Duplex printers are a wonderful office asset because they allow printing on both sides of the paper. While most printers allow double-sided printing, a true auto duplex computer printer does not require the manual turn of the paper. This type of printer does the turning for you—automatically.

There are different brands, models and types of duplex printers: duplex color laser printer, duplex all-in-one printer, duplex inkjet printer, portable duplex printer and more. The type of printer you need depends on the type of duplex printing you do. If color is not a factor, then you do not need to spend the extra money on a duplex color printer. On the other hand, if you need a fax machine and a duplex printer/copier, then a multifunction printer would be your best option.

Before you decide to purchase a duplex computer printer, consider the following:

1. Research and compare different name brand duplex printers, and find out what other businesses and consumers are saying about them.

2. If you do a large volume of duplex printing, consider duplex business printers.

3. All in one printer duplex machines allow you to print, copy, scan, and fax easily on one machine.

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Read what others are saying about duplex printers

As you research different duplex printers, read the reviews. These reviews help to understand what other consumers think about the products. They may even point out the pros and cons of the different machines.

I recommend: PC Magazine reviews the Canon Pixma MX850, an editor's choice item. Read a review of the Brother Multi-Function Center MFC-8860DN Laser Printer at Shopping.com. Bona Fide Reviews gives information about the Samsung CLP-510N Color Laser Printer, with duplex printing. For reviews of a variety of duplex laser printers, duplex inkjet printers and multifunction printers with duplex capability, visit CNET Networks.

Buy duplex printers from the manufacturers

Buying duplex printers from the companies that make them may or may not be a good deal. It depends upon the company. The manufacturers, however, do provide detailed information about the products they sell.

I recommend: Brother International Corp. offers the HL-5250DN Network Laser Printer with Duplex. This duplex network printer has a built in Ethernet card and boasts professional quality two-sided documents. Hewlett-Packard Development Company sells the HP Deskjet 6988dt Printer. This printer provides great text documents and photos. Lexmark International sells the T420d Laser Printer, with automatic duplex printing capabilities.

Buy duplex business printers if you do a lot of duplex printing

For large duplex printing jobs, or for businesses that do a large volume of duplex printing on a daily basis, consider buying a duplex business printer. These machines cost more, but they are also able to produce jobs at a much faster rate.

I recommend: Xerox Corporation sells the 495 Continuous Feed Duplex Printer. This is a machine made for businesses doing a large amount of duplex printing. You need to contact them for pricing of this product. If color is not a factor, Samsung offers the ML-3470D/ML-3471ND printer for businesses.

If you need a duplex printer, copier, scanner and fax machine, buy a multifunction machine

To compare quickly prices for all-in-one printers with duplex, visit retail stores.

I recommend: CompUSA.com, Circuit City, and OMX Inc. (Office Max) all offer a decent selection of all-in-one duplex printers.

Tips & Tactics to Make Your Computer Printer Buy

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember that most printers offer duplex printing, they just require manual duplex printing. If you already have a printer and do not need a lot of two-sided pages, you probably do not need a special printer for this purpose.
• •  Duplex printers save money on paper, but they still require ink and toner. Expect these costs to remain the same.