How To Choose The Best Printer

Modern ink-jet printers produce excellent print quality at low prices, they are generally reliable, and most are easy to use. The only downside is the cost of the inks and good-quality paper. However, while the ink-jet is the dominant technology, it is not the only one. When near photographic quality is required, there are dye-sublimation printers, and for printing graphics-heavy pages, the colour laser is more suitable. Features you should consider in an ink-jet printer include:

- paper handling; some printers detect paper size and make settings to suit, particularly those able to print off a card reader. Others take a large range of papers, from ordinary weight to cardboard. Some models also accept paper on a roll, allowing small posters to be printed.

- resolution; in general, higher-resolution printers deliver better-quality results, but the issue is not simply about resolution. The difference between 2,000 dpi (dots per inch) and 2,880 dpi is of no practical significance: the precise way in which the printer software uses the dots available is far more important (see right). Looking at results when comparing printer quality is better than reading technical specifications.

- four or six inks; in general, printers using six colours for printing are more likely to produce photographic quality than those using only four.

- separate ink cartridges; most desktop printers keep all colour inks in an integrated cartridge (the black is usually separate). This means that if you print out a lot of images with, say, blue skies, you will have to change the cartridge when the cyan ink has run out even though there is still plenty of magenta and yellow. Canon desktop printers are notable for having separate tanks for each colour.

Steve J. Wilson is living in the United States and is a freelance writer since 2006, in digital photography related topics. If you are interested in some useful Digital Photography Class, than you are in the right place.

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