents are printed. For domestic use, a little more precision may be required, depending on the needs.
Color or monochrome printing
When choosing the best cheap printer, we must know the end use of it. We must bear in mind that printing in black and white is cheaper than in color. What's more, printing in color is usually much slower than printing in monochrome.
Normally, laser printers are usually monochrome, because they are intended for the office, where speed prevails over quality or colors. Ink printers typically carry one cartridge or more color cartridges. Also, ink cartridges tend to last less than black cartridges and tend to be more expensive (colored ones, of course).
If we are going to print a lot in color, the best thing will always be a printer with ink tanks and see if there are generic ink bottles, cheaper than those of the brand.
Multifunction, more possibilities
It is increasingly rare to find a non-multifunction printer, laser or ink, on the market. This additional function may seem silly at first, but then we find that it offers very interesting possibilities. These are:
- Easily scan documents and store them on our computer
- Photocopy documents at the push of a button
Wired or wireless printer
Most ink printers offer the ability to connect via USB cable. More and more printers of this type allow connection via WiFi and some also include an RJ45 connector to share it on the network. Some even integrate a screen and a USB port, allowing you to print directly from a USB memory
Regarding laser printers, most can be connected via WiFi or Ethernet cable. These printers are intended for offices, so they must be accessible to all users. They also typically include a USB port for direct document printing.
Connecting the printer via WiFi offers us the possibility of printing from the smartphone. Also, we have very cool features like Google Cloud Print.