The printer in the office has to be used by most people. At home, too, there is such a need. At any time, you can print the text - for some, this is still a dream. To always work argued, you need to buy yourself a printer. It can be monochrome or multicolor.
Print quality of monochrome printers
A multi-color printer is useful for printing images, texts with highlighted fragments. There are reasons to choose this option and reasons to refuse it, to prefer black and white printing.
Monochrome laser printer
The paper used is thinner when working with multi-color models than the one on which the photo is printed. So the possibilities will still be limited, not all ideas can be implemented in practice. It is required to purchase and regularly change all the paints that are to be used. But it may be that the desired paint is not available in the store.
One of your friends will ask you to urgently print some color image on the printer, but there is no paint in stock, it has dried up or ran out. Promising and failing at the most inopportune moment is not a pleasant situation. It is more rational to contact immediately the company involved in photocopying. Buying a monochrome laser device is easier.
It is smaller in size. Transmits images no worse than color, but in black and white. Will it convey a shadow, gray shades? Of course yes. The quality of printing, images, documents will not be affected by the fact that the equipment is not designed to work with color cartridges.
Monochrome printer Kyocera ECOSYS P2035D
Classic sheet format
It is best to buy an A4 monochrome laser printer, not an inkjet or dot matrix. This is a universal option, it is very convenient to use it. It is important to decide, however, what exactly the maximum sheet format will have to be used before giving in to a persistent seller or believing advertising.
The price of the equipment depends on what format the sheets can be used for printing. Although sometimes it happens that there is a promotion in the store. The cost of some models of any brand has been reduced. It will be possible to purchase a more complex device, and even save money.
A4 format is used for printing term papers, theses. Such a monochrome laser device will be useful to a student, there is no doubt about it. Contracts for the sale or provision of services are printed on A4 sheets.
The A4 format is a landscape sheet, so you can print a coloring book for a child on it. You can also print a book on A4 format - two pages on one sheet. This format is the most popular.
In some cases, larger sheets are needed.
Sheets for printer
For drawings and more
It is more profitable to buy an A3 monochrome printer, regardless of the promotions in stores, discounts, if you need to print patterns or drawings, posters from time to time. These devices have good printing speed. Operating costs are low.
A3 format when printing a graduation project, coursework with attached drawings - what students of some faculties and specialties need. Other equipment will not work. All the same, you will have to seek help from enterprises that provide services such as text printing, photocopying.
A monochrome laser printer that works with A3 format is more profitable for a person who has a hobby. A sketch for creating a stained-glass window with your own hands can be printed out, for creating stucco molding from plaster, a kite - various crafts. No need to calculate additional scale. A3 format, high-quality printing will simplify the task.
Ricoh monochrome printer
The equipment will take up a lot of space and so. Will have to find him. But you can also buy a scanner. It will also need to be placed somewhere. A monochrome printer for working with A3 format is an option that is not always relevant.
Printer versatility
Monochrome MFPs and printers are not identical concepts. This is important to know if the purchase of equipment is planned. What is an MFP? The abbreviation stands for Multifunctional Device.
This is the name of monochrome printers that perform not only the function of printing, but also the function of photocopying, scanning. If you bought an MFP, you no longer need to buy a scanner. Prices for MFPs and printers sometimes do not differ.
Given the need to purchase a separate scanner, the impression of them changes dramatically. The similarity of prices is an illusion, the difference is actually big.
Much depends on the main parameters and brand. If you need to purchase an MFP at a bargain price, it will not be a problem to do so. When there is no need for a scanner and a copier, it is rational to buy simpler equipment.
A4 monochrome printer
Sales leaders
Which company is better to buy a monochrome printer for home or office is another important question. It happens that the price is attractive, and the warranty period is shorter than that of other models.
This may mean, not only that their quality is lower. The period of warranty service in one store for the same equipment may be longer than in another store, although this rarely happens.
Most often, the manufacturer concludes a standard contract with all its representatives.
Samsung monochrome laser printer
Buying one of them is a good idea, of course, because there are always spare parts for them, experts know the weaknesses, the product range is large. You can find on sale and lesser-known options. For example, Ricoh SP 150w Champagne. Optimal set of functions, good price - there is no reason to doubt the quality of this device.
How to choose and not miscalculate?
It is important to get acquainted with the main functions, find out information about warranty service, ask the seller which model of monochrome laser printers is best suited for home, which one for the office. The equipment that went on sale, even if brought from abroad, was tested for compliance with standards.
Monochrome printer A4 Kyocera
You can also check with the seller which models are more often chosen by buyers. Experts might miss something during the peer review. Consumers will soon discover these disadvantages, they will stop recommending equipment and it will be sold less often, it will cease to occupy a leading position in the ranking of good products.
Source: http://printergid.ru/sovety/monoxromnye-printery
Monochrome devices
The Print Cost Calculator will help you visualize the benefits of using the Epson Mono Print Factory series compared to laser printers.
Epson Mono Print Factory is a line of unique black and white inkjet printers and MFPs that deliver record-breaking low cost printing. Designed specifically for the most cost-effective black and white printing on plain paper, these devices provide a more cost-effective and easy-to-use alternative to laser printers. The devices have built-in pigment ink tanks, which provide excellent quality printing of black and white text on plain paper. The ink comes in high-capacity containers, and the ink starter kit is enough for 11,0001 A4 prints! The use of unique Epson technologies guarantees reliability, ease of use, and most importantly - record low cost of printing.
Printing up to 3 years without replacing consumables!
By using ink containers instead of cartridges, you don't have to worry about replacing consumables for a long time. When printing an average of 300 A4 pages starter kit almost enough for you for 3 years of printing 2.
