- Joined
- Apr 1, 2002
to the forums! All consumer inkjet printers use the same basic technology - they heat the ink which causes it to boil off the print head onto the paper.
The main difference in printers is how the print head and ink tanks are constructed:
- In some designs a print cartridge contains both the print heads and the ink. This tends to make the cartridges expensive.
- In other designs the print heads and the ink tanks are seperate. Because the print heads can be made to last much longer then the ink, it's theoretically cheaper to just buy the ink tanks. You might have to replace the actual print head every three years or so (depending on how much you print).
Another thing to look for is seperate ink tanks. It's silly to have to replace an ink cartridge with seven colours of ink just because one of them ran out.
If you're printing a lot you could also consider a laser printer. While they are more expensive to pruchase, the cost per page of actual printer is lower. Plus, in my experience, they last a lot longer.
The best manufacturer and printer model for you depends on a whole bunch of factors, including what you print (text or photos), and if you plan to refill your ink tanks.
In my experience Canon printers work really well, but you can't refill the cartridges (well you can, but the printer constantly complains). HP printers, on the other hand, seem to be easily refilled but I'd rate the quality as lower.
The main difference in printers is how the print head and ink tanks are constructed:
- In some designs a print cartridge contains both the print heads and the ink. This tends to make the cartridges expensive.
- In other designs the print heads and the ink tanks are seperate. Because the print heads can be made to last much longer then the ink, it's theoretically cheaper to just buy the ink tanks. You might have to replace the actual print head every three years or so (depending on how much you print).
Another thing to look for is seperate ink tanks. It's silly to have to replace an ink cartridge with seven colours of ink just because one of them ran out.
If you're printing a lot you could also consider a laser printer. While they are more expensive to pruchase, the cost per page of actual printer is lower. Plus, in my experience, they last a lot longer.
The best manufacturer and printer model for you depends on a whole bunch of factors, including what you print (text or photos), and if you plan to refill your ink tanks.
In my experience Canon printers work really well, but you can't refill the cartridges (well you can, but the printer constantly complains). HP printers, on the other hand, seem to be easily refilled but I'd rate the quality as lower.