Fieldwork

..came up with a survey to determine the various factors that affect students' choice when choosing a printer and the degree of influence each asserts..

Survey

We conducted the survey among 100 NUS students, ages ranging from 19 to 22.

Most of the students surveyed expressed the importance placed on printers in this increasingly IT based education system, that focuses on self-directed learning.

..most students expressed the importance placed on printers in this increasingly IT based education system..

Survey questions

4. What are some extra qualities that students will want for their "ideal printer"?

Survey results tabulation

In addition, we wanted to know how important is color printing in general? Most of them responded that while color printing is a bonus, it would not be a necessity. They would gladly settle for cheaper monochrome printouts instead.

..while color printing is a bonus, it would not be a necessity..

Selection of printer type

Since the main concern for the students is the cost of consumables and they do not mind having monochrome printouts, thus we decided to look into a budget laser printer. A laser printer would be ideal for students as the cost of consumables is much lower compared to that of an inkjet.

.. main concern for the students is the cost of consumables..

A typical laser printer toner can easily print 2000-3000 pages, with 5% coverage, before changing is required. An inkjet printer will require a replacement after printing about 100 pages. At around $40 per inkjet cartridge, it is inevitably a major concern with university students, most of whom we surveyed. A laser toner which costs around $100 will definitely be a cheaper and more economical alternative. This we know as we can easily calculate the cost per page of printing. It is apparent that laser printers have a much lower cost per page ratio compared to their inkjet counterparts. We cannot specify the exact prices or number of pages as price and duty cycle varies among different brands of printers. The figures discussed in this report is only good as a generalization.

..apparent that laser printers have a much lower cost per page ratio compared to their inkjet counterparts..

..An inkjet printer would probably take a long time to print lecture notes.. cost factor comes into play..

Advantages of laser printer

Another notable point is that most students indicated that lecture notes (downloaded from IVLE), assignments (tutorials) and reports are the top three most commonly print jobs. An inkjet printer would probably take a long time to print lecture notes, which could run up to 40 pages, according to one student. This is when the cost factor comes into play. Furthermore, laser printers excel in the quality of the printouts. Laser printers produce quality sharp text, that is viewable even when a small font size is being used. Laser printers are also good for printouts that consist of a merging of multiple pages.

..laser printers excel in the quality of the printouts..

Disadvantages of laser printer

The major disadvantages of a laser printer will be the lack of color printing and the slightly higher initial cost of the printer. Color laser printers are available in the market, but they far exceed the budget of the students. The initial higher cost of the laser printer will be quickly recovered by the lower cost per page of printing compared to that of an inkjet printer.
..initial higher cost of the laser printer will be quickly recovered by the lower cost per page of printing..