You can usually scan and copy directly from the MFP’s control panel, although these interfaces vary in how easy they are to use. They’re great if you’re short of space, and you can use them to make photocopies without your PC. MFPs have several advantages over a separate printer and scanner. Our reviews tell you how good a printer’s output is across a range of tests, and highlight the kind of strengths and weaknesses you can only spot from hands-on comparisons. In practice, you can’t always predict print quality from a printer’s specifications. An interpolated resolution of, say, 1,200dpi is likely to look better than a 600dpi print, but not as good as a true 1,200dpi print. Note that a laser’s quoted resolution may be the product of interpolation, rather than the print engine’s native or “true” resolution. You’re most likely to notice it as improved graphics and smoother outlines to text – the latter can look jagged at the 600dpi resolution typical of entry-level models, but only if you have very sharp eyes. With laser printers, it’s more typically true that high resolution (1,200dpi or more) looks better. Some manufacturers also quote a recommended duty cycle figure, which is useful to know if you’ll be putting your printer to heavy use and don’t want to wear it out quickly. This represents a one-time maximum number of prints a device can produce if you really push it, rather than the number of pages it can print regularly, so always pick a printer with a duty cycle that exceeds your requirements. If you plan to do lots of printing, opt for a device with a high duty cycle figure. But inkjets can suffer from blocked nozzles if you don’t use them often and flushing them out wastes ink: if you tend to go weeks without printing, you’re still better off with a laser printer. Despite popular belief, inkjets are often cheaper to run than their laser equivalents, too. Finally, the paper is heated by a fuser, which melts the toner to the page.Ī laser printer used to be the only option for fast, high-quality document printing, but in the last few years, office-focused inkjets have started running them close for speed and quality. This process occurs on all four drums – for cyan, magenta, yellow and black – to make up the final colour image. A positively charged sheet of paper is passed over the drum, and the toner is transferred. This is attracted to the discharged areas drawn by the laser and repelled by the negatively charged background. Negatively charged toner is then released on to the surface of the drum. A laser then “draws” an image of the page to be printed onto the surface of the drum, discharging the areas it hits. Laser printers work by negatively charging a light-sensitive surface called an optical photoconductor (OPC) drum. Also, because the ink takes a second or two to dry, they might be slower still when duplex (double-sided) printing. Printers with higher resolutions – measured in dots per inch (dpi) – can place more dots on the page.Īs their print heads usually need to move about to cover the page, inkjet printers tend to be slower than lasers. Inkjets create prints by placing thousands of tiny dots over every inch of the page. How to choose the best printer for you What’s the difference between laser and inkjet printers?
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