Printers have many different features that will appeal to various consumers.  Some printers use powder toner while others use liquid ink or even solid ink.  Some printers have multiple functions, like copying and faxing, while others are simply dedicated printing machines.  Some printers offers networking and are designed to excel in an office environment, and others are built to be personal printers.  Depending on your needs at work or home, it is important to understand each device and which will be best suited.  A feature that is rarely discussed, but could make a huge different in productivity and quality is the path of the paper.

There are three standard paper paths, each with benefits and downfalls.  These three paths are commonly referred to as an L-shaped path, U-shaped path and a straight path.

The straight path allows users to print on a variety of media types, even if they are thicker.  Some units can even print on CDs.  The wide range of canvases that can be printed on makes this path good for an office, though it does take up more space than machines that use other paths.

The U-shaped path typically stores paper in an input tray that sits below the output tray that catches finished prints.  The paper is pulled through and makes a U shape during production, then comes out on the tray sitting directly on top of the input tray.  This path makes it difficult to print on thicker media types, but does make room for larger trays, so hundreds of sheets can be loaded on the input tray.

The L-shaped path holds the paper vertically and pulls the paper down when printing.  The paper than bends at a 90 degree angle and comes out of the machine horizontally.  The small trays can usually be folded in, making these types of machine the most space-friendly.  Though it will not be able to store as many pages as printers using the other two paths, it will be ideal for personal use.

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