Comparison Epson EcoTank M1120 vs Pantum P2207

— Inkjet. With inkjet printing, an image is applied to paper using microscopic drops of ink directed by the print head. This technology is well suited for home use and colour printing: inkjet printers are relatively inexpensive, and print quality can be as high as photographic. On the other hand, such printers are not suitable for printing in large volumes, because. the resource of cartridges is small and the price per page is quite high. In addition, if left idle for several days, ink residue in the print head will dry out, degrading print quality. This can be avoided by using the printer continuously or by using a special cleaning procedure that does not improve cartridge yield.

— Laser. Printing in such printers occurs as follows: a laser beam marks individual sections of the photosensitive drum, toner (powdered paint) sticks to these areas, which is then transferred to paper. Laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers and are overwhelmingly black and white; at the same time, they provide high quality and permanence of black and white printing at a low cost of the print itself, which is why they are considered optimal for business documents. Colour printing using laser technology is rarely used. inferior in quality to inkjet.

— LED. Printing technology, in many ways similar to laser (see above); the only key difference is the use of a strin...g of LEDs instead of the actual laser. This allows you to keep the main advantages of laser technology (quality and durability of black-and-white prints at their low cost), slightly reducing the cost of the printers themselves.

— Sublimation. In such printers, a special ink ribbon is used to form an image, and the print head is a set of heating elements. During the printing process, the head heats up the ribbon, the ink evaporates and settles already on the paper. Printing takes place in several stages, at the last one a special protective coating is usually applied to the image. This technology allows to achieve high-quality colour reproduction, a very small size of one dot and, as a result, high resolution, and therefore will be used mainly in photo printers.

— Solid ink. As the name implies, the ink for such a printer is initially in a solid state. When printing, they are heated to become liquid and applied to paper through a special heated drum (as in laser printers) or directly (like inkjet printers). Prints from a solid ink printer are distinguished by high-quality colour reproduction and resistance to moisture. On the other hand, the resolution of such devices is lower than that of inkjet printers, and the prints fade quickly enough in the light and are sensitive to scratches. Another feature is that the printer takes a portion of the dye from the cartridge every time it is turned on, and if there was no printing, this dye does not return to the cartridge when it is turned off, but is dumped into a special container as unsuitable for further use. Thus, ideally, a solid ink printer should not be turned off at all. Therefore, such devices are mainly used for professional printing in design and advertising firms.

— Thermal printing. Printing technology based on the effect of heat on sensitive media (usually special paper): the media darkens at the point of heating. Due to this, such printing does not require ink — the only “consumable” is the heat-sensitive paper itself; in addition, the design of the printers themselves is much simpler and more compact than with other technologies. However, on the other hand, the need for special paper and incompatibility with regular paper can create some difficulties; and, usually, there is no talk of colour printing. As a result, thermal printing is mainly used for official documents like checks: in cash registers, ATMs, payment terminals, etc. Printers using this technology are usually compact devices designed for maximum portability. They are well suited for those who often need to print documents out of the office — for example, forwarders, service workers, etc.

The maximum resolution of the image to be printed. It is usually indicated by two numbers denoting the number of dpi (DPI) horizontally and vertical: 600x600, 1200x600, 1200x1200, 2400x600, 2400x1200, 4800x600, 4800x1200, 4800x2400, 5760x1440, 9600x600, 9600x2400. The detail of the image depends on this parameter - the higher the resolution, the more fine details the printer is able to convey and the better their image will be. High print resolution is important, first of all, when working with graphic material; low resolution is sufficient for high-quality text display. So

The black and white print speed provided by the printer. It should be noted that this parameter is often indicated for low quality when the device is running at maximum performance; at a higher quality (even at standard), the actual speed can be noticeably lower, so you should choose with a certain margin. Also note that high speed significantly affects the price, power consumption and noise level. Therefore, it does not always make sense to chase maximum performance — for simple applications (for example, at home or in a small office), a relatively slow and inexpensive device may be the best choice.

As for specific values, speeds up to 20 ppm are considered relatively low, 20 – 30 ppm — average, 31 – 40 ppm — decent, and the fastest models are capable of delivering more than 40 pages per minute.

The maximum number of pages that the printer's ink (toner) can print. The value is rather conditional, in reality the deviations from the norm are very large (up or down). In inkjet printers, the cartridge life is relatively small and amounts to several hundred prints. In laser and LED devices, the bill is already in the thousands.

The printer has a built-in CISS — a continuous ink supply system.

The essence of such a system is that the ink for printing is not in the cartridge, but in external containers, from where it is supplied to the print head as needed. This provides a number of advantages over traditional cartridges. Firstly, CISS containers hold much more ink and need to be refilled less frequently. Secondly, refilling the CISS in terms of one print is much cheaper than "recharging" and even more so replacing the cartridge. Thirdly, dyes of different colours are refilled into such a system separately, and when ink of one colour is exhausted, it is enough to replenish only their stock (whereas some colour cartridges need to be changed completely, even if only one of the colours has run out).

Note that CISS can be installed separately; however, the factory setting is more reliable, such devices are less likely to fail. At the same time, this feature significantly increases the cost and complicates the design of the printer. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to models with built-in CISS first of all if you plan to print often and in large quantities.

— Pigment. Ink based on pigments — solid dyes, which are diluted in the form of microparticles in a liquid filler to a state of suspension. Compared to more popular water-based inks, these formulations are noticeably more expensive, and the finished image may turn out to be somewhat less bright (compared to printing with water-based dye on the same printer). On the other hand, pigment ink gives higher detail, which is especially important for photo printing. In addition, finished images resist moisture better and do not fade as quickly in bright light — this resistance is not enough for outdoor use, but indoors such prints can be stored for a very long time.

