Inkjet Printer Buyer's Guide

There are currently two technologies that dominate the personal printer market: inkjet and laser printers. Of these two, inkjet is the most popular and least expensive. But how do they work? And how do you know which one is best for your needs? Hopefully, the following guide will help you answer some of those questions. pitney bowes supplies

How Inkjet Printers Work

When a document is sent to the printer, the printer driver translates the text and images into the inkjet printer's language. After the printer receives information, the controller activates the printer.

The rollers feed the paper into the printer and are positioned at the start of the page. The print head will then begin to move across the page spraying droplets of ink onto the page. As the print head is printing, the motor stops momentarily to spray multiple dots at a defined area to create all colors. When the print head reaches the end of the page, the rollers move the paper forward until the full page is printed.

Parts of an Inkjet Printer & How they Work

The Print Head Assembly

The print head assembly generally consists of two parts - the print head and the ink cartridge. The print head operates the printing action of the printer. The print head contains a series of nozzles that are used to spray droplets of ink. It may be included in the printer or part of the inkjet cartridge. Inkjet cartridges come in different combinations, depending on the manufacturer or model. Cartridges can have separate tanks for each color or one cartridge for each color. Inkjet printers generally use four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to create almost any color combination. If the inkjet printer doubles as a photo printer, it will use six colors, by adding the light magenta and light cyan to extend the printer's color gamut. pitney bowes supplies

Stepper Motor, Belt and Stabilizer Bar

The stepper motor is what moves the print head and cartridge back and forth across a page. Some printers will have a second stepper motor to park the print head assembly when the printer is not in use. The belt is used to attach the print head assembly to the stepper motor. The print head assembly moves across a stabilizer bar to ensure that each row of dots are even and precise.

Paper Feed Assembly

The paper feed assembly also consists of two cooperating parts - the paper tray or feeder, and the rollers. Inkjet printers will have either a paper tray that can be loaded with paper or a feeder that is located in the back of the printer. Both include a sensor that stops the printer when it is out of paper.A set of rollers pulls the paper from the paper tray/feeder and controls the rate at which the paper is moved past the print head assembly. pitney bowes supplies

Printer Driver and Controller

A printer driver is software that acts as a translator so that the printer can understand data and instructions from your computer. The driver describes the text, image, etc. to be printed and translates it into the printer language.The controller is the "command station" of the printer. The control circuitry is responsible for decoding the information sent from the computer, via the printer driver, to the printer, as well as controlling the various motors of the printer.

Buying Guide

If you need a printer to print school reports and the occasional picture, an inexpensive inkjet printers can meet all your printing needsll. If your printing needs are a little more advanced, you can find inkjet printers with added features that will still be less expensive than purchasing a laser printer. The more features you need and the type of quality you are looking for will add to the cost of the printer; however, you can find a printer with good print quality for under $100.

Advantages

- Inexpensive - Color Printing

Disadvantages

- Slow - High maintenance costs

Price Range

- $30-200

Features to Consider

Print Quality

When deciding on what inkjet printer is the best for you, don't let price be the deciding factor. Higher prices don't always indicate the best print quality or speed of an inkjet printer. Before purchasing a printer, shop around and when you have a specific model in mind, if available, ask to print a test page to see for yourself the printer's print quality. pitney bowes supplies

Speed

Inkjet printer speed is measured by the number of pages the printer can print out in a minute. The faster the printer is, the higher the price. The print speed might not be important for many home users but if you are planning to be printing a great deal, a faster printer might be a better option for you.

When it comes to print speed, most manufacturers determine their print speeds using the simplest text in draft mode, so in most cases print speeds are almost twice the speed you will actually have. Print speed will ultimately be determined by the page complexity, the connection speed, and the printer's memory.

Connectivity

Before you buy, check what kind of connections your computer supports. The majority of printers do not come with a printer cable that connects the printer to the computer so you will need to include this cost when budgeting for a new printer.

Memory

Memory will play an integral part in the print speed of your printer. The more memory you have the faster your printer will be. Documents that are in queue (waiting to be printed) are sent to the printer's memory. If you are only printing emails, word documents and the occasional picture, memory is not an important function. Common printing doesn't usually take up as much memory. Look for a printer with more built in memory if you are planning to print large text documents and color graphics. If your printing demands change, there are printers that you can upgrade with more memory.

Resolution

Print resolution is the maximum number or dots per square inch that can be printed, measured horizontally and vertically. The more dots per inch will give you finer details such as sharper text and cleaner images. Look for an inkjet printer with a resolution of 1200 x1200 dots per inch or higher. pitney bowes supplies

Cartridges & Supplies

The real cost of an inkjet printer comes from the ongoing cost of buying replacement inkjet cartridges. If you will be using one color more than the others, consider a printer with individual ink cartridges. It will save you money in the long run because you will only need to replace the cartridges you need. With tri-color inkjet cartridges, you will need to replace the entire cartridge when one color is empty.

Online Postage Options for Businesses

Today's businesses have the advantage of using convenient online postage for their shipping and mailing needs. No longer is it necessary to make time-consuming trips to the post office to mail packages. With online shipping, all you have to do is weight your packages, then purchase and print the appropriate postage using your own computer and printer. pitney bowes supplies

There are a few different companies online that sell postage that you can print from your computer. To determine which postage service best fits your business needs you will likely want to take some time, and evaluate each one. Each of these postage service companies has been approved to provide online postage by the United States Postal Service. pitney bowes supplies

*Stamps.com: This postage service has been around nearly since online postage became available. With Stamps.com you can print USPS approved shipping labels right from your computer. You can try Stamps.com with a free one-month trial, but you should be aware that a monthly service fee is applicable after your free trial has ended. When you sign up for Stamps.com they will send you a free digital scale, which means that you will not have to buy one in order to calculate the shipping weight of your packages.

*Pitney Bowes Inc: This was one of the first postage service companies to offer an online postage solution. One of the biggest advantages to using Pitney Bowes Inc is that they offer free USPS carrier pickup in conjunction with your local post office. Many businesses prefer Pitney Bowes because of their 60-day free trial, along with the option of using an integrated USB scale that enables you to automatically calculate postage rates. pitney bowes supplies

*Endicia: This online postage service offers a 30-day free trial, with the option of continuing service for a monthly membership free. Some of the unique advantages of Endicia include printable shipping labels, as well as the ability to hide postage rates because it is imbedded in a barcode on the shipping label.

*eBay: The online postage service offered by eBay is especially popular with eBay auction sellers. With this service, you can purchase your postage and pay for it with your Paypal account. A clear advantage to the eBay postage service is that it doesn't require you to have USPS account. You also do not need to worry about pre-funding, or installing any software onto your home or office computer. Users can print most all types of postage without the need of paying a monthly membership. If you are an eBay seller, this is the perfect solution to your shipping needs.

*Click-N-Ship: This is the United States Postal Services own version of online postage. You do not need a membership to use this service, and you have the ability to purchase and print Express and Priority Mail, Global Express and Global Priority Mail, and Global Express Guaranteed. When you purchase priority mail postage with Click-N-Ship, your delivery confirmation is free.

All of these services have the advantage of offering a convenient, time saving solution to your small business' shipping needs. pitney bowes supplies