For most students, especially those in college, one piece of equipment that is of great value are printers. Although a good number of colleges offer printing services in their computer labs, you would still prefer having your own so that you can quickly and easily print your assignment in the comfort of your room.

Having established that you need to have your own printer, what factors then should you consider when choosing one?

Here are five things that you should look for in printers:

1. Portability – Basically, you need something that is portable enough to bring from and to your dorm. Printers that are not big in size are ideal.
2. Affordability – It’s understandable that students don’t have much money to spare, so the price of the printer is a major factor that you should consider.
3. Cost of Operation – This is perhaps more important than the initial cost of the printer itself. Of all the operational costs, the cost of replacement of HP Inkjet cartridges stands out. Printer ink is, in fact, more expensive per volume than human blood! It’s advisable to go for a printer with cheap cartridges. HP Inkjet Cartridges are generally cheap, but laser printer toner cartridges are generally much cheaper.
4. Connectivity – It’s a big advantage if you are able to connect to the printer through Wi-Fi especially because most school dorms heavily rely on a wireless connection. If the Wi-Fi connection is poor, ensure that the printer can be connected via USB. In addition, iPad and iPhone users may want to consider buying an AirPrint-enabled printer for easy connection to their device.
5. Print Quality – This is especially important if you will be printing a lot of color graphics or photos. Inkjet printers generally print higher quality pictures, while laser printers print higher quality text.

Using these five things as your guide and checklist, you will certainly make the best choice out of available options.