Basic Tips On Buying An HP Laser Printer

10/09/2011 16:13

Whatever your needs are, for sure there's a particular HP laser printer that's right for you. Its manufacturer is known worldwide for dishing out a wide variety of quality machines using laser technology. In purchasing, there are a few things you need to consider to ensure you're getting the best one around.

Some models are suited for use in busy offices while others are much more ideal for small ones or even at homes. If the machine is to be shared by a lot of networked computers, go for something with an Ethernet port. Some models also come with Wi-Fi functionality for clutter-free hooking up to a network. But if the machine is for use only by a single computer at a time, something with a hi-speed USB 2.0 port is enough.

Compared to an inkjet rival, this one usually produces pages at a much faster rate. That's due to how it works. The image of the document to be printed is sent to the memory of the machine. So if you often work with complex documents, something with a large internal memory is recommended. Or you may also settle with a model with an expandable memory.

In order to find out how fast the machine works, take a look at the list of specifications, particularly the ppm. This stands for pages per minute; it states how many pages it can produce every minute. More often than not, a machine can produce more monochrome pages than color ones. For an office with high output demands, having a powerhouse laser can help deliver requirements while keeping superb printout quality intact.

One more feature which you might want to consider is auto-duplex. This spares the operator from having to manually flip the page to print on the other side. While other models also have duplex functionality, the task isn't done automatically. This feature isn't only beneficial for printing on both sides of the paper at a time, but also for conserving office supplies.

The media type a particular model can work on is also likely to be compatible with another model. What you need to focus on is the size of paper the machine you're considering to get can handle. A very compact one can often work on letter, legal, executive and a few custom sizes only. On the other hand, larger models can take care of a variety of paper sizes. If you foresee demand increase in the future, choose something with upgradeable input and output trays.

Find out the resolution by looking at the dots per inch (dpi) on the specification list. There's not much to remember about this except the higher the number next to it is, the better printout quality you can enjoy. Although a resolution of 600 x 600 dpi is enough for text-based documents, you might need something higher than that if you also print graphics.

An HP laser printer may also do some other tasks other than just churning out prints. Called an all-in-one or MFP (multifunction printer), it often comes with the ability to make copies, scans and even send fax messages. It's not uncommon for such to grace modern offices which need to save space. Instead of installing four different machines, all that's needed is a compact one which can do multiple tasks.