The cost of printing is 4 times lower than on a laser printer
Thanks to the large built-in tanks of the Epson Factory Series models and the ink tanks 140 ml, which are the only consumables for these devices, you can print large volumes of documents at a record low cost, up to 4 times cheaper than a laser printer3.
The resource of the starter kit is 15 times higher than on a laser printer
The Epson Mono Print Factory series comes with two black ink cartridges with a capacity of 140 ml each, which will allow you to print up to 11,000 black and white documents at no additional cost for consumables, while the starter kit for consumables for similarly functional laser printers is only 700 prints4.
Permanence of prints as on a laser printer
Using original Epson pigment ink provides:
- Incredibly sharp text and graphics on plain paper;
- Durability of prints - prints are not smeared when highlighted with a marker, do not spread when water gets in;
- The text dries instantly and does not shine through from the back;
High print speed - up to 1.5 times faster than a laser printer
Thanks to an advanced print head, the Epson Mono Print Factory series prints at very high speeds - up to 34 ppm, and since inkjet printers don't need to take a warm-up time, the first page out is just 5.4 seconds 5, which is 1.5 times higher than a comparable laser printer6.
Reliability
The Epson Print Factory Series is designed specifically for high-volume black and white printing. Their design and ink supply system is as thoughtful as possible to ensure reliable, trouble-free printing of documents.
Due to the high resource of ink containers, Epson Print Factory series devices allow you to print without replacing consumables for up to three years and do not require frequent replacement of consumables and service.
The devices are warranted by Epson.
Environmental friendliness
Inkjet printing technology provides less energy consumption due to the absence of heating elements, and consumables are more environmentally friendly compared to laser printing.
- Epson internal calculation based on suggested retail prices and yield data. Epson container yield data is based on Epson methodology measurements using ISO/IEC 19752 print test patterns. Yield data is NOT based on ISO/IEC24711.
The data may vary significantly depending on the printed images, print settings, paper type, frequency of use, humidity, and printing temperature.
- Approximate calculation based on yield data when printing 300 documents per month.
- Compared to the cost of ownership of entry-level laser printers using original supplies
- The average resource of the starter cartridge of laser printers of the initial price level according to manufacturers' websites
- Epson internal test, see www.epson.com/printspeed for details.
- Based on the average first page out speed for laser printers in the initial price segment, according to manufacturers' websites
Source: http://www.epson.ru/catalog/factory-mono/
The best monochrome printers for home and office
Printers are dot-matrix, inkjet, sublimation and laser, and in color printing - monochrome and multi-color.
Monochrome printers that work on the laser principle reproduce images using the xerography method. They differ from their colored "brothers" only in the presence of only one black paint.
There are monochrome devices that are designed for home use, and there are those that are most suitable for large companies and offices.
Features of monochrome printers
Black and white printers are more compact than color printers. In addition, their difference is economy.
These printers, on average, can print 20-60 pages per minute. Nearly all have network support, paper receiving and receiving trays, and finishing devices.
Monochrome laser printers are capable of producing good print quality.
If we compare inkjet and laser printers with a black and white device, then the laser model will show the best print speed and the print price will be much lower.
For home use
An inexpensive monochrome printer will be a bargain for use by schoolchildren and students, teachers and teachers.
And mothers of toddlers can use such a printer to print out tutorials and coloring pictures.
As a rule, a laser printer is slightly more expensive than an inkjet printer. But its advantage is cheaper maintenance and operation.
For institutions, firms and offices
Black and white printing equipment is widely used by many companies. Contracts and other legal documents are freely printed. In addition, owners of such devices may provide printing services or sell copies of forms.
In educational institutions, such devices are often used to "multiply" copies of various manuals and manuals.
In medical institutions, they are used to issue patient cards.
Economical Kyocera monochrome printers
Economic printer Kyocera FS-4100DN made in Japan will be a real find in the era of economy. Most devices of this brand are designed to work in small and medium offices.
Peculiarities:
- lowest printing costs in its class;
- 45ppm A4 up to 1200dpi;
- to reduce paper consumption - printing in the "n-up" mode and duplex printing;
- as standard – Gigabit Ethernet network interface;
- Convenient printing directly from a USB flash drive;
- for ease of entering a password - a keyboard with a secure print function.
This high-performance A4 monochrome laser printer fits perfectly into any network environment and is capable of printing up to 45 pages per minute. It features the use of ID cards for enhanced security, hard disk protection and secure printing.
This A3 monochrome printer, thanks to various processing options and increased paper feed capacity, processes even large jobs quickly. And with touch printing technology and wireless connectivity, mobile printing is simple and convenient.
The advantages of the printer are as follows:
- using a common driver, ease of printing for everyone;
- large volume of documents with high speed printing - up to 56 ppm;
- versatile options for stacking and feeding paper into the stapler, booklet puncher, stacker;
- one-touch simplified job processing: the ability for the user to quickly navigate using a color, large, touch screen between jobs;
- thanks to the fast-fixing technology, there is no need to wait, which can significantly save energy.
Compact Canon i-SENSYS LBP6230dw
This model of laser monochrome printer for home is designed for printing from mobile devices and easy network printing. It also supports Wi-Fi.
The machine is equipped with automatic two-sided printing. Networked power-saving features save time. This model is ideal for home use or a small office.
Automatic image filtering and high quality resolution of 1200×1200 dpi will produce documents with highly detailed graphics and crisp text.
Advantages:
- Easily print from mobile devices with dedicated Canon Mobile Printing app
- best in class in terms of energy efficiency;
- fast printing in improved quality (up to 25 ppm);
- Save time and money on consumables with automatic two-sided printing.
