Inexpensive laser printer for home use. Check before purchasing. Laser or inkjet

The printer has become an attribute of almost every apartment and office; we can no longer do without printing. Before we start choosing, let’s first look at what types of printers there are. The whole variety of printers is divided according to the principle of operation and purpose, among which basic:

Matrix.
Jet.
Laser.
Thermal sublimation.

Matrix

The simple principle of printing, invented in the early 70s of the XX century, is still used in some offices and enterprises. However, it is completely unsuitable for home due to low quality printing, increased noise and slow operation.

Jet

Quite common, print quality varies based on specifications. To print, these printers use cartridges filled with ink with print heads.

Laser

They are used everywhere, both at home and in enterprises and institutions. Most of the devices used are black and white. The image is transferred to the paper by the printing “roller” - the drum, charging it separate areas and attracting small particles of coloring powder - toner.

Sublimation

More often used in printing than for office printing. They are an alternative to inkjet printers, but with a higher print quality and color rendering level, but they are almost never used for home use, since their prices are very high. Only suitable for those who are seriously interested in photographs.

MFP

Multifunctional devices (“harvesters”) combine a printer, scanner and copier at the same time. Very convenient, they can be inkjet and laser, but not always reasonable in price. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy these devices separately.

There are also highly specialized printers, for example, for specific production purposes. But here they will not interest us.

Selecting a printer

Now the question has become which model to choose, the technology and the number on the price tag. It all depends on your pocket, of course most optimal from the point of view of convenience we will MFP, however, it should be taken into account that if it fails, there is a chance to lose both immediately three devices: scanner, copier and printer.

Let's take a closer look at the options with inkjet and laser printers. So what? would be better suited for home, for family?

Laser and inkjet printer for home - which is better?

TO advantages of jets One can certainly attribute their relative compactness and low cost. For laptop owners, this option is probably preferable.

Print quality– high, but the speed is several times lower than that of laser printers. If your printing needs are small - a few sheets per day - then it is better to choose this option.

Cartridges constitute the main cost of such devices, so if they fail (color or black), replacing them will be very expensive.

TO advantages of laser This includes fast printing, almost silent operation, good quality, and relatively low cost of prints. But the Achilles heel of these printers is their size, price and weight. And during operation, the unit exhales ozone, which is also not very pleasant.

If suddenly one of these printers breaks down, then it’s much easier and cheaper to maintain It will be laser.

Cartridge life

After comparing cartridge resources, it is obvious that laser(several thousand sheets compared to several hundred inkjet sheets) in this regard win. However, there is a drawback - laser lasers will most likely have to be refilled at specialized service centers, since at home it will be unsafe(dust from toner has a harmful effect on the body), hence the additional costs for maintenance.

Struyniki You can also refill it at home using an ordinary medical syringe.

CISS for inkjet printer

Resource-related deficiency ink cartridge can be leveled using the system continuous feed ink (CISS).

Ink is supplied through these tubes automatically And continuously. This system improves print quality and saves costs. The only concern is to add ink sometimes and that’s it.

Pay attention to the connection interface

You can find devices connected to the computer via the port USB, network ( LAN), By wi-fi channel and other options or all this in combination. Previously used LPT port, but on at the moment it is hopelessly outdated. Among laser and inkjet printers, you can easily select those that have the interfaces you prefer. Wireless way connection significantly increases the price of the device.

Paper weight

A laser printer can print on almost any paper, without losing print quality, which cannot be said about inkjet. Typically, the thicker the paper, the thicker the sheet.

Both devices are generally capable of printing on matte, glossy, and office paper, but laser devices can handle this much better at different media densities. But there are exceptions; expensive inkjet models have a lot to offer.

Types of Inkjet Printer Ink

Distinguish water-soluble and ink on pigment basis.

The first ones are different low cost, color rendering high, but highly susceptible to exposure sun rays and ultraviolet. They will require special photo paper. Pigment ones are based on a solid dye - pigment, waterproof, provide saturation And durability.

Possibility of printing on CD and DVD discs

For printing on discs at home, preference should be given to inkjet printers, the cost of such printing will be incomparably lower. Also for such purposes, you can use souvenir printers that can print on small-sized parts.

