You can get a heck of a lot of value out of budget printers. If you're looking for a very basic A4, mostly text offering, you can get a new printer (with cartridges) for less than the cost of replacing its printer ink or laser toner! However, there are some things you will need to keep in mind when searching for a budget printer - here we look at the top tips for shopping at the bottom of the price range.
Know what features you'll want
If you’re shopping in the budget range you can't expect to get a printer with all the bells and whistles. However, most people want one that has, at a minimum:
- An auto document feeder (who wants to stand by the printer feeding in paper?!)
- An info screen to help you diagnose problems
- Copy and scan functionality - this doesn’t necessarily add a lot to the price of printers if you buy on sale.
Know how much the printer ink costs
Printer ink is seven times more expensive, millilitre for millilitre, than Dom Perignom champagne. So make sure you grab a budget printer that uses it efficiently, or the $30-$100 savings you initially make will be eaten up with the first printer cartridge change. Of course, if you do a lot of printing a laser printer is much better value, anyway. If you have your heart set on the great photo quality that inkjets provide, also make sure you know how quickly the cartridges are used up - any printer ink store can give you an unbiased opinion.
Printer ink is seven times more expensive, millilitre for millilitre, than Dom Perignom champagne. So make sure you grab a budget printer that uses it efficiently, or the $30-$100 savings you initially make will be eaten up with the first printer cartridge change. Of course, if you do a lot of printing a laser printer is much better value, anyway. If you have your heart set on the great photo quality that inkjets provide, also make sure you know how quickly the cartridges are used up - any printer ink store can give you an unbiased opinion.
Out of date printer ink?
Separate ink cartridges can make color printing a lot more economical. However, if your printer is the sort that doesn’t want to work with 'out of date' ink cartridges you could end up wasting a lot of cash. Check with the manufacturer on this point, for any model you’re considering buying.
Check out customer service
Many budget printers work without a problem. Some do not, and when this occurs you'll need the company's tech support. It's worth putting in a preliminary call to see how long you wait on hold and how difficult it is to speak to a real person.
Many budget printers work without a problem. Some do not, and when this occurs you'll need the company's tech support. It's worth putting in a preliminary call to see how long you wait on hold and how difficult it is to speak to a real person.
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