A printer is one of the few pieces of tech where a bad choice catches up with you a year later, when you find out how much it costs to print a single page. The price of the printer itself is often the least important thing. What matters is what and how much you print. Let us break it down, and at the end our configurator will recommend the right type based on a few questions.

Configurator: which printer suits you

Answer five questions and we will recommend a printer type. It is a guide, not gospel, but in most cases it points you the right way.

1. Where will you print the most?

2. Roughly how much do you print?

3. Do you need colour printing?

4. Do you print photos?

5. Do you also need to scan or copy?

Inkjet vs laser: the main decision

This is the first and most important choice. Both technologies have their place:

  • Laser prints with toner (powder) that is fused into the paper. It is fast, cheap for black text and the toner does not dry out, even if you do not print for a long time. It suits documents and higher volume.
  • Inkjet prints with liquid ink. It handles colour and photos better and is usually cheaper to buy. The downside is that the ink can dry out if you print only very rarely, and cartridges tend to be expensive per page (unless it is a tank model).

Simply put: a lot of black text = laser, colour and photos = inkjet.

Running costs matter more than the printer price

The most common mistake is buying a cheap printer and then paying a fortune for refills. Watch the cost per printed page, not just the price of the device:

  • Inkjet cartridges are convenient but expensive. With frequent printing, refills will eventually exceed the price of the printer.
  • Ink tanks are now the cheapest for colour printing. You refill ink from bottles and the cost per page is a fraction of cartridges.
  • Toner in a laser printer lasts hundreds to thousands of pages and the cost per page for mono printing is low.
  • Original vs compatible: compatible refills are cheaper but not always reliable. For important printing and photos, originals are worth it; for everyday documents, a proven compatible is usually fine.

Colour vs mono

If you print almost exclusively text (contracts, study materials, invoices), a mono printer will save you money and hassle. Choose colour only when you will really use it. Watch one detail: with many colour printers you cannot print black if even one colour runs out, which is annoying with cheap cartridges.

Multifunction: print, scan and copy in one

A multifunction printer (MFP) also scans and copies. For most homes and offices this is a sensible standard today, because a scanner comes in handy more often than you expect (documents, contracts, signed papers). If you will never use a scanner, you save by buying a standalone printer.

What else to consider

  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi and printing from a phone are almost a given today. For a company, a network (LAN) port is handy too.
  • Duplex (two-sided printing): automatic duplex saves paper and time, it is worth it.
  • Format: A4 is enough for most people. Choose the larger A3 only if you really need it.
  • Speed and duty cycle: for a company, check pages per minute and the recommended monthly volume so the printer keeps up and lasts.

Which one for whom, in short

  • Home, little printing, mostly text: mono laser (toner does not dry out).
  • Home or home office, colour and photos: ink tank inkjet.
  • Photos first: photo inkjet.
  • Company, lots of documents, including colour: colour laser, multifunction.

Still not sure, or want a specific model and setup? Get in touch, we will advise and can also configure the printer and connect it to your network. We also service and repair printers of all brands (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother and more).