- Water soluble. Inks based on water-soluble dyes allow achieving high realism of color reproduction in color printing, they are well absorbed into the deep layers of paper and are cheaper than pigment ink. Also, water-soluble ink does not dry as quickly in the cartridge or print head of the printer. They are recommended for use with inkjet paper - ordinary thin paper strongly absorbs dropsy, which can cause ink to show through on the back of the sheet. At the same time, water-soluble inks are afraid of moisture and direct exposure to ultraviolet rays - when water gets in, the paint “floats” on paper, and it fades under sunlight.

– Pigmented / water soluble. Some printers have a print head that allows you to print with two types of ink at once. A common case is when their black cartridge is filled wi...th pigment ink, and the color one is filled with water-soluble ink.

The number of ink cartridges required for the full operation of the printer. In black and white devices, usually, one cartridge is installed. For colour printing, at least 4 colours are required (CMYK colour scheme), however, cartridges in such devices can be installed as 4 (one for each colour), or only 2 — black and "colour". The latter is essentially three multi-coloured cartridges in one case; This design somewhat reduces the cost, but creates certain inconveniences: when the supply of ink of one colour is exhausted, the entire colour cartridge becomes inoperative. However, this disadvantage is not critical if the possibility of refueling is provided.

Printers designed for more than 4 cartridges are also available. This design means that this model uses one of the extended colour schemes; this, on the one hand, contributes to high-quality colour reproduction, on the other hand, it significantly affects the price. In the most advanced photo printers, the number of cartridges can reach 9.

The types of cartridges (both black and white and colour) used in the printer. Some printer models are able to work with "non-native" cartridges, but this feature usually refers to undocumented features, and the manufacturer's warranty covers only specific types of cartridges. So use "non-native" models with caution.

— Connection to PC (USB-B). Connecting to a PC via USB-B in printers means using the standard USB type B port found on the device body, which is used for data transfer from the computer. This port is usually used in wired printer models and connects to the PC with a USB-A to USB-B cable, where side A is inserted into the computer, and B into the printer. This type of connection provides stable communication, high data transfer speeds, and easy connectivity without network setup.

— Network Connection (LAN). The ability to connect to a local computer network via a standard LAN port (using an Ethernet cable). With such a connection, the printer becomes accessible to all computers on the network, which is very convenient for offices, coworking spaces, and other places where printing is used by different people from different computers. Note that the network connection can be accomplished either through one of the computers on the network or through a common router; in the latter case, the printer remains operational regardless of which computers on the network are currently on. Compared to another connection option — Wi-Fi — wired connection is less convenient due to the need to lay a cable; however, it is cheaper and the connection is maximally reliable.

— Wi-Fi. Wireless technology initially intended for working with computer networks, but nowadays also used for...direct communication between devices (Wi-Fi Direct see below). Typically, printers with Wi-Fi can work as network devices — when communication is via a local network, and all computers on the network have access to the printer; however, the ability for direct gadget connection is less common. Nevertheless, the specific functionality of Wi-Fi should be clarified separately in any case.

— Card Reader. A slot for reading memory cards, usually with a direct printing function (see above). In this case, this function is especially convenient because memory cards are widely used in modern photo and video cameras; thus, the card reader allows for quick and easy printing of captured materials — just remove the card from the camera and insert it into the printer. However, this function can also be useful for exchanging data with other devices — for instance, laptops; and on some printer models, it is even possible to work in an external card reader mode for a PC.

— USB-A. A full-size USB port that allows connecting various external peripherals to the printer. Most often used for direct printing from flash drives and other storage devices, but can also be used for other purposes — such as firmware updates, troubleshooting, etc. Do not confuse this function with connecting to a PC via USB-B, where the printer itself acts as a peripheral device.

— USB-C. A modern interface that replaces the classic USB-B port and provides a more compact, symmetrical, and reliable connection. This port allows quick document transfer from a PC or laptop, often without additional drivers, and is compatible with new devices including MacBook and ultrabooks. USB-C can also be used for connecting flash drives, phones, tablets.

— Bluetooth. A technology for direct wireless communication between various devices. In printers, it is mainly used for the traditional purpose — for receiving materials sent for printing from external devices. One of the advantages of such a connection is that it allows working not only with computers but also with portable gadgets like smartphones and tablets: built-in Bluetooth modules for such gadgets are almost mandatory, whereas wired connection methods are often not available at all. And it can even be more convenient to connect to a PC or laptop this way: Bluetooth requires no wires and confidently works at a distance of about 10 meters.

— NFC. A short-range wireless communication technology — up to 10 cm. In printers, it is usually used as an auxiliary function, to simplify Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections: instead of manually setting up the connection, simply bring an NFC-enabled gadget close to the printer and confirm the connection. And in some models, materials can even be sent for printing immediately this way (by bringing the device to the printer); for this, usually, a branded application must be installed on the external gadget.

— Wi-Fi Direct. A feature found in models with built-in Wi-Fi modules (see above). Direct support allows other Wi-Fi devices (laptops, smartphones, cameras, etc.) to connect directly to such a printer without using a router and local network. This is especially convenient in the absence of network equipment, or if additional setup is required. The functionality of Wi-Fi Direct connection is generally similar to Bluetooth (see above); the main difference is that Wi-Fi provides faster and more reliable communication with greater range. This is particularly relevant for transferring large volumes of data — for example, sending large-format documents for printing. Additionally, this connection is better suited for direct printing from cameras — in such equipment, Wi-Fi is traditionally used for wireless connection.

— AirPrint. A similar feature to the one described above (Wi-Fi Direct). Allows connection to the device without involving a router. However, in this case, it refers to connecting Apple devices — iPhones, iPads, Mac laptops.