Printer Specs for Dummies: What the Numbers Really Mean

For most offices, the specs that matter are speed, first page out time, resolution, recommended monthly volume, paper handling, connectivity and cost per page. Almost everything else on a spec sheet is detail that only matters for particular jobs.

Spec sheets can be intimidating because they mix headline numbers with technical fine print. The trick is knowing which numbers describe your daily experience and which describe extreme conditions. This cheat sheet translates the most common terms:

The sections below explain each one in more detail, so you can read any spec sheet with confidence.

Pages per minute (ppm) tells you how fast a printer prints a long job once it is running, while first page out time tells you how quickly the first page appears. For an office printing lots of one- and two-page jobs, first page out time often affects the user experience more than ppm.

Pages per minute (ppm) is the number of standard letter-size pages a printer can produce in one minute during continuous printing. Many manufacturers now rate speed using standardized ISO test methods, which makes comparisons fairer, but real-world speed still depends on the document, the connection and the settings used.

First page out time is the time from sending a job to the first page arriving in the output tray, often listed separately for a printer that is ready and one waking from sleep. A printer waking from an energy-saving mode takes longer.

• Color ppm is often lower than black ppm on color models.
• Two-sided printing may run slower than one-sided printing on some models.
• Heavy paper, envelopes and labels usually print more slowly.

When comparing speed figures, compare like with like: the same paper size, one-sided versus two-sided, and black versus color. A spec sheet that quotes the fastest figure in the headline may list slower figures for other modes in the fine print.

DPI stands for dots per inch, a measure of how finely a printer can place dots of toner or ink; 600 dpi is sharp enough for nearly all business text and simple graphics. Higher resolutions help with fine lines, small fonts, photos and detailed images.

Dots per inch (dpi) is the number of individual dots a printer can place in a one-inch line, and this explanation of dots per inch covers how it applies to printers, scanners and screens. Many spec sheets list two numbers, such as horizontal by vertical resolution, and some quote an "effective" or enhanced resolution produced by image-processing technology.

Above 600 dpi, the improvement in plain text is hard to see with the naked eye. If your office prints marketing material, photos or detailed charts, a higher resolution or a color model built for graphics may be worth it. For invoices, letters and reports, other specs deserve more attention than resolution.

Duty cycle is the maximum number of pages a printer can produce in a month under stress conditions, while recommended monthly volume is the page range it is designed to handle month after month. Size your printer by the recommended volume, not the duty cycle.

A duty cycle, in general engineering terms, describes how much of the time a device can be active; this overview of duty cycle explains the broader concept. Printer manufacturers use the term for a monthly maximum, which shows how robust the design is, not how much you should print.

Recommended monthly print volume is the range of pages per month that gives the best balance of performance and reliability. Running a printer near its duty cycle every month wears parts faster and increases the chance of jams and service calls.

Desktop printers are typically built for a few thousand pages a month, while workgroup printers and copiers are designed for much more. Our guide to maximum duty cycle versus recommended monthly print volume goes deeper.

Paper handling specs tell you how much paper a printer holds, which sizes and weights it accepts and whether it can print on both sides or scan stacks of originals automatically. These features decide how often someone has to stop and attend to the machine.

• Standard and maximum paper capacity: how many sheets the included trays hold, and how much optional trays can add.
• Bypass or multipurpose tray: a slot for envelopes, labels, heavy stock and odd sizes.
• Supported sizes: letter, legal and tabloid (11 by 17 inch) support varies, and tabloid usually means a larger machine.
• Supported weights: the heaviest and lightest paper the machine can feed reliably.
• Automatic duplex: two-sided printing without flipping pages by hand.
• Automatic document feeder (ADF): on multifunction models, a feeder that scans or copies stacks of originals.

An automatic document feeder is a tray on top of a scanner or multifunction device that pulls in multi-page originals one sheet at a time. If you also copy and scan, compare multifunction printers, which add these features to printing.

Optional trays are worth noting too, because adding one later is often simpler than replacing the printer when your volume grows.

Check how the printer connects, which operating systems and print languages it supports, and whether it has enough memory and processing for your files. These specs decide how easily everyone in the office can use it.

Common connection options include USB for a single computer, Ethernet for a wired office network, and Wi-Fi for wireless printing. Many models also support printing from phones and tablets. If several people will share the printer, network connectivity is essential.

A printer language, or page description language, is the set of instructions a computer uses to describe a page to the printer. PCL and PostScript are two widely used examples, and support for them helps a printer work with a wide range of software and operating systems.

Memory and processor specs matter mostly for large, complex files such as detailed graphics or long PDFs. For everyday documents, most business printers have enough. Energy use is worth a look too: the ENERGY STAR imaging equipment program lists printers and copiers that meet its energy-efficiency criteria.

Cost per page is the price of a supply item divided by the number of pages it is rated to produce, added up across all the supplies a page uses. It is the clearest way to compare running costs between printers.

Page yield is the approximate number of pages a toner or ink cartridge is rated to print, usually measured with a standardized test page. Real-world yield varies with how much of each page is covered, so a page full of images uses far more toner than a short letter.

For a laser printer, include toner and, where it is a separate part, the drum. For a color printer, include all four colors. A printer that is inexpensive to buy can still cost more over its life if its cartridges are small or costly, so compare high-yield cartridge options in our toners and drums collection when you shortlist models. Our guide to buying a new printer without breaking the bank covers more ways to keep costs down.

Use these steps to turn a dense spec sheet into a clear yes or no for your office.

1. Estimate your monthly page count and check that it sits comfortably within the recommended monthly volume.
2. Check ppm and first page out time against how your office prints: long runs or many short jobs.
3. Confirm 600 dpi or better for text, and higher resolution only if you print detailed graphics.
4. Check paper capacity, supported sizes and weights, and automatic duplex.
5. Confirm connectivity: network, Wi-Fi and mobile printing, plus support for your operating systems.
6. If you copy or scan, confirm a multifunction model with a suitable document feeder.
7. Calculate cost per page using the supply prices and rated yields for each model you are considering.

Our team can help you translate spec sheets into a practical shortlist based on your page volume and the features you need. Compare models side by side on our compare page, browse all printers, try the machine finder, or contact our team with questions.