1) Make sure whatever printer you get that it has appropriate compatibility clearly written on the box. And then still double check with the salesperson.If for some reason the box lies (it happens when software doesn't live up to expectations) you can go back to the same person for a refund/replacement.
2) Your new printer should have individual colour cartridges (laser or ink). So, for example, when you run out of red you don't have to replace unused portions of blue and yellow as you would for an all-in-one cartridge.
3) Think about how many pages you print per day/week/month and compare to the printing speed of the printer. Many stores provide breakdowns of per-page costs factoring in consumables over the life of the printer.
4) Ink jet printers are good for low volume but their ink and replacement part costs are relatively high.
5) If you print lots of pages then a colour laser (or LED) is cheaper on a per page basis over the life of the printer. These days there are cheap colour laser printers which rival mid-range inkjets for cost and they certainly win in the speed stakes.
6) Consider whether you really need the fax/phone option as they chew up value in the cheaper multifunction devices that could be better spent on it being a better printer/scanner.
7) Many new printers come with built in features for the printing of photos directly from camera memory cards. I can't recall ever talking to anyone who actually uses this. Per point 6 above, if you don't think you'll use it, don't pay for a big display and lots of card slots on your printer.
8) If you are predominantly printing photos you may want to invest a bit extra into the types of ink your new printer uses. Some use more than the basic 4 ink palette to generate better quality photos. The downside of this is that these specialised colours tend to drop off the radar in a few short years and you may be stuck for replacements.
9) Using special photo paper and photo sized papers can be a pain in a printer not designed specifically for photo printing. Again, if you are wanting to produce photos like the shops to send to relative or keep, then make sure your new printer has a paper feed mechanism designed to handle these special papers. Get you store person to demonstrate it where possible.
10) Look for dust collectors. A fussy and very "open" printer will suck dust into its innards. The printing process is microscopic and quite adversely affected by dust. If you are putting your printer into a dusty location look for one that closes up slots and such when not in use. This is most likely to be a manual process but worth considering. This goes for pet hair too! :-)
11) For some time printers have been a disturbingly disposable product. Yet, some still trade on being able to replace parts in the future. My experience has been that doing this is often more expensive and difficult than just buying a whole new printer. It may best to consider how recyclable your new printer is over the expense of fruitlessly trying to make it last longer.
Happy printing!
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