Printers and MFDs

Suggested modelsSamsung ML-1610, Brother HL-2040, Epson EPL-6200LBudgetRs: 5,000 to Rs. 18,000
Printers available in the market can be placed in multiple categories. If you need to just print in black and don’t use color at all, you would want to buy a printer which would give you good print quality at the cheapest price-per-copy. Consider buying a mono laser printer, as it will definitely give you a 600 dpi print with good quality and speeds (ppm – pages per minute). Mono laser printers don’t tend to smudge your prints as it uses a plastic-based toner which bonds itself to the paper with the help of heat, protecting your document from accidents in water spills etc.
The cost of laser printing equipment would be quite high but the average running cost is lower than common inkjet printers. When buying one of these type of printers, check for its monthly duty cycle, types of paper handling, the capacity (pages-per-cartridge) and cost and availability of toner cartridges. Check if the toner cartridge can be refilled, though it is not recommended and in some cases, it’s not possible. The cartridges are quite expensive, at around, Rs 3,000 - 4,000, but the cost per page dips to around Rs 1 per page (inkjet printers have a cost of approximately Rs. 2.5 per page).
Inkjet printer
Suggested modelsEpson Stylus C110,Canon Pixma MX 308, HP Deskjet 2430BudgetRs. 3,000 to Rs. 8,000
Inkjet printers are prone to multiple problems in the long run, for example, smudged prints, clogging or drying up of the print heads, etc because they use liquid ink. But print quality is best found only on these types of printers. If you are into photo printing as a hobby, opt for printers like Epson or HP inkjet, which make use of Durabrite and Vivera inks respectively. These inks give brilliant print quality, they help keep your photos safe from water hazards and the prints can last for as long as 100 years.
Look out for printers that can print on various types of printable media, like recycled paper, photo glossy and matt finish papers, transparencies and inkjet printable CD/DVD’s to suit future needs. Also look out for printers that have individual tanks for colors—Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, so you can change only the colors that have exhausted. Some printers have a larger black ink tank for higher quantity black prints. Canon and Epson have separate print heads and are costly when damaged due to dry or clogged nozzles. Prefer printers like HP which have ink cartridges combined with the ink tank and the print head so whenever you run out of ink, you replace the ink tank and the head completely at one go.
Multi-function device
Suggested modelsSamsung SCX-4500, Brother MFC-665CW, Canon Pixma MP800BudgetRs 5,000 to Rs 18,000
These types of printers are best-suited for homes and small businesses where one needs to conserve space on the desktop. Multi-function devices combine the conveniences of having a scanner, printer, copier and even a facsimile bundled in one single package. Some companies throw a built-in card reader making it a complete AIO device for those in the professional photography and designing field.When buying MFDs, opt for an inkjet technology, which can give better resolution prints with more than 1440 dpi, instead of laser technology, which can print a maximum of around 600 or 1200 dpi.Some MFDs, like the low-noise Samsung SCX-4500, add a style statement to your work area, while some can print really fast copies, for instance, Brother MFDs.
Brother has a range of MFDs that also include a facsimile with a digital answering machine in some of its AIOs. Look out for an MFD which can save space on your desktop to maintain a convenient computing area. Also check for good scanning resolutions when buying an MFD.