The speed denoted in Pages Per Minute (PPM) at which the printer can take photocopies of Black & White documents

Print resolution refers to the quality of the print or dots per inch (dpi). The Epson has a higher quality print at 5760 x 1440 while the HP average is around 4800 x 1200 dpi.

Scan resolution is important for those that make a lot of high quality copies and scan pictures. The Epson scans at 1200 x 2400, while the HP scans at 1200 x 4800. Some printers may list a “Resolution Enhanced Scan” measure which is a measure relating to how the standard resolution can be enhanced through the software, such as making the image larger, but it will not necessarily add more detail.

The scan resolution is far more important number as it relates to the quality of the scan. In general, Epson printers are thought to be a bit better at photos and HPs are known for their high-quality text output.

Ability of a printer to function as a fax machine and send / receive fax communication.

No. of incoming fax pages that the unit can keep in its memory

The maximum speed at which a fax can be sent or received

Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail in the object that is being imaged.

An imaging system may have many individual components including a lens and recording and display components. Each of these contributes to the optical resolution of the system, as will the environment in which the imaging is done.

Ability of a printer to function as a photocopier in order to take photo copies of documents.

Ability of the printer to scan documents and save them as images in a computer attached to it

The total number of sheets (A4 size) with Black Text that the printer can print using a new and standard Toner / Ink cartridge specified for a particular printer.

Manufacturer’s part number for the Black toner or Black ink Cartridge, specified for use in a particular printer.

The total number of sheets (A4 size) with Colour Text that the printer can print using a new and standard Toner / Ink cartridge specified for a particular printer.

Manufacturer’s part number for the Colour toner or Colour ink Cartridge, specified for use in a particular printer

Cost of one new standard Black cartridge / Toner in Rupees.

Cost / page printed is a parameter that allows one to compare printers of the same type by comparing the actual cost incurred when printing one page.

This is arrived at by dividing the cost of the Black Toner / ink cartridge by the number of black text pages it can print on one new, standard Toner / cartridge

The total number of pages containing Black text only that can be printed by using a new and standard Black Cartridge / Toner specified for a particular printer.

Refers to the material used for Ribbon in the cartridge. Fabric and Nylon are the common types of materials used for the ribbon to retain the ink in it.

The dot matrix printer uses one or two columns of dot hammers that are moved across the paper. The hammers hit the ribbon into the paper, which causes the ink to be deposited. The more hammers, the higher the resolution. For example, 9-pin heads produce draft quality text, while 24-pin heads produce typewriter quality output. Speeds range from 200 to 400 cps, which is about 90 to 180 lpm.

Depth of the product measured in mm

Height of the product measured in mm

Width of the product measured in mm

The level of noise measured in db (Decibels) that the printer makes when working as a printer, scanner or copier.

Max. recommended temp that the printer can reach and still function safely without failures.

Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water.

Excessive levels of RH in the atmosphere in which the Electrical equipment or Electronic gadgets function, can result in malfunctions or failure of the product.

A wireless personal area network (PAN) specification that connects phones, computers, appliances, etc. over short distances without wires by using low power radio frequencies.

Bluetooth allows you to leave your phone in your pocket, while talking on your phone with a Bluetooth headset - with no wires. You can also exchange contact or scheduling information with other Bluetooth-enabled phones nearby, or send such information to a nearby Bluetooth-enabled printer

Ethernet is the most widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology. Specified in a standard, IEEE 802.3, Ethernet was originally developed by Xerox from an earlier specification called Alohanet (for the Palo Alto Research Center Aloha network) and then developed further by Xerox, DEC, and Intel.

An Ethernet LAN typically uses coaxial cable or special grades of twisted pair wires. Ethernet is also used in wireless LANs. The most commonly installed Ethernet systems are called 10BASE-T and provide transmission speeds up to 10 Mbps. Devices are connected to the cable and compete for access using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD ) protocol

FireWire is Apple Computer's version of a standard, IEEE 1394, High Performance Serial Bus, for connecting devices to your personal computer. FireWire provides a single plug-and-socket connection on which up to 63 devices can be attached with data transfer speeds up to 400 Mbps (megabits per second).

