Taken from PCWorld Magazine, April 2012 Edition

The good, and perhaps daunting, news about buying a workgroup printer is that you have a lot of choices. The standard monochrome laser or LED printer is now joined by colour laser and LED models, as well as by multifunction variants that offer scanning faxing and copying. Higher-end inkjets claim good speed, better image quality, and comparable or better consumables costs. So, how do you decide? This might help…

Match the printer to the task and volume. If your workgroup prints mostly text documents, a monochrome laser or LED printer will do the job.

Check compatibility. If you use Macs, Linux or different versions of Windows, check to make sure that appropriate drivers are available before you purchase.

Know who needs colour and who doesn’t. Monochrome printing is the bulk of printing for many businesses. If you only need a few colour prints occasionally, an inkjet printer can handle low volumes easily.

Balance volume with versatility. If you already have a copier, a fax machine, and a networked scanner, you may get better performance from sand-alone printers. Multifunctions are versatile, but have to juggle more.

Research costs and reliability. Cost of ownership includes the long-term need for replacing ink or toner, plus components such as a laser’s fuser or waste toner bottle. Gather all the pricing and page yields up front to make sure they’ll work with you print content and volume.

If you still cannot decide what printer is right for you, then talk to your I.T. provider or local computer store.  The have experience that can help you decide what is best for your home or business.  A reputable dealer will not sell you something that you don’t need.  They want to make you happy, so that you will return and purchase the ink and toner you need!