Okay, so you have a personal computer at home and want to print documents. What type of printer will best suit your needs? Well, that all depends on what you want to print. Whether you want to print photos, Excel charts, or banners, there is an inexpensive printer for you. This article discusses three specific printers that work well for each of the above-mentioned document types.
Photos:
Printing from photo files that have been scanned to your computer can be easily achieved using the Canon Pixma iP1500. This color printer retails for under $80.00 at most retailers like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, or Office Depot. Using matte or glossy paper (also available at these retailers) is up to the user, depending on the effect you want to achieve. Photo paper usually runs about $20.00 for a package of 50 sheets. Plain paper also works very well with this color printer.
Banners:
Although many printers offer banners, banner printers are still available and much less costly. A tractor-type printer that has “wheels” on each end of the plate, help to move the paper through the printer. The Epson EscP2 uses connected paper that has holes on each end of the paper. These tractor holes are perforated on each side and can be removed once the printing is completed. Banners are great for birthdays, anniversaries and school events or projects. Large Excel spreadsheets can be easily displayed on banners as well, especially if the spreadsheet has a a lot of columns. Banner printing of spreadsheets helps keep them readable without having to reduce the size of the typeface. Banner software is fairly inexpensive, comes with lots of built-in graphics and fonts, and can be used to create original documents for almost any occasion.
If you have documents like garage sale or lost pet signs to print, using the HP PSC 1400 All-in-One printer is a good choice. This printer allows for up to 25 lb. card stock which is stronger than normal copier paper. The All-in-One also makes color copies and scans pictures and documents. It comes with its own software driver, or you can download it from www.hp.com.
No matter what you want to print, keep in mind that good values are out there. Watch the newspapers and mail flyers for holiday sales (including Labor Day and Memorial Day!) for drastically reduced prices and discontinued models. There is no reason you can’t own two or three printers connected to one PC. Printers come with USB-connectors and serial port connectors. Before you leave the house, check the back of your PC to see how many openings you have and what kind they are. This will save a lot of headache when you are installing your new printer.
About Sheila Hrabal I have been writing for over 30 years on various topics as the need or desire arose. I began by writing short articles for my high school paper and yearbook which eventually led to company handbooks, newsletters, and web content writing.