For daily use - OKI B431dn
If you are looking for a monochrome laser printer for your home that will provide high productivity without wasting money, then many sellers will recommend the OKI B431 to you.
This desktop printer is easy to use and offers enhanced productivity. Among the advantages are:
- a large resource reserve of consumables ensures a low cost of prints;
- monochrome printing with first page out in 5 seconds (at 38 ppm);
- 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution provides the highest quality prints with detailed elaboration of the smallest elements;
- two-sided automatic printing (paper stock can be expanded up to 880 sheets);
- Energy Saving mode: will reduce power consumption up to 8 watts.
In operation - exceptional simplicity:
- long service life of consumables, which are easily replaced in a matter of seconds;
- control panel with backlight and LCD.
LaserJet M604n office printer
This ultra-fast monochrome laser printer is expandable, easy to use and has minimal environmental impact.
With a four-line display and a ten-button PIN pad, jobs and settings are quickly tracked.
With automated two-sided printing and optional trays up to 3,600 sheets, it's easy to print large projects.
By adding pre-sorted paper feeders and multi-media printing functionality to your printer, you can make your work more efficient.
For this monochrome printer, specialized sites have additional settings and updates. With their help, you can achieve, for example, scaling support.
HP Auto-On/Auto-Off Technology saves energy by turning the printer on when needed and turning it off when not in use.
This printer consumes the least power of any other device in its class, and the free HP Planet Partners program makes it easy to recycle supplies.
Epson M105 Printer
Inkjet monochrome printer with wireless Wi-Fi connection, pigmented inks and a fairly low cost of printing.
The device comes with two 140 ml pigment ink containers (starter kit), thanks to which you can print up to 11,000 images.
The special design of containers and ink tanks allows even an inexperienced user to easily cope with refilling.
The advantages of this device include:
- pigment ink;
- print speed - up to 34 ppm;
- ultra-economical printing of black-and-white documents;
- low cost of printing;
- wireless Wi-Fi connection.
Popular Samsung
Laser monochrome printers from the Samsung brand are equipped with high-frequency processors and good RAM.
They show high printing performance. Due to the quality of work and efficiency, the devices have proven themselves well when used in offices and educational institutions of various levels.
In order to choose the right printer model, you need to decide why you are buying it, how much printing per month you are interested in and how much you are willing to spend on consumables. We have already talked about inkjet printers. In this article, we will consider models of laser printers for the home, so we are talking about A4 format devices (standard landscape sheet).
Let's start with monochrome laser printers, which in everyday life are called "black and white" (although it would be more justified to call them "black", because the toner is just black). If you need text printing, then this is your option. Further - more interesting.
Laser monochrome printers are also different. Think and estimate how many reams of paper per month you plan to print. If you get less than six to ten packs (and this is three to five thousand pages), then you should pay attention to models of personal printers, the resource of which does not exceed just above the specified number of pages. The resource of the printer is its maximum monthly load, at which the manufacturer guarantees the stable operation of the device during the entire period of operation.
If you do not fit into this framework, then it is worth considering models for small workgroups. They are distinguished by a higher print speed, optional network printing (that is, the printer can be connected not only to a separate computer, but also directly to a local network, where it will be available to each user of this network) and two-sided printing (duplex). Similar printers are more expensive in two or more times (depending on those same options).
Next comes the most delicate moment - the question arises of the cost of consumables. Here it is worth telling a little about the policy of printer manufacturers regarding toners and refills. It's not a secret, but none of them are interested in having users refill cartridges.
That is, in general, the cartridge is a one-time thing. Bought - used - thrown away, but on the territory of our vast Motherland everything happens exactly the opposite.
So, in order not to reduce profits from sales of new cartridges, manufacturers invent all sorts of tricks to make refilling as difficult as possible. Someone chips the cartridges (the printer remembers the chip and when the cartridge is re-identified, it simply will not use it), someone makes the cartridges non-separable, but this is not the point.
The bottom line is that cartridges from a number of manufacturers, such as HP, Canon, Xerox, Samsung, are still successfully disassembled and refilled, and the cost of the toner for the first two is cheaper due to the prevalence of models.
Laser cartridges have a greater margin of safety than inkjet cartridges. Standard capacity cartridges are usually able to print from a thousand to two thousand pages in one refill (depending on the printer model and the capacity of the cartridge itself).
In addition to refilling, laser cartridges periodically require repair. Once every 3-4 refueling, you will have to change the photoreceptor (aka photodrum, photoshaft).
How to understand that it's time?
It is time when black stripes begin to appear along the edge of the printed sheet. When such a symptom appears, you should not blame poor-quality refueling or stupid users. You just need to go and surrender to the nearest service center that has a department for the repair of office equipment.
The next point that would be nice to remember is the presence of thermal film in a laser printer. It is not in the cartridge and is torn from improper operation of the device. Usually it is torn by a foreign body that has fallen into the bowels of the printer - a paper clip, a carnation, a pin, sometimes there are unique finds. Quite "accidentally" scissors, stationery knives and even larger items get into the printer. To avoid such problems, you should not put anything in the paper tray other than what should be there. Even temporarily. If you use draft sheets, then be sure to check if there is a paper clip from the stapler left somewhere.
Even taking into account the above, many cartridges live and live long enough.
I will make a small comment about the Xerox and Samsung models - their cartridges can be refilled and repaired, but more expensive than the same HP. Those who are sensitive to the policy of manufacturers can purchase OKI, Brother and similar printers, the cartridges of which are not refilled in principle, or they are refilled with original toners, which cost a little less than a new cartridge.
