Recently I decided it was time to purchase a new printer. I had been happy with my old printer for many years, but it was simply outdated. It was starting to glitch more often and it did not have all the features I would like to have, since it was made in an era before wireless devices. When I started to shop for a new printer, I decided to base my decision mainly on the pros and cons of the toner I would be using. For example, Brother toner for a Brother USA printer, other brands for other printers – you get the idea.
Some people would laugh that this is my standard for which printer to buy but this is a bigger deal than you think. Printers themselves have come down a lot on price. For less than $100 you can get a multi-functional machine with features you could not have dreamed of just five years ago. Printing companies like to make good, cheap printers because once you buy one you will be investing in their toner for many years, and toner is expensive. So really, it is the choice of toner that should guide your choice of printer.
Let me give a couple of examples. Take HP for example. HP toner cartridges have one of the highest reputations in the industry. Walk into any major office and HP is one of the top two or three brands you are likely to see putting out their high-quality work to send to clients. Toner and cartridge quality means something significant. Each brand of toner has a slightly different melting point, and cartridges need to heat it to that exact point to put it on the page cleanly. If a cartridge is off by a fraction of a degree, you will get faded printing (too cool) or waste excess toner (too hot) which costs money.
However there are other considerations too. Look at Samsung for example. Samsung toner is a decent toner. It works well in Samsung machines and produces quality results. Even though Samsung does not dominate the industry the way HP or Xerox do, it offers a lot of extras. For instance Samsung has one of the best toner cartridge recycling programs in the field. Toner cartridges are electronic devices and like any electronic device they should not just be thrown away. Every big printer manufacturer makes some overture at being green but Samsung makes it truly easy for you to get all your old cartridges sent back to be recycled safely.
Then there are economical options. Early I mentioned Brother and this is a really good line. Brother makes printers, toner, and associated products and have since the 1950s. They are an American company and unlike Samsung or HP they are specialized. They will not make a smart phone for you or a video projector but what they do make they make well. A lot of people have not heard of Brother, but they can be a money saver which makes them a good option to look at. Since Brother does not lead the industry in terms of visibility and market share, they focus on producing low-cost products to win over converts. Even their toner comes in relatively cheap compared to other brands and that can be a major win.
Of course there are many other companies I could go through too, but I think you get the idea. The point is that printers try to sell themselves on their features, but toner has its own qualities that should be looked at too. I always think about whether I am comfortable going back to a company to buy toner several times a year for the next two, five, maybe ten years. If I feel any hesitation like I would not want to be stuck using that companys toner, why would I possibly want to buy their printer? It is this long term consideration that many people fail to take into account when shopping.
I have outlined a few factors that are worth taking into consideration. I am sure you can think of more. Quality makes a big difference because its what you present to clients, submit to potential employers, and so forth. Efficiency deals with whether the cartridge overuses toner – an inefficient toner cartridge can waste your money. Price of course is a vital consideration, if it does not affect quality and efficiency; and special considerations like environmental friendliness can make a big difference for your conscience and reputation, which may be more important than even the price. Think about all of these factors when looking at what line of printing products you are about to commit to.