Photo printer

It all depends on the number of photos you print; if it’s a couple of dozen, then it’s better to use jet. As for quality, this model has no competition sublimation type. If you print photographs in large volumes, it makes sense to use photo printer. Photo paper for laser printers is more expensive than for inkjet models. Therefore, we recommend using the latter for these purposes at home.

Other characteristics

Other characteristics to pay attention to: color rendering, droplet size, resolution.

Color rendition– number of colors modern inkjet printers can use from 4 colors and more. 4 colors are already enough to create a full-color photograph, but most likely, if you increase the size, it will look grainy. To improve quality (if this is your main priority), you should choose a printer with a large number of colors.

Drop size- here stick to the principle - the spool is small, but expensive. Although, of course, start from the tasks that you will set for your printer. You just have to remember that the smaller the size drops of print heads, those the quality will be higher. However, if you decrease the drop, you will lose speed print. You will also have to use higher quality, expensive ink.

Permission(dpi) is an objective characteristic that determines how clear the printed image will be. The more, the better.

A printer is a device for outputting information on paper, life without which is unthinkable today. The cost of a printer directly depends, first of all, on the printing method (technology), on the speed and resolution of printing, the life of the cartridge and printer, as well as on the components included in the delivery. We present to you best printers for home— TOP 10 rating.

10. Pantum P2500W

Opens ten best printers for home compact model Pantum P2500W. The desktop laser printer produces black and white printing with a maximum resolution of 1200x1200 pixels per inch on sheets of maximum A4 size. Printing can be done on different types of paper: labels, film, postcards, standard office paper. The Pantum P2500W print speed is 22 sheets per minute with eight minutes to warm up peripheral device before printing the first sheet. The cartridge resource between refills is about 1600 sheets, and the monthly resource of the Pantum P2500W itself is on average 15,000 sheets. Of course, you can do more, but then the printer’s components will quickly run out of life and you’ll have to think about buying a new one. In principle, the Pantum P2500W is a decent model for home use, despite the fact that the noise level is quite low for a laser printer - 30 dB in standby mode and 50 dB during printing. A convenient bonus when used at home is the presence of WiFi, which allows you to configure “ home network» and print information from any device on the network. The user will also be pleased with the ability to print from flash cards, which is quite convenient and simple. Pantum P2500W price at Russian market is 4500 rubles.

9.HP LaserJet Pro P1102

Another great HP home printer LaserJet Pro The P1102 has a monthly resource of 5,000 sheets, and 1,600 sheets per cartridge from refill to refill. The device's printing speed is slightly lower than that of the previous model - 18 sheets per minute with preheating for 8.5 seconds. For printing on the printer, you can use paper with a density from 60 to 163 g/m2, which allows printing on film, photo paper, labels and other paper within the specified density parameters. The HP LaserJet Pro P1102 printer performs black and white laser printing with a resolution of 600x600 dpi. The cost of this model is 6,500 rubles.

8. HP LaserJet Pro P1102w

HP LaserJet Pro P1102w is complete analogue the previous model of our top ten best printers for the home, of course, with an expanded range of functions, for which the user will have to pay about 3,000 rubles. The HP LaserJet Pro P1102w has a built-in WiFi module that allows you to print information from mobile devices that are part of your home network. Well low level energy consumption is inherent in this model thanks to the HP Auto On\Off function. The printer turns itself off after finishing work, or rather goes into “deep sleep”, returning to operating mode if necessary in just 7 seconds.

7. Canon i-SENSYS LBP6030w

Black and white laser Canon printer The i-SENSYS LBP6030w is simply designed for home use as it is virtually silent: 0 dB in standby mode and 49 dB during the printing process. The Canon i-SENSYS LBP6030w supports WiFi and can also print directly from mobile devices running on operating system Mac iOS and Android. The monthly resource of the printer is 5000, while the cartridge resource between refills is 1600 sheets. Print resolution can be adjusted: minimum 600x600 dpi, maximum 2400x600 pixels per inch. Print speed is 18 sheets per minute with a preheat of 7.8 seconds. The price for Canon i-SENSYS LBP6030w ranges from 7,700 rubles.

