When you're looking for a new printer for your home or your office, you don't have to settle for a standard, all-purpose model. If you can identify your specific printing requirements ahead of time, you'll find it a great deal easier to find the colour printer that's ideally suited to your needs.
An important first step is to choose between inkjet or laser models, as each has distinct advantages depending what your printer will be used for. If you will be printing in large quantities and need a printer that will be cheaper to run in the long-term, laser printers will be the preferable option. However, the up-front cost of inkjet printers can make this option better suited to less frequent users.
There's more to finding the perfect printer than just selecting the ink type though, with models being tailored to specific purposes. If you will be printing photos regularly and want to enjoy the pictures in pristine quality, you can find speciality photo printers in both inkjet and laser forms, which can be fitted with just the right paper to bring your colourful digital photos to life. Similarly, those whose printing needs exceed the standard A4 or even A3 size can investigate large format printer options, which will be more than capable of handling maps, technical drawings, posters and other large works, in vibrant full colour.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can even find compact printer models ideal for travellers who need to print documents on the go. These mobile printers can be configured to your laptop or netbook while you travel the world, so you can stay ahead of the latest developments and print out important documents while away from the office.
Despite all these customisable options, it's likely you'll be searching for a printer that does a little of everything, and for this reason you're much better off with colour printers, rather than less versatile monochrome models. Although black and white laser printers are cheaper, everything from web pages to emails and company documents could suffer from being printed out in this limited form, which can be especially important to consider if you are buying the printer for business use.
Even if you're looking to get even more out of your printer than just copies, you can check out all-in-one printer models. These can incorporate scanners and photocopiers, letting you handle every stage of the production process from your own computer.
