Guide In Buying Desktop Printer

Here are the features that I would recommend to look for before you make up the decision

Resolution

The first one that I would look into is the resolution in dpi (Dots per inch) also known as Max H-Resolution Color. But look carefully here as you infer the quality of the print from these numbers because this dpi varies for different technology like ink-jet or thermal or laser. DPI usually varies from 300 to 4800 or above and thermal printers have low numbers than ink-jet. But whatever it is, it’s better to get one a decent one from the category of your choice if not the highest. The highest and the latest would always mean the costliest, so it’s better to settle for the second best and you can also keep it for a reasonable time before you buy the next home photo printer. So buy a standard one like 1200 by 4800 dpi for ink-jet which is same as 300 by 300 dpi for thermal dye printers.

Brand

Buying a branded one usually tends to be a costlier one but you can it without thinking too much. It’s like paying insurance for your product. If you are willing to do a well research on other brands that you are considering to buy, it may be a better choice. The better ones are usually from HP, Canon, Epson, Xerox, Lexmark etc.

Size

The regular size of photos is 4 by 6 inches or little bigger than that is 8 by 10 inches. Most photos that you would print often would be within these sizes. But if you are a large photo enthusiast, you may consider tabloid sizes like 11 by 17 inches or even bigger tabloid 13 by 19 inches. These sizes would be great for wall hangings. But it’s better to settle for 8 by 10 inches and you can always print these extra large ones from a store.

Printer Type and Technology

Here the printer type we have considered is home photo printer but you can also buy printers which are also suited for regular day to day printing so that you need not have two printers near your computer! Considering the technology, the poplar ones for photo printing are ink-jet or thermal dye printers than laser. Most of the thermal printers are better than ink-jet for long lasting looks of the pictures and making it water proof.

     

• 
  
  
  
         Dye-sublimation printing

      A dye-sublimation printer uses a special ribbon, paper, and print head.   Sublimation is the process of turning a solid directly into a gas without passing through a liquid phase. Because dye-sub printers deposit the color as a gas rather than as a liquid, the result is very much like the continuous tone of a photograph.

• 
  
  
  
        Inkjet printer

      The most popular type of printer, an inkjet uses small drops of liquid ink in various colors to produce an image on the page. These drops are literally shot onto the paper.

• 
  
  
  
       Laser printer

     A printer that uses the xerographic process to produce a print. A special drum is sensitized by a laser, picks up powdered toner, and deposits it onto a piece of paper. The toner is then heated and fused onto the paper to produce the printed page. Some "laser" printers actually use LEDs (light emitting diodes) to "write" on the drum.

• 
  
  
  
       Photo ink cartridge

     Most inkjet printers use a four-color printing system with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. Photo inks often add additional shades of cyan and magenta to provide a greater tonal range to prints and more photo-like output.

• 
  
  
  
       Removable media

   

     Most digital cameras use special memory cards to store images. The most popular of these are CompactFlash and SmartMedia cards. Some new photo printers have built-in readers that let you print images directly from these removable media cards without using a computer.

Speed

Speed is the main factor when it comes to cost. Most of the printers may give the same quality but some offer high speed printing while maintaining the quality. As a home user, you may settle for low speed and save lot of money.

Operating Cost

You may end up buying a printer of your choice now and maybe reluctant to use it later because the running cost of using photo papers and ink may be very high. You may think that you can use third-party inks and paper but each printer is designed to work at its best with a particular ink, paper and software which run behind it. The physics behind the operation of the technology differs from product to product. You may see a slight difference in quality if you use third party products but if that’s reasonable quality, it may be the better choice.

Other Features:

Number of Ink Colors – Higher number of ink colors may give professional quality of pictures but may not be necessary for home user.

Connectivity – You can always connect the printer with USB to your computer. Higher connectivity features like wireless, connecting to multiple computers at the same time are of necessity but of choice.

Scanner – Again it’s only by choice. It’s a matter of need and want.