It should be noted that not all printer models of these manufacturers do not have a chip. The model range is updated quite quickly, the printing speed increases, the printer mechanism changes, so when buying, do not hesitate to ask consultants questions about the resource and the presence of a chip in the cartridge. A competent manager will always be able to tell you the main characteristics.
Now let's talk a little about color laser printers. Literally in one phrase - you do not need a color A4 laser printer. Its price is not so high that many would not think of purchasing such a miracle, but the cost of consumables, alas, is very high. Often a set of cartridges is more expensive than the cost of the printer itself. If we add to this the fact that neither domestic nor any other craftsmen have yet learned to produce high-quality compatible toners on them, it becomes clear that buying such an apparatus for home is not justified.
Photo printing in personal color laser printers is at the level of the average hand of an inkjet, and business cards are still cheaper to print at a print shop.
Let's summarize. In order not to be disappointed in the purchase, you need to accurately and clearly determine why you are purchasing the printer:
- what we print (text documents); - how often we print (up to 3 thousand, from 3 to 5 thousand and over 5 thousand pages per month); - how much we are willing to spend on consumables (refilling with compatible toners or buying original cartridges).
And also do not forget about the irrationality of using a color laser printer at home.
The first printing devices did not differ in speed, but they made it possible to replicate the typed text countless times. True, they were insanely expensive. As printing methods and means improved, printers became more and more affordable, and in the era of the general distribution of personal computers, there was a real breakthrough in printing technologies, and the prices of printers dropped so much that now everyone can get them.
monochrome printing
90% of household tasks that require a printer are related to monochrome (one-color) printing - the printer allows you to print a wide variety of documents containing text and simple graphics on paper. It is more convenient to read e-books and articles from a sheet than from a monitor screen. Schoolchildren and students often and in large quantities have to print reports, abstracts and term papers, and sometimes in several copies. Before traveling, it often becomes necessary to print a map of the area indicating the route of movement - the mapping services posted on the Internet allow you to send such a map to print with one click.
Monochrome printing is often confused with black and white. These types of prints are similar as they only use black ink. However, monochrome printing is printing in shades of gray, it is performed using inkjet and laser printers. Black and white printing is supported only by dot matrix models.
Laser printers
Laser printers are the most common monochrome printers. They owe their name to the presence of a laser in them, with the help of which the image is transferred to the photoconductor and electrifies it. Toner (coloring powder) sticks to the electrified areas of the drum, the drum rolls over the paper, transferring powder particles to it. Then the paper with toner is heated in the "stove", and the molten powder is "baked" to the paper.
EXPENDABLE MATERIALS
Currently, printer manufacturers receive their main income from the sale of consumables - cartridges, photoconductors. It is they that require periodic replacement, and the printer case with paper feed mechanisms can serve for many years without requiring service. With this approach, the prices of printers can be shockingly low, but a set of cartridges for them will cost the same, if not more.
LED printers
OKI, Kyocera and Panasonic produce printers in which the photoconductor is electrified not by a laser beam, but by a line of LEDs located along the entire length of the drum. The print resolution in this case directly depends on the density of the LEDs. By changing the level of their brightness, you can change the contrast of the image. The rest of the method is identical to the laser one. LED printers have significant advantages over laser printers: they are smaller, print faster and more reliable. They also have disadvantages: the print quality of complex graphics in LED printers is lower than that of classic laser printers.
Inkjet printers
Any modern inkjet printer can easily handle monochrome printing. In most cases, such printing is inferior to laser printing, in particular, the edges of the characters are less clear. Inkjet printers are also inferior to laser printers in terms of speed.
The essence of inkjet technology is as follows. Through the microscopic nozzles of the print head, ink is ejected from the cartridge onto the paper. The necessary pressure is created either by heating the ink (thermal inkjet printing) or by changing the volume of the head chambers (piezojet printing). The first method is implemented in Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark printers, the second - in Epson.
Monochrome inkjet printing can be done with both black ink and color mixed in certain proportions (composite method).
A print head with micro-nozzles that eject ink droplets passes over a sheet of paper, forming an image from a huge number of small dots. The dot size determines the print resolution: the smaller the dot, the higher it is. In modern models, the minimum volume of a drop of ink reaches two picoliters. To achieve this accuracy, the nozzles of the heads are manufactured using semiconductor technology, which is used in the manufacture of microcircuits.
Technology Choice
Laser printers are fast, reliable, perfectly reproduce text on paper, and, in addition, the prints made with their help are protected from external influences: due to water drops accidentally falling on the document, the ink will not blur. Such printouts are also resistant to sweat, which, no doubt, will be appreciated by students and schoolchildren who use cheat sheets. If in the first place for you - the quality and "persistence" of the text, feel free to choose a laser printer!
If you plan to print a lot of texts, diagrams and simple graphics, it makes sense to purchase an LED model - it can be not only faster, but also economical.
Monochrome inkjet printing is in demand only if the user, on a limited budget, also wants to get the opportunity to print in color. However, it should be noted that the cost of one page printed on an inkjet will be higher than the cost of a print obtained using a laser or LED printer.
Color print
Color home printing usually solves one of two problems. The first is the output to paper of documents with text and graphics. Any A4 color printer can handle this, regardless of its technical characteristics.
The second task is photography. Despite the fact that many printers have the word “photo” in the title, only specialized devices can print high-quality photos. We will tell you more about photo printing on a home printer below, and now let's talk about color printing documents.
Color laser printing
Until recently, these devices were very expensive for home use. But today color laser printers have appeared on the market at quite reasonable prices (for example, Xerox Phaser 6110B or Samsung CLP-315 costing about 6 thousand rubles).