6. Canon PIXMA G1400

Color printer Canon PIXMA The G1400 offers inkjet printing and is a great device to use at home. 4 pigment ink cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow are capable of displaying the desired material on paper at a speed of 9 sheets per minute in monochrome version and 5 sheets per minute in full color version. Printing paper on the Canon PIXMA G1400 can be used with a density of up to 275 g/m2, which allows you to print on photo paper, lightweight cardboard, film, labels and standard office paper. The cartridge resource is 7000 sheets - this is a fairly productive inkjet printer model. The maximum resolution of 4800x1200 dpi will ensure a fairly clear and detailed application of toner on paper. The cost of the Canon PIXMA G1400 is on average 9,000 rubles.

5. Xerox Phaser 3020BI

The top five best printers for the home include the wonderful Phaser 3020BI model from the world famous company Xerox, costing 6,500 rubles. This is an LED monochrome printer with high performance— 15,000 sheets monthly resource. On the body Xerox Phaser The 3020BI has an LCD display that notifies you of the device's current processes. This model also has a built-in WiFi module, AirPrint function for printing output from devices Apple, the TonerSave function for saving toner consumption in the cartridge, and the Xerox Phaser 3020BI allows you to print high-quality watermarks and overlays. The printer's print resolution is 1200x1200 pixels per inch, with a print speed of 20 sheets per minute with a preheat of 8.50 seconds before starting to print the first sheet. The average cost of a Xerox Phaser 3020BI on the Russian market is 6,500 rubles.

4. Ricoh SP 150SU

The category of the best price-quality combination includes not just a printer, but the Ricoh SP 150SU MFP, which is suitable for printing at home and even in a small office. A laser, monochrome printer with a resolution of 1200x600 pixels per inch is coupled with a scanner that provides document scanning resolution of 1200x350 dpi. The device print speed is 22 pages per minute, but the scanning speed is 16 pages per minute. It is also worth noting that the Ricoh SP 150SU can also be used as a copy machine without turning on a computer and software. The cost of such a universal device is 7,000 rubles.

3. Epson Artisan 50

Color Epson printer Artisan 50 is one of the best printers for the home, which with all the necessary accessories will cost the user 13 thousand rubles. 6 color cartridges are capable of reproducing an image in a resolution of 5760x1440 pixels per inch thanks to piezoelectric inkjet printing technology, while having a print speed of 38 pages per minute. Images can be printed on any type of paper or on discs. Unfortunately, original cartridges are not included in the delivery set, but must be purchased separately.

2. Canon PIXMA PRO-100S

Canon PIXMA PRO-100S is a wonderful printer that will be a real boon for photographers and designers who want to have a darkroom at home. A color printer using inkjet technology uses 8 color cartridges for printing and produces a highly detailed image with a resolution of 4800x2400 dpi. Maximum size The paper used for printing is A3+, which is also important for professional photos. For ease of use of the Canon PIXMA PRO-100S, the manufacturer has equipped the device with USB, WiFi and Ethernet interfaces latest generation. The cost of Canon PIXMA PRO-100S is on average 35 thousand rubles.

1. Brother HL-L2340DWR

The leader of our ranking of the top 10 best printers for the home is the Brother HL-L2340DWR monochrome laser printer, costing 9,000 rubles. Of course, it is not suitable for lovers of color photos, but it can easily cope with fast black and white printing, as it is capable of printing 26 pages per minute, and it can easily cope with large volumes of work, since the cartridge resource is designed for 2600 pages. The print resolution is also quite high - 2400x600 dpi. For user convenience, the following interfaces were provided: AirPrint for printing from Apple gadgets, Cortado Cloud Print for wireless printing from Blackberry, Apple and Android devices without installation additional applications to your phone or tablet, Google Cloud Print using the same principle, iPrint&Scan for scanning and saving information directly to mobile device, as well as wireless printing directly from the gadget without downloading printer drivers, and of course, Wi-Fi Direct. The Brother HL-L2340DWR printer is a multi-interface and high-performance device, the price of which fully corresponds to the quality.

During computer technology Almost every home has a laptop, computer, tablet or other modern technology. One of them is the multifunction device (MFP). Of course, many users get by regular printers, but if you need not only to print, but also to periodically scan and copy, then an MFP will be the best purchase. How to choose an MFP for your home will be discussed in this article.

An MFP is a combination of equipment such as a printer, copier and scanner. Some device models additionally include telephone and fax. Many functions are often used at home - printing text, copying printed or handwritten material, scanning documents and high-quality printing of photographs.

