By Billy Teo

THERE are printers and there are printers. Which one to buy depends on your needs.

As a rule, get a high-end inkjet photo printer if you're a photo buff. They give the best quality photo prints.

Business folks and those who work from home will prefer an all-in-one (AIO) or a multi-function machine. These scan documents, make copies and send faxes.

There are two types of AIOs - go for colour lasers if you print varied documents and inkjets for photographs.

Dye-sublimation (dye-sub) photo printers are ideal for home users who just want photo prints in the popular 4R (4 inches x 6 inches) size.

For general use that includes printing of Web pages, occasional photographs and school assignments, try a budget inkjet printer.

For specifications, note that many inkjet printers today already offer a print resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 dots per inch (dpi) - good enough to produce photographs that are sharp and detailed and often indistinguishable from a photo-lab print.

If possible, ask for a demonstration to evaluate how fast a printer performs and how the colours look in print.

Here's what I'll bank on for these groups of users:

Frequent Flier: Portable printer

A CARRY-ALONG inkjet is the best bet for jetsetters.

You'll need it to churn out quick reports and even contracts - rather than rely on hotel business centres that may charge an arm and a leg for printing. Worse, they may be closed when you're in an emergency.

Portability should be anything less than 2.5kg and easily stuffed into the hand-carried luggage.

A rechargeable battery - usually available separately - is a must-buy accessory, as this will allow you to print inflight before touch-down, or at a cafe between meetings.

Recommended: Canon Pixma iP100 ($419), HP OfficeJet H470 Mobile Printer ($499 with battery)

Businessman: Fax and figures

AN AIO is essential for businesses that deal with both hard copy and soft copy documents.

For instance, the scanning function is useful for digitising invoices and receipts, as well as making copies.

A colour laser printer gives the best text quality for important documents like contracts and business proposals.

However, feel free to opt for an inkjet AIO if your office does a fair amount of photo printing.

If there's heavy printing needed, go for a networked AIO laser printer with plenty of memory or pay a bit more to upgrade.

More memory means print jobs are processed faster, which can make life easier if there are a few people sharing the printer in the office.

Given that faxes still play a part in business communications, pick a model that offers a high-speed fax modem, if necessary.

Recommended: Canon ImageClass MF8180C ($1,799), Epson AcuLaser CX11NF ($1,338), HP Color LaserJet CM1312nfi MFP ($999), Samsung CLX-3175FN ($998).

Homemaker: Photo opportunities

FOR printing photographs that go into scrapbooks and such, consider a compact dye-sub printer that specialises in spitting out waterproof photographs in assorted sizes - including postcards.

These printers let you slot in memory cards for direct printing, and you can browse and select photos using an LCD screen.

In other words, there's no need to turn on the computer or to connect the digital camera.

From the perspective of controlling household expenses, it is far easier to track the costs of usage, since dye-sub printers offer a consistent ink and paper system.

Buy a ink-and-paper refill good for 36 prints for convenience. These printers are also compact and easier to store when not in use.

Recommended: Canon Selphy CP770 (above, $249), Sony DPP-FP85 ($249)

Student: Budget basic

A TIGHT allowance means that price is a big thing.

The good news is that inkjet printers below $100 abound and are versatile enough to handle school projects and reports.

The better news is that thanks to tech advances, today's budget inkjets are likely to be a decent performers in churning out those photos, documents and creative projects.

Throw in the bundled software that does the editing magic for images and prints projects like calendars, and you have yourself a great buy.

Recommended: Lexmark Z2320 ($89), Canon Pixma iP1880 ($99), Epson Stylus T10 ($88)

This article was first published in The Straits Times, Digital Life on 22 July 2008.