It really depends on your specific tasks and personal preferences, but pretty much all printing calculators are useful for home use or for businesses of all sizes. Have a look at these five models and see which one ticks your boxes!
Features
Sharp is one of the most popular and reputable manufacturers of electronics on the planet. This Asian brand makes air ionizers and air purifiers, sound systems, kitchen appliances, business supplies and accessories, and much more. It puts an emphasis on innovation and technology, and its products are also super-reliable, so you should buy with confidence.
For example, the Heavy Duty Color Printing Calculator from Sharp comes with clock and calendar functions, includes tax, average, and grand total keys, and it can print in 2 colors: red and black. It is one of the most complete and practical desk calculators you can find on the market these days and its keys are also engineered to take a lot of wear and tear, so you'll probably be using this device for a long time.
We also like the fact that the manufacturer coated the keys with a special film which prevents bacteria and microbes from growing on the surface. This is a wonderful safety feature which prevents spreading microbes, especially when multiple people use the same calculator. The printing speed is about 4.5 lines per second and the display is a generous one, accommodating up to 12 digits in a single line. This gadget can be plugged into a power outlet while keeping its functionality, so you don’t have to remember to buy fresh batteries and replace them when they are dead.
Features
You probably know Casio as being one of the largest manufacturers of watches and that's true. This brand creates sophisticated, innovative watches, particularly sport ones. It also makes musical instruments such as electronic keyboards or pianos. With more than 70 years of experience in making electronic equipment, Casio is still one of the most appreciated and popular Japanese brands in the world.
Let's take a look at the Mini Desktop Printing Calculator from Casio. This gadget is an ideal budget option for people who want help when doing taxes or working with numbers. It can print with a speed of 2 lines per second using 2 ¼-inch paper and it prints in red and black colors. The 12-digit LCD display is usually sufficiently spacious for most people and this device can be powered from an electrical outlet, so you will never run out of juice.
When it comes to user experience, you'll love the soft, plastic keys which are designed to resist a lot of typing. The keys are oversized and intelligently colored, so you know which one is the "clear" key, for example, and avoid pressing it accidentally. If you aren't looking for the most advanced calculator in the world, but still want a reliable digital companion, this model from Casio might be exactly what you're looking for!
Features
Victor, or Victor Technologies, is a reputable brand founded in 1918. It specializes in office accessories such as business calculators, printing calculators, sit-stand desks, desktop organizers, corner shelves, and more. Its products combine practicality with aesthetics in a fabulous way and the prices of Victor's products are reasonable. Check this out for yourself by exploring its line of printing calculators.
For this review, we want to check out the Thermal Printing Calculator from Victor Technology. This is one of the most advanced desk calculators you can find on the market and one of the fastest as well. It can print with a speed of 8 lines per second and it features a unique HELP key which does exactly what it says it does—it provides you with accurate instructions instantly, to help you use this calculator more efficiently. This key is similar to the F1 key on your computer!
When it comes to display, you'll work with a 14-digit, bicolor LCD screen which can be clearly seen even in direct-sunlight conditions. This calculator also features the standard sell, margin, and cost keys as well as other useful keys required for complex calculations. Your device will be backed up by a warranty period of 3 years and it is powered with electricity directly from a power outlet, so you'll never get that annoying "low battery" message!
Features
It’s almost impossible not to have heard of Canon before, as this is one of the most prestigious and acclaimed electronics manufacturers in the world. You probably have a camera or printer from this brand and you definitely know that this company makes reliable products. Canon is also known for making high-quality photography accessories such as lenses, tripods, memory cards, and more.
Since this is a review about printing calculators, let's take a look at the Desktop Printing Calculator from Canon. This is just one of its many great models of calculators and it is suitable for students, businessmen, engineers, accountants, and pretty much everyone who wants to do number-crunching in a quick and reliable way! It comes with a spacious 12-digit LCD display and it can print in red and black colors, depending on your preferences.
The calculator also comes with time and date functions, has oversized plastic keys which are designed for heavy typing, and looks great on any business desk. When it comes to printing, it shoots out almost 5 lines per second, printing positive numbers in black and negative ones in red for easy viewing. If you're not particularly familiar with such calculators, no worries because in the package you'll find a small manual which explains how to use the device as well as how to play with its numerous functions such as memory, tax, average, profit, and others.
Features
Monroe Systems for Business is dedicated to providing business professionals and accountants with advanced gadgets to streamline their workflow. If you're like most people, you'd probably think that this company has some sort of connection with the late famous actress Marilyn Monroe, but it doesn’t; it's just a name coincidence. Monroe Systems for Business designs complex printing and business calculators which can save time and improve the experience of their users.
For this review, we have chosen the 12-Digit Business Medium Duty Calculator which can be bought in 2 color options: black and white. This model can also be bought with accessories such as a foam elevation wedge, ribbons, and paper, or as a standalone item. It has a 4-key independent memory and dedicated keys such as mark-up, mark-down, tax, grand total, group, and others.
On top of that, this office accessory also prints in 2 colors—red and black—and it is designed for home use or for small-to-medium businesses. Monroe makes other printing calculators which are tailored for large companies or enterprises, if that's what you're looking for. Still, the model we're reviewing prints at a speed of 3.6 lines per second and it includes oversized + and – keys, which are frequently used by most people.
