What’s the best type of printer for home use and is cost efficient?
Q. Our old printer isn’t compatible with Windows 7 so I’m thinking of saving for a new one. It’s a HP Deskjet 656c inkjet printer. One thing I hate about it is that if not used for a long time, the cartridge’s ink tends to dry inside. What’s a good alternative printer for it? Is a laser printer a good idea?
What are the pros and cons of a laser printer?
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Typically laser printers are best/most cost effective if you expect to have a high volume of printing.
—> What are you looking to do on your printer and how often would you use it? < ---
Those things would determine the best type of printer for your scenario.
Below are a few consumer product review sites that might help you in your search ----
The consumer website below (Consumer Search) collects and consolidates reviews for all types of products and makes recommendations based on their analysis of various reviews.
Here is a link to their overall printer review page..you can check reviews and their "best picks" by clicking on the type of printer in the 'Consumer Search Product Guides' or 'Reviews' boxes on this page:
http://www.consumersearch.com/printers
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You may also want to look into Consumer Reports…the last time they reviewed a wide spectrum of printers was in their December 2009 issue. They also publish a yearly “Electronics Buying Guide” which includes printers. —–> Both of these (the magazine and the Electronics Buying Guide) should be available at your local public library. < -----
Or, for $5.95/month (auto-renewing, but you can cancel at any time), you can subscribe to their online version, which offers a full ratings/report on many types of printers (with many search filter options).
Overall Printer Guide (again, you can filter by printer type)
(After you get to the page, you'll need the subscription to see the full reports)
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/computers-internet/printers/index.htm
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CNET is another good source for reviews. They, too, have a number of ways to find/filter the type of printer you are looking for. Here is their main page for printer reviews :
http://reviews.cnet.com/printers/?tag=TOCleftColumn.0
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Lastly, the company I work for (Castle Ink Cartridges) has published a guide to common printer types and their functions, which may help you determine the best printer suited to your needs:
http://www.castleink.com/_a-common-printer-types-functions.html
Hope this helps,
Kerry
Castle Ink Cartridges