Laser Printers Buyer's Guide

Updated: December 2008

Basic printer specs

Speed
Print speed, measured in pages per minute (ppm), is one of the first statistics printer salespeople will quote when describing a printer. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most misleading.

For one thing, manufacturers perform speed tests in conditions favorable for faster printing. For example, they may run paper sideways, creating a “shorter” page. They may also print fairly simple text pages, instead of graphics-intensive pages, and may even load their test printer with extra memory.

Rated speeds also don’t include the time it takes the printer to warm up – printing the first page of the day can take up to several minutes. Whatever the reasons, the speeds you see quoted in product literature are rarely attainable in real-world situations. Do some hunting online and you can find independent reviews for most printer models that will give you more realistic speeds.

For files that use many fonts or incorporate complex graphics, the speed of the printer's processor tends to be much more significant than the engine speed. A large portion of print time is spent waiting for the processor to calculate where to place each dot on the page to create the desired image.

Because processor speed is not easily measured and is rarely advertised, you need to look at the type of processor to get a sense for the overall speed of the machine. In general, processors using RISC technology are the fastest available. Inexpensive machines often use 80186, 68000 or 68020 chips, all of which are relatively slow.

Volume
While speed is important, it’s also a function of the volume the printer is capable of printing: printers built for larger monthly volumes generally run at higher speeds. Unsurprisingly, the volume numbers are often exaggerated as much, or more, than speed figures. If you actually print 85,000 pages per month on a printer rated for that amount, you’re likely to encounter considerable mechanical problems.

For this reason, you should always overbuy monthly volume capabilities. Look for a printer rated for at least 25% more than the actual number of pages you’re likely to print. Often, you’ll find that printers with the quality and features you demand will boast monthly volume figures much higher than your actual needs.

Resolution
Resolution is a measure of how many individual dots the printer uses to make up an image. It’s useful as a general guideline, but it’s important not to use it as the absolute arbiter of quality: different printing methods and technologies can produce extremely varied results at the same resolution.

Do choose printers with a minimum of 600 x 600 dots per inch (dpi) for crisp-looking text and graphics. For optimum photo printing or detailed graphics, resolutions of 1,200 dpi or higher may be the best choice.

Paper supply
When purchasing a laser printer, don't overlook basics such as paper feeding.

Most users will find paper trays that hold fewer than 250 sheets to be too small for the office environment. Better are printers with two paper trays, since one tray can be filled with letterhead, legal-sized or scrap paper. Such features will allow you to leave the printer unattended for longer periods of time.

A manual feed tray is also very helpful for printing envelopes, labels or card stock. If you will be frequently printing envelopes, a dedicated envelope feeder can be a reasonable option.

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