Buying a Printer for your Laptop

If you need to make hard copies of anything you do on your laptop, you’re going to need a printer.  This is especially true if you’re a college student or if you use your laptop for business.  When it comes to buying a printer for your cheap laptop, there are a few things to keep in mind.

•    Do you need to print in colour?  You can often buy black and white printers for much less, especially if you’re looking at a laser printer.  If you won’t need to ever do anything in colour, you may be able to get a good deal on a simpler printer.

•    Do you need a portable printer?  Some companies make very small printers designed to work specifically with laptops.  You can pack up these printers and take them with you.  If you’ll need to print while on the go, you might want one of these.  They work very well for people who set up their laptops at trade expos or other types of conferences and need to print things for potential customers.

•    Do you need a laser printer or an inkjet printer?  Laser printers are more expensive, but the toner lasts longer.  If you’re a small business owner, it may be an investment worth making.  Most standard users, however, won’t need an expensive laser printer.

•    Will the printer work with your laptop?  Check to make certain the printer works with the operating system, and make certain it will connect to your laptop.  Most new laptops and new printers use USB cables, but older printers use the larger serial cable.  Newer laptops generally don’t have a connection for this.