Shopping for a Home Office Printer can lead to hours of online comparison shopping. Finding the right machine to handle all your printing needs while getting the right price can be confusing. We’re going to break down the essentials and discuss what you should look for, what you should avoid and what’s going to fit within your budget.
To start, don’t fall for the extremely low-priced printer specials. If it’s a cheap price, it’s a cheap price for a reason. This could mean poor construction, no features or a total lack of customer service to support your purchase. If the price seems too low to be real, you’re most likely inheriting a headache that you’ll be looking to return.
As with any investment, do your research before buying. If the printer looks like it will do 90% of what you need it to do, look a little more until you find the one that does 100% of what you need. There is no shortage of printers in the marketplace, they are designed to do it all. You just need to know what “all” it will do in your home office.
Inkjet Printers offer different print speeds, print quality, added features and prices. Let’s review some terminology you’ll need to know.
Print Speed (PPM)
Print Speed, sometimes referred to as “pages per minute,” is the average speed that the printer will work at as determined by the manufacturer. If you are printing high volume documents, or have more than one person accessing the printer, this is something you’re going to want to consider. A black and white page is going to print faster than a color page. If you are simply printing black and white contracts and documents versus colorful brochures and email copy, those pages will come through quicker. Color prints will take a bit longer.
Cost Per Page
Ink cartridges have different page yields, depending on the manufacturer. Some cartridges are larger, some are sleek. When you consider your monthly printing budget, the amount of pages you print and the cost per page is going to define how much you spend on a printer. Where a budget model might cost less upfront, it may increase the amount you spend if your printing volume is high.
For example, a new Canon PGI-1200XL black ink cartridge would cost $39.99, and its page yield is 1,200 pages. This means you’re going to pay 3 cents per page. Multiply those 3 cents by the number of pages you intend to print, and you can figure out your monthly print spending. Another printer might yield more pages at a lower cost, meaning over time the higher fee you paid upfront for a printer with a better yield cost less than what you’ll spend to print with it.
Reducing Ink Costs with U.S. Remanufactured Cartridges and Toner
Before you opt for a specific printer, make sure that the printer has the option of buying U.S. Remanufactured Ink Cartridges. When it comes to the cost of inks, you’ll reduce your spending by purchasing U.S. Remanufactured Ink Cartridges from www.DoorStepInk.com. New O.E.M. cartridges at the office superstore are high priced, whereas DoorStepInk remanufactured cartridges use the same O.E.M. parts and deliver them ready for use in your machine.
A remanufactured cartridge that costs half the price is going to minimize your monthly print spending when it comes to keeping ink cartridges on hand. Halve the $39.99 cartridge and your per page printing cost goes from 3 cents per page to 1.5 cents per page. You will save by using an Inkjet Printer and U.S. Remanufactured O.E.M. cartridges from DoorStepInk. Review the online product listings to see that they have the cartridges your printer will need when replacing cartridges.
Paper Size and Automatic Duplex Printing
Legal pages are common in the office. Most printers can handle legal paper sizes up to 8.5” x 14”. In some instances, you might need a wide format option, like the Epson Expression Photo HD XP-1500. With 6 color cartridges, a wide format printer like this Epson allows for larger format printing and even boasts incredible photo printing. Know your page size needs when shopping.
Do you need to print on both sides of the page?
A lot of printers offer automatic duplex printing. By simply choosing “print on both sides,” the printer handles turning the page and printing front and back for you. If you print this way, look for that option in your printer.
Print, Scan, Fax, and WIFI
While the fax machine is less common in the home business world, it is still a necessity for a lot of businesses. Having the ability to fax pages by just pressing a button and running them through the machine is a big benefit. Machines with a fax option typically have a scan feature and the ability to create copies by loading the original into the machine and using a one-touch option to get the job done. If these are features you need, consider that some budget printers don’t offer them, and do some homework before purchasing.
Wireless Connectivity (WIFI) is a feature most modern printers offer. It allows users to print from a mobile device, or from any computer in the home without a direct wired connection. While it is a common feature, check to make sure it’s an option if you opt for a budget printer.
Warranty
One thing you’ll want to know is that your machine has a repair or replacement warranty that extends beyond the first 30 days of ownership. If you intend to use this printer for a long period of time to do your work, make sure you have a unit that provides coverage just in case something happens to the machine that was unexpected.
