So you decided to purchase a refurbished laser printer. For those readers who have never heard of the word "refurbished" or "refurb", don't worry...the majority of non-techies have no clue or just don't care. However, just in case you run across the word in technical articles, according to Dictionary.com, refurbished means "To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate". Basically, when you decide to buy a refurbished laser printer, you are investing in a used laser printer whose youth has been restored.

Below are the steps on how to purchase a quality refurbished laser printer:

1) Ask yourself, "What am I going to do with the printer?" Make a list of all the features you want the printer to do. For example, do you want to print on both sides of the paper? Do you require color? How many paper trays do you want? Do you want to set up a network?

2) Research...research...research! After you decide the features you want, scour the web for reviews of brands and models that have a reputation for being high quality. Figure out which brands and models have the features you desire. You can go to sites like shopping.com and amazon.com to read a variety of reviews so you can form your own opinion.

3) Show me the money! Ask yourself, "How much do I want to spend?" For basic word document printing, you don't need the latest and greatest top of the line laser printer, an inexpensive older base model will do. However, if you are going to be producing vivid photo like images and thousands of copies, it's going to cost a pretty penny.

4) Based on your budget, narrow your list of printers to the ones that fit your budget and possess the desired features.

5) Let's go shopping! Now that you are an informed consumer, it is time to shop around. For those not comfortable ordering items online, check out the newspaper classifieds. However, for those who live and breathe on the web, in a search engine like Google.com, type in the phrase, "refurbished _____________ (the brand and model of the printer you want)" and thousands of E-tail and auction sites will appear. One site that has the cheapest prices on the web and specializes in refurbished laser printers is PrinterStop.com. Customer service and quality refurb products are what they are known for.

6) Buyer beware! If you are able to, inspect the printer before purchasing it. Look for excessive dust and debris. If you are purchasing it online and cannot check it out before buying, inquire about the warranty and the company's return policy. Be sure to ask about shipping policies just in case the printer needs to be sent back. Make sure the outside covers are clean, that all stickers are removed, and there is no paper jammed in the paper-supply line. Verify which cords come with the printer. If possible ask a technician these questions:

• Were the pickup rollers, feed rollers, and separation pads replaced with new parts if there was excessive wear and tear?
• Were multi paper path tests performed on all paper sources?
• If necessary, was the fuser assembly refurbished by cleaning, re-lubricating, and replacing the fuser roller or film?
• Were the network card and formatter tested and updated to the latest firmware version?

If you can follow these steps and answer yes to the questions above, it should be easy to find a reasonably priced, high quality refurbished laser printer that satisfies all your needs!