The standard describes a serial bus or pathway between one or more peripheral devices and your computer's microprocessor. Many peripheral devices now come equipped to meet IEEE 1394. FireWire and other IEEE 1394 implementations

The Infrared communication is a direct one-to-one, line-of sight communication, which means that data can be transferred only between two devices at a time and they must be within a few feet distance and pointed at each other.

In order to use infrared light to transfer data, the devices must be equipped with Infrared port, which transmits or receives the infrared signals. The transmission rates of the Infrared ports are about the same as those of the traditional parallel ones.

A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers (personal and otherwise) for connecting various peripherals. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port . The IEEE 1284 standard defines the bi-directional version of the port.

The Centronics Model 101 printer was introduced in 1970 and included the first parallel interface for printers.[1] The interface was developed by Dr. An Wang, Robert Howard and Prentice Robinson at Wang Laboratories.

The now-familiar connector was selected because Wang had a surplus stock of 20,000 Amphenol 36-pin micro ribbon connectors that were originally used for one of their early calculators. The Centronics parallel interface quickly became a de facto industry standard

PictBridge is an industry standard from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) for direct printing. It allows images to be printed directly from digital cameras to a printer, without having to connect the camera to a computer. Its formal name is "Standard of Camera & Imaging Products Association CIPA DC-001 — 2003 Digital Solutions for Imaging Devices".

PictBridge is typically implemented using Universal Serial Bus ports and the USB protocol. PictBridge-capable printers typically have a USB Type A receptacle which is then connected by cable to the USB port of a PictBridge-capable digital camera (typically a Type Mini-B). The user then uses the camera to select the pictures to print, which the printer then retrieves from the camera and prints.

In telecommunication and computer science, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at one time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where all the bits of each symbol are sent together.

Serial communication is used for all long-haul communication and most computer networks, where the cost of cable and synchronization difficulties make parallel communication impractical. At shorter distances, serial computer buses are becoming more common because of a tipping point where the disadvantages of parallel busses (clock skew, interconnect density) outweigh their advantage of simplicity (no need for serializer and deserializer (SERDES)).

Improved technology to ensure signal integrity and to transmit and receive at a sufficiently high speed per lane have made serial links competitive. The migration from PCI to PCI-Express is an example.

Universal Serial Bus - is a plug-and-play interface for connecting a computer and add-on devices such as joysticks, keyboards, wireless phones, scanner, cameras etc.

USB supports hot-swap (ability to add a new device without having to reboot the computer). USB supports data speed of 12 megabits per second.

Indicates if the Printer can print in colours

LCDs (liquid crystal display) are all around us. They are found in laptop computers, digital clocks and watches, microwave ovens, CD players and many other electronic devices. The LCD display in a printer informs the user a variety of status or error messages besides pre setting many printer parameters from the panel of a printer.

A printer specialized for smaller prints such as 4x6" and 5x7". When first introduced in the mid-1990s, photo printers used dye sublimation for high quality printing because inkjet printing was not quite up to par. Since then, inkjet technology has greatly improved, and most photo printers are inkjets. Epson, Canon and HP are major players in this market.

Indicates if the printer is a portable unit like a laptop computer. If one is constantly on the road and needs a computer printer for his / her printing needs when on the move, then consider a portable model that runs on battery power and can fit in your briefcase. Costs start at about Rs.6,000/-.

Dot Matrix (Impact) A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer refers to a type of computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like a typewriter. Unlike a typewriter or daisy wheel printer, letters are drawn out of a dot matrix, and thus, varied fonts and arbitrary graphics can be produced. Because the printing involves mechanical pressure, these printers can create carbon copies and carbonless copies.