Technically, color laser printers differ only in the process of applying the toner - it is repeated four times (according to the number of colors used). Therefore, such printers are slower than monochrome ones. If print speed is important to you, it is better to choose a more expensive laser printer with a single-pass mechanism - they have four photoconductors at once, which apply toners in one sheet pass.
Color inkjet printing
Inkjet printers are most commonly used for color home printing. Over the years, they have become better quality and significantly cheaper. For example, the HP DeskJet D1663 model costs less than 1 thousand rubles. Inkjet printers are easy to connect (most models now come with USB interfaces), require little maintenance, use little power, are paper thin and easy to manage.
The known disadvantages of popular inkjet printers include the high cost of consumables (cartridges and special paper) and lower print speeds than laser models. However, otherwise they cope with the tasks of home printing "excellently".
Inkjet printers are better suited for printing on a variety of media: cardboard, films, envelopes, and even CDs. Laser printers do not print on labels or transparencies, and most of them have paper weight limits.
Therefore, the use of a color laser printer is justified only if you plan to print a lot on regular A4 office paper and the resistance of prints to light and moisture is important to you. Fonts on documents printed with these printers appear clearer and neater.
Photo printing
With the development of digital technology, photographs are most often stored exclusively in the form of files. Viewing pictures on the display of a computer, camera, mobile phone is more convenient than flipping through albums or sorting through stacks of prints.
But it was in the digital era that photo printing became truly accessible to everyone. No more developers and fixers, enlargers and cuvettes - all you need is a digital camera, a printer and some knowledge to get prints that photo enthusiasts of the past could only dream of.
Photo labs - pros and cons
There are a number of ways to order prints today, such as sending files over the Web or delivering them to a photo lab on discs, memory cards, or even film. Most amateur photographers are fine with this. In addition, the cost of a 10x15 cm print in the laboratory is, as a rule, 3-4 rubles. Printing one picture of a similar format on your own photo printer will cost the user about ten rubles, and then on condition that he does not make test prints.
You can, of course, take the risk and use cheaper third-party consumables - the so-called compatible cartridges, then the cost of printing can be reduced even more. But experiments with paper and ink are not approved by printer manufacturers, and in the event of a device breakdown, all the “savings” may come to naught.
Important! Experts advise each time to carefully weigh the decision to perform photo printing at home. If you urgently need to print several pictures on paper, use your printer. If you need to get a large number of copies, prints of a non-standard or very large size, it makes sense to contact the laboratory.
The great advantage of home photo printing is that your own printer allows you to immediately take a picture and make it the way you want; it opens up space for your imagination and creativity. For example, collage making or artistic processing of photographs is rarely undertaken by laboratory specialists, and this service is too expensive. Photo labs are indispensable only when printing large format pictures and images on non-standard media (mugs, T-shirts, etc.). The home printer will handle the rest.
DIRECT PRINT
For those who plan to buy a digital camera and a printer for quick printing of photographs, we recommend choosing a tandem of the same brand. This will ensure perfect coordination of control protocols, more accurate color reproduction and support for all possible commands provided both in the printer and in the camera.
By choosing a printer that supports one of the direct printing technologies (PictBridge, Canon Direct Print, etc.) - and these models are the majority today - you can forget about the computer, especially if you do not plan to deal with software file processing. With direct printing, files are output to the printer directly from the camera (or from a memory card or external storage device). By shortening the chain of information transfer, direct printing takes less time than conventional printing, which uses a computer.
The simplest and least expensive direct-to-print printers are actually accessories that come with your digital camera and are equipped with just the interface you need to communicate with it. Sometimes they are pocket-sized and powered by batteries.
The most “fancy” printers are equipped with powerful processors that allow not only to determine what and how much to print, but also to adjust brightness, colors, contrast, and also decorate prints with decorative elements, frames, text. Such photo printers are equipped with displays for managing and viewing images, as well as a variety of interfaces for data entry: wired and wireless - for cameras and drives, slots - for memory cards.
Photo printers
Photo printers for home printing mainly use two technologies: inkjet and thermal sublimation. In the first case, as in conventional color inkjet printing, ink drops form an image consisting of dots. These dots are sometimes visible even to the naked eye, especially in light areas of prints.
In order to disguise the dot structure of the picture, in addition to the traditional ink of four basic colors, photo printers are equipped with additional cartridges with light-colored ink - when using them, the light areas of the image practically lose their graininess. In addition, manufacturers are trying to reduce the size of the droplets, making them less and less visible.
The essence of sublimation technology lies in the fact that paints evaporate from a solid carrier with the help of heater heads and colored microclouds of ink vapor settle on photographic paper, forming an image. With such printing, the image is not split into separate dots visible to the eye - this is its significant advantage over inkjet printing.
As a rule, sublimation printing uses three-color pigments (CMY) applied to an ink ribbon of the same size as the printed photo paper. The image is formed in three passes of the carrier tape and a sheet of paper under the heated print head.
Sometimes, in addition to three colorful layers, a protective (laminating) layer is also applied to the print. It can be of different textures, which allows you to get prints with glossy areas and even embossed. Since the process involves the use of rigid and durable photographic paper (usually not cellulose, but polymeric) and even the application of an additional protective layer, the print is invulnerable and almost eternal.
All photo printers on sale today provide a comparable quality of prints, and their division into “amateurs” and “professionals” is very conditional. Although many models of photo printers are popular with specialists: photographers, designers and artists.
