Are you looking for a printer? If so, there are tons of options, each suited for different needs. Printers come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny travel companions to workgroup workhorses; some are geared toward photographers, others are for multitaskers. Having a lot of choices, however, doesn’t make it easy to choose. Which one is the right one for you? The answer depends on how you intend to use it.

Home User

If you are a home user, you may not need to print a lot. But you still need a printer capable of dealing with your day-to-day printing needs. You should opt for a versatile and affordable printer that can print everything from a shopping list to photographs of your cat.

A color inkjet printer offers the versatility you may need to take on most of the simple tasks and you can find a good one at well below BDT 10,000 at any Ryans showrooms across the country. You can also look for one with copier and scanner included if you need.

If the color is not a priority for you, speed and good quality prints are, a laser printer is your best bet. Although laser printers are a bit costlier compared to the inkjet printers, the speed and print quality is second to none, while many offer duplex printing and finishing options.

Digital Photographer 

If you are into photography, you’ll need a printer capable of reproducing the dynamic range of a photograph. A Photo Printer, capable of capturing the range and depth of color, will give you great prints in a range of sizes. If you have other kinds of printing needs, a good color-inkjet printer will deliver quality prints, though the colors won’t be as rich as the photo printer.

Small Business

A multifunction or all-in-one printer is a perfect fit for small businesses. These devices come in both inkjet and laser model that also include a fax machine, copier, and scanner. These space-saving jack-of-all-trade models are an affordable alternative for any small and medium enterprise.

Depending on the features, the price of this category widely varies; however, you can always cut your cost by obtaining a lower-end model with basic copy, scan, and print functions. If you are confused or struggling to find the best fit for your business, you can always consult with our experts available 24/7 online. 

Large Organization

Workgroup laser printers are a good choice for small teams within a large organization. These devices come with faster processors, more memory, and print engines that are capable of churning out more than 35 pages per minute. These comparatively expensive printers offer workgroup features, such as network printing, high-capacity toner cartridges, and larger paper input and output trays. Nonetheless, a business-class inkjet can live up to your modest printing needs and most of these models support network printing and wireless connectivity.

Different Categories of Printers

Laser Printer

The laser printer is popular among many for its fast printing speeds, sharp output, and a low cost per page. It is still a good bet for office settings when most of the printing you need to do is in monochrome, and they offer the best out of your bucks. Until recently, color laser printers were too expensive for home users or small businesses, but manufacturers have started producing viable cost-effective alternative, which is a good fit for printing fliers, spreadsheets, and brochures.

You can have a printer with more functions like a copy machine, scanner, and fax machine built-in if you are willing to spend more. Manufacturers, nowadays, also offer wired or wireless networking on personal multifunction lasers to make them handy for home or small offices with multiple PCs and users whose priorities don’t include high-resolution photos.

Inkjet Printer

Inkjet Printers are capable of producing both crisp and rich photo prints. Most manufacturers produce both general-purpose and photo inkjet printers. Photo inkjet printers, however, shouldn’t be confused with snapshot or photo printers designed for only 4-inch x 6-inch or smaller sizes.

Although manufacturers are making gradual progress in terms of closing the speed gap between inkjets and lasers, the first one is still slower than the latter one. The ink cartridges and the special papers can be costly as well. So, we recommend inkjets for home users and small businesses with light or intermittent printing needs.

Multifunction Printers 

Multifunction printers or all-in-ones combine scanner, copier, printer, and, in some models, fax capabilities in one unit. These models are available with either laser printing for speedy text and occasional graphics, or inkjet printing for vibrant photos. The best models include flatbed scanners, PictBridge-compatible USB ports, and memory card bays for quick access, auto-duplexer to let you save money on double-sided prints, and auto document feeders for walk-up scanning, faxing, and copying of multipage documents. We suggest you consult with our experts at Ryans before purchasing one best suited for your needs.

Photo Printer

If you’re into photography and spend a lot of time printing photos, you may want to pay a little more and opt for a dedicated photo printer. Although they lack multitasking, the quality of the print is typically better. Many of the printers sold only for dedicated photo or graphic use are small-size units capable of printing photos up to 4 x 6 inches in size, or wide format models designed to print media up to 24-inches wide. Both Canon and Epson have models which print 8.5 x 11 inches and use five or six colors of ink to produce photos with greater color accuracy. And many all-in-one devices are capable of turning out photos up to 8.5 x 11 inches in size when you use the right paper.