To make a wise and informed decision when you choose a printer for college, there are factors that you need to take into consideration. Take time and think of what you are looking for and why to ensure that your buy meets your needs and preferences. This guide will help you out and also suggest the best printer according to why you are purchasing the printer in the first and place and for what reason.
The best printer for college students should be small enough to fit on a small space desk for college students. Besides the size, it should always be the model that fits your needs. Before you decide to buy a printer, you should know how to choose a printer for college and which models are suitable for whom what features are useful for your desired applications. Another factor is the follow-up costs. To find out which printer is right for you, ask yourself how you want to use the device for the most part. It will help you determine the most suitable printing method for your purposes that your new printer should work with.
6 Things to Consider When You Choose a Printer for College
1. Choose A Printer For Occasional Printing
If you do not have a specific purpose but only occasionally want to print letters, simple graphics, or even a photo, a cheap printer is the best choice for you. Here is the recommendation to resort to an inkjet printer in the lower price range, because these devices offer a decent quality for your purpose at a low price.
About the printing speed and the follow-up costs, you also have to put up with a cheap inkjet printer. But this is not problematic at a low print volume. You can get faster results with a low-cost laser printer, which may also be suitable for you if you print very little and do not want to print photos. A simple black and white laser printer is also very cheap.
2. For Average Printing
If you want to print regularly but do not want to print large volumes of paper but occasionally want to print a photo on paper alongside documents, a mid-range inkjet printer is the best choice. Even special foils or CD and DVD labels can be printed well with an inkjet printer. However, you have to keep in mind that the cost of printing a high-quality photo is usually higher than that of images.
On the other hand, you are highly flexible and can bring high-quality prints to paper, textile, or labels. A laser printer is not an alternative for this type of task, especially since it delivers significantly worse results in photo printing.
3. For Amateur Photographers and Image Printers
If you want to print photos of high quality, you should always choose a photo printer. Here, high-quality inkjet models and portable photo printers, which usually print by the thermal sublimation process, come in handy. Pay attention to the maximum possible final format because this usually limits postcard size, especially for portable photo printers, while full-fledged photo printers allow printouts up to DinA3.
Good inkjet photo printers often offer more than ten individual colors, resulting in better color mixing and better results. A laser printer is out of the question for photo prints because the resolution is too low, the colors cannot be mixed, and no glossy photos are possible.
For those passionate about creating visual memories, a printer that can handle complex designs and multiple types of media is crucial. If you plan on creating an online photo collage and then printing it, make sure to get a printer that offers multiple paper sizes and types. Not only will this increase the quality of your prints, but it also allows you to get creative with your photo projects.
4. For Advanced Printers
The more you print and the more frequently you need to print or copy documents and letters, the sooner you should shift to a laser printer. These are fast printers that deliver durable and sharp results in text and graphics. Thanks to the low initial cost, even the purchase of an entry-level color laser printer is well worth it for a student. More and more LED printers are coming onto the market that works like laser printers but are a bit cheaper and suit all students as laser printers.
5. Choose One Printer for All
Choose a multifunction printer for use in the office and at school. They offer scanners, copiers, printers, and often faxes in one. This saves you space and has everything in one device. They are very cheap as inkjet and laser models that print in black and white or color. The right choice depends on the number of pages you need to print. For photos, inkjet multifunction devices are generally suitable.
6. Useful Additional Equipment
Suppose you want to print documents from sticks or SD cards. Photo printers with USB or SD card slots often allow the selection of images directly from the storage medium. Sometimes even via an integrated display. If you want to print from several computers, it makes sense to integrate the printer into your network. Depending on where the device is installed, it may be worth buying a WLAN-enabled device, which is not ideal for students.
Depending on how much you print, it’s worth looking at the paper chutes or cassettes. Some cheap laser printers do not offer a paper cassette. Therefore printing a lot of documents or large files can be a bit tedious. The larger the data you print, the more likely it is to buy a device with its own processor and the most significant possible memory. It relieves the PC of arithmetic calculations during printing and leads to significantly faster results. Therefore, entry-level devices are not suitable for the frequent and extensive printing of large amounts of data.
If you also use a scanner, you should consider whether the combo unit’s purchase is the best choice for you. As a result, you only need one device that you can use to print and scan. Also, a printer, including a scanner, makes it easier for you to do photocopying by pressing a button. With the addition of a fax, you will even have a fully-fledged multifunction device that replaces three full devices. If you tend to buy a very affordable inkjet printer as an all-rounder, make sure that your color cartridge has its cartridge. Some cheap printers mix black with the available colors, so you lose many colors when printing documents.
Bottom Line
By now, you must be having an idea of the printer that is best to handle all of your printing needs as a college student adequately. The most important thing when choosing the best printer for college is to consider your needs. This is to ensure that you don’t overspend on unnecessary features.
However, if your line of study necessitates a top-notch printer, don’t feel the pinch when spending money on one since it will deliver results beyond your expectations. After all, there is no need for spending money on a black and white printer when you need to print high definition diagrams, pictures, and images. There is no point wasting your money on a multifunctional printer when all you need is to print reports and assignments. Therefore, take your time, weigh your needs and options, and decide on that line.
I hope this guide contains all you need to know how to choose a printer for college. Happy printing!
