When was the last time you bought a printer to use at home? If you’re looking for a new one it must have been a while, and as with all technology some things have changed over the years. There are so many printers to choose from and you could end up with a headache trying to find the right one, so to make your life easier we’ll look at some of the main points you must consider today. If you work in an office you’re unlikely to end up with anything as powerful as the one you use every day, but follow these tips and you’ll end up with an affordable and respectable home printer.

Working Within A Budget

The first thing you’ll need to decide before you choose a printer is how much money you’re willing to spend, as you’ll find one for all budgets. For those who want the cheapest option, the inkjet printer still reigns supreme. Even though it’s not always had a great reputation over the years, these days you’ll find the inkjet has come on leaps and bounds, which makes it perfect for anyone on a budget. If you buy compatible ink cartridges online it will also help to keep the costs down to a minimum.

More Than A Simple Printer

Considering you’re going to use your printer at home, it’s likely the only thing you’ll expect from it is the ability to print. That being said, a few people out there might need to scan and photocopy documents too. If you were to buy each machine individually it would cost a lot and you wouldn’t have any room to move, therefore the obvious solution would be to buy a multifunction printer capable of performing all the functions you’ll need in the future.

You Need To Print Photos

Nearly everyone you see these days is walking around with a smartphone in their pocket, which means they are never without a camera. Nobody is shy of using it every 5 minutes, whether it’s to capture a special moment or to take a silly selfie. If you’re one of those people you might want to print out your photos, in which case you’ll need a special photo printer. Although you could technically print out a photo with any colour printer, you want one good enough to produce quality prints.

Don’t Forget About Connectivity

Do you remember when you wouldn’t even need to stretch to grab your document because you were sitting at a desktop computer? Now you’re just as likely to be sitting in your living room typing something out on your iPad. You might even want to print out a document when you’re miles away from home, and the only way that is possible is by making sure you can connect to your printer wirelessly. There are even special apps to help you print things out from mobile devices.

An Auto-Duplexing Option

If your printer allows you to print on both sides of the paper you’ll save a lot of money, so auto-duplexing is a great feature to have at your disposal. Even though printers capable of printing on both sides automatically will cost more, it’s much better than manually switching each piece of paper over for one huge reason. There is nothing more important than your time, and if you use your printer regularly you’ll waste too much of it for the money you’ll save buying a printer without an auto-duplexing option.

Using Generic Ink Cartridges

We brushed over this briefly, but it’s worth pointing out again to remind you of something. If you want to save money on ink, which will need to be replaced on a regular basis, you might want to think about using compatible cartridges. There are still some printers being sold today that will only work with certain cartridges, which will cost you a great deal more over the lifetime of your printer. Make sure you research a printer to make sure you’re not locked into anything before you buy it.

You Don’t Need To Waste Money

The days where it would take forever waiting for a simple word document to print out are long gone. Even the quality of printouts in cheaper models has increased significantly, which is great for those on a budget. You can spend as much money as you want if you have it available, but as long as you pay attention to the things we’ve discussed today you should find a printer good enough for your home. If a printer is double the price of another one it doesn’t mean it’s twice as good.