Before comparing prices of specific brand or models, first decide whether you want ink jet or laser. Your choice should be determined by jobs you plan to send to printer. Lasers still win speed contest, while ink jets offer an important advantage of color printing. In past, choice was fairly consistent: lasers were used in office, while inkjets were purchased for home use. Fortunately, with rapidly changing technology, prices for both types of printers have been reduced enough to make it possible to purchase one of each, if you absolutely need both color and high-quality text.

Another decision to be made before shopping would be your resolution needs. Resolution--the sharpness or clearness of image--is measured in Dots Per Inch (dpi). A basic definition required for different uses is as follows: general-purpose txt: 300 dpi; higher quality text and graphics: 600 dpi; photo-quality images: 1,200 dpi; professional quality photos: 2,400 dpi. Be aware that resolution rating do not tell whole story. Most vendors design their own techniques for enhancing resolutions through software algorithms. Consequently, some 600 dpi printers will produce images equal to a 1,200 dpi printer.

Other important considerations should be speed--pages per minute (ppm); ink/toner configuration; paper capacity and handling; connection type (will it interface with your computer); driver software; media (can it handle glossary photo paper, card stock and envelopes); construction; amount of space it takes at your work space; and certainly, price. Surprisingly, printers are now available under $70. Whatever your budget, with a little comparison shopping, you can find printer that is right for your particular situation at an affordable price.

If your business has clients or offices in a variety of locations across country or around world you probably spend a fairly large amount of money each month on long distance bills. With today's affordable Web conferencing technology, you can consolidate all of your communication needs into one bill. By having your own in-house dedicated server any company can have complete control over its communication network, while saving you money at same time.

Certain key considerations must be taken into account when choosing Web conferencing. Price--in this relatively young field prices are all over scale. And most expensive product may not be one that best fits your individual needs.

Operating system support might be a determining factor, depending on whether you are running Unix servers or Windows servers. Macintosh users are more limited.

If you have limited access to your Web server, you should choose a product that can be installed and administered easily, so administrative capabilities is an additional consideration.

Another important factor is personalization potential or ability to customize product to fit your unique style and business needs. Some products offer a great deal of flexibility, while some conferencing systems, particularly freeware products, come with full source code, allowing you to change anything you would desire.

As of yet, there is no conferencing system that excels at everything. There is no "one-size-fits-all" program that is "best" product choice for every situation. Take your time, do research, and make a careful analysis of your needs. This will help you find web conferencing product that is best suited for your particular circumstance.