Owning a personal computer today is just about the same as owning a car or a house. Almost everyone in developed countries has these three things. With the advent of the internet, in 2009 alone more than 1.3 million people were making a full time living just off of selling on eBay, not to mention all the other forms of internet marketing. A home computer and a high speed internet connection are both essentials to having this option. Lap tops and desk tops are also enjoyable for storing and printing photos, organizing personal finances, and even watching TV shows and catching up on news.
Owning a printer goes hand in hand with purchasing a computer. There are many full color ink jet printer, scanner, copier, and fax combos that are perfect for the home office. Many small inexpensive printers even do a fairly good job of printing photos. Choosing the right photo printer paper is important to making the photos look the best. Standard 24 pound paper is good for everyday printing and even a few photos, but the clarity and quality of a photo will be better if printed on good paper.
There are three main kinds of photo paper to choose from: matte, semi-gloss, and glossy. Matte is very subtle and does not reflect back in the viewers eyes. Semi-gloss is half way between a matte finish and a glossy. It cuts down on glare while still offering a rich color. Glossy or high gloss is very shiny.
Choosing a photo paper that is designed by the same company as the printer manufacturer does help to maximize the quality. But less expensive store brand photo paper also works well. For someone who has a lot to print, the photo paper can get costly. A good alternative is presentation paper. It is higher grade than the 24 pound every day printing paper and looks professional.
For higher quality photos choosing a more expensive printer might be the best route. The Canon Pixma ip6600 gives high quality photos. Lower quality picture prints can fade over time. But the Canon Pixma photos are supposed to have a longer life with less fading. More expensive is not always better, but testing the difference between a bottom of the line and a high grade home printer can be important.
One of the most expensive of all printers to run at home is a laser printer. We all have complained about ink cartridges that cost as much as the printer did originally, but lasers are something else. One ink color ink cartridge might cost $20 or $25. A color toner cartridge for a laser can cost $75 or more. Another issue that I have had personally with laser printers is that they do not print nearly as many copies as is estimated by the manufacturer. HP estimated 2000 copies from my new printer. I only got 300. That is a big difference. Through adding up receipts verses copies made, it was actually cheaper to have a local print shop print our fliers for our company. Laser copies are very high quality, water resistant, and lovely, but the printer is very high cost to maintain and run.
So whatever printer or computer you choose, be sure that it meets your needs. People who work from home may want to invest in higher speed internet service, a better computer, and a high resolution printer. Computers and technology have enhanced many lives and also offered the alternative of working from home to many people.
