If you've been looking to add a printer for your WebTV, you've may have been puzzled by the long lists of model numbers (many of them no longer available), and the wide range of prices. How do you choose a printer for your WebTV, and how do you know that you're not spending too much, or too little?

Net4TV Voice made a list of all of the available printers for WebTV, and then we went shopping to see what we could find available, and what the differences were between them. If you're ready to go shopping now, and know what you want, just click here to jump down the page to the printers. But if you're trying to figure out what sort of printer you should buy, read on.

Choosing a Printer for a WebTV Only

To determine the printer you need, here's the first key question:
Are you only going to use the printer with the WebTV, or do you also plan to use it with a PC?

If you're not going to be using your printer with a PC, your decision is easy. If you print a lot, choose a faster printer so that you don't have to wait so long. If you only print occasionally or don't mind waiting, you can buy one of the slower (and very inexpensive) printers that's compatible with your WebTV model.

The reason that this is your only real decision is that most of the printer's advanced capabilities -- the ones you pay for in the more expensive machines -- only work from a PC anyway. The screen resolution you'll print from your TV is 72 dpi (dots per inch), except for text. Why pay for a printer that supports 1200 dpi or higher, when you can't print at that resolution from the TV?

That also relieves you of worrying "should I get the 935Cxi or the 935se, or the 840 or 842C?" Most of the little letters at the end of the models relate to whether or not they are compatible with a Mac as well as a PC, and what software applications are bundled with it. That doesn't apply to the WebTV, so don't pay $20 more for an SE version of a printer you want, thinking it's better in some way. In a lot of cases, you'll see that a printer model has been discontinued and replaced by another with a slightly different model number. Much of what is "discontinued" is the software bundle -- the printer is virtually the same.

Choosing a Printer for a PC and a WebTV

If you plan also to use your printer with a PC, will it be your main PC printer or a secondary one? I mostly use a laser printer with my PC, so it doesn't bother me that my color printer is a bit slow. On the other hand, if I were to only have one printer, it would probably be one of the fast, high-resolution color printers that approach laser quality on the PC. If your printer will be your only printer, I'd recommend making the selection based on the features and software that it offers for the PC, and just make sure that it also supports the WebTV model that you have.

Many of the printers we looked at have both USB and parallel connections. If I were buying a PC printer, or planning to go to the Ultimate TV box, I'd want to make sure that it also supported USB. For a $99 printer, though, I wouldn't care as long as it supports what I have today (parallel, on both WebTV and PC). I can replace it with another cheap printer later or buy a USB adapter.

If you are buying your primary printer for a PC that you'll also use with your WebTV, I'd recommend that you educate yourself beyond what we're covering here, if you're not sure what you want. You'll probably be buying one of the more expensive printers.

Other Considerations

For WebTV users, other things that will make a difference are the ink that the printer uses, the warranty, and whether or not it comes with a cable included. The Epson printers include cables and the Hewlett-Packards and Canons do not; all include ink cartridges. If you're buy an HP or Canon, either from our links or in the store, don't forget the IEEE 1284 printer cable (we've got an Amazon link for a cable at the bottom of the list, just in case).

Printers Under $100!

These printers all will give you basic color printing at a very affordable price. They're not the ones I'd recommend if you plan to do a LOT of printing because of their slow speed -- that's what the " ppm" (pages per minute) indicates, and the color you'll be printing may be slower for you since web pages generally contain more color content than the benchmark test pages. They also wouldn't be my choice for a PC as a main printer. But for printing web pages from the WebTV, they may be just the ticket.

Epson Color 440c - $61.24* at Amazon.com *currently on backorder	EPSON Color 440c There are three Epson's on the WebTV printers list, but the 440c was the only one we could find on sale, and it was on backorder. I have an old Epson color printer that has served me well for 6 years, so I have confidence in their products. This one is 360 x 360 dpi (text) when used with WebTV, 720 x 720 dpi with PC, and includes the printer cable. Parallel only (no USB). Rated at 4 pages per minute black, 2.5 ppm color. Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus; Not compatible with original WebTV Classic or DishPlayer
Canon BJC-2100 - $84.54 at Amazon.com* On backorder; check for $50 manufacturer rebate	Canon BJC-2100 The Canons in this series have a reputation of being basic, inexpensive color printers, with print quality that's acceptable but not necessarily great. Print speed is 5 pages per minute black, 2 ppm color. It supports both parallel and USB; the cable is not included. There is a scanner module available as an accessory, but don't buy it -- the scanner module does NOT work with WebTV. Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus, DishPlayer; Not compatible with original WebTV Classic.
HP Deskjet 640C - $94.95 at Buy.com Note: printer in picture is the 648c, not the 640c. Configuration is similar.	HP Deskjet 640C The WebTV and HP sites say that this version is discontinued, but we found it in stock at Buy.com. It has a resolution of 600x300 dpi, 6 ppm black and 3 ppm color print speed, and has both parallel and USB connections. Compatibility: ALL WebTV units: Original WebTV Classic (with printer adapter), New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus, DishPlayer

Printers From $100 to $200.

Step up a notch in price, and you'll generally step up a notch in speed. You're also getting into the range where the printer may be a good choice for a PC color printer, if you've got another printer (probably black and white) as your main computer printer.