Other features like compatibility, built in additional features like CD or DVD -writer, Digital and multimedia card reader, touch screen, preview screen, laminator etc add up the price tag so it’s better to decide what you want exactly.

Here are some Desktop Printers to choose from:




Canon Pixma iP4700 

Best general-purpose inkjet printer

Pros:

Excellent value
Good balance of text, graphics and photo quality
Prints straight from camera via PictBridge
Duplex printing


Cons:
No LCD preview screen
No memory-card slots
Double-sided printing is slow

   The Canon Pixma iP4700, an incremental update of the acclaimed iP4600, is quickly being recognized as the best general-use inkjet printer. While Canon's Pixma iP4000 series printers are primarily for photos, reviews say the iP4700 produces text and graphics very well, too. It's an excellent value for the price, and the iP4700 includes features, like duplex (or double-sided) printing, normally found only on pricier models. The iP4700 uses the same five ink cartridges as its predecessors, three color inks and two kinds of black -- longer-lived pigment for text, dye for photos. It costs about $60 to replace the whole set. Another perk is PictBridge compatibility, which allows printing directly from a digital camera. However, there is no LCD preview screen or memory-card slot. While the iP4700 improves slightly upon the print speeds of the sluggish iP4600, it still isn't the fastest inkjet on the market.

   So far, only British review sites, including PC Pro, PC Advisor and TechRadar.com, have evaluated the new Canon Pixma iP4700. References to the ability to print directly on some CDs and DVDs don't apply to the model sold in the United States. All say the iP4700 isn't a huge leap forward, but the new version is as good or better than the older iP4600. That model is well represented in reviews, and thorough looks at the iP4600, like that at PCMag.com, can apply to the iP4700. Amazon.com and Newegg.com carry the iP4700, but users have only reviewed the iP4600 as of this update.

 Canon PIXMA iP4700 Printer Key Features:

Features:
Auto Duplex Print, Auto Photo Fix II, Borderless Printing, Document Printing, Photo Printing, 2-Way Paper Feeding, 5 Individual Ink Tanks, Auto Sheet Feeder, Paper Output Tray Sensor, PictBridge


Print Speed (up to):
?Black: ESAT (Black): Approx. 9.2 ipm
?Color: ESAT (Color): Approx. 8.1 ipm
4″ x 6″ borderless photo: approx. 20 seconds


Number of Nozzles:
?Black: 320
?Color:4,096
?Total: 4,416


Print Resolution (Up to):
?Black: 600 x 600 dpi
?Color: 9600 x 2400 dpi


OS Compatibility:
Windows Vista, Windows XP/2000 and Mac OS X v10.3.9 to v10.5.x8


Standard Interface:
PictBridge (Cable not included), USB 2.0 Hi-Speed


Ink Droplet Size:
Picoliter Size: 1, 2 and 5


Paper Sizes:
4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 10″, Letter, Legal, U.S. #10 Envelopes


Output Tray Capacity:
Auto Sheet Feeder: (Plain Paper) 150 Sheets, Cassette: 150 Sheets


Noise Level (Approx.):
46.5 dB(A) in the best quality mode


Physical Dimensions:
17.0″(W) x11.7″(D) x 6.0″(H)


Weight: 12.4 lbs


Power Consumption: Approx. 17W (0.9W Standby)


Warranty:
Toll-free technical phone support plus 1-year limited warranty with InstantExchange program


Software Included:

Setup Software & User’s Guide CD-ROM, PIXMA iP4700 Printer Driver, Easy-PhotoPrint EX, Easy-Web Print EX (Windows Only), Solution Menu 

 HP Deskjet D1660

 