Inkjet Inkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material (ink) onto almost any medium. They are the most common type of computer printer for the general consumer due to their low cost, high quality of output, capability of printing in vivid color, and ease of use.

Like most modern technologies, the present-day inkjet has built on the progress made by many earlier versions. Among many contributors, Epson, Hewlett-Packard and Canon can claim a substantial share of the credit for the development of the modern inkjet.

In the worldwide consumer market, four manufacturers account for the majority of inkjet printer sales: Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson, and Lexmark.

Laser Color If you want colour printing capability, your two choices are inkjet printers and colour laser printers. Inkjet printers can print high quality colour and are a fraction of the cost of a colour laser printer. Inkjet printers can produce high quality graphics, banners, greeting cards, text and large photo prints. For most people that require colour printing capability, inkjet printers will be the most cost effective solution. However be wary of the cost of both ink and paper. Although the price of laser colour printers has dropped dramatically, a low end printer will still cost in excess of Rs.1.25 lakhs with a colour print speed of between 5 and 10 pages per minute.

Thermal A thermal printer (or direct thermal printer) produces a printed image by selectively heating coated thermochromic paper, or thermal paper as it is commonly known, when the paper passes over the thermal print head. The coating turns black in the areas where it is heated, producing an image. Two-color direct thermal printers are capable of printing both black and an additional color (often red), by applying heat at two different temperatures. Thermal transfer printing is a related method that uses a heat-sensitive ribbon instead of heat-sensitive paper.

All-in-one Printer A single print device that serves several functions, including printing, faxing, scanning, and copying. Also called a multifunction printer (MFP). All-in-one is often abbreviated as AiO.

Printer A computer printer, or more commonly a printer, is a computer peripheral which produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable to a computer which serves as a document source. Some printers, commonly known as network printers, have built-in network interfaces (typically wireless or Ethernet), and can serve as a hardcopy device for any user on the network. Individual printers are often designed to support both local and network connected users at the same time.

Photo Printer Photo printers have increased in popularity in recent years along with the increased use of digital cameras. Before this, photo printers were typically priced much higher than standard inkjet printers and were mostly used by professionals.

Epson began to market photo printers to consumers with their Stylus Photo line. Soon after that, Canon began offering inexpensive photo printers and eventually all other major printer manufacturers followed. Recently, the major printer manufacturers began releasing compact photo printers. These models print 4"x6" photos and do not require a computer.

Printer resolution measures how fine a printer can print. This measurement is known as dots per inch, or "dpi." The greater the dpi, the better the image clarity. Scanner resolution is also measured in dpi.

A broad segregation of all printers portrayed in this portal into 3 resolution bands (1200x1200 dpi or less, 1440x720 dpi - 4800x1200 dpi, 5760x720 dpi or more) based on their resolution

Refers to the ability of the printer to automatically draw the next paper in the input tray once the current page is printed

Ability to load envelopes and print address on them for the purpose of mailing

Indicates the ability of the printer to take the paper for printing purposes when the paper is loaded manually.

The maximum size of the paper that the printer can handle when the paper is transported thro’ the printer for the purpose of printing

Once a page is printed, the printer ejects the paper and it drops on the collection tray or output bin. The maximum number of cut sheets that the output tray of a printer can hold after the printer ejects the paper and it drops on the collection tray or output bin once the printing is completed on a sheet during a print job

The maximum number of cut sheets that the paper input tray of  a printer can hold for auto feeding the paper during a print job

Impact printers can handle multipart stationeries in order that multiple copies are secured in one printing process. The carbon sheets in between the stationery can be removed and copies separated for dispatch to different departments which might need them

In the metric system, the density of all types of paper and paperboard is expressed in terms of grams per square metre (g/m²). This quantity is commonly called in both English and French (ISO 536), though printers in most English-speaking countries still refer to the "weight" of paper.

