Brother Printers

In today's society, many homes and offices keep photos and documents in the cloud or on computer drives. However, a printer is still needed when users want to take physical paperwork to a meeting or frame a family vacation snap and hang it on the wall. Staples carries a broad range of Brother printers suitable for both home and office use.

What Style is Best?

Before purchasing a printer, it's important to decide which type is most useful. Users who only need something that prints should opt for a plain model. But those who need to scan documents, make copies or send faxes should consider an all-in-one or multifunction printer. Other printer types include compact, mobile printers for users on the go and photo printers that are specifically designed to print high-quality photographs directly from cameras or mobile devices.

Should you Choose a Laser or Inkjet Brother Printer?

The choice between an inkjet or laser printer depends on what type of printing is most frequently done. Inkjet models from Brother can print just about anything and are particularly good for printing photographs. This kind of printer works by spraying droplets of ink onto the paper and can print on a wide variety of paper sizes and types, including envelopes, scrapbook paper, labels and photo paper.

Laser printers are designed for large-volume printing and are a smart choice for offices. These printers work in a similar way to copy machines and use toner instead of ink and static electricity to print text and images onto paper. Because toner is a powder rather than a liquid, users don't have to wait for the printed paper to dry or deal with smudged ink.

Decide Between Wired and Wireless

Connectivity is also an important factor, and all Brother printers feature a USB port for a wired connection. However, USB cables are generally quite short, which means the printer has to be placed near the computer and take up valuable space on a small desk. Most models also include a built-in wireless connection, so the printer can be set in a convenient location and shared between multiple devices. Many printers from Brother also feature an Ethernet connection for fast and easy networking and support for various applications, such as Apple AirPrint, Brother iPrint&Scan and Google CloudPrint, for easy printing from mobile devices. Some all-in-one models also include Web Connect, a feature that allows for direct scanning to numerous apps and cloud-based storage solutions.

Other Features to Consider

Most laser and inkjet printers can print on legal- and letter-size paper and feature paper trays that can hold around 100 sheets or more. Some models offer multiple paper trays and trays specifically designed for envelopes, labels and other oddly sized pieces.

Users who frequently print on both sides of the paper should consider a Brother printer that features duplexing. This option prints on one side, and then automatically pulls the paper back through, flips it over and prints on the other side.

A touch-screen display is also an option on many printers from Brother. This feature makes it easy to input data such as the number of pages to print, the paper tray being used and even the email address to send a document to.