Basic inkjet printer

Pros:
Good output in its class
Good value, very low price
Small and light


Cons:
Middling speeds
Limited paper handling
Short warranty period

   HP's latest budget printer is the Deskjet D1660, which has almost no extra features but is praised as doing a good job at text and other occasional, basic printing tasks. The D1660 is very small and light -- it measures about 17 inches by 8 inches by 6 inches, and weighs less than 5 pounds. It's also surprisingly speedy and stylish. Most reviewers and owners feel that the D1660 and its Deskjet brethren are very good value for the money, stressing only that users should be aware of a budget printer's limitations. The D1660 has a number of drawbacks: it has no dedicated output tray, a limited paper capacity of 80 sheets, a mere 750-sheet monthly duty cycle and no physical controls beyond a power button. Reviewers note that the D1660 is best for occasional printing, since long-term ink consumption can get expensive. There are three colors in one cartridge, which must be replaced when only one color runs out. The Deskjet D1660 only has a 90-day warranty (most printers are covered for a year), though HP's phone support continues until a year after purchase.

   Entry-level printers get less critical attention, and that, coupled with the HP Deskjet D1660's recent appearance on the market, means that the printer has few reviews available. We found a highly positive write-up at TrustedReviews.com, and CNET takes a good look at the older, step-up sister model of the D1660, the Deskjet D2660. There are also a handful of generally encouraging user reviews to be found at Amazon.com and at HP's own online store, though not enough to be statistically relevant.

Deskjet D1660 Printer Key Features:

Black print speed

Up to 20 ppm

Color print speed

Up to 16 ppm

Black print resolution

Up to 600 dpi

Color print resolution

Up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi color and 1200 input dpi when printing from a computer (on photo paper)

Duplex printing

Manual (driver support provided)

Display

N/A

Photo

Borderless printing

Yes (up to 4 x 6-in using tear-tab photo paper)

Direct photo printing

No

Memory card support

N/A

Technology

Real Life technologies

N/A

Paper

Supported paper sizes

Tray: Letter; legal; executive; No 10 envelopes; cards

Duplexer:

Duty cycle

Up to 750 pages

Paper handling

80-sheet input tray

Automatic paper-type sensor

No

Connectivity

Networking

None

Wireless capability

No

Connectivity

1 USB 2.0

General

Dimensions

17.01 x 7.8 x 6.22 in

Weight

4.85 lb

Supported operating systems

Windows Vista (32-bit & 64-bit), Windows XP (SP1 or higher [32-bit]), Windows 7 ready. Mac OS X v10.4, v10.5, v10.6

Compatible cartridges

HP 60 Black Ink Cartridge (~200 pages); HP 60 Tri-color Ink Cartridge (~150 pages); HP 60XL Black Ink Cartridge (~600 pages); HP 60XL Tri-color Ink Cartridge (~420 pages) [Average based on ISO/IEC 24711 or HP testing methodology and continuous printing. Actual yield varies considerably based on content of printed pages and other factors. Some ink from included cartridge is used to start up the printer.

ENERGY STAR qualified

Yes

Epson WorkForce 610

Pros: Good wireless printing. Set up was easy.

Cons: Not servicable to clean clogged printer head. Cheap plastics break easy. Service manual instructs to "break" some parts for service. Need to tear down the entire printer to replace head. Noisy. Cartridges run out very fast.

   The Epson WorkForce 610 is a subtle refresh of last year's Epson WorkForce 600. We don't have a review for its predecessor, but the 610 is almost the same printer with the exception of an updated onscreen menu layout. For $200, you get a versatile mix of features such as an auto-document feeder on top of the printer for hands-free copying, scanning, or faxing of up to 30 sheets of paper, wireless and wired networking, and a comprehensive control panel that offers one-touch access to some of the printer's most popular features. While we continue to applaud Epson for its consistently fast-paced output speeds and easy printer setup, we are disappointed that the 610 lacks an auto-duplexer, an extra hardware add-on that can print on both sides of a sheet of paper. The omission surely isn't a deal breaker, but it's something we expect to come included with a $200 printer.

