Print Type
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Inkjet. With inkjet printing, an image is applied to paper using microscopic drops of ink directed by the print head. This technology is well suited for home use and colour printing: inkjet printers are relatively inexpensive, and print quality can be as high as photographic. On the other hand, such printers are not suitable for printing large volumes, in case that cartridge yield is low and the price per page is quite high. In addition, if left idle for several days, ink remains in the print head will dry out, degrading print quality. This can be avoided by using the printer continuously or by using a special cleaning procedure that does not improve cartridge yield.
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Laser. Printing in such printers occurs as follows: a laser beam marks individual points of the photosensitive drum, toner (powdered paint) sticks to these areas, which is then transferred to paper. Laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers and are primarily monochrome; at the same time, they provide high quality and permanence of black and white printing at a low cost of the print itself, which is why they are considered optimal for business documents.
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LED. Printing technology, in many ways similar to laser (see above); the only key difference is the use of a string of LEDs instead of the actual laser. This allows you to keep the main pros of laser technology (quality and d
...urability of black-and-white prints at their low cost), slightly reducing the cost of the printers themselves.
— Solid ink. As the name implies, the ink for such a printer is initially in a solid state. Right before printing, they are heated to become liquid and applied to paper through a special heated drum (as in laser printers) or directly (like inkjet printers). Prints from a solid ink printer are distinguished by high-quality colour reproduction and resistance to moisture. On the other hand, the resolution of such devices is lower than that of inkjet printers, and the prints fade quickly enough in the light and are sensitive to scratches. Another feature is that the printer takes a portion of the dye from the cartridge every time it is turned on, and if there was no printing, this dye does not return to the cartridge when it is turned off, but is dumped into a special container as unsuitable for further use. Thus, ideally, a solid ink printer should not be turned off at all. Therefore, such devices are mainly used for office printing in design and advertising firms.Number of colors
The color palette that a printer or MFP can print.
A large number of colors is required for high-quality photo printing and obtaining color prints with many shades. As a standard, for a color MFP,
4 colors are provided.
Max resolution
The maximum resolution of the image to be printed. It is usually indicated by two numbers indicating the number of dots per inch (dpi) horizontally and vertically, for example 1200x600. 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, foremost, operating with graphic material; low resolution is sufficient for high-quality text display. So there are the following options:
600x600,
1200x600,
1200x1200,
1800x600,
2400x600,
2400x1200,
2400x2400,
4800x600,
4800x1200,
4800x2400,
5760, and
higher print resolutions.
First page print
The time passed from pressing the Copy button to the completion of the first copy in MFPs. Typically specified for low quality black and white printing on A4 paper. The time for the first copy to be released is the longest (because of the time to prepare for work and scan the document); subsequent copies of the same document are printed much faster.
Fast first copy time is important if you have to copy documents frequently.
Double-side scanning
Possibility to scan a document simultaneously
from two sides. This feature significantly saves time and saves the user from unnecessary actions when working with two-sided documents. At the same time, a two-sided scanner is expensive, so it hardly makes sense to look for an MFP with such equipment for home use. But for working with numerous documents, such a feature may be indispensable.
B/W printing
The number of pages the printer can produce per minute in black and white mode. Typically indicated for low print quality, higher print quality takes longer. This setting is important if you need to frequently print text documents.
Colour printing
The number of pages the printer can proceed per minute in colour mode. As like b/w printing, the print speed is usually indicated in the worst quality (at maximum speed), in higher quality the print speed is lower. This setting is worth paying attention to if you need to print colour graphic materials frequently.
Photo printing
Printer's print rate in photographic (highest) quality. Unlike other similar parameters, in this case the speed is usually indicated for a 10x15 sheet (A6 as the most popular format for photos). In addition, photo printing speed is not expressed in pages per minute, but in seconds per page, because such printing takes a lot of time. This option is worth paying attention to if you plan to
print photos frequently.
Autofeed
The maximum amount of sheets that can be loaded into the MFP's document autofeed at one time.
The autofeed makes it easy to scan and copy a large amount of documents - just load a stack of sheets and turn on the programme, after which each document will be automatically fed for scanning. An auto-feed MFP is worth considering if you frequently scan or copy a large amount of documents.
