There are many types of printers available such as ink jet, laser, dot matrix, thermal transfer, etc. They range in size from small label printers to huge plotters.
I’m going to concentrate on general-use printers that would be used in a home or small- to medium-size office. In those settings, the two main choices are ink jet printers and laser printers.
Ink jet printers are inexpensive to purchase and usually can do color printing. However, the ink jet manufacturers sell their printers at a low price because they make lots of money on the frequent replacement of their uniquely-shaped cartridges. (It’s sort of like giving away a razor to make your money on razor blades.) If you do a lot of printing, an ink jet printer may wind up costing you a lot of money per year.
Laser printers are more expensive to purchase and their cartridges are more expensive, too. However, their price per page can be significantly lower than that of ink jets.
So what’s the best choice for you? If you’re in a business, the best choice is probably a laser printer (either monochrome or color). If you’re buying a home printer, an ink jet will probably be just fine. (Note: To save on ink jet cartridge costs, print most of your documents in grey-scale and draft modes. Adjust those settings only when presentation-quality or photographs are needed.)
