BUYER'S GUIDE: Printers

BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK

Pretty in print

Choosing a printer is a very personal decision. Salesperson Gordon Johnson, for example, prints all his marketing materials himself using his Oki Data C5200 color LED printer. Joan Hazelgrove does it all herself, too, but with three types of printers. Michael Delehanty, meanwhile, prefers to use a local print shop for everything except correspondence and contracts, which he renders on an older Hewlett-Packard monochrome laser printer.

Whether you print photos, flyers, postcards, poster-sized signage, documents, or a combination, there’s an affordable and personalized answer for you or your work group. Prices on all printers have fallen, even as quality and speed have improved. Desktop inkjets now start under $50; color laser printers have dipped below $300.

Johnson, ABR®, with Coldwell Banker Preferred, REALTORS®, in Plymouth, Mich., found the $499 Oki Data system comparable to other models in its class in price, production, and quality. “It’s faster than the Hewlett-Packard inkjet I traded up from, the prints cost less, and the ink won’t run if it’s exposed to the rain,” he says. “What really sold me on the Oki printer is that it was the only one in that price range that could handle 110-pound postcard stock.”

Hazelgrove, CRS®, e-Pro®, with People’s Choice Realty Services in Tampa, Fla., relies on a printing arsenal: A Brother HL-2040 monochrome laser printer handles MLS printouts and contracts. An HP 2600n color laser printer serves for property flyers, color photos, brochures, and documents requiring color. And the Epson 870 color inkjet tackles postcards and materials requiring stiff card stock. “I do all my work myself out of my home office,” Hazelgrove says. “I like to have total control.”

Delehanty, a salesperson with Intero Real Estate Services in Pleasanton, Calif., creates flyers in Microsoft Publisher and e-mails the files to a printing company. Within hours the prints are delivered to his office. He typically orders 200: 180 in black and white at eight cents each and 20 in color at twice the price. “Image is everything in this business,” he says about his preference for professional printing. “When people pick up a flyer, it has to look and feel good.”

Don’t you want to feel the same way about materials produced by your printer?

Quick guide to printer options

Personal use.
This could be the year to step up from an inkjet to a color laser printer, which renders more durable images and offers consistent speed, compared with inkjets. Already starting under $300, prices should continue to fall, making them attractive as your primary printer. And with monochrome lasers available for well under $200, they’re now practical solutions for high-volume, day-to-day production of documents and contracts without color.

Still inclined to an inkjet? Unless you’re shopping for a no-frills bargain, you’ll be better served with the flexibility of a multifunction printer/copier/scanner. Prices begin in the $100 range for color.

Work group/office.
Workgroup color laser printers start around $500 and climb based on production capacity and features, such as Wi-Fi support. When buying for the office, look for scalable solutions you can upgrade, such as by adding scanning, copying, or scan to e-mail functions.

Specialty.
Dedicated photo printers, which start around $100, make sense for those who distribute photo prints. Mobile printers start around $200 for a color inkjet. Large-format graphics printers, starting under $1,000, can pay for themselves over time with savings on yard signs and other marketing materials printed in-house.

Desktop/Home Office Printers

Lexmark Z845 $49.99 Lexmark International Inc., www.lexmark.com, 800/539-6275. Entry-level, color inkjet printer. Maximum print speed 24 pages per minute (ppm) black, 18 ppm color. Maximum print resolution 4,800 x 1,200 dots per inch (dpi) in color. Supports borderless graphics and photo printing. Optional color cartridge available for six-color printing. High-capacity color and black ink cartridges available to reduce cost per print.

Epson Stylus CX5000 $99.99 Epson America Inc., www.epson.com, 800/463-7766. Color inkjet printer/scanner/copier. Maximum print speed 27 ppm black or color. Maximum print resolution 5,760 x 1,440 dpi in photo printing mode. Uses individual ink cartridges for each color. Functions as standalone black and white or color copier. Built-in card slots for direct printing from all popular flash media formats. Connects to PC via USB 2.0.

Pixma MP600 $199.99 Canon U.S.A., www.usa.canon.com, 800/652-2666. Multifunction photo inkjet printer/scanner/copier. Maximum print speed 30 ppm black, 24 ppm color. Maximum photo print resolution 9,600 x 2,400 dpi. 2.5-inch color LCD for reviewing, enhancing photos before printing. Built-in card reader for direct printing from popular flash media card formats. Connects to computer via USB 2.0. Bluetooth wireless option available.

Magicolor 2500W $299 Konica Minolta, www.printer.konicaminolta.com, 800/523-2696. Economical color laser printer. Maximum print speed 20 ppm black, 5 ppm color. Maximum resolution 2,400 x 600 dpi. USB 2.0 interface for connecting to computer. Windows compatible only. Handles cover stock up to 80 pound. 200-sheet input tray.

Office/Work group Printers

Officejet Pro K550dtwn $279 Hewlett-Packard, www.hp.com/go/realestate2, 800/888-8177 (code NAR1). High-capacity network-ready color inkjet. Maximum print speed 37 ppm black, 16 ppm color. Maximum print resolution 1,200 dpi black; 4,800 x 1,200 dpi color in photo printing mode. Supports automatic duplex (two-sided) printing on paper sizes up to 8.5 x 14 inches. Connection options include USB 2.0, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, the most common bandwidth designation.

