Best Printer 2014:6 Best Printers You Can Buy

Looking for the best printer for photos or one that's works with a Mac? We pick the top five you'll want to feed reams of paper into.
Whether for office use, printing the occasional document or if you're a budding photographer and you want photo quality prints, choosing between the multitude of printers is a difficult task. We've done all the hard testing work, including figuring out how expensive each printer is to run.

Printers aren't like most other tech. They're as much mechanical as they are electronic, which means build quality and reliability are extremely important factors, as is the cost of print. The last thing you want is a broken printer chewing up your paper and wasting ink just when you need to print that important document.

That's not to say that they can't be cutting edge with more adding Wi-Fi, Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud support to enable you to print wirelessly from a smartphone or a tablet like the iPad Air or Nexus 7.

The other thing to remember is that printers last longer than a lot of other tech. You'll probably want to replace your laptop, phone or tablet after a couple years, but as long as a printer still does a good job of printing there's no need to replace it. This makes it even more important to get it right the first time so we've picked the best printers we've reviewed so that you can be confident you're choosing the best printer for your needs.

Whether it's a dedicated laser office printer, a high quality photo printer, an all-in-one home unit or an under-£100 occasional printer, we'll help you decide which
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/best-printers-2011_round-up#5B4Kpx1qMBcEdqFi.99

 

Understand your needs
Printers are categorised, priced and optimised for different purposes. So, while some print good photographs, others are better suited to documents. Home printers are designed differently from the office ones since the printing volume is much higher in the latter. So, to ease your selection, be clear about the reason for which you want the printer.
Printer connections
There are various ways to send data to a printer, with most using a standard USB cable connection to do so from a computer. However, if you want a lot of photographs, there are those that directly accept memory cards from a camera or smartphone. In such a case, pick a printer with PictBridge. Some printers come with a small display, which can help you preview the photograph or edit before printing. Others are equipped with Wi-Fi. This means that once you connect it to your home Wi-Fi, you can print from any computer connected to the same network.
Ink/toner replacement
Home printers, which are used for printing low volumes, are not too expensive as they are a one-time purchase. The primary cost is that of ink or toner for inkjet and laser printers, respectively. Before buying one, check the price and yield (pages per cartridge) of cartridges and toner since this will be a recurring cost. Expensive ink cartridges that need to be changed frequently will cost a lot more than a new printer.
Inket vs Laser
While both types of printers have their benefits, it all boils down to your needs and budget. Inkjets provide richer colour and are cheap, while laser printers score in terms of speed and low cost per page. If you want one mainly to print photos, an inkjet printer is the best choice. If you are looking for high volume document printing, a monochrome (black only) laser printer is advisable. For home use, an all-in-one inkjet is more convenient since you can also use it for scanning or photocopying. For a small office, a laser all-in-one will keep running costs low and offer maximum usage.
Inkjets are usually slower and most can only store 50-100 sheets at a time. They also face calibration issues, jammed nozzles or ink leakage from cartridges. Besides, cartridges have a finite life because ink dries up even if they aren't used. Laser printers typically don't reproduce photos as well as inkjets and are more expensive—an entry-level monochrome laser printer costs at least three times a basic inkjet printer. They are also bigger, heavier and consume more power.
Right printers for home and office
For home (Less than Rs 10,000)
Photo printer: Canon Pixma iP4970
Price: Rs 8,495
This photo printer delivers high-quality photos and supports up to A4 size borderless prints. It uses five individual ink cartridges, which means you can change ink colours separately as they run out, saving money. It can print nine colour images per minute.
All-in-one: Canon Pixma MG3170

