Nowadays, in order to reduce paper consumption and carbon footprints, people try to send everything electronically. This sounds great and it will help reduce clutter in your home or office. However, a computer printer is still essential. It’s still possible to need a “hard copy†in some cases, especially for students, office, and specialized photographers.
No matter what you want to print, there’s a printer that can fulfill your needs. It can be difficult to decide which type of printer is the best among so many options. We have compiled a simple buying guide to help you choose the right printer for your home or office.
Best Printers
1. Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Duplex Laser Printer
- Prints up To 27 ppm, automatic duplex printing
- 250 Sheet Capacity Paper Tray. A4 2-sided print speed-13. A4 standard print speed-26. Automatic 2 sided print. Recommended monthly volume-250 to 2,000 pages
- Windows 10 Compatibility: If you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, some features of the installed drivers and software may not work correctly. Please uninstall all drivers and software in Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 before upgrading to Windows 10
- This machine uses a USB connection ensuring your office runs smoothly with no complications. High Speed USB 2.0 Interface. Does not come with USB cable. Maximum Monthly Duty Cycle: 10,000 pages. Output Paper Capacity (sheets):100
- It prints sharp, professional black and white pages at up to 2400 x 600dpi resolution
2. Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer HLL2395DW
- Engineered for convenience – This new Brother Monochrome Laser Printer is conveniently equipped with a flatbed scan glass for quick copying and scanning. Mobile Device Compatibility AirPrint, Google Cloud Print 2.0, Brother iPrint and Scan, Mopria, Cortado Workplace
- Optimized for efficiency – Engineered with new features, the HL L2395DW laser printer (replacement for the HLL2380DW) and has been optimized for efficiency, allowing you to print up to 36 pages per minute(1)
- Faster, high quality prints: This monochrome laser printer is built with a 250 sheet paper capacity that helps improve efficiency due to less time spent refilling trays. It also handles both letter and legal sized paper. Power Source AC 120V 50/60Hz.Machine Noise (Ready/Printing): 30dB / 50dB
- Cloud based print & scan – Print from and scan to popular Cloud services directly from the 2.7" color touchscreen, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneNote, and more(4)
- Wireless printing & exceptional support – This printer’s simple to connect wireless technology allows you to submit print jobs from your laptop, smartphone, desktop, and tablets(2). The "Touch to connect" printing with NFC delivers added convenience(3). We provide free online, call, or live chat support for the life of your printer
- Brother is the #1 Retail Brand in laser printer unit sales in the U.S.**Source: The NPD Group, Inc., U.S. Retail Tracking Service, SF and MF Laser Printers, Based on units, Jan. 2018 – Sept. 2021 combined.
3. Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Wireless All-in-One Supertank Printer
- Your family needs a printer that’s fast, affordable, and easy to use. That’s why we developed the EcoTank ET-2720 – an innovative cartridge-free solution that uses high-capacity, easily refillable ink tanks. So you’ll worry less about running out of ink, and save a lot on replacement ink1. The ET-2720 features genuine Epson print quality, a high-resolution flatbed scanner, and convenient color display – making it the ideal basic home printer.
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― High-capacity ink tanks mean no more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; Epson’s exclusive EcoFit ink bottles make filling easy and worry-free
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 4,500 pages black/7,500 color (2), equivalent to about 90 individual ink cartridges (3)
- Stress-Free Printing — Up to 2 years of ink in the box (4) – and with every replacement ink set – for fewer out of ink frustrations
- Zero Cartridge Waste – By using an EcoTank printer, you can help reduce the amount of cartridge waste ending up in landfills
- Impressive Print Quality ― Unique Micro Piezo Heat-Free Technology produces sharp text – plus impressive color photos and graphics – on virtually any paper type
- Built-in Scanner & Copier ― High-resolution flatbed scanner and a color display for easy document copying and navigation
- Modern Connectivity ― Features wireless, plus hands-free voice-activated printing (5). Easily print from your smart device (6) with the intuitive Epson Smart Panel App (7)
- Designed for Reliability ― Worry-free 2-year limited warranty with registration (8), including full unit replacement
- Epson strongly recommends the use of Genuine Epson inks for a quality printing experience; Non Epson inks and inks not formulated for your specific printer may cause damage that is not covered by the Epson warranty
4. Brother Monochrome Compact All-In One Wireless MFCL2710DW Laser Printer
- Print more, wait less. Engineered for increased efficiency with class leading print speeds of up to 32 pages per minute
- Dynamic features meet your evolving needs. The 250-sheet paper capacity helps improve efficiency with less refills and handles letter and legal sized paper
- Flexible printing. The manual feed slot offers flexible paper handling for a variety of papers and sizes, such as card stock, envelopes, etc. To help you create Professional looking documents
- Engineered to deliver productivity. Up to 50-sheet automatic document feeder helps save time with multi-page copy, scan & fax
- Printing as mobile as you are. Print wireless from your desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet
5. HP Color LaserJet Pro M182nw Wireless All-in-One Laser Printer, Remote Mobile...
- High-quality color and fast multifunction versatility: This business printer offers print, copy, and scan versatility, fast print speeds––up to 17 ppm, intuitive control panel and numeric keypad
- Print remotely with the HP Smart app: Set up your LaserJet printer, manage print jobs, receive notifications, and print and scan on the go with HP Smart––HP's best-in-class mobile print app
- Save time with customizable shortcuts: Eliminate steps in repetitive tasks and organize documents 50% faster directly from your mobile device using exclusive office features in the HP Smart app
- Strong security: Help protect your HP printer and sensitive business data with built-in security essentials that help detect and stop attacks
- Wireless connectivity you can count on: Have confidence in your connection with steady performance from dual band Wi-Fi
6. Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Mobile Printer with Airprint and Cloud Compatible,...