Dell 3110cn $499 Dell Computer, REALTOR.org/realtorbenefits (click Dell Inc.), 877/648-3355. Entry-level color laser printer. Maximum print speed 31 ppm black, 17 ppm color at 600 dpi. Connects to computer via Ethernet, USB 2.0, or parallel port. Wi-Fi 802.11b/g card available. Monitors toner and consumable level for easy re-order.

Infoprint Color 1634 Express $754 IBM, www.ibm.com/printers, 800/358-6661. Basic configuration of upgradable color laser printer. Maximum print speed 24 ppm black, 22 ppm color at 1,200 dpi resolution. 500MHz processor and 128MB RAM. Connects via USB or Ethernet. Prints directly from USB flash drive. 350-sheet input tray. Upgrade options include automatic duplex printing, faster processor, more memory or Wi-Fi networking.

WorkCentre 4150/X $3,499 Xerox, www.xids.com/nasg/assocmrkt/nar.html , 800/275-9376 (ext. NAR). Monochrome laser unit with print/copy/scan/e-mail/fax functions. Maximum print speed 45 ppm at 1,200 dpi. Automatic two-sided printing. 600-sheet input tray. Scans documents directly to e-mail or fax. Can also route incoming faxes directly to e-mail inbox. Optional document finisher available.

LP226cn $1,199 Lanier Worldwide, www.lanier.com, 800/551-3087. Network-ready color laser printer. Maximum print speed 26 ppm black or color at 1,200 dpi. 600MHz processor, 256MB RAM. USB 2.0 and Ethernet connections built in; Wi-Fi, FireWire, and Bluetooth connections optional. Automatic duplex printing. Handles paper weights up to 55 pounds, 43 pounds in duplex printing mode. Optional scanning unit adds scan to e-mail functions.

Specialty Printers

EasyShare 500 $149.95 Eastman Kodak Co., www.kodak.com, 800/235-6325. Thermal color photo printer for direct printing from camera or flash media cards. Prints in 60 seconds at 300 dpi. Four print sizes from 1.3 x 2 inches to 4 x 6 inches. 3.6-inch LCD screen for reviewing, enhancing images before printing. Built-in support for Bluetooth wireless. Wi-Fi support available.

Deskjet 460wf $349 Hewlett-Packard, www.hp.com/go/realestate2, 800/888-8177 (code NAR1). Mobile color inkjet printer. Maximum print speed 17 ppm black, 16 ppm color at 1,200 dpi. Uses standard-sized paper. Supports USB, Bluetooth wireless connections, and Wi-Fi wireless networking. CompactFlash and SecureDigital card slots. 13.4 x 7.28 x 3.25 inches. 4.6 pounds.

ImagePROGRAF iPF500 $1,495 Canon U.S.A., www.usa.canon.com, 800/652-2666. Large-format color printer for printing signs, marketing materials up to 17 inches wide on a variety of media. Maximum resolution 2,400 dpi. Five-color ink system for more vibrant colors. Connects via USB 2.0; FireWire IEEE 1394 available. Includes PosterArtist design software.

Prices are the vendors’ suggested retail prices and are subject to change. This list isn’t comprehensive; NAR doesn’t evaluate or endorse these products and isn’t responsible for changes in company info.

REALTOR Benefits(SM) partners offer special pricing or services to NAR members. Find out more at REALTOR.org/realtorbenefits.

Cool tools

Update appliances with paintGive refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, faucets, and kitchen cabinets a more modern stainless steel finish with Thomas’s Liquid Stainless Steel paint. To go stainless: Brush or roll on about two coats of paint, backbrush with a kit-supplied paint brush, and apply a topcoat to seal. $139. Thomas’ Kitchen Art Inc., St. Louis; 800/650-5699; www.liquidstainlesssteel.com.

Measure with a laserReplace that old-fashioned tape measure with a handheld device that projects a laser beam across a room to record measurements. The RoboTape Laser Measure can compute square footage and cubic volume and take level measurements. Stores up to 50 measurements. Use it indoors, outdoors, in the dark, and in sunlight. $259. RoboToolz, Mountain View, Calif.; 800/984-0404; www.robotoolz.com.

Candle-fire preventionDeveloped by Ohio real estate professional Greg Hart, this candle safety timer device can give you peace of mind during open houses or serve as a gift to new home owners. In either case, it can help prevent the estimated $390 million in annual property damage caused by candles nationally. Candlewatch includes an automatic candle snuffer that mounts onto any jar candle along with a silent timer. When the timer goes off, the lid shuts, extinguishing the flame. $24.99. The Candlewatch Co. LLC, Galloway, Ohio; 614/853-5433; www.candlewatch.com.

—Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Prices are the vendors’ suggested retail prices and are subject to change. This list isn’t comprehensive; NAR doesn’t evaluate or endorse these products and isn’t responsible for changes in company info.

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REALTOR Benefits(SM) partners offer special pricing or services to NAR members. Find out more at REALTOR.org/realtorbenefits.

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