Shop printers, scanners and ink
Types of printer
From mobile printing to dealing with the occasional ream of school, college or university work, inkjet printers are ideal for everyday home use.
Typically, inkjet printers deliver better photographs than laser printers, with a number of high quality inkjets making the most of everything from smartphone snaps to high quality DSLR photography. Generally, a full set of replacement ink cartridges are cheaper than laser toner too, making them perfect for home and photographic use.
Laser printers are designed for more frequent use and are suitable for offices or homes that regularly print in large amounts. Perfect for black and white documents and high speed batch printing, laser printers are built for demanding use.
While toner cartridges cost more than their inkjet counterparts, their page yield is higher (typically over 1400 pages). So while the initial purchase and toner price may seem high, the cost-per-page can work out cheaper over time.
Combining a scanner, copier and printer, all-in-one printers provide everything you need for comprehensive home printing. They are available in both inkjet and laser varieties, letting you benefit from home scanning and copying whatever your ink preference.
Some even feature an integrated fax machine, which makes them the ideal printing solution for busy homes and small offices.
Many all-in-ones with fax machines also feature dual and large capacity paper trays, making it easy to switch between high quality photo paper and everyday A4 and A3.
Want to print on both sides of the page? That’s duplex printing! Most new printers will offer you this option and it’s a must-have for essays, reports and generally saves you money while cutting down on wasted paper.
Things to consider when buying a printer
Ink
Inkjet
Inkjet printers use ink cartridges which are usually cheaper to replace than their laser counterparts, although the page yield is lower. If you aren’t anticipating heavy use or you predominately print photographs or high colour images, an inkjet printer will provide exceptional images without breaking the bank when new ink is needed.
Laser
Laser toner cartridges are more costly than those of an inkjet printer, they can offer a greater yield along with vastly improved print speeds. If you find yourself regularly printing in large quantities, a laser or office spec inkjet printer is worth considering.
HP Instant Ink
HP Instant Ink is an instant ink replacement service which is automatically ordered by your printer, and delivered to your door. This service is available on all eligible HP printers, and all you need to do is enroll on a fixed monthly fee plan which determines a pre-defined number of pages per month. Ink is automatically posted to your address whenever it’s required, with the monthly payment inclusive of postage and recycling.
Instant Ink can help you save money and ensures you always have ink when you need it.
Epson EcoTank
Epson EcoTank printers feature unique ink tanks that can be refilled and topped-up as necessary using cost-effective ink bottles. The bottles provide up to 6500 prints each, and can help you reduce printing costs by up to 90% - ideal for offices and busy homes. For most people, that's two year’s worth of ink.
The top-up bottles contain genuine Epson ink that has been designed to work perfectly with the EcoTank printers, so you can rely on the best quality results regardless of how often you use it.
Individual or block inks
Inkjet printers either feature individual inks or block inks. Printers with individual inks have an individual cartridge for each colour, typically single cartridges for black, cyan, magenta and yellow. They’re great if your regularly print photos or documents with single colour letter heads, as you can replace the most used colours when you need to. Some high-end photo printers also have additional cartridges for grey, or photo-specific blacks, which enables them to deliver more natural colours with deeper contrast.
Block ink combines the three main colours into a single unit. They tend to be cheaper than buying each ink separately, so a printer with block inks is a great choice if you don’t print that often.
Multipack and combination ink packs
Ink can be bought either separately or as a combination pack. Including all the cartridges needed for a full top up, combination ink sets cost less than buying separately and offer great value for money.
XL ink packs
Extra-large Ink or Toner cartridges offer greater value for money by giving you a high page yield (more pages from a single cartridge), which reduces the cost to print per page.
Choose the perfect printer for...
Make your home office work for you with a printer that’s up to the job. If you use your phone or tablet a lot, then grab a printer you can connect to wirelessly. It saves you the hassle of having to fire up your laptop every time you want to get that invoice printed.
And if you’re off to host a presentation and need a pile of handouts in a flash, a printer that can do 30 pages per minute is a lifesaver. And to keep costs down, go for a printer that’s compatible with XL cartridges – which can give you 600 pages per cartridge.
There are a wide range of business printers for both Inkjet and Laser to choose from. A key thing to look out for when you’re choosing an office printer is that the print speed is fast enough.
Automatic document feeders (ADF) are an invaluable feature for busy offices as they allow you to scan and copy several documents at once, so you’re not wasting time standing feeding individual pieces of paper into the scanner.
If you plan on printing regularly, check the monthly duty cycle, as this shows you the maximum number of prints that the manufacturer suggests are suitable.
Writing a thesis on the evolution of the market economy in the southern colonies? You'll need a printer that can quickly crank out page after page of text - a monochrome laser printer fits the bill.
However, if you want the flexibility of scanning and copying as well, then an inkjet printer will allow you to print in colour and display all of your photo memories.
