For most purposes, a mid-range inkjet printer will work well for most people.
If you plan on printing photos, you will want one that is capable of printing at
around 4800dpi. Also, you will want to compare the speed of various printers,
which is usually listed in ppm (pages per minute). When choosing a printer, always
check how much new cartridges cost, as replacement cartridges can quickly
outweigh the actual printer’s cost. Be aware of other possible quirks as well.
For example, Epson has protection measures that make refilling your own ink
cartridges more difficult because an embedded microchip that keeps track of
how much ink has been used keeps the printer from seeing the cartridge as full
once it has been emptied.
For office users that plan to do quite a bit of black and white printing buying
a black and white laser printer is now an affordable option, and the savings and
speed can quickly add up for home office users printing more than 500 pages a
month.
Scanners are useful, especially in office settings, they can function with your
printer as a photocopier, and with software can also interact with your modem
to send Faxes. When purchasing a Scanner, check to see how “accessible” it is
(does it have one-touch buttons), and check how good the scanning quality is,
before you leave the store if possible.
Finally, “Multi-Function Centres” (also called “Printer-Scanner-Copiers”)
are often a cost-effective solution to purchasing both, as they take up only one
port on your computer, and one power point, but remember that they can be a
liability, since if one component breaks down, both may need to be replaced.