Things to Consider When Buying a Color Laser Printer
There several brands of laser printers for color use available and several types of color laser printers. Some consumers will just settle on what the brand has to offer while some make sure that what they are about to buy meets all that the business may demand or require.
Here are some helpful tips for you to consider if you’re finding it hard to decide on a particular type of color laser printer.
Print Speed – check out for HP
Reviews of HP laser printers are often rated by how fast and how many copies they can produce per minute, described as print speed and expressed as number of copies per ppm, e.g. 16 ppm, 20 ppm, 30 ppm. Often the description will include whether the print speed is for black or color prints. Businesses often opt for color laser printers with the capacity to produce more copies per month since their projections are always based on growth and greater demands.
You should also consider the workload requirement for every printing job. If your business is expected to process a 200 page task every so often, buying a color laser printer with a greater ppm will do just fine. However, if your expected workload for every task includes only one to two pages per printing task, a greater ppm often takes a longer time to start on the first page. Hence, you should match your print speed with the workload requirement that your business often puts into process.
Resolution or Print Quality
The resolution of a print output is measured by the DPI or dots of toner per inch taken vertically and horizontally. Obviously, if the color laser printer has a higher DPI, you can expect vividness and clarity in your print outputs.
Related Printer Costs
Will printing on both sides of the paper be an advantage to you and your business? Then look for one that integrates duplex printing. Some color lasers include it as a standard feature, some as an optional integration while there are those that don’t offer this feature at all. Duplex printing system can help you reduce paper wastes and cut down on costs.
Also, take into account how often you have to replace toner cartridges. Different toner cartridges have different page capacity before you have to replace a drum. Some takes about 10,000 pages while others can reach up to 100,000 pages.
Paper Tray/Size Options
This feature relates to the number of paper a tray can hold or the availability of another tray to hold a different paper size. The additional tray will be important if your workload involves different paper sizes, eliminating the process of switching paper sizes in a single tray for different printing requirements.
You can also consider the paper types your business will need. If you will need more than just one type of paper like those used for business cards and other items used for different occasions or promotions, make sure that your printer can support paper types of heavier weights or thickness.
Memory Capacity
Printing tasks done as workgroups, graphics jobs or for large print files will benefit from printers equipped with large memory capacity (RAM). Usually the ideal for these users is the .4MB .
Connectivity / Networking
If networking is important to ensure the productivity of your business, make sure your color laser printer is network compatible. It can connect to a computer either via USB port or a USB2.0 or Ethernet network. Some printer manufacturers may also offer printer servers.
Consider this as your checklist when buying a color laser printer. Chances are, you will be totally satisfied with your purchase.