    Auto-duplexing aside, business and home offices alike can count on the Epson WorkForce 610 to churn out high-quality black-and-white and color documents, thanks to a robust four-ink cartridge bay. The WorkForce 610 earns our endorsement by making work life easier with plenty of customizable buttons to control, a convenient onboard memory card reader, and optional creative software to close the loop between work and play.

 Deskjet D1660 Printer Key Features:

Printing Technology: 4-color CMYK drop-on-demand MicroPiezo® ink jet technology

Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 2 picoliters

Maximum Print Resolution: 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi

ISO Print Speed:

• Black: 15 ppm¹
• Color: 9.3 ppm¹

PC-Free Printing:

• Print all photos
• Photo index sheet
• Color photo restoration
• Scan to PDF
• Scan to memory card
• Auto Photo Correction
• Print your own school papers &38212; college-ruled, wide-ruled, graph papers and personalized stationery

 Copy Quality:

• Color
• Black/White
• Draft
• Normal

Copy Quantity: 1 – 99 (PC-free)
Maximum Copy Size: 8.5" x 11" (PC-free)
Copy Features:

• Fit to page
• Automatic reduction and enlargement (25 – 400%)

• Adjustable copy density

  Scanner Type: Color flatbed
Photoelectric Device: Color CIS line sensor
Optical Resolution: 2400 dpi
Hardware Resolution: 2400 x 2400 dpi
Maximum Resolution: 9600 x 9600 dpi interpolated
Scanner Bit Depth: 48-bit color / 24-bit output




Fax Settings: Black-and-white and color
Fax Speed: Modem: 33.6 Kbps — as fast as 3 sec per page
Memory: Up to 180 pages
Speed Dials: 60
PC Fax: Supported²




PC-Free Paper Support:

• Plain (8.5" x 11")
• Photo (4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8” x 10”, 8.5" x 11", 16:9 wide)

Automatic Document Feeder: 30 Sheets
Paper Sizes: 3.5" x 5", 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", 8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", A4, B5, A5, A6, half letter, executive, user definable (3.5" – 44" in length)
Maximum Paper Size: 8.5" x 44"
Borderless Sizes: 3.5" x 5", 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", 8.5" x 11", A4, 16:9 wide
Paper Types:

• Plain paper
• Epson Bright White Paper
• Photo Paper Glossy
• Premium Photo Paper Glossy
• Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy
• Premium Photo Paper Semi-gloss
• Presentation Paper Matte
• Premium Presentation Paper Matte
• Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-sided
• Matte Scrapbook Photo Paper (letter)

Envelope Types:

• No. 10
• DL
• C6
• Plain paper
• Bond paper
• Air mail

Input Paper Tray Capacity: 100 sheets plain paper, 10 envelopes




Ink Type: DURABrite® Ultra pigment ink (smudge, fade, water resistant, and highlighter friendly)
Ink Palette: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black
Ink Cartridge Configuration: 4 individual ink cartridges
Fade Resistance / Print Longevity: Up to 118 years³
Replacement Ink Cartridges:

• Extra High-capacity Black (T097120)
• High-capacity Black (T068120)
• High-capacity Cyan (T068220)
• High-capacity Magenta (T068320)
• High-capacity Yellow (T068420)
• High-capacity Multi-pack color (T068520)
• Standard-capacity Black (T069120)
• Standard-capacity Cyan (T069220)
• Standard-capacity Magenta (T069320)
• Standard-capacity Yellow (T069420)
• Standard-capacity Multi-pack color (T069520)

Interface: Hi-Speed USB 2.0, Wireless Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) — Compatible with 802.11n, Wired Ethernet (10/100 Mbps)
Supported Memory Cards:

• CompactFlash®
• Microdrive®
• Memory Stick®
• Memory Stick Duo™⁵
• MagicGate™ Memory Stick
• MagicGate Memory Stick Duo™⁵
• Memory Stick PRO™
• Memory Stick Pro Duo™⁵
• Secure Digital (SD™)
• SDHC™
• Mini SD™⁵
• Mini SDHC™⁵
• Micro SD™⁵
• Micro SDHC™⁵
• MultiMediaCard™
• xD-Picture Card™
• xD-Picture Card Type-M
• xD-Picture Card Type-H

