The Novice's Guide To Printers

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday October 16, 1995

DAVID FLYNN

You want to add a printer to your PC, but are confused by the different types of printers out there. DAVID FLYNN provides a quick novice's guide to what is suitable for your needs.

THE printer is one of the great hidden costs of a personal computer. Most people who buy a PC will also need a printer, yet few systems come with one as part of the package and then it's all too often a cheaper dot-matrix printer, although ink-jet and laser printer bundles are more readily available at the medium to higher price bracket.

If you don't get a printer with your PC, you should immediately add between $500 and $1,000 to the cost of the total system, depending on your needs. On top of this, there will be the on-going cost of consumables or, in lay terms, the cartridges containing the ink.

It can often be this running cost which mounts up and, over the years, overwhelms the cost of the printer itself.

There are three basic types of printers.

Dot-matrix or impact printers have virtually no place in today's world. They are slow, even when producing simple text-only letters. They are noisy, regardless of how quiet and ultra-silent the manufacturers may claim them to be.

The print quality is poor, and this is even more noticeable nowadays when almost everyone else seems to be using an ink-jet or laser printer. And the paper - concertina reams of tractor-feed A4 - is expensive, generally of poor quality and in most cases an absolute nightmare to load and fix when paper jams occur.

Ink-jet printers (which work by squirting fine ink onto the page) are typified by the popular Canon BubbleJet range. They are quiet, easy to use and produce very handsome images, although they aren't speed demons and certainly are not suited to long documents or anything containing images such as graphs and clip art.

Paper-handling is not always their strong point. Ink-jet printers are, however, very affordable. Canon's basic BJ30 sells for just under $400 - and this, combined with the quality of output, makes them the best choice for anyone on a budget, although you should be prepared to wear an ongoing cost of up to 10 cents per page.

Ink-jets are often touted for their portability, but you will have to closely and realistically examine your needs if this is to be the deciding factor between an ink-jet and a laser.

Many travelling business people find it easier to carry a PCMCIA fax-modem card with their notebook, produce a document on screen and then fax it to themselves at their hotel.

Most hotels use laser fax machines which produce quite decent copy, and the staff will even hand-deliver the printing to your door.

Laser printers, once the domain of the business and executive, are now the printer of choice for many SOHO users.

They are quiet as a whisper, except for the sound of the paper feed itself; can handle around four to six pages per minute; and many of the latest models work very well under Windows, as you can control them directly from your PC using Windows software instead of throwing switches and buttons on the printer itself.

Laser printing costs are around four cents per page. This can be further reduced by looking for a laser with some kind of draft printing mode which places less toner on the page.

Your choice of printer will be dictated by the type of documents you will be producing. If most of your work consists of short text documents - a few pages worth of letters and memos, perhaps with simple non-text elements such as tables - then an ink-jet is the best option.

If you are producing longer documents or documents which contain more graphics - charts, tables, clip-art and logos - the superior output of a laser printer will be highly regarded. Brand-name lasers are now selling for below $700 and will astound you with their speed, quality and smooth operation.

These are ideal for almost all businesses and increasingly for secondary and tertiary students.

Colour printers are making their way into businesses and homes, using ink-jet technology, but keep an eye on the costs - be sure the running costs quoted by the sales people include any special paper and cartridges required.

Some colour printers produce vastly differing results, depending on the quality of paper used; others demand paper with a special coating and finish in order to produce acceptable results. But with the right paper and the right image these results are breathtaking. Some colour printers also use a single cartridge to produce all colours including black, while others have separate and replaceable mono and colour cartridges.

Unless you have a clearly defined and cost-justified requirement for colour, opt for a laser and keep the change.