Tactical Panda IT Services - Printers and Scanners

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Printers & Scanners

Here are a few hints and tips about getting the best out of your printer. The quality of the printed image will depend on a number of factors:

The printer
The ink
The paper
The software
The quality of the original image

Photographic paper can be expensive, so try printing the photo first in draft mode on ordinary inkjet paper first, that way you can get a rough idea of the layout and how the picture will eventually look.

If you are unsure how to print in draft mode, or to vary the contrast, saturation, lightness or darkness, consult the printer handbook first. If the handbook is not available, try the following (XP).

Click 'Start'
Select 'Control Panel'
Select 'Printers & Faxes'
Right-click the printer you are using
Select 'Printing Preferences'

This will allow you access to the basic editable features of your printer, including selecting photo paper which you will require for the finished article. Remember: some printers (like Hewlett Packard) require you to place the paper into the feader upside-down, so make sure you have the 'glossy' side of your paper facing downwards!

Many printers now arrive with image printing software built in to the driver software you install when you first started using the machine. It's up to you if you install and use it, if you don't you can always install it afterwards if you change your mind.

Which is the best printer?

That's a very difficult question! Most modern printers are made to a very high standard and very rarely go wrong. As with all hardware, there will always be the 'friday afternoon' machine that is always going wrong - usually when you most need it! Printers are very difficult to service or fix, the best advice with any printer over 2 years old is not to bother trying to get it fixed, chances are that the repair costs will be more than a new machine.

I am not trying to increase sales of printers by saying that, it's just a fact of life. The costs of printers (like the Epson Stylus 'C & D' series) is coming down all the time, so if your printer really won't work, bin it.

Having said all that, here's a major tip. Many printer faults are resolved purely by un-installing the software then re-installing it. You would be amazed at the number of times I have found this resolves the problem!

Back to the question, which is the best printer. In our opinion, Epson make some of the best printers, as do HP and Canon. Think about what you want the printer to do, i.e. good quality 'Word' or 'Excel' documents, family photos via a memory card or direct from the camera USB port. The Epson SX215 which does all this and a lot more but will set you back over £40, and it's a high quality machine that comes with a scanner/copier facility. For occasional use, also consider the HP F4580 which will also do just about everything you want it to do - for about the same price of the Epson. If you are serious about the quality and speed of your printing then the Epson will be right for you.


HP F4580	Epson SX215

If you don't do photography, and you just want a basic printer, consider something like the Canon ip1200, which for less than £40 will give you a basic inkjet printer without the bells and whistles!

Bear in mind the cost of ink cartridges, they vary a lot and should influence your buying decision just as much as the hardware itself.

Need a new scanner? If you want a new printer as well don't bother with a stand-alone scanner, just get a new all-in-one printer, it will save you a lot of space on the table/desk, less software to install and will prove a lot easier to use!

Drivers

If you have bought a new computer recently, and the operating system is Windows Vista or Windows 7 (as opposed to Windows XP), then there is a possibility that the new printer may have not the right drivers for Vista/7. Before you buy the printer, make sure that (a) the drivers are Vista or Windows 7 compatible and/or (b) you can download the drivers from the manufacturers website.

32 or 64 bit Operating System?

Before you download, check if you have a 32 bit or 64 bit system in your new computer. What's the difference? The 32 or 64 bit architecture refers to the memory address length that can be referenced by the processor. This also has an impact on the maximum amount of memory that can be utilised, which is 4GB for a 32 bit processor (but in reality the maximum accessible ram is closer to 3.4 GB due to other hardware allocations).

Having a 64 bit operating system doesn't automatically make all applications faster because much of today's software is written and optimised for a 32 bit era. You'll need software (like drivers) specifically optimised for 64 bit processing to take advantage of any speed improvements. Fortunately, many games are already including such enhancements.

Manufacturers

Here is a list of the major printer manufacturers and their websites:

Where to buy

There are plenty of 'High Street' stores where you can get your new printer, most of them you are probably familiar with. Buying from a reputable company means that you are covered by at least a 12 month warranty, but be very careful about what is exactly covered by the warranty, and more to the point, what isn't.

Here's a list of some of the computer and printer vendors you may like to get a price from that we would recommend to you. To access the website, just click on the name and the site will open in a new window.