Whatever printer you buy, make sure you’re happy with its wireless-printing capabilities. Modern printers typically allow you to print from any device on your home Wi-Fi network—from both computers and mobile devices—eliminating the old-school need to hook a cable up to a PC. On some printers, leaving the device unused for a long time can affect the ink and clog up the works; if you think you won’t be using the printer more than a few times a year, it might be more economical (and less frustrating) to outsource your printing instead.
Printing on Demand (in Person)
If you don’t have or want a printer, but you need something printed immediately, your best option, other than asking a friend or family member to do it for you, may be to visit a nearby print shop or your local library.
FedEX Office can copy or print documents on a variety of papers, in color or black-and-white, and the employees working there can even give you some design help. For basic documents, you might be paying about 21 cents per page. You can bring your document to a FedEX Office store on a USB drive to plug into a copier device, or email the document to FedEx and have them print it for you. Staples, UPS Stores, and Office Depot offer similar printing services.
Of course, other local print shops offer customized service as well. You might also find print-for-a-fee services at your supermarket’s business center.
For photos, you’ve likely seen printing kiosks at retailers like CVS or Walmart. You can usually connect your mobile devices to the kiosk, plug in a USB drive, or upload photos through an app. If you’re using an app or the photo service’s website, you can upload your images at home, pay for your prints, and pick them up later when they’re ready.
Many people are surprised to learn they can print for free (within certain limits) at their local library. My nearby public library charges 10 cents a page for black-and-white printing and 50 cents a page for color, but gives patrons $5 of their first prints for free. It’s hard to beat that deal.
If you’re traveling, your hotel is likely to offer free printing in its business center—helpful if you need to get a last-minute boarding pass on paper or have other travel-related print needs.
Printing on Demand (Not in Person)
If you can wait a few days or longer, you can shop around for the best deal from a variety of online printing services. Photo printing services like Printique and Snapfish have evolved quite a bit and are great for projects like photo books or custom gifts like personalized calendars or holiday photo cards.
VistaPrint, CatPrint and GotPrint are among the services that offer a wide range of printing jobs, from documents to business cards to T-shirts to wedding invitations.
We may be moving to a cashless, all-digital society, but printing is still a requirement for some tasks. Thankfully, these days that doesn’t automatically mean you have to own or maintain a printer of your own.