How Have Printers Improved Over The Past Ten Years?

Printer manufacturers are often criticised for their lack of innovation when it comes to new hardware. While the likes of Apple and Samsung are able to churn out a new game-changing product every five minutes, printer manufacturers seem to have continued to make the same product with no sign of innovation. Many would argue this product isn’t particularly good at doing what it is supposed to do either.

On the face of it, this seems like a reasonable argument. Printers, whether laser or inkjet, still serve the same basic function as they always have, producing a printed page. Admittedly, there isn’t much space for innovation with this function but still, why do printers still suffer from the same problems as they always have? Are printer manufacturers happy just to stick with what they’ve got?

The answer, quite simply, is no. Although it might not seem like it, printer technology has advanced quite significantly over the past ten years. Here are just some of those innovations:

Wi-Fi Printing

Perhaps the most obvious and ‘impressive’ of home printer innovations, wi-fi printing has made the printing process a lot more convenient. Gone are the days when you were tethered to your desktop in order to print out that important document; instead, you can now send it over to your printer from just about anywhere in your home or office.

Multifunction

Although multifunction printers were available ten years ago, it would have cost you a pretty penny to get your hands on one - perhaps even more than splashing out on three separate machines!

Today, you can pick up a multifunction printer combining scanning, copying and printing facilities for as little as £30. That’s the kind of innovation we like to see! Combined with Cartridge World’s range of cheap office supplies, running your own home office has never been cheaper!

Quality

As any technology matures, the performance of that technology (should!) improve. Some would argue that this hasn’t been the case with printers - they still return confusing error messages, ink cartridges still cost the earth - but in actuality, the quality of the prints the average printer can produce has improved vastly. Crisp text, photo-quality images, vivid graphics; all the product of years of development!

USB Plug and Play/Easy Installation

As much as people like to gripe about the lack of a USB cable in most new printer packages and the sheer amount of software required to install a printer, the process of installing a new printer in 2013 is much, much easier than in 2003. In fact, most printers today utilise plug and play technology, making installing your printer as easy as sticking a USB drive into your computer, installing the relevant drivers and hitting print!

One thing that hasn’t changed over the past ten years, however, is the high cost of OEM ink and toner cartridges. Luckily, neither has Cartridge World’s dedication to providing you with the cheapest, highest-quality replacement cartridges around!