Price: Rs 5,965
The printer-copier-scanner is the only one in this price range to offer Wi-Fi connectivity and airprint support (wireless printing using iOS devices). It has a small display for notifications and can print at a speed of five colour images per minute.
High-volume document printing: Samsung ML-1866W
Price: Rs 7,000
A monochrome laser printer, it has a built-in Wi-Fi option and can print 18 pages per minute. The toner is good for over 1,000 prints and has a duty cycle of roughly 5,000 pages per month.
For small/medium offices (Less than Rs 25,000)
Photo printer: HP Officejet 7000
Price: Rs 20,999
This photo printer supports up to A3 size sheets with a speed of 32 pages per minute for colour prints. It has Ethernet connectivity to span a network and uses low-cost ink cartridges to reduce the cost per print.
All-in-one: Brother DCP 7065DN
Price: Rs 14,999
It's a multifunction monochrome laser printer, which uses low-cost toner cartridges and comes with Ethernet connectivity. It can print 27 pages per minute, has auto duplex print support (printing automatically on both sides of a sheet) and a 35-page multi-page auto document scan/copy function.
High-volume document printing: HP Pro P1606dn
Price: Rs 17,999
The monochrome laser printer has a compact design, Ethernet connectivity and can print 25 pages per minute. A single toner cartridge can print up to 2,100 pages and the dual paper input trays can hold over 100 pages each, making it suitable for office use.

The best home printers come in different shapes and sizes. Some are fast printers, others are multifunction and can scan or copy, too. Still others are Wi-Fi enabled. All of them are a good bang for your buck. Here are five of the best home printers, according to the Lifehacker community.

Earlier this week we asked you which home printers you thought were the best, based on your own experiences and opinions. You weighed in with tons of suggestions, both brand-wise and for specific models.

What's the Best Home Printer?

A good printer is hard to find, but we're willing to bet that a few of you have a tried and… Read more

Here are the five models that rose to the top of the pack, thanks to your votes and nominations (in no particular order):

Epson WorkForce WF-3540

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The Epson WF-3540 is a powerful Wi-Fi multifunction printer, scanner, fax, and copier that's also relatively fast (15 pages/min black, 9 pages/min color), both when printing in color and in black and white. It also prints from and scans to USB devices and memory cards plugged in to its onboard ports. If you configure it to connect to some network storage or a shared PC, you can scan documents directly to your computer with it as well. You can also print to it over the network and from mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, as it's AirPrint and Google Cloud Print compatible (or you can use Epson's own apps to connect to it directly). It's an inkjet, so you'll need to be ready to pony up for ink on a regular basis, but beyond that, it's a solid device, especially if you're looking to stock a home office with one device that can handle all of your document management needs. Read a more detailed list of specs here (click specifications).

Those of you who nominated the Epson WF-3540 noted that it's a solid printer that's well reviewed and well regarded, and several of you shared your own experiences with the unit. Overall, you praised its reliability and wireless capabilities, making it a great printer to put in the corner of your home office without a bunch of cables or wires everywhere, but that could still communicate with all of your devices. Almost all of you mentioned that it's the kind of printer that seems like it should cost much more than it does, and one of you noted that you can even use generic ink cartridges with it and not see a dip in performance. If you want one, it'll set you back $130 at Amazon. You can read more about it in its nomination thread here, and if you're looking for a slightly more "business" option that's still a great bang for the buck, the Epson Workforce Pro 4530 was also nominated here.

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Brother HL-2270DW

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If you're looking for a rock solid, no frills, get-it-done printer that's cheap and reliable, the Brother HL-2270DW was a popular choice in the call for contenders round. Many of you noted that it may not have a wealth of features, but it's a super-affordable black-and-white laser printer that'll print endlessly before you have to bother to change it, which keeps overall cost of ownership at a minimum. It was The Wirecutter's pick for best cheap printer until very recently, and still highly recommended by them. It's a great pick by all accounts, too—it's fast (up to 27 pages/min), it's cheap, and it's even wireless and can be used in connection with mobile devices thanks to Brother's mobile printing apps. It even features a space-saving design that' means you don't have to dedicate half of your desk or an entire piece of furniture just to holding your printer—it's small enough to fit in a relatively small space. You can read a more detailed list of its specification here (click specifications).

The HL-2270DW was popular in the nominations round, with most of you praising it for being not just super-fast, but also super-cheap to buy and to operate—explaining it can print close to 2600 pages on a single toner cartridge. You praised its "toner saving mode," which the printer shifts into when it's starting to run low, and you noted that while the printer retails at around $100, it's usually available cheaper—closer to $80 or so when it's on sale. Some of you praised the fact that while many printer manufacturers only pay attention to Windows and OS X users, Brother consistently gives Linux users some love, too. If you want one right now, you can pick it up for $95 at Amazon. Don't just take our word for it, read the nomination thread for it yourself and see. If you need a scanner/copier along with your laser printer, consider the Brother HL-2280DW, which earned a ton of nominations in its own right.