Portable printers
This is a special class of devices designed primarily for prompt printing of 10x15 cm images directly from digital cameras or memory cards. Many of these models are able to work offline, powered by a built-in battery. Portable printers are very compact, almost always supplied with means for carrying (pens or bags), and most of them are designed to install sets of photo paper and cartridges, which are enough for 20-25 prints.
Such models are divided into two classes: inkjet and thermal sublimation. Three brands are widely represented on the Russian market of inkjet portable printers for photo printing: Canon, Epson and HP. There are significantly more thermal sublimation printers: Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Mitsubishi, Sony, Panasonic, HiTi, HP. Most of the camera companies produce their own thermal sublimation portable printers for direct printing: Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Kodak.
OPINION
Alexander Ivashkin, Canon Product Group Manager for Inkjet Equipment and Flatbed Scanners
Canon inkjet printers and MFPs are designed for lab-quality home photo printing. One of the main principles of the company is that printing devices should be so easy to use that even a novice user can achieve the highest quality. This is made possible by FINE technologies, Chromalife 100+ and software Auto Photo Fix II, Easy Web Print EX, Easy Photo print and more, aimed at providing the highest quality photo printing.
We consider the bubble-jet photo printing technology developed by our company to be the most promising. It is used not only in devices for home use, but also in professional printers and plotters, inkjet fax machines and even printing calculators. Its combined use with FINE technology made it possible to reduce the volume of a drop to 1 picoliter, and to bring the maximum number of nozzles in the print head to 7680 pcs. All these advances have led to the fact that the hardware print resolution has increased to 9600 dpi.
Professional photo printers
Professional photo printers are designed mainly for printing large format paper and film media - from A3 to A1. Most often, these are inkjet models with at least 8–10 colors (cartridges). With the help of such printers, color proofs are prepared, large prints of reproductions of paintings are obtained, design solutions for exhibitions and presentations are created, covers are printed and images are applied to the surface of CDs and DVDs.
Thermal sublimation printers are also in demand among professionals - they mainly print photos for documents. There are several more classes of professional printers - for printing labels, receipts, letterheads, stickers, barcodes, but in this article we will not dwell on them.
Mastering photo printing
When choosing a photo printer, you need to be prepared for the fact that it will take no less effort and time to master it than to learn photography. Of course, if we are not talking about portable models that work on the principle of "pressed the button - got a print."
Of course, you can get by with truncated driver interfaces for beginners, but to get high-quality images, it makes sense to thoroughly understand advanced settings as well.
Control systems and user interfaces of printers (and control software drivers) are optimized for the tasks assigned to the device.
In any good photo printer, the driver window with default print settings is a beginner's tool. Usually the user is prompted to select the object of printing, the format and method of cropping the photo (with or without margins), the orientation of the sheet (portrait or landscape), color or monochrome printing, as well as set the number of copies and the preview.
You should not ignore the last function - it allows you to detect possible problems even before printing.
By accessing the advanced features (in the “for the pros” window), you can adjust the print quality and adjust the colors in the photo for specific consumables and conditions for viewing prints. The standard controls are brightness/contrast/saturation and hue controls (usually in the usual CMY gamut for printing).
Users usually do not go to the service window until the prints start to show defects or noticeable defects. Meanwhile, it is worth starting acquaintance with the management of the printer and its configuration before each print session from this window. With it, you need to check the ink level and make sure that all the printing nozzles are in working order. When using professional printers, you will even be prompted to calibrate the accuracy of individual nozzles and (with a print head test pass) color reproduction - for the paper and specific ink used.
Multifunction devices
Often, due to the abundance of large-sized peripheral devices, there is so little free space on the computer desk that it becomes inconvenient to work. For example, there is never a corner for a flatbed scanner. Nevertheless, it is often necessary for users who work a lot with texts. A multifunction device (MFP), which combines the functions of a scanner, printer and copier, and sometimes even a fax machine, will help solve this problem.
Design
All MFPs consist of two main modules: scanning and printing, which allows these devices to scan documents and images and print text and graphics files transferred from a computer. All modern MFPs have a copier function - to get a duplicate of a photo or document without the help of a computer, just press the Copy button. The quality of copies obtained in this way is very high.
In addition, most MFP models allow you to print photos directly from a camera, memory cards, and even USB drives without a computer. All this helps to save time and space, as well as significantly simplify the work.
SCAN TO MFP
By design, the scanning modules used in MFPs can be flatbed and sheet-fed. In flatbed scanners, the processed document remains motionless - the scanning ruler moves along it, in sheet-fed scanners the ruler is motionless, and the sheet itself is pulled over it using a special mechanism. For home use, MFPs based on a conventional flatbed scanner are best suited - they are cheaper and more versatile, and in some cases, for example, when scanning thick books, they are simply irreplaceable.
Technology
Like printers, MFPs use two main printing technologies - laser and inkjet. The basic techniques for printing an image on these devices are the same as for printers.
Laser MFPs come in both monochrome and color. The difference between such devices and laser printers is minimal in most cases. Even the cartridges they often use are the same - manufacturers often (but, alas, not always) strive to unify consumables, so that the quality of prints obtained using an MFP is practically not inferior to that made on a printer.
The situation is similar with inkjet MFPs. Like inkjet printers, they are only available in color, but they can easily handle monochrome printing as well. Such devices often use standardized cartridges. The biggest difference between MFPs and printers is the price: MFPs have two integrated devices, respectively, and the price is higher. Color laser MFPs can cost two to three times more than color laser printers.
- USB-equipped MFPs should preferably be connected to a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port on the computer, otherwise these operations may take a long time. High, in comparison with USB 1.1, data transfer speed will be needed, first of all, for scanning in high resolution, as well as when working with memory cards.
