Printers: lo ve them or loathe them (and
it’s usually the latter), we can’t do without them. We help you decide which
you want
In a world increasingly dominated by
digital information, printers can sometimes feel like a relic from times past.
After all, the underlying technology in most printers hasn’t really changed
since the introduction of the home inkjet, Hewlett Packard’s original Deskjet,
and that happened in 1988!
How
to buy…a printer?
However, the fact is that printers still do
something no other device can, and that’s get information off computers and
into the physical world. Email might mean we have less and less need to print
off letters, forms and business documents, but what about restaurant vouchers
or gig tickets, or even postage bought online? What about photos? The simple
fact is that sometimes you need (or want) a bit of paper that you can give to
someone, and companies are more than happy to sell you the chance to do it for
yourself.
That said, few devices have done as much to
add to the collective misery of computer users as printers have. Shoddy
drivers, wonky paper problems and inconsistent ink-consumption habits can turn
even the simple act of printing an address label into something far more complicated
and frustrating than it needs to be.
However, until the day when humanity can
collectively agree that no one should ever have to use a printer again, you
really do need access to one. That doesn’t mean you’re completely at the mercy
of manufacturers, though. There are good printers, and bad printers, and over
the next few pages, we’ll help you decide which of the many available types can
fill the printer gap in your life.
How Much Should You Spend?
It all depends on what type of printer you
want. The barest, most minimally functional inkjets can be picked up for as
little as $40, but that doesn’t mean they’re very good. Inkjet printers tend to
be low maintenance, but only because such low prices mean that if they break,
you simply replace them. The ink doesn’t cost a huge amount, but one quirk of
the budget printer is that they’re often cheaper to buy than a set of
cartridges, and because they come with a free set, in some cases it actually
makes more financial sense to buy a new printer than to buy new ink.
Admittedly, that’s not very good for the environment, though.
In terms of economy, however, it actually
makes more sense to buy a multi-function printer. These pack a scanner,
printer, fax machine and stand-alone photocopying function into one unit, and
can be picked up for as little as $48, giving you access to vastly more
functionality.
However, cheap inkjets (whether in an MFP
or stand-alone) have a habit of breaking under heavy use, and if you get one to
last more than a couple of years of regular use you’re doing well. We’d
recommend spending a little more to get something manufactured to a slightly
better standard. More expensive inkjet printers ($80+) also tend to have useful
extra features, such as network support, which are definitely worth paying for.
Try not to exceed $97, though, unless you’re buying a specialist photo printer,
because at that level you’re paying for brands and high-end specifications,
which are useless to the home user, rather than reliability or build quality.
Laser printers are slightly more expensive
than inkjets. The cheapest mono printers can be picked up for around $58, but
these are designed for home use, rather than the typical office setting of a
laser printer. Colour lasers start at $144, and for that amount, they’re hard
to recommend in a home context unless you do a lot of colour printing. We’re
not really sure who would.
What Make/Model/Manufacturer Should You Look For?
Choosing a printer brand is largely an
exercise in loyalty. Some will swear by Lexmark, while others wouldn’t dream of
anything other than a Hewlett-Packard. The problem is that the varying tiers of
printer manufacture mean that even single brands aren’t consistent in their own
output. Their cheap inkjets might be bad, while their expensive MFPs aren’t.
With
that in mind, we recommend the HP Deskjet 1000 ($51) if you’re looking for a
cheap colour inkjet
Trying to find an objective metric is
tough. Canon is the printer brand with the most Facebook likes, according to a
recent statistics from Amplicate, with Panasonic an unexpected second, and
Hewlett Packard third. Well-known printer manufacturers Lexmark and Epson were
less popular with their customers, however, placing at sixth and seventh
respectively in the overall list. However, all of this doesn’t necessarily tell
you about customer satisfaction - just which company managed to mobilise their
users most convincingly.
One reason Canon may be popular is because
many of its printers typically use individual tanks for each colour of ink,
meaning that you can potentially save money compared to buying combined
tri-colour cartridges such as most other manufacturers offer. The cheapest
offerings, however, still use dual-cartridge systems, perhaps reflecting the
need to make back the manufacturing cost of such models on cartridge sales.
the
Epson Stylus SX130 ($48) if you’re looking for cheap and cheerful MFP
In any case, the printer market is full of
brands that have been in the game for decades, and it’s virtually only those
brands competing. As long as you recognise the name, it’s not going to have any
major flaws or nasty surprises waiting. Price and capabilities are far more
important criteria to judge on.
And
the Kodak ESP C310 ($97) if you want a decent MFP with higher-tier features
With that in mind, we recommend the HP
Deskjet 1000 ($51) if you’re looking for a cheap colour inkjet, the Epson
Stylus SX130 ($48) if you’re looking for cheap and cheerful MFP and the Kodak
ESP C310 ($97) if you want a decent MFP with higher-tier features. Laser
printers aren’t top of the agenda for home use, but if we had to pick one, it’d
be the Lexmark C540n ($194), which is a little more expensive than the cheapest
colour laser printers, but all the better for being so.
If
we had to pick one, it’d be the Lexmark C540n ($194), which is a little more
expensive than the cheapest colour laser printers, but all the better for being
so.