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HP OfficeJet Pro 8600

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Even though it's just been discontinued (seriously just discontinued in the past month or so—the successor is the HP OfficeJet Pro 8610), this all-in-one Wi-Fi printer, scanner, fax, and copier earned high praise in the nominations round. It's a color inkjet too, so you have to factor in ink costs, but it definitely packs in the features. It packs WebOS on the color control panel, which means you can download mini "apps" to the printer to automate or streamline common tasks like photo editing and touch-up before printing, or document management. It can print from USB devices and SD cards, can scan to USB devices or network drives, and can print up to 18 pages/minute black and 13 pages/min color. Printing via mobile apps required HP ePrint, or Apple AirPrint compatible devices. You can read more detailed specs here (click "specs").

Those of you who nominated the OfficeJet Pro 8600 noted it's a rock-solid printer that's reliable, even for an inkjet, and when properly configured, will even let you print over the internet from other locations or devices. You can get an email on your phone, forward it to a special email address, and the printer will take it from there. You also praised those WebOS "apps," which turn the printer into a kind of personal assistant that will do things like print documents, news, and other information for you automatically on a regular basis without you having to do it manually. You also noted that it used to be expensive, but now it's on par with other printers in the lineup, around the $100 price point, especially when on sale. If you want one, Amazon has them for $125 with free Prime shipping, although HP has them direct for $119 (with free standard shipping). Depending on when you need it and your shipping costs, direct may be your best bet. You can read more in its nomination thread here.

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Brother MFC-7420 (MFC7360N)

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If style isn't an issue, the Brother MFC-7420 earned enough nominations to make the top five—even though it's long discontinued and even those of you who nominated it and commented on it were...less than kind about its looks. To be fair, the beige case and purple button look is certainly dated, but even though it won't win any design awards, it's a rock solid printer—if you can find one. It's been discontinued, and while you can get them used cheap at Amazon, the successor is the Brother MFC7360 Multifunction Laser. For its part, the 7420 is a capable multifunction laser, although it's definitely a member of an older generation—it's slower, only connects via USB (or USB-to-network adapter), and it's a workhorse. The MFC7360N, on the other hand, supports networking via Ethernet, prints at 24 pages/minute, and looks a sight better than its predecessor.

In the nominations thread, a few of you shared your love for the old 7420, mentioning it was a rock solid unit, and one of you even noting you scored one at Goodwill with a full toner cartridge and it's served you well ever since. One of you noted that by connecting it directly to a Wi-Fi enabled computer, you can share it out to other devices, and even print via mobile apps thanks to desktop software like HandyPrint. You can read more about it in the nominations thread here, and if you're not lucky enough to find one, the MFC7360 is available at Amazon for $149.

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Epson WorkForce WF-2540

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The Epson WF-2540 is a compact, fast, affordable printer that also packs Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Even though it's small, it's still an all-in-one, and capable of scanning, copying, and faxing, not to mention printing from USB and SD cards and scanning to USB devices and network drives. It's not the fastest, printing at about 9 pages/min black and 7 pages/min color, and it's an inkjet, but the like many of the others here, the ink comes in individual cartridges and is affordable to replace. It also features a big, bright 2.5-inch LCD control screen, which is ideal if you need to make some settings tweaks or changes to photos before you print them. It also supports wireless printing via Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, or Epson's own wireless printing apps. You can read a more detailed list of specs here (click on specifications).

Those of you who nominated it praised two things mainly—it's low price, around the $100 mark, and the low price of its ink cartridges, about $13 each for color ones—which is pretty cheap considering. You also mentioned its wireless and email-to-printer options as great ways to get documents off of your phone or tablet and right to the printer without hassle or having to sit down at the computer first. If you're interested in one, you can pick up a WF-2540 for $90 at Amazon, and read more about it in its nomination thread here.