By definition, one square meter is one A0 size sheet or 16 A4 size sheets. Typical office paper has 80 g/m², therefore a typical A4 sheet (1⁄16 m²) weighs 5 g.

The unofficial unit symbol "gsm" instead of the standard "g/m²" is also occasionally encountered in English speaking countries.

While paper is measured by weight, card is measured by thickness in micro meters.

Most inkjet printers that use color cartridges will also print in color on transparency pages. But be sure to buy the overhead transparency packages for the printer that you have. It has a special coating on the side that is printed on so the ink "sticks" Regular overhead transparency sheets used in copiers won't work as good. If your printer won't print color transparency most copy shops can do a color transparency from your color paper printout.

Also check your printer settings, options, since to get the best output you may have a special option to set for "overhead transparency".

Printers almost always ship with enough memory to handle jobs that involve basic text. But if you're printing graphics, it can be a different story. When does one need more memory? For photographs and pictures -- especially web pages with a lot of graphics -- one will need more memory to print, even in black and white.

For high-resolution black and white graphics, one may also need more memory.

If one uses both PCL and PostScript languages, which allow for stretched text graphics, then he/she may need a memory upgrade.

If one often get "memory overload," "overflow errors," and "out of memory" messages, then documents are too complex and he/she needs more memory.

Indicates if memory of the printer can be upgraded to higher levels by physically installing more memory modules within the printer. An authorized technician may be required to do this memory upgrade

CompactFlash (CF) is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. For storage, CompactFlash typically uses flash memory in a standardized enclosure.

The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994. The physical format is now used for a variety of devices.

The Compact Flash storage medium was made popular for its use in digital cameras. In recent years it has been widely replaced by secure digital cards on the consumer end but is still preferred for D-SLR cameras for their superior capacity, size and reliability.

Acronym for Multi Media Card, which is a removable flash memory card, designed to provide storage for mobile phones, PDAs and other handheld devices.

It was jointly developed by SanDisk and Siemens AG/Infineon Technologies AG and introduced in 1997. MMC uses Flash technology for read/write applications and ROM technology for read-only applications

Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks.

In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and faster file transfer speeds;

Memory Stick Duo, a small-form-factor version of the Memory Stick (including the PRO Duo); and the even smaller Memory Stick Micro (M2).

In December 2006 Sony added the Memory Stick PRO-HG, a high speed variant of the PRO, to be used for high definition still and video cameras

Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks.

In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and faster file transfer speeds; Memory Stick Duo, a small-form-factor version of the Memory Stick (including the PRO Duo); and the even smaller Memory Stick Micro (M2).

In December 2006 Sony added the Memory Stick PRO-HG, a high speed variant of the PRO, to be used for high definition still and video cameras

The SD Card is a highly secure stamp-sized flash memory card. Jointly developed by Matsushita Electronic (best known for its Panasonic brand name products), SanDisk and Toshiba, the SD Card weighs approximately two grams. The SD Card can be used in a variety of digital products; digital music players, cellular phones, handheld PCs (HPCs), digital cameras, digital video camcorders, smart phones, car navigation systems and electronic books.

microSD is a format for removable flash memory cards. It is derived from SanDisk TransFlash and is used mainly in mobile telephones, but also in handheld GPS devices, portable audio players, video game consoles and expandable USB flash memory drives.

It is currently (2008) the smallest memory card available commercially. At 15mm × 11mm × 0.7mm (about the size of a fingernail), it is about a quarter the size of an SD card. There are adapters which allow a microSD card to be used in devices intended for SD, miniSD, or MemoryStick Duo cards, however they are not universally compatible.

The miniSD Card is a small form factor removable and portable memory device intended for use in cell phones/mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players and many other gadgets.

In a March 13, 2003 press release, SanDisk Corporation announced the introduction of the miniSD and demonstrated it at CeBIT 2003.

