What kind of printer is best for professional authors? Inkjet, LaserJet, Eco tank? Or could you avoid buying a printer altogether? The younger someone is, the less likely they are to own a printer, but having a good printer is useful for some tasks.
Drafting and Proofreading Manuscripts
Reading on paper gives you fresh eyes to spot typos. It also allows you to listen to your computer read you your book while you circle errors on the page.
Printing Contracts or Agreements
I have to print and sign at least one contract every year. Not everyone uses DocuSign, so it’s good to have the option to print a contract.
“Backing Up” Your Book
If the cloud goes down, you’d lose your work in the cloud, but your printed backup copy of your manuscript wouldn’t be affected.
Printing For In-Person Events
You can print worksheets or guides for workshops or speeches you present. Being able to print out a handout or a branded newsletter signup sheet is very handy.
Shipping Labels
You may not think you need to print shipping labels right now, but if you’re mailing a lot of advanced reader copies (ARCs) or signed books, being able to print labels is a big time saver.
Checks
Printing checks is a surprising time saver once you figure out how to do it. It saves you the time of writing the check now, and it saves you a lot of time in bookkeeping later.
But do I really need one?
Some authors get by without them. You could do all of your proofreading on your computer or on a Kindle Scribe (Affiliate Link). But the Kindle Scribe costs more than a decent laser printer, so you would need to use it for more than just proofreading to justify the cost.
Of course, you could write all your checks and shipping labels by hand. And you could use a legal pad for signup sheets, although that would look less professional. But for most authors, buying a good laser printer is still a smart investment.
You should NOT use a home printer for the following:
Promotional Flyers or Posters
Print promotional flyers or posters for book events at a professional print shop. You might even consider printing certain flyers as 4×6 photos at Walmart for $0.16 each. This means you could get 200 high-quality fliers for $32. Plus, they can be ready in an hour.
This is an unbelievably effective hack once you learn how to print photos at your local Walmart or the Walmart nearest to the event you’re speaking at.
Business Cards and Bookmarks
Printed business cards and bookmarks will look more professional and cost less if you print them at Vistaprint (affiliate link), Moo, or Walmart. I have an entire episode on Business Cards and Bookmarks that is packed with tips and tricks.
Why should authors avoid colored ink printers?
Nothing an author needs to print at home requires a color printer, which is great news because color printers are a terrible waste of money.
I hate ink printers for the following reasons:
Bait and Switch Business Model
Ink printers are inexpensive because they count on locking you into buying their ink cartridges, which are insanely overpriced.
Printer ink costs as much as $75 per ounce, which is more expensive per ounce than silver! In the last few months, silver has skyrocketed to $50 per ounce, which is still cheaper than printer cartridge ink.
It can cost as much as $0.50 per page to print color at home. Even black and white on an inkjet printer can cost as much as $0.15 per page. That means it could cost you $45 to print a draft of your 300-page manuscript.
It’s often cheaper to go to a print shop than it is to print with ink cartridges at home.
Perishable Ink
But wait, it gets worse! Ink for desktop printers dries out. If you only print occasionally, your printer won’t work when you need it. Some authors buy a new inkjet printer every time they have a printing project. This is terribly wasteful, especially since laser printers can last for a decade.
If you must go with ink, I recommend the Epson Ecotank Printer (Affiliate Link). Ecotank printers can cost as little as a few pennies per page. But the Epson Ecotank printer itself costs about twice as much as the equivalent laser printer.
Authors just don’t need a color printer. If you want to print photos, order glossy ones from Walmart or Shutterstock, where you’ll get higher print quality for less money.
What printer should I buy?
Black & White Laser Printer
I recommend buying a laser printer. With no ink to dry out, a laser printer can sit in a closet for years and still work just fine. Plus, most laser printers accept generic toner, which brings the cost down to a penny per page.
My advice for younger listeners is that it is time to buy a laser printer. My advice for my older listeners is that it is time to ditch your color ink printer and get a cheaper, faster, more reliable laser printer.
What do I look for in a laser printer?
The following are critical features you’ll want:
Duplex Printing
Duplex printing allows you to print on both sides of the page, which is a must-have feature for authors. If you print a 300-page manuscript with single-sided printing, that’s 300 sheets of paper. But with double-sided printing, it’s only 150 sheets. This isn’t just about saving money—it’s about saving space. Paper is heavy and bulky, and double-sided printing cuts all of that in half.
Network Jack
Some printers have Wi-Fi capabilities, and that’s fine, but Wi-Fi setup can be a hassle. I recommend placing your printer near your router and using the network jack to plug it directly into the router. This makes setup much easier and still allows everyone in the house to use the printer wirelessly. Even phones and tablets can print to a printer plugged into the router. But be aware: the Wi-Fi setup wizard will often try to trick you into getting a subscription. Don’t take the bait!
No Subscription Required
Some printers require or pressure you to sign up for a monthly subscription in order to work. They frame it as a way to save money on ink, but don’t take the bait! If you miss a payment, if the internet goes out, or if there’s a server outage, your printer won’t work. Also, if you have a subscription and buy the wrong toner, the company may intentionally disable your printer. This can also happen if the company thinks you’ve printed too many pages. Avoid all printer subscriptions!
The laser printer I recommend is the Brother HL-L2460DW (affiliate link). This is an excellent printer for around $180. Again, make sure to avoid the optional subscription. Almost all the one-star reviews for this machine on Amazon are from customers who regretted getting the subscription. The free trial is a trap.
Optional Features
- Copy: I haven’t used the copy functionality on my printer in years. In a world of email and websites, you’ll rarely need to photocopy a piece of paper.
- Scan: Most people use their phone to scan documents, so this feature is very optional.
- Document Feeder: If you need to scan multiple pages, a document feeder could be a massive time saver.
Thomas Recommends…
If you want a multifunction printer, I recommend the Brother DCP-L2640DW (affiliate link). I purchased an earlier version of this printer 15 years ago, and it still works great. You can find it on Amazon for around $210, and the cost per page with generic toner is around a penny per page.
With any modern printer, you must be careful during the setup process to avoid all subscriptions. They will try to trick you into signing up for a subscription, so keep an eagle eye out when clicking “next.”
No, You Really Don’t Need Color
A lot of authors spend way too much on color when 99% of their printing is black and white. Let’s say over the 10-year life of the laser printer you need to print color three times. For those three instances, simply go to a UPS store or Kinkos. You can print in color for a few bucks and be on your way.
This is the same approach you use when buying a car. Buy the car you need to use every day and rent the car that has the special features you need for vacation. Don’t spend dollars to save pennies. You will very rarely need a color printer.
What kind of printer do you have? Do you like it or hate it? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Patron
Nannette Potter, author of Deception’s Edge (Affiliate Link)
Deception’s Edge is a high-stakes thriller about Blade, a professional knife-thrower obsessed with finding her mother’s killer. But when her friend is captured in North Korea, Blade sets aside vengeance and joins the secret Soldati di Cristo for a desperate mission. With time running out and danger on every side, Blade must choose what matters more: justice, survival, or redemption.
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Related Episodes