Canon LR1 - $117.95 from Buy.com Canon LR1 - $117.74 at Amazon.com	Canon LR1 Printstation The Canon LR1 Printstation is designed specifically to use with your WebTV (or other supported set-top box like AOL-TV), and also will work with Windows PCs. It's generally in the print speed and quality of the under-$100 Canons - 4 ppm black, 2 ppm color, with a max resolution of 720 x 360 dpi. Mostly, the difference here is styling -- it's designed for the entertainment center. Interfaces are parallel and USB, but the cable is not included. Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus, DishPlayer; Not compatible with original WebTV Classic.
HP Deskjet 840C - $131.95 from Buy.com	HP DeskJet 840c The DeskJet 840c offers 8 ppm black, 5 ppm color print speed, so it's noticeably faster than the less-expensive printers. It also has both parallel and USB, but doesn't come with a printer cable. This would make a good choice as a secondary PC printer, too. There are various "flavors" in the 840 series (842, for example), but they mostly differ in the software bundles (for PCs). Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus, DishPlayer; Not compatible with original WebTV Classic.
HP Deskjet 930C - $170.04 at Amazon.com* HP DeskJet 930C - $169.95 at Buy.com HP Deskjet 935c - $199.99 at Amazon.com HP Deskject 935C - $187.95 Buy.com	HP Deskjet 930C and 935C For WebTV use only, these printers are functionally identical; the difference is in Mac connectivity (935C) and the software bundle, so don't pay extra if you don't need it. The print speed is 9 ppm black, 7.5 color, and the printers are designed for a higher duty cycle (2000 pages per month), so if you're planning to print a lot, this may be a good choice for you. Both are parallel and USB, but the cable is not included. Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus; Not compatible with original WebTV Classic or DishPlayer

Printers Over $200.

Now you're getting into the range where the printer makes sense as a primary printer for your PC, as well as for use with the WebTV. But if you're only using it for WebTV, you'll probably be buying more than you need (and paying more, too).

HP DeskJet 950C - $259.95 at Buy.com HP DeskJet 952C - $249.99 at Amazon.com

HP DeskJet 950c and 952c These two printers are basically identical, differing mainly in the software bundle for Macs and PCs. Both are fast -- 11 ppm black and 8.5 color, have both parallel and USB connections, and support both PC and Mac, and have a reputation for lovely color printing. Text is 600 dpi (sharp and crisp), and computers can use the very high-quality photographic printing capabilities (up to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi on photo paper) Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus Not compatible with original WebTV Classic or DishPlayer.

HP DeskJet 970Cxi - $269.94 Amazon.com HP DeskJet 970Cxi - $266.95 at Buy.com

HP DeskJet 970Cxi This is a highly-regarded printer, and would be a great choice as a primary PC or Mac printer, too. It has a print speed of 12 ppm black, 10 ppm color, which puts my more expensive (HP) laser printer to shame, supports both Mac and PC, and has parallel and USB connectivity. With a 5,000 page per month duty cycle (10 reams of paper) and photographic printing capabilities from a PC (up to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi on photo paper), this printer is on my own wish list -- but would be complete overkill if you're only using it from your WebTV. Compatibility: New WebTV Classic, WebTV Plus Not compatible with original WebTV Classic or DishPlayer.

You'll notice that there are a lot of printers on the WebTV compatibility lists that we didn't include in this guide -- for the simple reason that we couldn't find them on sale anywhere. The Lexmark Z12, for example, was nowhere to be found. There are some new Lexmarks thate are supposed to replace it, but remember that WebTV must provide drivers for the printers if they're going to work, and we can't just assume that a printer that supposedly replaces a listed model is actually supported.

DishPlayer and Retrograded Plus Owners Note!

DishPlayer owners may wonder why there are printers that are compatible with the Plus, but not with the DishPlayer. The reason is that the drivers for these printers were added in the summer upgrade (2.5), and the DishPlayer has not yet received that version with the drivers. When it does, it's likely that the DishPlayer will support the same printers as the Plus.

If you took the retrograde back to the pre-2.5 version on your WebTV Plus, you'll be in the same position as the DishPlayer owners -- you won't have the drivers for some of the printers. But you can take the 2.5.5 upgrade to get them, if you wish to print today. We expect (and hope) that the 2.6 upgrade that's in development will take care of the 2.5 upgrade bugs so that you can fully enjoy both your WebTV Plus and be able to use any of the printers.

More Things to Remember

If you're getting an HP or Canon printer, don't forget to buy a printer cable -- it doesn't come with the printer. Here's a link to get the Belkin F2A046-06 6' IEEE 1284 Parallel Printer Cable -- $8.04 on Amazon. We have been successful on our machine with a generic "PC printer cable" from our local office supply store, but not everyone has had the same luck. The "IEEE 1284" is the thing to look for, if you want to make sure.

Also, don't forget to keep a supply of color and black ink cartridges on hand -- they always seem to run out when you need them the most and the stores are closed. You can buy either manufacturers' cartridges or generic cartridges (check compatibility with your printer) at the same time that you buy your printer. We also recommend our favorite source, Carrot's Ink Cartridges, which offers discounted prices on manufacturers' and generic brands, and includes a free black in cartridge with a $25 or more order.

If you're shopping out-of-state, you may not have to pay sales tax on your printer. Buy.com and Amazon.com currently are offering free shipping on some orders -- check their websites. Also, remember that the prices we've listed were the ones from Amazon and Buy.com on the day we wrote the article, so they may change up or down.

If you're shopping for your PC as well, and haven't already made up your mind, I'd recommend that you read some printer reviews before you decide what's right for you. Here's the link to ZDNet's InkJet Printer Reviews and also CNet's InkJet Printer Reviews. But if you click to buy from ZDNet or CNet, they will get the commission on the sale. If you'll use those reviews to make your decision, and then return here and click through our links, Net4TV will get the commission. Of course, you're in control (or you can go to Amazon or Buy.com directly, and no one gets a commission), but we do appreciate it and it helps to support Net4TV if you decide to buy through one of our links.

More Printer Help

If you still have questions, the best people to ask are WebTV users who are already printing. You'll find them in the WebTV-only newsgroup, alt.discuss.webtv.printerhelp.