Buying copiers, printers and scanners

Check the power consumption when buying new equipment. Choose the model with the lowest energy consumption in both the on and standby modes.

Different types of equipment

  • Laser printers. Laser printers are fast and cheap to run. However, these printers cost more to buy and use more power than inkjet printers.
  • Inkjet printers. Inkjet printers are cheap to buy, but expensive to run because of the price of replacement ink cartridges. They use less power than laser printers.
  • Photo printers. Photo printers let you see your digital photographs in printed form.
  • Scanners. Go for scanners that take their power from the USB port and have an on/off button. Choose the size and functions to suit your requirements.
  • Copy machines. Copy machines are either analogue or digital. Analogue machines are not very bulky and can only copy. Digital copiers are larger and faster. The can also come with a laser printer function.
  • Multifunction machines. Multifunction machines are the ideal choice if you need more than one function. You can choose between laser and inkjet.

Buying advice

  • Standby
    Ask about machines with a standby consumption of 1 watt or less, and which quickly revert to normal operation after standby.
  • Power from the USB port
    Choose a model which takes its power from the USB port, uses less than 2.5 watts and switches off at the same time as the computer. Please note that some computers do not shut down the USB ports when the computer is switched off, so you should check this when making your purchase.
  • Duplex
    Go for duplex machines (print and/or copy on both sides of the paper).
  • Scanners
    Choose a scanner which has an on/off button.

Page last updated 06.10.2008