Direct Camera Connection: Front PictBridge™ port (print from digital cameras and mobile phones, PC-free)


Operating Systems:

• Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows 2000
• Mac OS® X 10.3.9, 10.4.11, 10.5.x and 10.6.x
  For the latest information regarding Snow Leopard, please visit www.epson.com/support/snowleopard

LCD Screen: 2.5", tilt LCD display
Supported Digital Camera Technologies: Epson PRINT Image Matching®, Exif Print, DPOF, DCF v. 1.0 / 2.0
Color Management: Auto Photo Correction, Epson Vivid Color™, Adobe RGB and ICM
Temperature:

Operating
• 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Storage
• -4° to 104° F (-20° to 40° C)

Humidity:

Operating
• 20 – 80%
Storage
• 5 – 85% (no condensation)

Sound Level: 40 dB
Rated Voltage: 100 – 120 VAC
Rated Frequency: 50 – 60 Hz
Rated Current: 0.6 Amp
Power Consumption:

• Normal mode: Approx. 20 W ISO 10561
• Sleep mode: Approx. 2.9 W
• ENERGY STAR® qualified

Safety Standards: Safety standards UL60950, CSA C22.2 No. 60950, EMI FCC Part 15 subpart B class B, CAN / CSA-CEI / IEC CISPR 22 class B
Dimensions:

• Printing: 18.1" x 22.1" x 12" (W x D x H)
• Storage: 18.1" x 13.6" x 9.3" (W x D x H)

Weight: 18.3 lb
Software Included: Epson printer driver, Web to Page, Epson Scan, ArcSoft® Print Creations, PageManager® (e) 8.15 with OCR

Brother MFC-5890CN multifunction printer

Pros:
A3 printing, good photo quality, easy-to-use front panel, not a space hog


Cons:
Slow in our document printing test, inks can be tricky to install, scanner didn't pick up fine details

   Brother's MFC-5890CN is a six-in-one inkjet multifunction device that allows you to print, scan, photocopy, read memory cards, and send and receive faxes all from the same unit. Not only that, it can print at up to A3 size and it's quite good as a photo printer.

Brother MFC-5890CN Printer Key Features:

Copier features

Copier

Yes

Maximum copy resolution (b&w)

1200dpi

Maximum copy resolution (colour)

1200dpi

Paper handling

Supported media sizes

A3, A4

Supported media types

Glossy paper, Plain paper

Total media capacity (sheets)

150

Printer features

Printer type

Inkjet

Printer usage

Home, Small / home office

Colour printer?

Yes

Photo printer?

Yes

Number of ink/toner cartridges

4

Cost per A4 page (colour)

23c

Maximum print resolution

6000dpi

Automatic duplex (doublesided printing)

No

Scanner features

Maximum scan resolution (colour)

2400dpi

Warranty

Warranty information

Return to base

Warranty length (months)

24

Wired connections

Wired Terminals / Ports

Ethernet, USB 2.0

HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf multifunction monochrome laser printer

Pros:
Simple to operate via USB or Ethernet, fast printing with good text quality at both 600dpi and 1200dpi


Cons:
Average monochrome graphic quality with intermittent banding

   The HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf is a multifunction monochrome laser printer aimed at small businesses and home offices. It’s a great choice if you want to print up to 2000 pages per month for a low price, and its scanning and copying features come in handy. Text quality is good in both 600dpi and 1200dpi modes, but we noticed a few small problems in the quality of monochrome graphics.

HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf Printer Key Features:

Copier features

Copier

Yes

Maximum copy resolution (b&w)

600dpi

Maximum copy resolution (colour)

600dpi

General

Paper handling

Supported media sizes

A4

Total media capacity (sheets)

150

Power

Printer features

Printer type

Laser

Printer usage

Small / home office

Number of ink/toner cartridges

1

Cost per A4 page (b&w)

6.8c

Stated print speed (b&w)

18

Maximum print resolution

1200dpi

Duty cycle (pages per month)

8000

Scanner features

Maximum scan resolution (colour)

600dpi

Size and weight

Weight

8.3kg

Height

306mm

Width

435mm

Depth

265mm

Software

Warranty

Warranty length (months)

12

Wired connections

Number of USB 2.0 ports

1

Wired Terminals / Ports

Ethernet, USB 2.0

Canon Laser Shot LBP 3100B

Pros:
Adequate printing speeds, simple toner replacement, attractive design


Cons:

Awfully ugly paper output tray, text quality slightly inaccurate, starter cartridge packaged with printer

    The LBP 3100B’s low initial cost is well complemented by attractive design and decent printing speeds. Still, some odd design choices and slightly inaccurate printing mar this printer a little — it’s good but it doesn’t excel when compared to the competition.

  

HP LaserJet Pro m1212nf Printer Key Features:

 

General

Available Colours

Black

Length (mm)

250

Width (mm)

372

Height (mm)

197

Weight (kg)

5.3

Power

Power Supply

AC Power

Printers

Printer Type

Laser

Printer Usage

Small Office / Home Office

Colour Printer

No

Maximum Resolution (B&W)

600dpi

Print Speed B&W (pages per minute)

16

Direct Printing

No

Print Media

Print Media Supported

A4, Plain paper

Print Media Size Maximum

A4 (210 x 297mm)

Print Media Load Type

Automatic

Total Media Capacity (Sheets)

150

Software

Compatability

Mac OS, Windows

Wired Connections

Wired Terminals / Ports

USB 2.0

 

Brother HL-3070CW colour LED printer

Pros:
Wi-Fi is easy to configure, password-protected printing, user-upgradeable memory 


Cons:

Small LCD display, no direct print support for Microsoft Word files and plain text documents, colour accuracy issues, expensive consumables

    Extensive connectivity and simple configuration make Brother's HL-3070CW colour LED printer easy to setup and use in a networked environment.

    The Brother HL-3070CW colour printer is one of the company’s first to use LED technology. Competing with entry-level colour laser printers, the HL-3070CW is reasonably quick and it's easy to set up.

The Brother HL-3070CW prints in the same basic way as any laser: the printer uses toner powder to paint an image onto a rotating drum which is then transferred to paper. Instead of using a laser to paint this image, the HL-3070CW simply uses a line of LEDs; the same type used to backlight the some recent LCD monitors and TVs. 

Brother HL-3070CW Printer Key Features:

Copying Features

Copier

No

Faxing Features

Fax

No

General

Available Colours

Grey

Length (mm)

466

Width (mm)

409

 

Height (mm)

250

Memory

Installed memory (RAM)

32 GB

Maximum memory (RAM)

512 MB

Power

Power Supply

AC Power

Printers

Printer Usage

Office

Colour Printer

Yes

Photo Printer

No

Maximum Resolution (Colour)

2400dpi x 600dpi

Print Speed B&W (pages per minute)

16

Print Speed Colour (pages per minute)

16

Direct Printing

Yes

Print Media

Print Media Supported

A4, Plain paper

Print Media Size Maximum

A4 (210 x 297mm)

Print Media Load Type

Automatic

Total Media Capacity (Sheets)

250

Media Feeders

Front paper cassette

Monthly Duty Cycle

25, 000

Double-sided Printing

No

Scanner Features

Scanner

No

Software

Compatability

Mac OS, Windows

Wired Connections

Wired Terminals / Ports

RJ45, USB 2.0

Wireless Connections

Wireless technology supported

Wirele

Conclusion:

    Choose a desktop Printer that suites your needs!