Color printers are excellent ways to produce high quality in-house marketing materials. Keep in mind some of these important tips when selecting a color printer:

  • Check out the INK CARTRIDGE prices before selecting a model; often cheaper printers have higher-cost supplies later which you cannot avoid!
  • Make sure your printer uses the USB 2.0 cable standard, for faster printouts and performance
  • Color printers with built in memory or expandable memory slots make it easier to send a print job to the printer and free-up your computer for other tasks while it prints
  • Color printers can be very slow – especially cheaper models – so a few more dollars spent on a faster model up front can save time (which is money!) every day
  • The “higher resolution” settings of some color printers can be misleading; oftentimes these high-res qualities can only be seen with expensive, specialty paper or extra-cost ink. In general, 1200 dpi printing is more than enough for everyday marketing pieces.
Top of the Line: Color Printers
 

Print this page and use the following table to compare the standard "high end" printer features and "what to look for" specifications with the "what you've found" specifications while shopping for your new color printer.

FEATURE

“What to Look For” SPECIFICATIONS

 

FEATURE

“What You’ve Found” SPECIFICATIONS

Memory

160 MB (512 Max)

 

Memory

 

Print Speed

16-24 ppm black; 17-24 ppm color

 

Print Speed

 

Resolution

600 x 600 dpi -
1200 x 1200 dpi

 

Resolution

 

Networking

Ethernet Adapter

 

Networking

 

Connectivity

USB

 

Connectivity

 

Total Media

1100 pages

 

Total Media

 

Cartridges

Four: Black (9000 pages), Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (8000 pages each)

 

Cartridges

 

Monthly Duty Cycle

50,000-100,000 pages

 

Monthly Duty Cycle

 

Matthew's Opinion:
Color laser printing is the "holy grail" of in-house quality color printing and with models like these, there are finally some real options. Keep in mind that while the actual printer may be affordable, check out the ink cartridge costs before you take the plunge: filling the tanks in these power-printers may break your bank!