October 4, 2024

Why Do Home Printers Suck?

The biggest problem with most printers is how incredibly mediocre they are. They are only good enough to sit on a desk for low-effort printing, faxing, scanning, and copying. But nothing else.

I’m really passionate about tech and all the new products coming out, but I’ve never been passionate about any printer. I’m sure most feel the same way. It sucks because we all know how cool it could be if all the printers were actually good enough to replace a dedicated fax machine and be able to print photos like they were intended.

What’s the difference between a desktop printer and commercial printer?

A desktop printer is the actual hardware used for printing documents. However, a commercial printer is actually a business that provides print services to other companies and organizations. For example, those who are selling products online may hire a commercial printer to package their product with printed materials or labels, which speeds up the process if they were to do it themselves.

While many companies can print their own documents using a desktop printer, they may not be able to keep up with the volume or frequency of printed material. This is where commercial printers step in and help businesses that need more printing done. More companies are looking for ways to cut costs, including hiring commercial printers instead of purchasing an expensive multi-function office machine (fax, copier, printer).

While some companies choose to hire commercial printers for their office needs, others may elect to keep the printing in-house. This is where it’s essential to determine if desktop printers can meet all of your needs or if you need to call in outside help. If you are looking for a company that offers both printing and packaging, a commercial printer may be the right choice.

A company that does both printing and packaging for businesses is a commercial printer. Desktop printers are computers connected to a printer, while commercial printers generate other office machines such as fax, copier, and printing machine. Commercial printers can help companies who need more printing done in lieu of purchasing an expensive multi-function office machine.

So why isn’t a better product being put to market?

The printer manufacturers don’t want to do it. They are already making decent money on their current products, and they aren’t really that much better than the models that came out five years ago. And why should they? You will still pay them $100 or more for a new printer every couple of years (or every single year if you are printing photos) even though you can buy a nice printer for $200 or less, and then use it for five years without buying anything new (just like the old ones).

Did you ever have the feeling that home printers are built worse than other consumer electronics?

The technology is pretty much the same. However, commercial printers are manufactured to a price point so they can be sold for significantly less. The manufacturers are also willing to sacrifice features because of this strategy. And for good reasons.

Who would benefit from this change?

Well, besides everyone involved in printing/scanning/faxing? The customers, obviously. We would have to spend less money, and there would be more competition, which means higher quality products for all and better customer service. And the companies would save on production costs by creating one good printer instead of hundreds of under-developed mediocre ones.

Why is this not happening?

No company wants to benefit at the expense of another one, so there is no incentive to make any change.

The home user who wants something better needs to know their options and take the time to look into them. Just because there isn’t one printer that does everything well doesn’t mean that you don’t have good choices right now (and if you wait another year or two, you will have even more).

Suppose you want to print photos and be able to connect your smartphone/tablet/laptop directly to the printer without any cables connected (and enjoy printing anything other than text documents). In that case, these are some of the best printers that exist right now:

* Canon Selphy CP910

* HP Photosmart Wireless

* Epson XP-420

* Brother MFCJ6520DW

If you have kids that already use your printer to print their homework, then do yourself a favor and get one of these printers instead of the mediocre ones with low-capacity paper trays:

* Canon Selphy CP900

* Epson XP-410

* HP Deskjet 2130

These printers cost around $120, and they all allow you to print from your smartphone/tablet wirelessly. If that’s not enough, another option is an actual photo printer that will enable you to print 4 x 6 photos directly from any digital camera. The Epson PictureMate is an excellent choice if you need it to do more than just print photos (you can also fax and scan directly from it).

They all cost between $200 and $250. So at this point, if you want the cheapest printer that will last for five years or more, then you should consider getting an office laser printer instead.

Why choose a commercial printer instead of doing it in-house?

  • Home printers do not print with the same care and detail as commercial printers (and remember, they suck!). This is true because most people do not understand how to use their printer, even if it is relatively easy to use
  • Commercial printers are equipped with high-quality printers and equipment that can handle a large volume of printing, which is not available to home printers. Commercial printers are able to produce magazines, coloring books, brochures, calendars, posters, and many other types of printing in house
  • Commercial printers have experience in color matching. They have the proper software and equipment to match colors precisely so that you will not have to worry about whether the colors will turn out correctly. However, commercial printers need to use a Pantone Matching System book when they are trying to match colors precisely because they might mistouch the colors if they do not use a Pantone Matching System book
  • Most people do not have graphic artists working for them to design their product packaging, which gives the commercial printer an advantage over home printers. Commercial printers usually have professional graphic artists that can create designs that will attract customers to buy their products
  • They have the proper equipment needed to install line screens, color separations, and halftones onto your product packaging so that they can produce the best possible quality for your printing job. Most home printers cannot install line screens, color separations, and halftones onto posters or product packaging
  • They usually produce more cost-effective printing than home printers. Commercial printers can produce high-quality products at lower prices than most home printers can offer
  • They can give you the same product for less money. Commercial printers are able to produce the same exact product that home printers would at a more cost-effective price.

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