By purchasing a printer, scanner, copier or fax separately, you will spend much more money than buying all the necessary devices in one device.

In addition, purchasing an MFP will give you many other benefits.

Compactness. Kit individual devices will take up a lot of space.
Reliability. If working parts break, repairs will cost much less.
Multitasking. Working with documentation, photographs, etc.
Economical use of paints.
Easy to install and configure- You only need one socket. The kit includes one cable, driver, and installation instructions.
Ease of use. As a rule, the MFP is equipped with a modern LCD display.

Selecting the type of MFP

Laser or inkjet? This question interests a large number of buyers. Both the first and second have their advantages and disadvantages. After studying them in more detail, you can do right choice.

Laser

First, let's look at the advantages of laser MFPs.

Laser models for home perform fast printing . Unlike inkjet printers, they can handle large volumes of work (printing speeds up to 25 pages per minute).
Simplicity of the device. Repair is required extremely rarely, since the device hardly breaks down.
The device is easy to use. Even an untrained person can cope.
The multifunctional device works almost without noise and vibration. After refilling, the cartridge lasts for quite for a long time work, on average from 1000 to 2000 sheets.
The paint cannot dry out, as there is toner powder inside.
Cheap models are available in a wide range.
The device accepts paper of different qualities. It is also possible to print on stickers, films and thick fabric.

U color laser models There are some disadvantages for the home. First of all, this is the high cost of the device. In addition, although the device has color printing capabilities, you should not buy it for photographs. But for documents and drawings, it is quite possible to choose a laser printer. To the disadvantages black and white laser models for the home, the high cost of the device and frequent refilling of the cartridge can be attributed.

Jet

Inkjet MFPs are mainly color models. Their advantages include the following:

affordable price of the device;
easy cartridge refilling;
possibility of connecting to CISS (saving ink);
Photos printed on photo paper are of high quality.

Jet jets also have many disadvantages.

The main disadvantage of inkjet MFPs is frequent drying of ink(if you do not use the device for more than a month). This can cause the print head to dry out, which can lead to costly repairs.
The ink in the cartridge runs out quickly, so it needs to be refilled frequently, and this, in turn, affects the print quality. Black stripes appear and letters are unclear.
Vibration during operation device - this occurs due to the print head moving left and right.
The printing time on inkjet MFPs is longer, and the printing speed is lower than that of laser ones (from 10 to 15 pages per minute).
Ready-made sheets should be protected from drops of water, as the text may bleed.

Briefly about the advantages of CISS

This system is applied only for jet fighters. CISS can be cartridge or capsule. The difference lies in the installation of a cartridge unit or lightweight capsules on the print head, respectively.
Economical ink consumption is ensured by the flow of ink from refillable reservoirs to the print head. Cartridges (or capsules) are connected to ink bottles using a multi-channel silicone cable. The CISS system is absolutely hermetically sealed, with the exception of the compartment in which pressure stabilization occurs.

CISS with cartridge unit and chips

CISS with capsules

What to consider when choosing an MFP

If you decide to purchase a multifunctional device, you do not have to opt for expensive models. It is quite possible to buy a cheap but reliable MFP. To do this, it is necessary to take into account important criteria. If you need a multifunctional device with the ability to print in color, then choose an inkjet printer. It is perfect for amateur printing of images on photo paper in small volumes. By connecting a continuous ink supply system, you will significantly reduce the cost of printing while maintaining good quality. High speed printing for home use As a rule, a multifunctional device is not required - an inkjet device fits perfectly into this criterion. And when choosing black and white (monochrome) device Pay attention to laser models of MFPs. When printing large quantity minimal amount of ink is used on the material.

The presence of a copier is available in all models; the use of one-sided copying reduces the cost of the device.

The printing format for general use is A4. Some models are designed for printing on paper in A1, A2, A3 and A5 formats. Printing is done both on plain paper and on photo paper. Printing of business cards and booklets is provided. To make work easier, it is important to have WiFi, USB, Ethernet, and Bluetooth.

Canon PIXMA MG3040 with WiFi

However, not all of the above functions may be useful when working at home, so when choosing an MFP, some of them can be excluded.

There is no demand for the use of large paper formats, for example, A1, A2.
Blutooth and Ethernet are also not relevant for home use.
High printing speed is rarely required, so you can get by with a low speed.
You are unlikely to need a fax and two-sided printing at home.