- If the MFP is equipped with a LAN interface, it can be made available from any computer on the local network. And with the built-in Wi-Fi module, the MFP will easily be integrated into a wireless network.
- There are usually no problems scanning sheets or thin booklets. But when working with thick books, difficulties are possible. The design of the cover of the scanning unit with free movement can resolve them. But in any case, you will have to hold the lid with your hand to avoid the appearance of dark streaks.
- Modern MFPs are often equipped with process automation features. These devices allow you to scan an image without additional settings and then save it in PDF format or, for example, send it by e-mail. When choosing an MFP, you should consider what kind of tasks it will have to solve. Based on this, choose one of the options: monochrome laser, color inkjet or color laser.
Office printers
Offices most often use laser printers. First of all, due to the ease of use. In fact, these devices require only the periodic replacement of toner cartridges and the timely supply of paper, and the necessary preventive maintenance is reduced to brushing off accumulated dust.
The second reason for the “office love” for laser models is that most of these printers support A4, the most common document format. There are so many simple models of laser printers working with this format today that their prices have already fallen below 3 thousand rubles. As a result, the laser-printed page has the lowest cost, despite the very expensive toner cartridges. And office savings have always been held in high esteem.
Its functions were taken over by color laser printers. Rapid progress in the development of color laser printing technology and its strong reduction in cost led to the fact that office services began to use such models for monochrome printing. To date, the cost of a color laser printer is less than 6 thousand rubles. (for example, the OKI C110 and Samsung CLP-315 models cost from 5.5 to 5.8 thousand rubles).
Recently, the interest of office services in multifunctional color laser devices has noticeably increased. Monochrome laser MFPs, especially models equipped with fax functions, have done their job well in the past. In addition, replacing three devices at once (scanner, printer and copier), they sometimes turn out to be indispensable for small and medium-sized offices.
- During operation, even the cheapest laser printer consumes about 300 watts of power, and some office models consume more than a kilowatt. Therefore, do not connect such devices to the UPS operating outlet, but to a redundant outlet designed for such cases.
- Almost all printers use the USB interface for data transfer, but if several computers in your office are connected to a wireless network, pay attention to models with Wi-Fi support. Many of these printers allow you to print texts even from mobile phones and communicators.
- When a laser printer is operating, the electrical charge on the photoconductor decomposes atmospheric oxygen, resulting in the formation of a certain amount of ozone, a highly toxic substance. Modern models are practically devoid of this drawback, but it is still better to keep a heavily used printer in a well-ventilated area.
- It is best not to print on paper that has already had another image printed on it. Doing so may damage the photoconductor or oven.
- To print draft documents, use the preprint feature or save mode. This will slightly reduce print quality, but save toner.
In modern conditions, a variety of printing is available to a wide range of users. In offices and apartments, monochrome laser printers and multifunctional devices are hard at work, in photo labs their inkjet counterparts have found their way. But there is one technology that can be used in all areas. Color laser printing produces high-quality images and rich colors, but until recently, such devices were available only to a limited number of users due to the high price. But a few years have passed, and their value has significantly decreased. The question of the expediency of acquiring this type of device becomes quite relevant. Is it worth it?
In the process of painful choice, most users face two questions:
1. What is the difference between a color laser printer and a monochrome printer?
2. How comparable is the quality of color photo printing to inkjet printouts?
The principles of monochrome and color laser printing are almost identical. Only for the latter, an additional step is added - the creation of a bitmap image of the document. The image is decomposed into separate color components, which are matched with the shades of the toners used. At the moment, the equipment uses four separate powder hoppers of different colors: black, blue (cyan), red (magenta) and yellow.
The further process is similar to that which occurs with a monochrome device. A laser head or an array of LEDs distributes an electric charge over the surface of the photodrum, where a prototype of the future image is formed. Small particles of toner are attracted to charged areas under the influence of an electric field.
As the drum rotates, it comes into contact with the paper sheet onto which the powder is transferred. For a color image, four passes are carried out - according to the number of toner types. The powder itself is a mixture of polymers, resins and coloring pigments, therefore, under the influence of high temperature, it is baked into separate areas corresponding to the image elements.
The positioning accuracy of the laser beam is at a very high level, so the final print has a high resolution. The dye has increased durability, which makes it possible to maintain the original color for a sufficiently long period of time. In this regard, it is logical to assume the use of a laser printer for printing photographs. Good quality, lasting color - what else is needed for happiness? But not everything is so simple.
Inkjet photo printers use at least six types of ink in a variety of colors. This circumstance allows you to get prints with smoother transitions and halftones. The laser counterpart is deprived of this advantage, because it uses only four colors, combining all kinds of combinations from them. Do not forget that in order to obtain an image, lasers convert the image into a raster format, so microdots are noticeable on the final printout upon closer inspection. Such photo prints are good at some distance, but when approached, the charm is lost.
The lack of color range directly affects the saturation and contrast of prints. In these positions, inkjet printers are still out of competition. The level of detail of the two competing technologies is about the same.
Summing up the reasoning, we can recommend the purchase of a color laser printer to those users who actively print multi-color documents: diagrams, graphs, brochures, presentations, etc. The cost of the print will be lower than that of an inkjet machine, and the image durability will be higher. A laser printer combines the transition between text (black ink) and colored lines more easily, it does not have a “bleed halo”.
For home use, choosing a laser printer model will get rid of the problem of dried ink. Inkjet devices have this unpleasant feature if it is used from time to time. Cartridge nozzles become clogged, print quality deteriorates drastically, and a painstaking cleaning procedure is required. Laser devices are spared this problem, since the powder can only be overcompressed. But one or two shakes and your printer is ready to go.
