How to Pick a Printer

These days having a printer at home definitely comes in handy and will save you having to rely on friends, the local library or local printing companies that can charge you over the odds to print simple documents. Having your own printer gives you the following benefits...

Convenience
Being able to save money
Increased printing options

All of these benefits are very valuable, but if you don't already own a printer then you will need to purchase one. Knowing how to pick a printer and why you need a printer is very important. All of this is going to affect how much you end up eventually paying, as well as the capabilities of a given printer you choose. So let's talk about how to pick a printer so you make a sound decision.

Knowing its primary use
The first thing you'll need to know is what your primary use for the printer will be. You want to make sure whatever printer you get is aligned with these needs. If you plan on using the printer for business purposes you want a printer that is able to handle a constant workload. If you only want a printer for casual use or for light use, then go for a printer that will not require so much maintenance. Different printers are available for images, documents or a mixture of the two.

Knowing the pages per minute
Printers have something called PPM otherwise known as pages per minute. This is the speed at which a given printer is able to print out a document. Of course this can be affected by whether or not you're printing in colour or in regular black and white ink. Typically you should be aiming for 5 to 10 pages a minute for a home printer. If you have business needs you may require a faster printer.

Compatibility with your computer
If you want to know how to pick a printer, you will need to know how to tell whether or not your computer will be compatible for that printer. There are some printers that have software that will require your home computer to have certain specifications. If the specifications are not met then the computer may not be able to properly detect the printer, or the printer may not install properly on that computer. Problems such as newer versions of operating systems are the reason for this, or old outdated operating systems.

All in all knowing how to pick a printer simply comes down to knowing what type of functionality you want and how often you plan on using the printer and for what purpose. Once you're able to determine all of these things you will be in a much better position to pick the right model.