By excluding the above characteristics, you can purchase an MFP much cheaper.

Top 5 best MFPs for home

Thanks to positive feedback experts and, of course, users, take a closer look at the best MFP 2016-2017. The rating includes five models of multifunctional devices - there is plenty to choose from.

four colors of ink;
inkjet high quality photo printing;
supports printing from memory cards, devices running Android and IOS;
universal scanner and copier;
low noise unit;
high printing speed and productivity;
the equipment is easy to connect and configure;
has the ability to connect CISS;
low price of ink.

infrequent use will cause the ink to dry out;
You need to use only high quality ink.

LED printing provides clear lines and accurate color reproduction;
suitable not only for home use, but also for the office;
ideal for printing color images;
possible color printing on film;
professional printing of business cards, postcards, labels;
A distinctive characteristic of the device is its long service life;
a color ink cartridge is enough to print 1000 color pages, and a black ink cartridge will last twice as long;
Toner is used for printing, which does not dry out when the device is left idle for a long time.

The disadvantages of the model include complex controls and settings.

black and white laser printing;
the device is easy to operate and configure;
high printing speed;
the test cartridge can be refilled and re-flashed;
compact device.

There is only one drawback - the high cost of new cartridges.

possibility of color two-sided printing;
presence of a touch panel;
excellent print quality;
printing booklets, leaflets, postcards, business cards at a professional level;
Printing from memory cards, bypassing the computer;
color cartridge resource is 1400 pages, and black cartridge resource is 2200 pages of text;
reusable cartridge;

quite a voluminous unit;
makes moderate noise;
high power consumption of the device.

Canon PIXMA MG7740

inkjet printer;
six-color ink;
excellent print quality, including photographs;
can be printed on discs;
perfectly conveys the entire color gamut;
equipped with color touch display, wi-fi, lan, card reader;
it is possible to save scanned documents in the pixma cloud link;
double-sided printing.

Unfortunately, such a device also has its drawbacks. First of all, this high cost of ink. Also not included USB cable. The glossy plastic of the case is also not an advantage, but these are trifles in comparison with excellent quality print.

New technologies are rapidly developing in the world computer equipment, which not only contribute to the emergence of fundamentally new devices on the market, but also significantly reduce price category models that have been in production for a long time.

The abundance of different printing devices offered on the market confuses almost every buyer, and only a sophisticated expert can answer the question: which printer is the cheapest?

Do you need to purchase a printing device for home use? And how could it be otherwise, because having such an assistant at home, you get rid of walking around service centers printing, which is so time-consuming.

The idea is correct, because today you can buy an inexpensive model that will satisfy all your needs, spending the amount of 100-150 dollars.

Moreover, when purchasing a budget option, you should not think that the device you choose will not have good quality. On the contrary, a simple printer, aimed at solving a narrow range of tasks, will be the most reliable assistant that will not fail at the most inopportune moment.

The only task is to correctly determine your needs and estimate the costs of consumables. And then the desired acquisition will not disappoint you.

Today, the most inexpensive and popular models are inkjet and laser printers, multifunctional devices(MFP).

Inkjet printers

The low cost of this class of devices, compared to laser ones, is ensured by the simplicity of the design and the inkjet technology used.

Today the price of the cheapest inkjet printer ranges from 2500-3000 rubles.

The paradox is that the cost of original cartridges is so high that it is almost equal to the cost of the printer itself, and in some cases even exceeds it. And besides, one inkwell is enough to print only 100-200 sheets.

The situation is saved by SNChP - a continuous ink supply system, which is much cheaper than the original ones and allows you to reduce the cost of a print.

Let's contrast the advantages and disadvantages of inkjet printers.

Advantages

Availability of color printing.
Low cost of equipment.
Possibility of printing high-quality color images and photographs on special paper.

Flaws

Very expensive consumables.
If used infrequently, the ink will dry out.
Printing speed is low: 4-7 ppm.
Prints are unstable to moisture and light.
Produces noise during operation.

When looking at a model in an online store, carefully study the functional and performance characteristics:

black and white printing resolution;
color printing resolution;
print speed;
what interfaces are available;
cost of inkwells;
the ability to print without borders is an important detail for printing photographs;
the presence of a low-voltage supply system or the possibility of connecting it;
inkwell resource.

