Printers

Most of my family, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, & cousins, have more than one computer in their household. Along with those computers, they have paired it with a printer. Mistake. Printer ink ranges anywhere from $20-50 for Black & Color inkjet cartridges, and $60+ for laser toner. And with 2+ printers , you're spending about $80-240+ a year on ink (more if you have more than 2 printers)!

I also service local businesses to streamline office productivity and the worse case I saw was an office with two computers having:

1- Fax Machine
1- Copy Machine
2- Inket Printers hooked up to two different computers.

Instead, I found out that their copying machine was actually a multifunction printer/copier/fax, and networked that with their 2 computers, which replaced 4 machines into 1. Saving their office about $500/year in ink and toner purchases.

The same can be true with any home network. If you have more than 1 printer in a home network, in most cases (i.e. unless you run a business from home), you can replace it with one.

I want to set up a networked printer at home
So you decided that you want to use a networked printer at home. You can either buy one with networking capabilities (wired ethernet or wireless) or share a printer you already have. Let's explore the two options:

1. Sharing a printer

• You will need a computer to be powered on and wired to a printer in order for other computers in the network to print.
• If you are sharing a multifunction printer, most likely you will not be able to access the scan capabilities of the printer on any other computer other than the one connected to the printer.
• If you have more than one printer, and have trouble deciding which one you would like to network, and which one you want to throw away, choose the printer that is 1) the newest 2) the one that has the better print quality 3) the one you have extra ink for.
• Once you have decided and want to network your printer, follow these step by step guides: select for XP, Vista, or Mac OS. (and if you want to share on linux, why are you reading this blog?)

2. Buying a network printer, what to consider:

• Ethernet wired or Wireless. Both should be sufficient, but wired printers usually provides less of a hassle to setup and maintain.
• Multifunction or Regular printer. I recommend getting a multifunction for most home networks, with the added ability to scan and copy, it's worth the ~$50 more.
• Fax or no fax. If you need the ability to fax, and you are getting a wireless networked printer, keep in mind that if you do setup a wireless printer somewhere in the house, you will still need a phone wire to connect to the fax.
• Troubleshooting. Setting up is pretty straightforward, usually consisting of just connecting the printer and installing a cd to all the networked computers. If you need help, the guide provides a lot of helpful information or don't hesitate to call their customer service!

Another thing to consider: Inkjet ink is on average about $35. With budget printers at $25-$50 and budget multifunction printers at $69-99, consider buying a new printer to replace your aging printer, then share it!