The miniSD card was adopted in 2003 by the SD Association as an ultra-small form factor extension to the SD card standard. While the new cards were designed especially for use in mobile phones, they are usually packaged with a miniSD adapter which enables compatibility with all devices equipped with a standard SD Memory Card slot.

The miniSD card is made by several different manufacturers and come in different brand names. Their compatibility is universal

The xD-Picture Card is a type of flash memory card, used mainly in digital cameras. xD originally stood for extreme Digital. The cards were developed by Olympus and Fujifilm and introduced into the market in July> 2002. Toshiba Corporation and Samsung Electronics manufacture the cards for Olympus and Fujifilm. xD cards are now sold under other brands, including Kodak, SanDisk, and Lexar.

xD cards are used in Olympus and Fujifilm digital cameras and Olympus digital voice recorders; Fujifilm also made an MP3 player (xD-MP3) that used the cards. As of 2006, xD cards are available in capacities of 16 MB (16 MiB), 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB (1 GiB), and 2 GB. xD cards have dimensions of 20 mm × 25 mm × 1.78 mm, and each weighs 2.8 grams.

Power consumed by the printer during the normal print/scan/copy operations

Power consumed by the printer during the time it is idling.

Range for the input voltage to the printer in which it can function normally

A printer that prints alternate lines from right to left. In effect, while the print head returns to the Left most position it prints the next line also instead of an idle return

Printer with the ability to "think ahead" to the next line it will print so it can operate as efficiently as possible. For example, if the next line is empty it will just skip the next line without trying to print it

The number of pages that the printer can print in a minute when the pages printed have only Black pictures or graphics. The measurement unit used is ‘ppm’ which is pages per minute

The number of pages that the printer can print in a minute when the pages printed have only Black Text. The measurement unit used is ‘ppm’ which is pages per minute

The number of pages that the printer can print in a minute when the pages printed have only pictures or graphics that have different colours. The measurement unit used is ‘ppm’ which is pages per minute.

The number of pages that the printer can print in a minute when the pages printed have Text that have different colours. The measurement unit used is ‘ppm’ which is pages per minute

The number of characters per second (cps) at which the printer can print the text in Draft Print mode (low-resolution) when operated at 12cpi. cpi (characters per inch) is a measurement for the density of characters per inch on paper. A printer's CPI button in its panel switches character pitch

The number of characters per second at which the printer can print the text in LQ (Letter Quality) mode (high-resolution) when operated at 12cpi. cpi (characters per inch) is a measurement for the density of characters per inch on paper. A printer's CPI button in its panel switches character pitch

Linux is the name usually given to any Unix-like computer operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free software and open source development: typically all underlying source code can be freely modified, used, and redistributed by anyone.

The name "Linux" comes from the Linux kernel, started in 1991 by Linus > Torvalds. The system's utilities and libraries usually come from the GNU operating system, announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman. The GNU contribution is the basis for the alternative name GNU/Linux.

Acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System – one of the earliest OS from Microsoft

The operating system for Macintosh, or for newer models, Mac. Mac is a brand name which covers several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc.

The original Macintosh was released on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI) rather than a command line interface

Windows 98 Second Edition was released in May 1999 as a sequel to Windows 98 OS.

Windows Millennium OS: As the successor to Windows 98, Windows Me was marketed as a "Home Edition" compared to Windows 2000 Professional, which was oriented towards businesses and had been released seven months earlier. It included Internet Explorer 5.5, Windows Media Player 7, and the new Windows Movie Maker software, which provided basic video editing; and was designed to be easy for home users Windows 2000 OS.

Windows  2000: Released in Feb 2000 and also referred to as Win2K, Windows 2000 is a preemptive, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor computers

Windows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn". Development was completed on November 8, 2006; over the following three months it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers, and retail channels.

On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide, and was made available for purchase and download from Microsoft's website. The release of Windows Vista comes more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP, the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft Windows

Weight of the product measured in Kg