About Pipindy Laser Color Printers

Welcome to Pipindy.com, your one-stop shop for all of your laser color printers, inkjet color printers and other printing needs. From black and white, photo and multifunction options, we feature all of the most popular brands like:

• HP
• Dell
• Lexmark
• Canon
• Brother
• Xerox
• Epson
• Kodak
• Okidata
• Panasonic
• Ricoh
• Sony
• And many others…

If you’ve been scouring the market for new or used laser color printers, the main goal is finding the appropriate one to fit your needs. In order to do that, you must ask yourself a few simple questions so that you have a clear picture of the type, price range and functionality of the printer that will best serve you. Let’s get started.

1. Will this be the only one in your home or are you using it in an office environment?

If the answer is “yes”, then you should consider a multifunction printer that can effectively and quickly print text and pictures as well as scan, copy and fax. If you need to supply your office with the right equipment, you will most likely require several separate printers, copiers, and fax machines to meet the demands of your employees.

2. Is a multifunction model right for you?

These days, printers come standard with the added abilities of scanning, copying and faxing. However, if your needs are simple and basic, your choices will be a lot simpler.

For example, if you want to be able to scan documents, then look for that option first and then look for the printing feature.

Although don’t be surprised if you find a basic printer for the same price as multifunction one.

It seems that most consumers would rather have more functions than what they need and then not use them, as opposed to finding themselves needing it later and not having it…especially at a comparable price.

Here are some of the most common printer uses, usage levels and the type of printer that may be best suited for those purposes:

• Light – Daily Home Use:  This includes printing occasional, primarily text, and a small number of photos from time to time. A basic entry level inkjet printer would do the job.
• Heavy Home Applications /Home Office or Light Office Use: This includes printing a lot of black and white text pages and very few, if any, photo images. A b/w laser printer would be the best choice in this situation, but if color is required, a quality inkjet printer would suffice. Choosing one of the basic color laser color printers would be the best choice if your budget allowed.
• Heavy Office Applications: Busy offices that also use a large number of images and color, like graphics with text, brochures, presentations, company newsletters and graphs are perfect candidates for high end laser color printers. But for mostly black and white text, a fast black and white laser printer is enough.
• Marketing Materials for Small Businesses:  Similar to the above “Heavy Use” category, entry level to high end laser color printers are required here. This is especially true if you run a marketing or printing business that caters to real estate agents and others who require business cards and full color brochures.
• Home Photo Printing – Light Use: This includes printing family photos, greeting cards, and even scrapbooking using a variety of available photo paper sizes. Depending on your budget, an entry to medium level photo printer would be sufficient.
• Professional Photo Printing – Heavy Use:  This includes producing large quantities of high quality photos. It goes without saying that a high end photo printer is the only option for this situation.

3. What is your spending budget on the printer as well as the cost of future supplies?

Most of the time, you will ballpark a certain price range but after a little investigating, you might discover that you under or overestimated the price of a printer that satisfies your needs. Sometimes it takes a little “window shopping” to get a better estimate, especially if you don’t go printer hunting very often. Being armed with up-to-date information will allow you to set a more precise budget and not overpay.

Some of you, however, may have a strict, fixed budget that may force you to compromise on the type of printer that you want. If this is the case, you may want to pare down the number of options and figure out the ones that you can live without, especially if you buy new. You can also stay within budget and get all of your options by buying a quality used printer. Just make sure that you perform the same due diligence in this arena as you would if your bought new.

Don’t forget to figure out the cost of your chosen printer’s supplies before you purchase it, as well as calculate the cost of ink cartridges and cost-per-page estimates. For example, if the yield per cartridge is 300 and the cartridge set costs $30, then the average cost-per-page is 0.10, so if you are planning to print around 200 pages per month, then you are looking at a cost of $20 per month.

Things to remember:

• Laser Color Printers vs. Inkjet: Inkjet printers are more expensive to operate because they use more ink and are subject to frequent cartridge error messages, even if there is no problem, making it difficult to regulate how much ink is being used while printing. Laser color printers use toner and don’t need to be replaced as frequently.

As for unit cost, b/w and laser color printers are more expensive than inkjets but feature faster processors and larger memory.

They can also process documents 3-5 times faster than an inkjet. Although inkjets are slower with fewer bells and whistles, they are inexpensive to purchase.

Laser color printers are perfect for businesses that network multiple work stations, while inkjet printers are less compatible for networking setups and work best as standalone units.

• Off-Brand Cartridges: Good in theory but not always in actuality. There are several stores that offer aftermarket or off-brand products and there are good ones and bad ones so just do your homework. If you do some investigating and find that the seller is trustworthy and guarantees his products, then don’t be afraid to try them out.

And contrary to the printer manufacturer’s advice, it is especially difficult to break a printer by using generic or aftermarket cartridges and will not (by law) put your printer’s warranty at risk.

• Remanufactured Cartridges: If the printer model is very popular, then chances are good that there are quality, remanufactured cartridges available. If you choose this option, remember to buy remanufactured printer cartridges with a new drum because it will make an immense difference. As for lesser known printer brands or models, remanufactured cartridges may not be available so make sure before you purchase.

4. Have you ever heard of the model before?

There are usually very few new printers have breakthrough technology and designs that can last. Make certain to try a model that has been market tested and at least check out Consumer Reports to see what their conclusions were.

Don’t forget to read product for the printer and it’s and supplies, which should include the original expensive printer supplies and the aftermarket or generic replacement cartridges available. Be sure all of the bugs have been worked out before you invest.

5. What do customers think about the model?

Use your savvy internet skills to find out what current customers have to say about your potential new printer.

Simply typing “Your model + review” into any search bar will more than likely give you ample information to make a sound decision.

Some other excellent review resources for laser color printers and others include Amazon.com, PCMag.com, PCWorld .com and CNET.com.

6. Can your friends offer any insights?

Ask your friends and family about their printers, especially if they use one similar to the one you want. if you trust their opinion, than there is nothing like a high-quality review from a close friend or relative to help you to make a sound purchase.

As you can see, there are several things to consider when buying a new printer. Take some time to analyze your needs and ask some good questions and you’ll be sure to invest in the best printer for you. Whatever brand and model that you decide on, Pipindy.com offers the best prices and selection of laser color printers around!