What to look for in a color laser printer

Do you really need a color printer? If you mostly print black and white documents, the answer is no. But if you need to print documents with graphics or photographs, then a color printer is a good investment. Your next choice will be deciding between an inkjet or a laser printer. While nothing beats the quality and speed of a color laser printer, it's the most expensive option, so small business owners would do well to consider the following factors:

Color Printer Speed
Laser Color printers can print pages with speeds up to 26 ppm (pages per minute) and shoot out the first page in less than 10 seconds. How much speed do you need and how much are you willing to pay for it?

Color Printer Quality
Both inkjet and laser color printers can produce professional quality photos. However, if you're looking at an inkjet printer, be aware that all color inkjet printers are not capable of doing this. Generally, the higher end the inkjet printer, the better the quality. Color laser printers are generally able to produce a high quality photo. At almost any price point the color laser printer should also offer automatic color correction. Should the business owner require this type of printing on a consistent basis the color laser printer is the best option.

Color Printer Resolution
Resolution varies greatly from printer to printer. Check to see if the color printer offers you a range of resolutions, so you can choose different resolutions for different printing jobs, such as draft mode.

Related Printer Cost such as cartridges, toners etc.
Replacing a laser printer's toner cartridge is much more expensive than replacing an inkjet cartridge, but printing with a color laser printer costs less per page. Overall this tends to make the color laser printer more cost-effective. . Some color laser printer give up to 12,000 prints per toner cartridge, and have a duty cycle of up to 60,000 prints per month. Yet the cost of operating a color laser printer could dwarf what you spend on it initially. For example, a set of toner cartridges for the $500 Brother HL-2700CN costs $665. Cartridges for the $599 Oki Data C5200n cost $490, though imaging drums aren't built into them; replacing these separate items will cost another $365.

Color Printer Reliability
Some low-end color printers are practically designed to be throwaways. And some brands are more reliable than others. It's more economical to spend $800 on a printer you'll be able to use for 5 years than $200 each year to replace a printer that's worn out. Examine the color printer's construction. Is the cartridge attached to the print head? Replacing a print head is much more expensive than replacing a print cartridge. Buying a highly reliable printer will save more money over the life of the printer.

Color Printer Networking Capability
When it comes to networking not all printers are created equal. The perspective buyer needs to research carefully if the printer will be network capable.

Test a color printer before buying!
Never buy a color printer without testing it first in the store. Read the specifications and see how the printer measures up when you run it. See how the color printer prints both a page of text and a page of graphics or a photo; some printers don't do both equally well.

Laser printer quality gives your business documents the professional edge so why limit the effect to black and white? With some careful research and shopping before purchasing a top color laser printer you'll then be able to produce sharp, colorful brochures, diagrams, stationery, and invoices in house - at an affordable price!

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