Laser printers

The devices themselves are more expensive than inkjet ones, but they are much cheaper to operate. The original cartridge for a black and white printer is designed to print from 1000 to 2500 sheets, depending on the model.

If you only need monochrome printing, then with the role of a printer for home use A laser will do a great job.

Despite the fact that new cartridge costs about 1500-3000 rubles, the cost of a printed sheet is much lower than that of an inkjet printer.

Many brands, but not all, can be refilled with toner. This is very profitable way. Usually they can withstand at least 3-4 refills. But even then, if the photoconductor or cleaning blade wears out, they can be replaced, extending the service life. Thus, the cost of printing will decrease even more.

Which brand of printer should you prefer? Hewlett Packard (HP), Canon, Epson are leading manufacturers that have proven themselves to be highly reliable equipment.

Cartridges from these manufacturers can be repeatedly refilled and repaired.

Advantages of laser printers

As a rule, they operate with less noise and vibration than jet.
High-quality printing that is not afraid of either moisture or light.
Low cost of a printed sheet, much lower than that of an inkjet sheet.

Disadvantages of monochrome laser printers

Inability to print color images and photographs.
The printer costs more than an inkjet printer.
High cost consumables.

What to look for when choosing

Print resolution.
Speed.
Cartridge cost.
Possibility of refilling the cartridge and restoring it.
Print resource.

Determining needs

Having familiarized yourself with the main characteristics of inexpensive models, you can now consider specific examples: how to select a device based on specific equipment requirements. Let's look at specific situations.

So, do you need to print a lot of text information, about 300-500 sheets per month? In this case, the HP1010, HP1020, HP1030 models would be ideal, but, unfortunately, they are discontinued. But if the opportunity arises to buy one of these used devices, then you can decide to take this step, because the price will be much cheaper, and the reliability of these models is very high. The cartridge for them costs 2826 rubles, refilling is 750 rubles, the cartridge resource is 2000 pages.

To calculate the cost, let’s take into account that the cartridge will be reused, let’s take into account a minimum of 3 refills. In fact, there may be 4 or 5 of them, and taking into account the repairs made, the service life will last even longer.

So, the cost of 1 print:

S=2826rub.+(refill 750rub.)*3 / (cartridge resource 2000 pages)*3=0.85rub.

Consider the HP1102S model, which is a modern analogue of discontinued models.

The cost of the printer is 6990 rubles.

Print resolution – 1200 dpi.

Print speed – 18 ppm.

The cost of the cartridge is 5990 rubles.

Print resource – 1600 pages.

Let's calculate the cost of a print:

S=6990rub.+(refill 900rub.)*3 / (cartridge life 1600 pages)*3=1.81rub.

If you like another printer model, you need to calculate the cost using the given algorithm.

The Canon 6020, 6030 models are also attractive in terms of cost and performance characteristics.

Printer for schoolchildren

Consider the following example: you need to select a printing device for a schoolchild or student that meets the requirements:

printing of abstracts;
color illustrations and photographs;
monthly load – no more than 200-300 pages.

A color laser printer is expensive, and the consumables for it are also expensive.

For this case, we will select an inexpensive model of a color inkjet device: HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 1115.

Its characteristics:

b/w print resolution: 1200 dpi;
color printing resolution: 1200×4800 dpi;
print speed: 7.5/5.5 ppm.

This model is very popular and is a bestseller.

The cost of the printer is 3290 rubles.

Let's calculate the cost of a black and white print at the cost of a cartridge - 1090 rubles. and print resource – 360 sheets:

S = cartridge cost 1090 rub./printing resource 360 sheets = 3.03 rub.

The cost of a color print with the cost of a cartridge is 890 rubles. and print resource – 200 sheets:

S = cartridge cost 890 rub./cartridge resource 200 sheets = 4.5 rub.

Multifunction devices

The MFP, in addition to the printer, combines the following devices:

scanner;
copier;
sometimes fax.

The cost of MFPs is usually a little more expensive simple printer, but having additional features scanner and copier, more than pays for the overpayment.

If you are planning to purchase a scanner or copier, then it is better to prefer an MFP. In this case, you will save not only money, but also work space on your desk, because instead of 2 devices, you will need to place one.

Depending on the printing technology used, MFPs can be inkjet or laser.