- For high quality results, each and every time!
- Save space or take your printing on the go with the printer's Compact & Portable Design.
- Use Mopria Print Service to print what you need from your favorite Android device.
- Simplify your workflow by saving up to five Custom Templates and print them directly from the printer's display, without the need for cables or devices.
- Print up to 330 pages on a full charge with the Optional, Detachable Battery. Plus, easily keep the PIXMA TR150 fully charged by connecting to a computer or compatible USB power source.
Consideration before buying
When you are deciding which printer to purchase, you need to consider the following questions:
- Do you print much?
- Are you printing text or graphics?
- Do you require high resolution to reproduce the original colors?
- How much can you afford for a printer?
Types of printers
Printers for home or students
There are many home printers available that can be used for small print jobs for everyone in the family, which is less than 50 pages per month. An all-in-one wireless inkjet printer is the best choice. It can also be used as a scanner, copier, and fax machine. It allows you to print school papers of text and images, copy from books, fax, and scan documents while mobile printing capabilities allow you to print directly from your smartphone or tablet.
Office printers
Laser printers can complete a large variety of fast and reliable printing jobs for offices at a low cost per page. Laser printers use lasers or static electricity to melt the toner cartridge powder and fuse it to the paper. There are many features that can be tailored to your specific needs.
If you only print text documents, black-only printers may be more cost-effective.
Duplex printers automatically print on both sides, and all-in-one printers have the ability to copy, scan, and fax.
A supertank printer can help you save time and allow you to print more pages using fewer cartridges.
Printers for hobbyists that are specialized
These printers can be used for crafts and other special projects.
Inkjet photo printers are designed to print high-quality prints of photos. These printers come with multiple color cartridges that allow you to reproduce vibrant, clear images as accurately as possible on glossy papers.
Dye-sublimation printers can be used to print personalized T-shirts, mugs, and other items.
There are edible printers that can print on cakes and other pastries using edible ink.
Important Features
You have the option to print high-quality prints with high resolution. You can also choose toner save mode, which is suitable for documents that are less important.
Automatic document feeder for duplex printing
Duplex printing is both time and paper-saving because it can print on both sides. Printers that use a reversing automated document feeder allow duplex scanning and prints double-sided pages without the need to flip the paper over or refeed it into a machine. You can also choose to print both sides of the paper manually.
This is very convenient when you are scanning a series of documents. The document is simply placed in the hopper and the scanner scans it page-by-page.
Speed
Speed is an important feature for printers but needs to be based on the volume of your monthly printing and printing frequency. If you have to print a large number of large documents, high-speed printers are essential for smooth business operations, such as law offices, construction design offices, etc. However, if the monthly printing volume is less than 100 sheets, the speed may not that important. After all, the higher the speed of the printer, the higher the price.
Be aware that each printer speed has a recommended monthly volume. You’ll be more likely to have service calls if your printer produces more than its rated volume. You can avoid future headaches by choosing the right speed.
All-in-one
An all-in-one printer allows you to do all of your printing, scanning and copying from one device. You can also fax.
Voice compatibility
You can now enjoy the convenience of voice-activated printing using a compatible printer. This allows you to use your voice assistant for shopping lists, calendars, and recipes to print any item.
Printing quality
Inkjet printers have a higher quality printing image than laser printers. This is because they use a soft color gradient (=how one color transitions into another). However, laser printers are better for printing text.
Paper types
You may need a printer that can handle more types of paper depending on the type of printing jobs you do.
The most common paper size is A4 (8.5 x 11 inches), which is a letter-size in the US. Many printers can handle this. However, there are other paper sizes such as A3(11.7 x 16.5 inches), A5(5.8 x 8.3 inches), Legal (8.5×14 inches). If your office prints only on A4 papers, you can save some money by choosing an A4-friendly printer.
Also, consider how heavy paper your office needs in a printer. The bypass tray is used for heavy paper, such as stock papers.
If your office prints large volumes of heavy paper such as stock paper, you might consider buying a printer that can handle heavy paper from standard trays.
This printer can be used to streamline business operations and save employees time refilling the bypass tray.
Refilling Ink
Compatible inkjet printers can be refilled with replacement ink bottles. They are easy, affordable, and can save you a lot of money without having to order new ink cartridges each time. Refillable cartridges are also available with edible or sublimation ink. This allows you to make your printer an edible or sublimation printer.
These printers make use of high-capacity containers to refill ink as needed. Be aware that a printer designed to print edible graphics cannot be used for non-edible ink. It won’t allow you to switch between non-edible and edible ink.
The Epson Supertank printers allow you to refill your ink cartridges by yourself. This saves you a lot of money and also eliminates the need to order new cartridges each time. Refillable cartridges are also available with edible or sublimation ink. This allows you to make your printer an edible or sublimation printer. Be aware that a printer designed to print edible graphics cannot be used for non-edible ink. It won’t allow you to switch between non-edible and edible ink.
Wireless printing
Some printers can automatically detect WiFi modems and allow wireless printing. You can also set up wireless printing through the touchscreen on many printers like all-in-one printers.
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