What would we do without calculators? Although most of us have smartphones now and can make calculations in a blink of an eye, we take this technology for granted nowadays and sometimes forget how important and valuable it actually is. For example, did you know that back in the days when the late Neil Armstrong set his feet on lunar soil, all the processing power of his space rocket, combined with the processing power of the computers at Houston, was no greater than the processing power of a
standard calculator? In other words, a basic $10 calculator nowadays is faster and more efficient than a top-of-the-line scientific lab at NASA back in the '60s!
Technology advances at a tremendous speed and we should be thankful for that. You can now solve complex equations and calculations (like doing your taxes, for example) using dedicated calculators such as a printing calculator or a
financial calculator. Architects, engineers, and mathematicians also use
graphing calculators which display complex statistics in real time. These gadgets are affordable and they can save you tons of time, so don’t hesitate to get yourself one.
However, “Which one to pick?” you might ask. Well, we prepared this guide to navigate you through the vast array of printing calculators. We promise to keep it simple, so come aboard and let's see what all the fuss is about!
Price
Since printing calculators are more sophisticated than basic ones that your kid uses for doing his math assignment, they will be priced higher, but not by much. For example, the general price range of such a device is between $20 and $80 – $90 for a very advanced model. Factors which influence the price include display size, number of dedicated keys, printing speed, printing colors, and more. If you get yourself a "genius" which can display 14 digits in 2 different colors and print very quickly, you'll likely be charged the greater part of $90.
Of course, you could also go for a cheap printing calculator, but be advised that cheap is not synonymous with budget-friendly. Some calculators really are cheap (below $15), because they are cheaply built from cheap materials using cheap tools by even cheaper people. Needless to say, your experience will also be… cheap. Read the following section to learn what to look for in a printing calculator, then set your priorities and go for a model from a prestigious manufacturer, to ensure you get the product you want.
Features
Printing calculators come with different functions, to accommodate the needs of people in various fields. If you're buying for the first time, keep these aspects in mind:
- Printing Speed - If you're an accountant and work with numbers all day, printing speed can make a difference. This can be between 2 and 8 lines per second, in most cases.
- Print Color - Some calculators print the positive numbers in black and the negative ones in red. This can be helpful to distinguish profit and deficit quickly.
- Dedicated Keys - These include cost, margin, profit, sell, tax - , tax +, mark up, mark down, and others.
- Display - The more digits it can accommodate, the better. Some displays can show numbers in 2 colors and can accommodate between 12 and 14 digits at once.
The size of your calculator is also an important aspect. Keep in mind that these gadgets actually include a small printer in there near a large, Einstein-like brain that does all the calculations for you in no time. Therefore, if you have a small desk, go for a handheld calculator which doesn’t occupy a lot of space.
Construction and Design
It’s vital that you take into consideration the construction and design of your new printing calculator. Some key factors that we suggest you keep an eye on are: what material(s) it’s made from, its display and power, what dedicated keys it has, and how it’s printer works.
Below, we’ve gone into some more detail for your benefit.
- Material - The main materials used for making calculators can be durable plastic and metal. The keys are usually made from heavy-duty plastic, so they can take a lot of wear and tear without getting damaged. In some cases, manufacturers apply a thin antimicrobial coating over the keys which inhibits the development of bacteria and microbes. We should really have something like that on all keyboards, computer mice, and even smartphone displays, because we touch these gadgets all day long!
- Display and Power - Back to our printing calculators, these usually feature a display with at least 12 digits. The display can also show digits in two colors and it usually has a black background to make the numbers easily visible even in direct sunlight. Most printing calculators are AC-powered, so no batteries are required, nor all the hassle associated with them.
- Dedicated Keys - When it comes to the actual keyboard, each manufacturer goes for a certain design. For example, some calculators have oversized +, -, and = keys to be clearly visible and easy to work with. Other calculators have multiple dedicated keys such as tax, profit, margin, and others. In some cases, you'll even stumble upon devices which provide you with usage instructions at the press of a button.
- Printer - Regarding the built-in mini printer, this gizmo usually uses 2 and ¼-inch paper and it can print in 2 colors—black and red. The printing speed varies and you can get additional paper and ink from the manufacturer via a separate purchase. To ensure everything runs smoothly, make sure you always read the instructions manual to learn how to set up the printer correctly and get the most out of your calculator.
Performance and Ease of Use
Accountants and businessmen really dig printing calculators because these devices make numerous, frequently-used functions accessible by just pressing a button. Even the fact that you have a "000" key there and you press that when you enter "1,000" instead of pressing zero three times can be a time-saving feature!
On top of that, printing calculators can perform complex calculations, have decimal and rounding options, and memorize results for you to review later. They're really one of the best possible companions you can have on your desk. Remember that you also benefit of warranty periods from 1 to 5 years, so in the case something's wrong with your device, take advantage of that and contact the manufacturer!
Remember that these prestigious brands make some of the best printing calculators to date, but we couldn’t include them all in our review. We hand-picked five excellent models to be representative of each brand's specific lines of printing calculators. It is up to you now to explore the other models—or go with one of these five if you've spotted the right one!