The price of laser technology is steadily declining, so not only large companies, but also small firms and individuals can already purchase a modern printer. The availability of consumables and the durability of the resulting prints make this type of device the market leader in imaging devices.
Printers are dot matrix, inkjet, sublimation and laser, and in color printing - monochrome and multi-color.
Monochrome printers that work on the laser principle reproduce images using the xerography method. They differ from their colored "brothers" only in the presence of only one black paint.
There are monochrome devices that are designed for home use, and there are those that are most suitable for large companies and offices.
Features of monochrome printers
Black and white printers are more compact than color printers. In addition, their difference is economy.
These printers, on average, can print 20-60 pages per minute. Nearly all have network support, paper receiving and receiving trays, and finishing devices.
Monochrome laser printers are capable of producing good print quality.
If we compare inkjet and laser printers with a black and white device, then the laser model will show the best print speed and the print price will be much lower.
For home use
An inexpensive monochrome printer will be a bargain for use by schoolchildren and students, teachers and teachers.
And mothers of toddlers can use such a printer to print out tutorials and coloring pictures.
As a rule, a laser printer is slightly more expensive than an inkjet printer. But its advantage is cheaper maintenance and operation.
For institutions, firms and offices
Black and white printing equipment is widely used by many companies. Contracts and other legal documents are freely printed. In addition, owners of such devices may provide printing services or sell copies of forms.
In educational institutions, such devices are often used to "multiply" copies of various manuals and manuals.
In medical institutions, they are used to issue patient cards.
Economical Kyocera monochrome printers
Economic printer Kyocera FS-4100DN made in Japan will be a real find in the era of economy. Most devices of this brand are designed to work in small and medium offices.
Peculiarities:
- lowest printing costs in its class;
- 45ppm A4 up to 1200dpi;
- to reduce paper consumption - printing in the "n-up" mode and duplex printing;
- as standard - Gigabit Ethernet network interface;
- Convenient printing directly from a USB flash drive;
- for ease of entering a password - a keyboard with a secure print function.
This high-performance A4 monochrome laser printer fits perfectly into any network environment and is capable of printing up to 45 pages per minute. It features the use of ID cards for enhanced security, hard disk protection and secure printing.
This A3 monochrome printer, thanks to various processing options and increased paper feed capacity, processes even large jobs quickly. And with touch and wireless communication, mobile printing is simple and convenient.
The advantages of the printer are as follows:
- using a common driver, ease of printing for everyone;
- large volume of documents with high speed printing - up to 56 ppm;
- versatile options for stacking and feeding paper into the stapler, booklet puncher, stacker;
- one-touch simplified job processing: the ability for the user to quickly navigate using a color, large, touch screen between jobs;
- thanks to the fast-fixing technology, there is no need to wait, which can significantly save energy.
This laser monochrome model is designed for mobile printing and easy network printing. It also supports Wi-Fi.
The machine is equipped with automatic two-sided printing. Networked power-saving features save time. This model is ideal for home use or a small office.
Automatic image filtering and high quality resolution of 1200x1200 dpi will produce documents with highly detailed graphics and crisp text.
Advantages:
- Easily print from mobile devices with dedicated Canon Mobile Printing app
- best in class in terms of energy efficiency;
- fast printing in improved quality (up to 25 ppm);
- Save time and money on consumables with automatic two-sided printing.
For daily use - OKI B431dn
If you are looking for a monochrome laser printer for your home that will provide high productivity without wasting money, then many sellers will recommend the OKI B431 to you.
This desktop printer is easy to use and offers enhanced productivity. Among the advantages are:
- a large resource reserve of consumables ensures a low cost of prints;
- monochrome printing with first page out in 5 seconds (at 38 ppm);
- dpi resolution provides prints in the highest quality with a detailed study of the smallest elements;
- two-sided automatic printing (paper stock can be expanded up to 880 sheets);
- Energy Saving mode: will reduce power consumption up to 8 watts.
In operation - exceptional simplicity:
- long service life of consumables, which are easily replaced in a matter of seconds;
- control panel with backlight and LCD.
LaserJet M604n
This ultra-fast monochrome laser printer is expandable, easy to use and has minimal environmental impact.
With a four-line display and a ten-button PIN pad, jobs and settings are quickly tracked.
With automated two-sided printing and optional trays up to 3,600 sheets, it's easy to print large projects.
By adding pre-sorted paper feeders and multi-media printing functionality to your printer, you can make your work more efficient.
For this monochrome printer, specialized sites have additional settings and updates. With their help, you can achieve, for example, scaling support.
HP Auto-On/Auto-Off Technology saves energy by turning the printer on when needed and turning it off when not in use.
This printer consumes the least power of any other device in its class, and the free HP Planet Partners program makes it easy to recycle supplies.
Epson M105 Printer
Inkjet monochrome printer with wireless Wi-Fi connection, pigmented inks and a fairly low cost of printing. Included with the device are two 140 ml containers with pigment ink (starter kit), thanks to which you can print up to 11,000 images. The special design of containers and ink tanks allows even an inexperienced user to easily cope with refilling.
The advantages of this device include:
- pigment ink;
- print speed - up to 34 ppm;
- ultra-economical printing of black-and-white documents;
- low cost of printing;
- wireless Wi-Fi connection.
Popular Samsung
Laser monochrome printers from the Samsung brand are equipped with high-frequency processors and good RAM.
They show high printing performance. Due to the quality of work and efficiency, the devices have proven themselves well when used in offices and educational institutions of various levels.
