Peripherals The PC itself is only part of what you need for personal computing.
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(FORTUNE Magazine) – One of the better known companies on the planet has spent a fortune reminding everyone that what's inside the computer is important. What's outside the computer is important, too. Use a small, cramped monitor with a state-of-the-art computer, or a cheap printer that jams and smudges your work, and you won't appreciate the blazing speed of your microprocessor. Peripherals--monitors, printers, scanners, and other gear--may not get as much attention as the high-performance chip at the heart of your machine, but they'll have a big impact on your computing experience.

A good monitor is an absolute must for anyone spending time in front of a PC. A quality display will provide sharper images, and it can help you avoid headaches, eye strain, and other problems. If you are going to invest extra money in any part of your system, this is the one that will yield an exceptional return.

The technology trend for monitors this year is simple--bigger screens and better quality. The 17-inch models are rapidly becoming the preferred size for business and home users. You'll get about 30% more display area than with a 15-inch model for about $500 to $1,000.

SCREEN REAL ESTATE

Some companies are starting to push even larger screens. The 21-inch models can display two pages of text side by side, and they have long been favorites among graphic artists, traders, desktop publishers, and others who need the extra screen real estate. Of course, they can easily set you back $1,500 to $2,000 or more. At the very top of the market--running $8,000 or so--are thin, bright LCD desktop displays, which take up much less space than conventional cathode-ray tube (CRT) models. A less costly solution is one of the new 19-inch CRTs that are housed in cases not much larger than those for 17-inch displays. The idea is to provide more screen area without taking over your desktop or emptying your wallet.

When comparing monitors, resolution is important. Look for a resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels, with the ideal being 1600 x 1200 pixels. Also check the specifications for a so-called refresh rate of at least 75Hz, a measure of how quickly the screen is redrawn. The higher the number, the less visible flickering you'll notice. You might also consider on-screen controls, which make it easier to fine-tune the display, and perhaps extras such as built-in speakers or cameras for multimedia.

The most essential feature, though, is image quality. The screen has to look good to you. Colors should look lush and natural, and text should be clear and easy to read. Because monitors can be a bit more finicky than some other peripherals, it's generally better to choose from well-established brand names such as NEC, Sony, Optiquest, Samsung, and Mitsubishi, and to buy from a dealer who provides a convenient return and exchange policy.

This year, scanners are the peripherals undergoing the most rapid technological change. Once limited to specialty niches such as graphic arts or legal work, scanners are entering the mainstream. There isn't a quicker way to translate anything on paper into the digital language your PC understands. Prices are falling rapidly, and the growing interest in PC photography and digital cameras is adding to the demand.

Once a photo has been scanned, the image can be stored and edited on a PC, and even sent via E-mail to family and friends. You can now buy a good flatbed scanner for as little as $150--a fraction of last year's prices.

There are two basic types of scanners to consider: flatbed and sheet-fed. The former work a bit like copy machines; you lift the lid and place the document on the scanning bed. Because the paper is stationary (the scan head moves under a glass plate), flatbed models--which can cost up to $1,500--can scan bound books and three-dimensional materials. Sheet-fed models--about $150 to $350--are compact and can nestle between your keyboard and monitor; they carry the paper or photo through a slot into the scanner. Some now have detachable scanning heads, so you can manually scan bound material.

When shopping for a scanner, pay attention to optical resolution, a key quality measure. The higher it is, the more detail the scanner captures. You'll probably need at least 300 dots per inch (dpi) resolution. For most small-business or home-office work, the sheet-fed models, such as the Visioneer PaperPort Strobe or the EasyPhoto SmartPage Pro, will do a fine job. Remember that flatbed models, such as the $150 Microtek ScanMaker V300, are also exceptional values now.

Nearly every scanner comes with a wide range of software for editing photos, electronic filing, or faxing of scanned documents. Optical character recognition (OCR), which turns a scanned document into text you can store and edit in a word processor, is also included. One final word of advice: Don't buy more resolution than you need. There's no need to pay for professional 1200 dpi quality if you are only going to put your scanned photos on the Web or print them to a 300 dpi printer.

PAPERLESS ILLUSION

Although the technology is not changing quite as rapidly as scanners, printers are an essential peripheral for nearly everyone. The paperless office remains an illusion--and probably always will. Laser printers are the mainstay of the business market, while color inkjets are the overwhelming choice for home users. The reasons are simple. Laser printers are much faster, offer sharper text quality, are less expensive to operate, and have more varied paper-handling options.

There are a few key trends in the market this year. Business-class laser printers (in the $1,000 to $2,500 range) provide even better overall images at 600 to 1200 dpi at speeds of up to 24 pages per minute (ppm). You'll also find that duplexing (printing on both sides of the page) is more common, as is strong network support and plenty of expansion options. Notable products include the Lexmark Optra S1250, a 12 ppm printer with 1200 dpi resolution that sells for just over $1,000.

Also check out the growing array of personal lasers, which are 4- to 6-ppm printers with 300 or 600 dpi resolution. Prices start at $299, making them especially good buys.

If you want a color laser, you can now find several selling for $3,000 to $3,500, including new offerings from Xerox and Minolta. Color laser printers don't match the photo quality of color inkjets, but they can print more pages on a monthly basis and are good choices for general business documents. Remember that resolution is still the best measure of print quality. The higher the resolution, the more of a typeset look you'll get. You want at least 600 dpi output for business, while 300 dpi is still acceptable for home use. Whatever laser printer you choose, you can hardly go wrong; technology is well-proven at this point.

Another essential group of peripherals are those that help you back up your system and save those huge multimedia files. You can catalog digital images, manage client files, archive older documents, and, of course, back up your data against loss. Almost all removable drives follow the pattern of Iomega's hugely successful Zip drive--stylish housings, simple operation, and flexibility. Because most attach easily to your printer port via cable, they are a good choice for moving larger files from a notebook to a desktop, or for sharing files between two desktop computers.

INSURANCE POLICIES

This year you'll see larger storage capacities, and more sophisticated software. There are many different technologies available, including tape, floppy and hard-drive variations, and various kinds of optical drives. You can spend anywhere from about $150 for a Zip drive to well over $1,000 for a 4.6GB optical drive. The removable media range from about $10 (for a 100MB Zip disk) to $100 or more for high- capacity optical platters.

The right technology and storage capacity depends on what you are going to do. You won't need as much capacity to back up text documents as you would for video animation. But don't try to work without backup technology. If nothing else, these storage devices provide quick, easy-to-use insurance for your important data. Given the choice, it is better to have backed up and lost than never to have backed up at all.

In addition to the major peripherals, there are many others that may help you fine-tune your system. There are recordable-CD drives, power protectors to keep your system humming in case of brownout or blackout, add-on hard drives, surge protectors, replacement keyboards and mice (including wireless versions), and all sorts of other accessories. You probably won't need all of these, but one or two may be just what you're looking for. All told, plenty of options are available to personalize your system for what you want it to do.