There are basically three types of printers that you may encounter when completing your work at SUNY Broome. It is important to understand the differences and uses of each. The three main types are listed below.

Types of Printers

• Laser Printer: The majority of printers that you will be using on campus are Laser printers as they are typically used in places that need to handle mass or frequent printing. SUNY Broome provides access to laser printers in each of the labs on campus. The printers are connected to the network, which means that one printer can be shared among all computers in the lab. While color laser printers do exist, the ones you will be using in the labs on campus only use black toner.
  
  
• Inkjet Printer: Inkjets are typically the most affordable printers that you can purchase and are frequently produced for home or small office use. In addition to their affordability, inkjet printers allow for color printing. The cost of color ink cartridges, however, can become quite pricey, particularly if the printer is used to print mass volumes. You will most likely only encounter inkjet printers in classes that require color printing and not in the computer labs.
  
  
• All-in-One Printer: The All-in-One printer is also a very popular printer for the home or small office as it is capable of not only color printing, but also faxing, copying or scanning. It can be a very handy device and that typically can be found at very affordable prices.

Tips for Printing

• Print Only the Pages You Need: Most software applications and printers allow users to select the pages or text that they need to print. For example, if you only need pages 1-5 of a 20 page document, there typically is a setting that will allow you to do this. The other handy option is to print the "current page only". This is useful if you have just made a change to one area of a document and you would like to see how only that page looks when it is printed.
  
  
• Print Double-Sided When Possible: Our lab printers allow for double-sided printing. If you need assistance doing this on a particular computer and printer, the lab proctor should be able to assist you.
  
  
• Carefully Review All Page Layout Settings Prior to Printing: For example, if a document must be printed in Landscape, with page numbers and a header, make sure that these settings are correct prior to printing. It is also helpful to use the Print option from the File menu rather than the printer icon button. Quite often, the printer icon button immediately sends a document to the printer without giving the user the opportunity to review the printer settings and can also result in unnecessary, multiple copies being printed.