Buying Colour Printers for Home Office

With the change in work culture from the past two years, the home is the new office. But, unfortunately, you can't run to a cyberstore every time you need printouts. So, whether it's for your office, school, or college work, a printer at home is a necessity. 

It saves time and allows you to work without any restrictions. Fortunately, many budget coloured printers are best for home use. So, keep reading to get an insight into all the factors you should consider before buying the perfect printer. 

Checklist for Buying Colour Home Printer

Go through this checklist before selecting the best home office printer.

Image Quality

The output of home printer quality can vary according to your work. Check the resolution and image quality if you're looking for standard printouts. For photo print, you may require printers with more than 300DPI. 

The moderate inkjet printer today usually has a 1200 x 1440 DPI, while the average resolution of a laser printer is 1200 x 1220. Wide-format and A3 printers will usually have higher DPIs to match the more extensive printing dimensions.

Multifunctionality

This is a crucial factor for some users. Rather than printing multiple copies of the same document, you can photostat the page. It saves time and increases efficiency. Also, if you have to scan documents regularly, opt for three in one printer, scanner, photostat and fax.

Connectivity

USB A style printers are pretty standard and have a wire for connectivity. But now the printer comes with a WiFi connection. So you can give commands as long as you're connected to the same network. Also, you can connect your phones and other devices.

Power Consumption

Laser printers usually consume more power than inkjet printers. The normal range for all home colour printers is 30 to 50 watts. While on standby, they consume 3 to 5 watts. 

Printing Speed

It can majorly affect turnaround and save lots of time. A high printing speed is 70 pages per minute. So, it's very beneficial for the home office if you have a heavy document load. At the same time, a low-speed printer prints a speed of five pages per minute. So, if you don't have a heavy printing load, the rate may not bother you much.

Multiple Paper Tray

A multiple paper tray lets you print on different papers. It can be large paper, photo paper etc. Some printers automatically choose a paper from the tray. So, outline your needs and invest in the right printer.

Mobile Printing

Near field Connectivity NFC lets you give commands from your smartphones or other devices. For example, you can connect to your printer and issue management through various apps.

Which one is Best: Inkjet, laser or Smart Tank?

Inkjet: It uses water based ink on the paper. The Colour inkjet is suitable for photo and graphic printing. It has low long term costs. Also, you can refill the cartridges. 

Laser: Laser colour printers are used for heavy volume printing. It simply beams the text or image onto the drum. The printing is quite fast with quality prints.

Smart tank: The super tank smart printers have loads of ink. If you want thousands of prints without changing cartridges for refilling, then this is the one for you.

How Much Will Coloured Printer Cost you?

Most home office colour printers are between $200 to $500 depending upon the printer's features. Also, you can get printers for less than $200. The main difference lies in the amount and quality of work. So, it's a pretty reasonable range.

What is the Cost of a Coloured Printer in the Long run?

Calculate the cartridge cost and divide it by the highest yield value. For example, a standard 2,300-page cartridge can cost around $80. That means that the price per page is $80 / 2,300 = 0.035 cents.Then, multiply this number by the approximate number of pages the printer will produce over its lifespan. 

Let's say this number is around 30,000. So, 30,000 x 0.035 = $1,050.In the end, add the estimated price of paper (let’s say around $200) and the initial cost of the printer (let’s make it $350) and you get $1,050 + $200 +$350 = $1,600.

What are Some of the Top Brands?

Some top home office colour printers are HP, Lexmark, Canon, Brother and Epson. They offer a variety of ranges from low to high-end variants. You can explore their latest styles for a perfect home office printer.

Which is the Best Colour Printer?

Some of the top picks are:

1. HP Envy Pro 6420 printer

It's the overall best home colour printer. It has a fast inkjet property with ten pages per minute. Paper size can be up to A4, and the paper capacity is 100 sheets. It's very space-efficient and has super connectivity.

2. Lexmark MB3442adw

It's an all in one mono laser with 42 prints per minute rate. It can print 50 sheets and has a touch panel.

3. Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW printer

The print speed is 18 ppm with a paper capacity of 500 sheets. In addition, there is duplex A3 printing with deeper paper trays.

4. Brother MFC-J5945DW Printer

This is a four in one colour inkjet printer. The paper capacity is relatively high with A3 printing. 

5. Kyocera Ecosys P5026cdw printer

It's a colour laser printer with a speed of 26ppm. The Paper capacity is 250 sheets. The paper size is up to A4. It has fast duplex printing and works very quietly.

6. Canon PIXMA G2012 All-In-One Printer

It can print five ppm. The print quality speed is a benchmark. The shortcomings are it's not compatible with Mac OS, and the duty cycle is concise.

Bottom Line

So, now you can very ingeniously pick the best colour printer for your home office. First, consider all the latest features, your use and accessibility. Then, explore the best brands and variants for the best pick. Finally, opt for a future proof service that is budget friendly and smart. Then, let us know what you choose.