When it comes to home or office equipment, a printer is now a must-have. But when choosing one, many people don’t know what they want and what to look for, thus buying a particular model that is not suitable to their needs. So here are a few things you might want to take into consideration when shopping for a printer:

1. Functions: printer or multifunction device? Lately, the multifunction devices offer the same print quality, with the benefits of having one device that does it all: printing, scanning, copying, faxing. The price is comparable to a normal printer, so it is a good idea to buy one if you don’t need very fast printing.
2. Think ahead: consumables’ costs. Don’t fall into the mirage of a cheap printer. Usually, this comes with the inconvenience of expensive consumables, sometimes the equivalent of a new printer. And they don’t even last that long. So you might want to look for a printer that has refillable cartridges or that it is compatible with a CISS.
3. Avoid printers using consumables with the print head “built in” the cartridge. These are usually the cheaper printers, and the print head is low quality. CISS or refilling won’t work as good and you will lose quality and money.
4. Inkjet or laser? Unless you want to print a lot of black and white pages very fast, you are better off with an inkjet printer. It is more versatile, you can also print in color and on photo paper, with lower costs than a laser printer.
5. Home use. You might not need all the extra options, super high quality and speed or special connectivity. A mid-class printer, that is reliable, more efficient and quiet will do the job of text printing and, ocasionally, a photo. Take a look here: CISS Canon.
6. Office use. If you will use the equipment in an office environment, it’s better to choose something more efficient. You might need a fast multifunction device, with duplex-printing, scanner, copier, fax, that can be used by multiple users, so it should also have network interface via cable or wireless connection. Maybe one of these might interest you: CISS Epson.
7. Is photography your hobby? If so, then you need a photo printer. It basically differs from a normal printer through the number of colors from which the image is composed and the print head quality. It is better to use photo paper in this case to obtain the maximum cost-quality ratio.
8. Recommendations. After you’ve figured out what you need and have a couple of models in mind, ask for recommendations from your friends who already have one, read reviews online and buyers’ opinions. This way you will have a full view on what you are going to spend your money on.

Happy shopping!