 Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
Site Map +1 214 234 9283 | Send Email |
Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
Site Map +1 214 234 9283 | Send Email |
As we discussed last month, now is the time to make year end purchases where needs and tax savings intersect. So without further ado, here is a buyer's guide for computer equipment.
Why so much space devoted to printers? Because our recommendations vary depending on the printer type. Samsung monochrome lasers, for example, are good buys, but their new color laser has high supply costs. We're not too fond of HP ink jet multi-function units, but their color laser printers are top drawer.
As usual, refer to the contact information and call with any questions.
Some good news for those wondering if or when to move to Vista: Microsoft is shipping Service Pack 1 for Vista and Service Pack 3 for XP in early 2008, perhaps January. Service Packs are far more stable then automatic updates and have the advantage of better quality control and more thorough testing. Although we do recommend some customers avoid updating their software, we believe all customers should apply these service packs at their convenience once available.
Here are our go/consider/no-go buying recommendations for printers and computers. These are general recommendations by type and brand. Note that these recommendations do not universally apply to all customers.
| Category | Yes. | Maybe? | No! | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ink Jet Printers | All brands! | Make sure to pass on any offer for a free with purchase ink jet printer. These models have horrendous supply costs. The cartridges that ship in the box are good for about 100 pages. Then it's $50 for a new set of cartridges. There are exceptions, but most customers are better off purchasing a multi-function unit with a built in scanner instead of a print-only unit. |
||
| Ink Jet Multi-Function | Brother | HP | Dell, Lexmark | Brother has one of the best software offerings available. PaperPort is included, which lets one scan a stack of papers into a PDF file in a few clicks. Acrobat Pro is NOT required: PaperPort generates the document automatically. And the LC-51 cartridge is one of the easiest to refill: no chips or drilling to deal with. HP has excellent hardware, but their software is burdensome. Lexmark cartridges have high per-page costs and are difficult to refill. Dell printers are made by Lexmark with cartridges available only via mail order. |
| Monochrome Laser Printers | Brother, Samsung | HP | Black and white laser printing is a technology that's been around for twenty-five years. It's the most economical form of printing on a per-page cost basis. An $80 toner cartridge is good for 4,000 pages. Even though the stated shelf life is six months, we've seen a single cartridge last for two years. Brother and Samsung make inexpensive models worth owning. Brother is the best value for a small network model, making it easy to share the same printer with multiple computers. HP has heavy duty models which may be more suitable for larger offices. |
|
| Color Laser Printers | HP | Samsung | When the device is just a printer, HP does well in all aspects. The paper path is straighter, jams are easier to clear, supplies are less expensive. Samsung has an inexpensive, small, quiet color laser printer with a reasonable cost. Until one has to buy new toner and other supplies. The Samsung per page cost is about $0.18-0.20 per page, which is more then HP by a substantial margin. |
|
| Monochrome Laser Multi-Function | Brother | Canon, HP | Samsung | Brother has the same excellent PaperPort software offering. Plus included networking for less. Canon and HP have more expensive models with features useful for larger offices. Samsung multi-function models seem lacking. It's harder to find a model that does all four functions (print, copy, scan, FAX). Plus only one model offers network sharing. |
| Color Laser Multi-Function | All brands! | We have not seen a single model worth owning that costs less then a decent color laser printer and a monochrome multi-function. Might as well purchase two units. | ||
| Desktop and Notebook Computers | Dell, Lenovo | Apple | HP, Compaq | Dell has really got their act together. Any small business computer can be ordered with Windows XP instead of Vista. And on-line prices are as cheap (or less) then store blow-out specials. On some computers, Lenovo also offers XP instead of Vista. Apple computers have a higher purchase cost, but their design and stability is well worth it for some customers, especially those doing graphic design or video editing. HP computers come with Vista which we do not recommend, at least not until SP 1 ships. But the hardware is full featured, reliable, and well designed. Compaq is HP's value brand, and our customers by a small majority tend to have more problems with Compaq then the HP brand. |
Just contact us with any comments, concerns, or questions about items contained in this document. Or IT issues in general. Or call us at the telephone number below.
To get notified when we add a new article or tip, follow us on Twitter. To get monthly updates, subscribe to our mailing list by sending this email.
|
|
+1 214 234 9283 |