A guide to buying printers and faxes

Printers and fax machines are machines which can make our lives and jobs easier. However, with many models to choose from, choosing the right fax machine and/or printer for you can be a challenging task. When buying these devices, high price does not always guarantee performance which would match your needs and standards. Several non-price variables need to be considered when deciding to buy a fax machine and/or printer.

Choosing printers

Home use Printers for home use would typically have to perform various jobs such as printing newsletters, school papers or even photos. Because of this, home users would typically want to buy printers which are versatile such as
home-office/small-office colour inkjets. Though able to perform various printing jobs, these types of printers can be a bit slow.
Writers If you write for a living and need to produce volumes of manuscripts, then a personal laser printer would be a good match. These kinds of printers are known to quickly produce quality text at a fraction of a cost than it would if you were to use an inkjet printer. Aside from professional writers, students can also greatly benefit from personal laser printers.
Photographer If you are a photographer and are planning to buy a printer which you will use solely for photos, then it is highly recommended that you get a letter-size inkjet. On the other hand, if you are going to use a printer not only for your photo needs, then consider getting a multifunction printer. Many of these printers are also equipped with state of the art technologies such as memory card slots and LCD to preview prints, making it easier to produce quality photos.
Departments or small businesses For small businesses or departments in a large corporation, a workgroup laser printer can be a practical choice. These machines can do multiple printing jobs and can produce copies really fast. In addition, many of these printers come with workgroup features such as networking printing.

Choosing fax machines

Speed If you have a flexible budget, then it is highly recommended that you get yourself a fax machine with a high sending speed. Though initial costs for a fast fax machine may be high, it will overtime pay itself off in the form of lower phone charges.
Data compression protocols Data compression protocols lessen the time it takes to send a page by minimising the amount of data. Keep in mind though that the use a fax machine which is equipped with advanced data compression protocols can only be optimised if it would be sending pages to a fax machine which is of the same-brand model.