Budget shopping tips: Printers

Shopping for a budget printer doesn't have to be an exercise in anger management and self-abasement.

Contrary to the stigma, many printers can produce great-quality photos and documents without breaking the bank or eating up expensive consumables. Now release your fingers from your hair, put down that club and check out these tips to get the best deal for your money.

Printers like the Epson Stylus Photo TX700W feature multiple ink tanks. (Credit: Epson)

Before you even start shopping, decide whether you want a laser printer or an inkjet printer. Laser printers use bulky toner cartridges and are typically reserved for home offices that print monochrome text documents and presentations. Businesses also steer toward lasers because of their quick output speeds and reliable text quality. Monochrome lasers such as the Fuji Xerox Phaser 3125/N are a good choice for homes that print a large volume of documents, and can be purchased for less than AU$300.

Inkjet printers are the more versatile choice if you want to print photographs, web prints, and creative projects such as greeting cards and calendars. They come in a variety of form factors from small and simple personal devices all the way up to fully featured all-in-ones (AIOs) with scanners, faxes and copiers built right into the machine. Of course, the more features you want, the more expensive the printer gets, so be sure to make a thorough list beforehand and stick to it. Some of the pricier additions include:

• Auto-document feeder: commonly shortened to ADF, the horizontal input tray lets you scan/fax/copy a stack of papers at once.
• Auto-duplexer: a hardware addition that lets you print on two sides of a single-sheet of paper. Consider this option if you plan to print a lot of pages per month — it could potentially save you money on paper, and it's environmentally responsible!
• Wired/wireless networking: all modern printers use USB to connect to a computer, but many also offer wired and wireless networking at a higher cost.
• Full colour/touchscreen LCD: a flashy 6-inch touch-panel LCD screen may look beautiful, but the functionality is extraneous and may not be worth the premium.

The HP Photosmart C6380 (Credit: HP)

If you do go for an inkjet, shop around and look for one with separate ink tanks for each colour so you don't need to replace everything when only one colour runs dry. This technology used to be relegated to photo printers more than AU$400, but the prices have fallen and now it's common to see sub-AU$300 AIOs like the HP Photosmart C6380 and Epson Stylus Photo TX700W feature multiple cartridges. Also, be sure to do a little research to find out if your brand offers high-capacity ink tanks. These inks are more expensive but they last longer and will save you money if you're printing a heavier load.

One final word of advice: don't just think about the price tag but rather consider the total cost of ownership. That includes the page yields of the manufacturer's ink and toner, cost of paper including photo and plain, how many pages you'll print per month versus stated duty cycle. And, of course, the optional features you may want to add later. Stick to the list you make and buy a machine suitable for your printing needs and you'll be just fine.