The traditional method of measuring PPM dates back to the days when print jobs were predominantly black-text and graphics and before colour photographic printing become popular. Given the complex printing needs of today, the PPM method is outdated and may not be appropriate given the diversity of print jobs we do at home and at work. For any printer, the time taken to print varies according to factors such as the speed of the PC, its configuration, the application software being used, the printer resolution being used and the complexity of the image that is being printed. So, in general, it can be said that every document or image will print in a different time. So, always remember that the speed of any printer is just a guide.
Speed measurements are only comparable if a certain standard test protocol is used throughout.
So speed comparisons can be made between the different products within a manufacturer's range of models but care should be exercised when comparing a model from one manufacturer to another manufacturer. In addition, the starting point at which the speed is measured by one manufacturer may be different from that of another. When the manufacturer considers the print to have finished may vary also. One manufacturer may stop measuring when the printer engine finishes while another stops when the printed output is available in the output tray. There may only be a few seconds difference and it is not usually important in most everyday circumstances but it should be borne in mind where speed is important.