Buying a Printer: Fact vs. Fiction

Buying a printer would seem to be straightforward: Decide what you need the printer to do--text? photos? scanning, copying, and maybe faxing?--and you'll have a good idea of what kind of printer you need.

Unfortunately, connecting those dots isn't always so easy. That's because the printer market is rife with conventional wisdom that isn't always wise at all. Here are a few of the most common printer myths and my take on whether or not they're really true.

Inkjets do a bad job with text

Not true. Most inkjets print perfectly legible text. But for documents the public will see--such as resumes and brochures--it's hard to beat the clean and sharp characters produced by a laser.

The problem is technical: If you spray a liquid (such as ink) on a porous surface (such as plain paper), that ink is going to bleed into areas where it shouldn't, making for less-than-optimal text and other fine lines.



Image quality from multifunctions is poor.



The only catch is that manufacturers don't make multifunction versions of their highest quality printers. High-end printers used for fine art and archival prints can use specialized inks and print on a wide variety of papers. So, for example, Epson's Stylus Photo ink jet printers can cost as much as $800; the Stylus Pro models start at $1300. Yet Epson's highest end multifunction--the Artisan 810 All -in-one Printer--costs as little as $200 (Best Current Price). Its output will clearly not be in the same league as that of the Stylus Photo or the Stylus Pro

You need an Airport base station to share a printer.

Not true. Plugging your printer directly into the USB port on an Airport base station ( Macworld rated 4.5 out of 5 mice ) is a convenient way to share a non-networked printer--but it isn't the only way. Many printers, even those on the low end, now offer both wired and wireless Ethernet printing options. But the easiest way to share your USB printer over your local network is to enable printer sharing in the Print and Fax System Preferences. Once that's setup, other computers on your network can see your shared printer via Bonjour in their Print and Fax System Preference.

Lasers are hazardous to your health.


In theory, those ultrafine particles emitted by lasers could have the same kinds of health effects as other small particles--such as those in cigarette smoke or polluted air. But those health hazards have not yet been definitively established. In the meantime, researchers recommend moving printers--particularly those that get heavy use--away from areas where people sit; wherever you put your laser, it should be well-ventilated areas.

Your printer is spying on you.


James Galbraith is Macworld's Lab Director.

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