Let's consider 2 models: inkjet printer Epson L312 and Epson MFP Colorio PX-045A.

If you replace the original cartridges in an MFP with SNChP, then it becomes cheaper than the printer by 3,696 rubles. It is quite obvious which is preferable in this case.

The cheapest printer for home use

Device: printer
Technology: inkjet
OS support: Windows, Mac OS
Power consumption:
standby mode - 0.8 W
during operation - 8.0 W
Print speed:
b/w - 8 ppm
color - 5 ppm
Maximum print resolution: 4800×600 dpi
Ports, connectors: 1 x USB 2.0
Dimensions/Weight: 426x235x134 mm/ 2.3 kg
Warranty/Manufacturer: 1 year/CANON Inc., Vietnam

compactness, wide variety of settings
excellent photo quality
You can refill cartridges yourself

prints with stripes
expensive cartridges

Device type: printer
Technology: thermal, jet
OS support: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Mac OS
Power consumption:
standby mode - 1.3 W
during operation - 10.0 W
Print speed:
b/w - 20 ppm
color - 16 ppm
Maximum print resolution:
b/w - 600x600 dpi
color - 4800x1200 dpi
PC connection: USB 2.0
Dimensions/Weight: 426x216x124 mm/2.02 kg
Warranty/Manufacturer: 1 year/PRC

inexpensive device for high-quality printing
good speed, compactness

no USB cable
the cost of the cartridge is half the price of the product

Device type: printer
Technology: piezoelectric, jet
OS support: Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android
Power consumption:
standby mode - 2.1 W
during operation - 10.0 W
Print speed:
b/w - 7.7 ppm
color - 4.0 ppm
color photo 10x15 - 65 sec
Noise level: 45 dB
Maximum print resolution: 4800×1200 dpi
Dimensions/Weight: 430x282x143 mm/2.9 kg
Warranty/Manufacturer: 1 year/Vietnam

Nowadays everything more people working in the comfort of their home. Modern business or educational requirements require home device for fast and high-quality printing. However, the huge number of options in hardware stores is disheartening - how to understand the variety of models and incomprehensible parameters, how to choose a printer for your home?

Selecting the printer type

In order to print text or photos at home, you can choose one of three types printers - matrix, laser or inkjet. Features worth exploring different types techniques, their pros and cons, in order to get a balanced result.

Matrix

An outdated version of technology that works on the principle of old typewriters. A small needle inside the device presses the ink ribbon into in the right place, an image is obtained from a collection of points. Such a printer is often installed in the state. institutions, for example, in banks or post offices: due to cheap consumables and ease of maintenance, this is a very convenient model, but the range of capabilities and low speed stamps are made this technique a rare exhibit in our homes.

Pros:

extremely low cost.

Cons:

very slow printing;
inability to print photographs;
loud noise during operation.

Jet

This is one of the two most popular models for now. Inkjet printers They are compact, capable of quickly printing a large volume of text and have a low price. Inkjet printer cartridges are filled with ink.

If you delve deeper into the device, you can see that typing occurs by pushing paint out of the head nozzle. There are two printing technologies - thermal Bubble Jet (text is printed on paper using gases) and piezoelectric Ink Jet (paint is printed using diaphragm pressure). Most often, home models use the principle of thermal printing, because the text is printed with high quality. However, if you need a seal beautiful photos, then Bubble Jet will not work, you need to buy a more expensive model with the Ink Jet principle.

Pros and cons of inkjet technology:

Possibility of printing color pictures;
Text and photos are of excellent quality;
Small size;
Quiet operation when printing text;
Low purchase price;
Expensive to operate (consumables will not be cheap);
With regular high load cartridges wear out;
Ink may dry out if left unused for a long time. The process of replacing them is quite labor-intensive and messy.

If you want to purchase an inkjet printer, then before purchasing you need to clarify whether color printing is possible and how much work one cartridge is designed for.

Laser

Laser printing technology quite interesting, the text is literally sealed into the paper due to static voltage. The printer is capable of printing an entire line, so the text on the page is generated very quickly. The resulting result is highly durable and can withstand high humidity conditions.

The operation of a laser printer occurs thanks to a special powder - toner. Thanks to its structure, it does not dry out like ink and is able to withstand long periods of downtime. These printers are relatively easier to refill than inkjet printers. It is worth considering that such equipment absorbs quite a lot of energy during operation.