Best Budget-Friendly Printer Options
Canon PIXMA MG2920:
An All-In-One Wireless printer that serves the needs of a small Home Office. With copy and scan capabilities and the ability to print from anywhere in the house and from virtually any device, the print and color resolution makes it perfect for documents, email printing, and even photo prints. The PIXMA MG2920 also has an auto-on power feature that starts the printer when a file is sent, even when it’s sleeping.
you can buy remanufactured Canon 245XL black & 246XL color for your Canon PIXMA MG2920 Here
Key Features:
- Print, Scan, and Copy
- 8.5” x 14” Max paper size
- 4800 x 600 dpi print resolution
- 8 ppm black / 4 ppm color
The printer has a Hybrid Ink System with dye color inks and pigment black for high-quality color images and sharp black text printing. It also functions in a quiet mode for reducing ambient noise in an office atmosphere.
HP DeskJet 2755e: HP covers all the necessities with this All-In-One model. Printing, scanning and copying happen from an easy-to-use interface and a flatbed scanner. It offers wireless printing when configured to your in-home network and will print wirelessly from any device. The optical scan resolution is 1200 dpi and will scan pages 8.5” x “11.7”.
you can buy remanufactured extra High Yield HP 67 black & color for your HP DeskJet 2755e Here
Key Features:
- Print, Scan and Copy
- 8.5” x 11” Max paper size
- 4800 x 1200 dpi print resolution
- 7.5 ppm black / 5.5 ppm color
For a lightweight office printer, this model covers the basics and produces sharp color and monochrome images at a moderate print speed. Not recommended for high volume printing, but satisfies the demands of a small home office.
Also on the budget-friendly side is a printer well worth taking a look into for all the resources your home office might have. The HP Envy Inspire 7955e.
This little workhorse has features galore with a moderate print speed and a budget-friendly price for the HP name.
Printer type: Inkjet
Features: Print/Copy/Scan
Print speed: 15 ppm (black) / 10 ppm (color)
Duty cycle: Up to 1,000 pages per month
Print resolution: 4,800 x 1,200 dpi
Scan resolution: 1,200 x 1,200 dpi
Total paper tray capacity: 125-sheets
Two-sided printing: Automatic
Copy speed: Up to 19 ppm (600 x 600 dpi resolution)
Best for: Moderate print needs and users who have a preference for an automatic document feeder.
The HP Envy Inspire 7955e creates prints using two separate HP 64 (or HP 64 XL) ink cartridges. Print features include two-sided and borderless printing. It supports any paper size up to 8.5 x 14 inches, including labels and envelopes.
The HP Envy Inspire 7955e features two paper trays and will automatically choose which paper to use based on the printing task at hand. The document feeder (for the copier or scanner) can hold up to 35 pages. It has a handy 2.7-inch touchscreen display for navigating options and the printer supports an array of wireless printing protocols, including Apple Air Print and Mopria.
Overall, the HP Envy Inspire 7955e does everything that HP promises the printer can do but printing on this budget series is a little slower than other printers in the budget price range. As a general-purpose printer, it offers decent value and performs well.
Pros:
- Automatic document feeder
- Easy touchscreen navigation
- Two paper trays
Cons:
- Uses ink cartridges, not ink tanks
You can buy remanufactured High Yield HP 64 black & color for your Envy Inspire 7955e Here
Pixma MG3620: Canon brings a terrific option to the affordable market with this wireless 3-in-1 printer obtainable. Compact in size, it features 2-sided printing with a big 100-sheet capacity and a higher rate of print speed than other machines in this price range. This inkjet all-in-one model will print wirelessly from anywhere in the house with crisp and clear documents, photos, and scans with borderless images up to 8.5” x 11”.
Key Features:
- Print, Scan, and Copy
- 8.5” x 11” Max paper size
- 4800 x 1200 dpi print resolution
- 9.9 ppm black / 5.7 ppm color
This model accepts XL size cartridges and prints with Canon’s hybrid ink system, making black text and borders really stand out on color prints. As with most modern printers, this machine will fax with ease and unlike some other machines, will still print color options if the black cartridge runs out. As a home office printer, consumers rate its use high for convenience, speed, and size.
You can buy remanufactured Canon 240XL black & 241XL color for your Canon PIXMA MG3620 Here
There is a lot to consider when making a purchase and it seems a new printer is coming on to the marketplace every month. Don’t suffer buyers remorse by grabbing the first low-cost option you see. Take the time to research your specific needs and decide what printer is going to serve your needs over the next year to come. Make a list of the options that work best for you and consider the cost of using it over time versus the up-front cost of acquisition. Often, the cost of maintaining ink will define what printer you choose. Make sure you can use remanufactured cartridges in your printer to keep your long-term costs within your budget and consider a printer that uses the cartridges available at DoorStepInk.com.
