Print formats
The largest paper size that the printer can handle. Most often, the formats are marked from A0 to A10; it is from here that the famous “A4” is taken, denoting a standard landscape sheet. Modern printers can use the following formats:
A2 — 420x594, the size of a newspaper spread. The largest format used in today's consumer-grade printers. In fact, this size is rarely required, and the printers themselves are expensive; therefore models under A2 are usually high-end professional devices.
A3 — 297x420 mm (2 times larger than the landscape sheet, magazine spread). It is mainly used in the business area for printing large letterheads, brochures, announcements, posters, etc.
A4 — 210x297 mm, standard landscape sheet. The most common paper size for home and office use — usually this size is sufficient for non-specialized printing.
A6 — 105x148 mm (a quarter of the landscape sheet). Printers of this format are usually designed primarily for printing photographs — the sheet size is approximately equal to the size of a standard print of 10x15 cm.
A8 — 52x74 mm, an extremely miniature format, which is 1/16 of the popular A4 (comparable to the size of a standard business card — only a little shorter). It is found mainly among portable printers (see "Type"), including models with specific printing tech
...nologies (on special paper without the use of dyes).
Note that the media format specified in the specifications is rather conditional: many printer models do not have length restrictions — the main thing is that the media fit into the width, and in some devices the actual maximum size is somewhat different from the standard sizes of a certain format.Number of colors
The color palette that the printer can print.
A large number of colors is required for high-quality photo printing and obtaining color prints with many shades. The standard is
4 colors.
Max. resolution
The maximum resolution of the image to be printed. It is usually indicated by two numbers denoting the number of dpi (DPI) horizontally and vertical:
600x600, 1200x600,
1200x1200,
2400x600,
2400x1200,
4800x600,
4800x1200,
4800x2400,
5760x1440,
9600x600,
9600x2400. The detail of the image depends on this parameter - the higher the resolution, the more fine details the printer is able to convey and the better their image will be. High print resolution is important, first of all, when working with graphic material; low resolution is sufficient for high-quality text display. So
Photo print
Printer print speed in photographic (highest) quality. Unlike other similar parameters, in this case the speed is usually indicated for a 10x15 sheet (A6, the most popular format for photographs). In addition, photo printing speed is not expressed in pages per minute, but in seconds per page, because. printing takes a lot of time. This option is worth paying attention to if you plan to
print photos frequently.
Cartridges
The number of ink cartridges required for the full operation of the printer. In black and white devices, usually, one cartridge is installed. For colour printing, at least 4 colours are required (CMYK colour scheme), however, cartridges in such devices can be installed as 4 (one for each colour), or only 2 — black and "colour". The latter is essentially three multi-coloured cartridges in one case; This design somewhat reduces the cost, but creates certain inconveniences: when the supply of ink of one colour is exhausted, the entire colour cartridge becomes inoperative. However, this disadvantage is not critical if the possibility of refueling is provided.
Printers designed for more than 4 cartridges are also available. This design means that this model uses one of the extended colour schemes; this, on the one hand, contributes to high-quality colour reproduction, on the other hand, it significantly affects the price. In the most advanced photo printers, the number of cartridges can reach 9.
Cartridge model
The types of cartridges (both black and white and colour) used in the printer. Some printer models are able to work with "non-native" cartridges, but this feature usually refers to undocumented features, and the manufacturer's warranty covers only specific types of cartridges. So use "non-native" models with caution.
Cloud print
Cloud print service supported by the printer. Specified only if the device is capable of working with cloud services directly without connecting to a PC.
The general principle of such printing is that documents sent for printing are stored on a server on the Internet. Thus, the availability of the printer is not limited to the local network — you can send documents for printing from anywhere in the world where there is access to the World Wide Web. In addition,
cloud-based printers make it easy to share with others.
Voice assistant
Printer support for one or more
voice assistants. The most popular voice assistants among printers today are:
- Amazon Alexa
- Google Assistant
- Microsoft Cortana
We emphasize that this is usually not about the voice assistant built into the printer itself, but about improved compatibility with external devices where such an assistant is installed — so to use this function, you will also need an appropriate device. However, the ability to give voice commands to the printer significantly expands the control options, making it more convenient and intuitive; but the specific functionality and features of different voice control systems may be different. For example, Amazon Alexa is available both through special control devices (like Echo smart speakers) and through mobile applications for Android and iOS; Google Assistant is part of the Android OS and Google Home smart home systems; and Cortana is designed primarily for use with Windows PCs and smartphones, although it is also available as an Android application. The set of supported languages can also be different (in particular, English is almost always available, but Russian support should be specified separately).
Grammage (max)
The maximum grammage on which the printer can produce normal print quality. For details about the weight, see "Paper Weight (Min)". An attempt to print on paper of a greater density than the maximum for this printer will, at best, end in nothing (the printer simply cannot capture the sheet), at worst, it can lead to a sheet jam in the printer, followed by the hassle of removing it.
