Printer Buying Guide

Professional-quality printing doesn't have to cost a fortune. You can now get the same level of quality in-house with inkjet and laser printers designed specifically for your small business needs. Laser printers are now more affordably priced, and a number of inkjet printers provide laser-image quality. It's simply a matter of choosing the options you want at the price you can afford. Use the following features to help choose the model that's just right for you:

Resolution measures the level of sharpness of a printed image or character measured in dots per inch, or dpi. Image quality increases with resolution. A printer with a resolution of 600 dpi will print higher quality images than a printer with 300 dpi resolution. Many of the laser and inkjet printers currently available have resolutions of 600 dpi or more.

Speed is typically measured on pages per minute, or PPM. Laser printers speeds range from 4 to 24 PPM while inkjets range from 2 to 7 PPM. These speeds can vary, however, depending on other factors such as the presence of complex graphics and the quality of the printer's microprocessor.

Memory also influences a printer's performance level. All of the information contained in the document is stored in memory prior to printing. Insufficient memory can cause delays in the printing process, which can be very problematic for both single-user and networked printers.

Duty cycle refers to the expected performance level of the printer usually expressed in pages per month. For small business and home offices, a duty cycle between 10,000 and 20,000 pages per month may be sufficient. For larger organizations a duty cycle twice this size may be required. This is especially true if the printer in question is networked.

Paper size capacity is your standard 8.5"x11" sheet paper. If your business requires printing materials of different sizes, you should look for models with multiple paper trays varying in size, manual feed trays or models that have an adjustable paper tray.

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