Pros and cons of laser printing:

high quality and speed of printing;
low cost per sheet;
long cartridge yield (approximately 1500–2000 pages);
slight noise during operation;
consumes a lot of electricity (about 300 W);
it is impossible to print high-quality color images;
high price when purchasing equipment and consumables;
During printing, a laser printer can emit ozone, so it must be placed in a ventilated room.

Inkjet or laser?

For easy home printing, you need to choose either a cheaper inkjet printer or a more expensive laser option. How to make a choice?

A laser printer should be selected in the following cases:

planned large volume printing;
it is necessary to print only black and white text (or schematic pictures);
Long periods of equipment downtime without operation are possible.

An inkjet printer is a great choice for you if you want:

frequently print high-quality color images or diagrams;
periodically decorate CDs with printed pictures;
be able to receive beautiful, quickly printed text or photos every day.

Modern inkjet printers do not lag behind laser models in terms of their print quality. More expensive devices have enough high resource cartridge and low cost of printing per sheet (especially thanks to continuous printing technology).

Understanding printing options

To choose a good, reliable and economical option, it is not enough to buy a model of the selected printing technology. Possible pitfalls, which can make printing several times more expensive.

We touched on this topic a little in our conversation about types of printers, but the life of the cartridge really greatly affects the cost of printing. Since we are choosing equipment for our home, this is a serious factor that should not be ignored.

Manufacturers make big profits not from selling printers, but from the sale of consumables. If you print regularly, the cartridges will have to be refilled regularly, and once purchased, the printer will remain on your desk.

Laser models allow you to print from 1500 to 2300 pages from one filled cartridge. With inkjet printers it is more difficult - the resource of their cartridges varies from 160 to 2500 pages. Accordingly, you need to look not only at the price of the model you like, but also at its capabilities.

CISS - what is it and is it needed?

If your plans include a large volume of printing on an inkjet printer, not only black and white, but also color, then you cannot do without continuous ink supply systems(the same CISS). Basically everything good models have this function, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

The resource of one set of cartridges is large - much more than even that of laser printers. Refilling them is simple and economical; you just need to add ink to the required compartments. However, it is worth remembering that piezoelectric printing technology requires regular printing of color text. If there is no such need, you can print a test color page.

Connection interface

Modern technologies allow connect the printer to your computer in the following ways:

Decide on the right type connections should be made in advance, having calculated the needs of all family members, so that when choosing a model, you can cut off unnecessary options.

Paper weight

This indicator usually worries those who plan to use the printer not only for printing text on A4 office sheets. However, you should understand that the need to print text on a letter or CD may arise unexpectedly, so you should select a model with Possibility of printing on fairly thick sheets.

Cheap models usually offer a narrow range for sheets: 64–95 g/m². More advanced and slightly expensive models capable of printing on sheets of a wide range of densities: 60–300 g/m². Such models can easily print beautiful photos on special paper.

How to choose a color printer for your home?

Whoever you are - professional photographer or an amateur, you may always want to print good color photographs at home. As we have already said, the most cheap option for printing high-quality images will be among inkjet printers. Laser or LED produce a blurry image, and sublimation printing is too expensive.

When choosing the best color printer for your home, What indicators guarantee an excellent result?

The best printers for home

We have selected for you some of the most best options inkjet and laser printers that are convenient to use at home.

Laser printers for home use:

Pantum P2207: 1200×1200 dpi, 20 ppm (A4), USB connection
Brother HL-1110R: 2400×600 dpi, 20 ppm (A4), USB connection
Xerox Phaser 3020: 1200×1200 dpi, 20 ppm (A4), connected via USB and Wi-Fi (can print wirelessly and place anywhere).
Samsung SL-M2020W: 1200×1200 dpi, 20 ppm (A4), USB connection and Wi-Fi, supports Google Cloud Print, NFC, Wi-Fi Direct printing technologies

Choose the best inkjet printer for your home:

Let's sum it up

Before studying the offers on the technology market, you need to understand for what purpose you need to buy a printer. They will help you understand the need to purchase a particular model. answers to the following questions:

It's up to you to choose an inexpensive printer for black and white printing or a more expensive photo printer. We hope that our article will help you understand your desires and capabilities before purchasing, you will be able to decipher unclear words in the description of the equipment and make the right choice!