One of the most important parts of your computer set-up is your printer. As a writer I often like to print out my work and save it for reference of use later on. Printers can also come in handy when you want to print out directions to a new place, or print out a special online coupon for a sale.
I’ve been talking a lot recently in the Computing blog about devices that attempt to combine several different electronics into one. One of the first of such devices was the all-in-one printer. Where as all in one used to mean print, scan and copy now all in one printers are also used to scan and print digital photographs.
If you plan on just printing out regular black and white documents you don’t need a very high quality printer. When you start talking about printing out 8 x 10 photos you need to start thinking about the quality of the printer and the ink you are choosing.
If you’re in the market for an all in one printer then I think one of the best on the market is the Canon PIXMA. The printer usually runs under $200 and can scan and copy documents as well as print high resolution digital photographs.
One neat feature of this printer in particular is that it has a built in card reader, so you can bypass your computer completely when you want to make digital photo prints. To print digital photographs you just take the memory card out of your camera and place it in the slot. Instantly your pictures are downloaded onto the printer and are ready to begin printing out. A 2.5” LCD screen makes it easy for you to navigate through photos and select the ones you would like to print.
The built-in scanner is another great feature of this printer. I can not tell you how many times I have used my scanner to send documents quickly to clients far away, or digitize printed photos. With a scanner you can sign a contract, scan it into your computer, and email it to a client rather than send it through regular mail or through a fax.
The Canon PIXMA all in one printer is available at most electronic retailers as well online at Amazon.com