There are a wide range of monochrome and color laser printers available today to fulfill the needs of virtually any computer user. Because there are a number of well appointed monochrome and color laser printers to choose from, you can easily find a model to fit the needs and budget of any home, office or corporate user.

If you need to print cost effective professional paper labels quickly and easily then a label printer will meet your needs. Perfect for creating pres-sized easy-peel labels for envelopes, packages, file folders, CDs, binders and a variety of other uses.

If you need to print "photo quality" images and your print volumes are relatively low, this is a task best handled by a color inkjet printer.

If your output needs require greater flexibility, then you may want to consider a color laser printer. While color laser printers are more expensive than monochrome lasers, they do allow you the versatility to rapidly produce color documents, reports, presentations, and other materials whenever you need to. In addition, color laser printers can easily handle higher daily print volumes as well as deliver a lower cost per page vs. other color printing technologies.

If the majority of your printing is in black and white, a monochrome laser printer may be your best choice. These printers excel at delivering fast, high quality text printing, as well as a low cost per page. A monochrome laser printer is also a solid choice when you have daily print volumes that are more than a few pages per day.

A printer's speed is described in terms of ppm (pages per minute). More expensive printers have faster print speeds, while many entry-level laser printers today have a print speed of around 20ppm, which is usually fine for personal use.

Your print volume determines which printer class to consider. Personal printers are designed for users with lower print volumes. For individuals with higher print volumes, or small groups sharing a printer, an office printer is suitable. Heavy volume users require a heavier duty office printer.

Print resolution is always stated in dots-per inch (dpi). Most laser printers today have a default resolution at 600x600dpi, which is fine for everyday text printing. For sharper output when printing photographs or documents combining text, photos, and charts, a higher resolution, such as 1200x1200dpi or 2400x600dpi, is preferable. 1200x1200dpi is recommended when your materials need to look their very best, but choosing this resolution can significantly reduce your print speed. Certain printers offer up to 2400x600dpi print quality and are capable of printing at their best output quality while printing at or near their highest-rated print speed.

Check to see if the laser printers is compatible for either Windows and Mac computers. If you have a legacy application that runs under DOS, consider a printer with both a Parallel interface and PCL® emulation.

Most printers have sufficient standard memory for everyday office printing. If you are printing more complex documents such as graphics, photographs, charts, or specialized fonts, consider a printer with upgradeable memory. In general, the more memory a printer has, the better it can handle larger, more complex documents.

Most laser printers come standard with USB and Parallel interfaces† for maximum flexibility. If you have a network or plan to share your printer, consider a printer with a built-in Ethernet or wireless network interface. Wireless-ready printers eliminate the need to connect the printer using a cable, and allow you to locate it where it is most convenient.

If your printer will be on a network, or if you have large print volumes, consider a printer with a large paper capacity to avoid paper outages.

Consider whether you will be printing on different paper sizes. You can print up to legal size paper with many laser printers. If you frequently print on both letter and legal size paper, consider a printer that offers two lower paper trays. These models allow you to store letter size paper in one tray and legal in the other and automatically select paper from either tray.

Most laser printers also offer a manual feed slot or multi-purpose tray for printing envelopes, labels, custom paper sizes and heavier media.

If you have applications that require DOS support, you'll need a printer with PCL emulation. Some laser printers offer PCL emulation, which is generally used for everyday office document printing. If you are printing graphics, photos, special fonts and charts, or if you are a Mac user, consider a printer with PostScript®.

If you want to print two-sided documents, consider a printer with built-in automatic duplex printing. This feature saves time, reduces waste, and can decrease your printing costs.

To password protect confidential documents, choose a printer with a Secure Print capability. This feature allows you to password protect your print jobs, and helps ensure that only the people that should see a document actually do.

Printers offer either a monochrome or 3-color LCD display to enable users to easily modify settings or to determine the printer's status. In addition, several printers also offer other standard features such as N-Up, Watermark and Poster Printing that may be required for some printing applications.

If your business is rapidly growing, consider a printer with expansion options such as paper trays, output bins, duplex printing, and upgradeable memory. If you want to store forms, or fonts, and commonly used files on a CompactFlash® card, consider a printer that accepts one of these cards.

Carefully review each manufacturer's warranty as some offer various terms and conditions. Length or warranty period. Carry-in or on-site repairs. Which components the warranty covers. It may be a good idea to consider getting an extended warranty on your printer.