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Speed and capacity are important factors
in printing. These factors are even more important if the printer is
to be used in a fast-pace work environment. They are less of an issue when
printers are for home use or small office environments. Having some
understanding of the capacity and speed of printers is critical in
making the right printer selection.
If speed is an important consideration, lower-end inkjet printers are not a good choice. Generally inkjet printers will print text at two to six pages per minute. Printing a page of graphics can take several minutes. Compare this with color lasers, some of which can print at 16 pages per minute, and send out the first page in about 10 seconds. The question to consider in making a decision has to do with speed and cost. Personal laser printers are sufficient for printing an average of 200 pages per week. These printers are low-end and cost U.S. $200 and up. Personal printers can print up to eight pages per minute (ppm). They generally would meet the needs of small businesses. If an average of a thousand pages per week is needed a Workgroup printer is required. Typically, a workgroup printer can print up to 24 ppm and may cost U.S. $1,000 to $6,000 or more. Finally, higher capacity printing jobs would require a Production printer. A production printer is needed for printing 50,000 or more pages per week. These printers can be quite expensive and are mostly used by commercial publishers. These units cost in the range of U.S. $100,000 and up, but can print up to 700 ppm and are capable of printing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. |