( 
)Last year, I decided to buy a color laser printer. Prices have come down so much in the last few years that they are very affordable. Colors are brilliant, cost per page is low, and since lasers burn the image into the paper, they don't run like pages made from an ink jet printer. Now I make one page fliers for my store, and print the invoice on the reverse side. It is a great way to advertise at a low cost, and it doesn't waste paper.
Shopping for one was an education. There are so many different types and models, and different quality of prints, choosing one requires a lesson on terminology. That is the purpose of this guide:
PPM:
Pages per minute.
When you see on a printer , for example, 20 PPM Black, 10 PPM color, this means that for color prints, the paper must make one pass across each color print head to produce a color document. In other words, the paper travels inside the printer 4 times (color) before it comes out.
If the number of PPM is the same for B/W and Color, then the page makes only one pass across the heads to produce the document.
From a speed and alignment stand point, choose the printer with the same number of PPM for B/W and Color.
NETWORK
Networking is important for a laser printer as you can share the printer with other computers. They can be wired or wireless. Also most printers today can be connected to your computer via serial, parallel, or USB ports.
Note that on the model number of the printer, often it will have the letter 'n' following the Model, i.e. HP3600n The 'n' stands for network.
DUPLEX
This simply means that the printer model will print both sides of the page.
Often you will see the letter 'd' in the model i.e. HP 3600dn
DUTY CYCLE
Shopping for one was an education. There are so many different types and models, and different quality of prints, choosing one requires a lesson on terminology. That is the purpose of this guide:
PPM:
Pages per minute.
When you see on a printer , for example, 20 PPM Black, 10 PPM color, this means that for color prints, the paper must make one pass across each color print head to produce a color document. In other words, the paper travels inside the printer 4 times (color) before it comes out.
If the number of PPM is the same for B/W and Color, then the page makes only one pass across the heads to produce the document.
From a speed and alignment stand point, choose the printer with the same number of PPM for B/W and Color.
NETWORK
Networking is important for a laser printer as you can share the printer with other computers. They can be wired or wireless. Also most printers today can be connected to your computer via serial, parallel, or USB ports.
Note that on the model number of the printer, often it will have the letter 'n' following the Model, i.e. HP3600n The 'n' stands for network.
DUPLEX
This simply means that the printer model will print both sides of the page.
Often you will see the letter 'd' in the model i.e. HP 3600dn
DUTY CYCLE
You will see this on advertisements for the printer. This is the rating on how long the main print drum will last. 50,000 pages is not uncommon
Toner cartridges vary in size and # of pages they will print. Watch out for these pitfalls:
BEFORE YOU BUY
Toner cartridges vary in size and # of pages they will print. Watch out for these pitfalls:
- Some manufacturers sell a new printer with 'demo' toner cartridges. They will only last 25% of what a new toner cartridge will last. It is done to lower the price of the printer. Buyer Beware.
- Some models have a computer chip in the toner cartridge. Once xxxx pages are printed, the cartridge is dead, even though there is still toner in the cartridge. You can refill the cartridge, but unless you change out the chip, it won't work.
- It is not hard to refill cartridges but usually you can only do it one or two times, as the life of the organic drum only goes so far. If you are an 'all thumbs' kind of person, I do not recommend doing this by yourself.
BEFORE YOU BUY
- Read online reviews from sources like CNet and other computer magazines. Arm yourself with knowledge.
- GO to a retailer and test some out. You will often find a printer that had so so reviews be the perfect choice
- Check for availability of toner and supplies. Buying a Canon printer online and not finding toner locally when you need it can be a bad mistake.
Guide created: 08/21/07 (updated 10/09/08)
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