• Determine What Type of Inkjet Printer You Need

• Evaluate Inkjet Printer Features

• Find Inkjet Printers on eBay

• Buy Inkjet Printers With Confidence

Determine What Type of Inkjet Printer You Need

Determine What Type of Inkjet Printer You Need

Inkjet printers make it easy and affordable to create quality documents and photos. Popular inkjet printer choices include Canon inkjet printers, Epson inkjet printers, HP inkjet printers, and Lexmark inkjet printers. Choose the type of inkjet printer that best fits your needs.

• Basic inkjet printers: Basic inkjet printers mix cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink to produce the complete color spectrum. Most use a separate black ink cartridge, which produces crisper black text than a combination of color inks and can also save you money (black ink cartridges typically cost less than color ink cartridges). Consider an inkjet printer if you primarily print webpages, documents, spreadsheets, and other text-heavy content and occasionally print photos and graphics. Pay close attention to the type of ink cartridges an inkjet printer uses. You'll want an inkjet printer that uses color ink cartridges and black ink cartridges readily available on the market. Look for an inkjet printer with separate cartridges for each color if you want to replace ink cartridges individually as they run out.

• Inkjet photo printers: Inkjet photo printers work well for digital photography enthusiasts who primarily print photos. Six-color inkjet photo printers reproduce detailed images, using two additional ink cartridges (light cyan and light magenta) for enhanced photo quality. Some photo printers provide a dock for your digital camera while others have slots for your digital camera's media card. Each of these features allows you to print without first transferring photos to your computer. Photo printers typically provide an LCD screen so that you can preview your photos before you print. Look for borderless printing that allows you to print right up to photo paper edges. Visit eBay's Photo Printers Buying Guide for more advice on choosing a photo printer.

• Portable inkjet printers: Portable inkjet printers can go anywhere you do and allow you to easily move your printer around your home or office. They work for people who love to travel and anyone else who needs to print on the go. Some manufacturers even make mobile photo printers.

• Multifunction inkjet printers: Multifunction inkjet printers, also called all-in-one inkjet printers, combine the functionality of several devices into one compact machine. Multifunction inkjet printers typically print, scan, and copy and some also work as a fax machine. Note that, while convenient, multifunction inkjet printers may not deliver the same quality as a stand-alone printer, copier, fax machine, or scanner.

Consider a laser printer if you print more than 100 pages per day. Although laser printers typically cost more than inkjet printers, laser printer toner refills often cost less than inkjet refills, which can save you money in the long run if you have extensive printing needs.

Evaluate Inkjet Printer Features

Evaluate Inkjet Printer Features

Make sure the inkjet printer you select is compatible with your computer's operating system. Also consider:

• Resolution: For top-quality text and images, look for higher resolution printers. Resolution is a measure of how many dots of ink, both horizontally and vertically, a printer produces per inch. Look for a minimum resolution of 600x600 dots per inch (dpi) for plain text and 1200x600 dpi for photos.

• Print speed: Faster inkjet printers produce a greater number of prints in a shorter amount of time. While listings may include a manufacturer’s product specifications, your actual printer performance will depend on the print settings you choose. For example, color photos produced at the highest print quality will likely print at slower speeds than draft-quality black and white text.

• Memory card slots: Inkjet printers with memory card slots can support one type of memory card or multiple memory cards. If you want to print directly from your CompactFlash, xD Picture Card, Secure Digital, Sony Memory Stick, or MultiMedia card, make sure the inkjet printer supports your preferred memory card format.

• Paper and other print media: Inkjet printers can print to a variety of media, including standard 8.5" x 11" paper, legal-size paper, and envelopes, depending on the print options you choose. Many models also handle heavy card stock, transparencies, labels, glossy photo paper, and matte photo paper. Some can even print directly to CDs and DVDs with a printable surface.

• Connections: Check that the printer comes with the correct cables to connect with your computer. Printers commonly use a USB 2.0 or a parallel connection. A parallel port should suffice for most users, but USB 2.0 offers faster data transfer rates.

Find Inkjet Printers on eBay

Find Inkjet Printers on eBay

Once you know what type of ink jet printer you want, go to the Computers & Networking portal, click Ink Jet & Photo Printers, and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by brand. You'll find links for Canon, Compaq, Epson, HP, Lexmark, and Other.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find inkjet photo printers, type "inkjet photo printer" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Inkjet Printers With Confidence

Buy Inkjet Printers With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.