Printer Purchasing Guide
Printer guide
There are two common types of printers available for document publishing today. The first type is the inkjet. Inkjet printers come in a variety of sizes from the most common desktop models to the large format models used by CAD designers. The second type is laser. This type of printer is more expensive to purchase but is best for high quality, high volume environments. PCN has historically purchased laser printers exclusively for this reason.
The type of printer you purchase depends greatly on what you will print with it. If you only print a few documents such as letters, web pages, graphs, etc. per week an ink jet printer will work just fine. However if you will be printing large volumes of documents, data, photographs, etc. a laser printer would be your best option.
Inkjet printers are usually inexpensive and reliable. They all handle transparencies and many different paper types including envelopes. Resolution today is not as important as it once was. Most all desktop inkjet printers print in equivalent resolutions that are high enough for most pictures to come out very clean. They take very little desktop space and are the best priced solution for the occasional color document. The real downside to inkjet printers is the ink. If not used often enough the ink will dry and you will have to purchase new ink cartridges and if not given significant time to dry on the page it will smear if touched.
Laser printers are generally the most expensive but are also very reliable. They too can handle all paper types including envelopes. They do take up more desktop space than the inkjet printers. The picture quality of their output is significantly better than any inkjet available today. Laser printers use toner which never goes bad as it is a powder and gets thermally bonded to the paper. This prevents smearing of images on the page.
Supplies such as ink and toner can become expensive especially if you are printing large volumes of documents. Laser printers require special transparencies and paper due to the heat required to set the toner. Laser printer supplies tend to be much more expensive than inkjet. Please keep in mind that the majority of the cost in owning a printer is in the supplies required to keep it running. The price of ink or toner fluctuates with the manufacturer.
If you will be sharing your printer with other people or connecting your printer to the network we ask that you consult with a PCN staff member first before you purchase it. We can help you decide what type of printer to get and how access will managed for others.
PCN has historically only purchased Hewlett-Packard printers (HP printers) for use by the department. These printers have been for the most part laser printers. Laser printers have been the most cost effective solution for the department. HP printers have historically provided the best cross platform compatibility including compatibility with open source systems. There are other manufacturers as well that have been known to provide good printers and drivers. Systems from Lexmark and Canon provide a wide array of competitive alternatives to Hewlett-Packard products today.
A final note: Due to price concerns over supplies and power usage, Purdue has formed a committee that approves all printer purchases. All proposals for printer purchases go to a committee member for approval, and depending on circumstances can be approved, altered, or denied. PCN will work with you and this committee to get your needs met as best as possible and within printer purchasing guidelines.