Printers

Printers Buying Guide

Inkjet and laser printers have become more affordable and increasingly full featured. Color inkjets, which can cost as little as $30, now turn out photos nearly indistinguishable from lab-processed photos. Once reserved for businesses, monochrome laser printers can now be had for less than $50.
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Brands

The printer market is dominated by a handful of well-established brands. Hewlett-Packard is the market leader. Other major brands include Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Kodak, and Lexmark. Printers designed for printing 4x6-inch snapshots are also sold by Olympus, Samsung, and Sony. These profiles will help you compare printers by brand.

Brother  |  Canon  |  Dell  |  Epson  |  HP  |  Kodak  |  Lexmark

Brother

Offerings include standard black-and-white and color laser printers, and all-in-one inkjets and lasers. For the widest selection at the best prices, try Newegg.com. PCConnection also has a wide range of choices, and Amazon, Costco, and Tiger Direct have better-than-average prices.
 

Canon

Its line of Pixma inkjets are available as all-in-one and standard models. You’ll find plenty of choices in range of functionality and price, with costs ranging from about $50 to $400. Canon’s imageClass multifunction laser models start at about $200. Canon Selphy printers are for snapshots. For the widest selection of Canon printers at the best prices, try Newegg.com. PCConnection and PCMall also have a wide selection, while Amazon, Costco, and Tiger Direct have better-than-average prices.
 

Dell

Offerings include all-in-one lasers and inkjets, plus standard laser and inkjet models. The company’s Web site is the best place for buying its printers, with better-than-average selection.
 

Epson

The PictureMate line of snapshot printers includes the Dash and Zoom models. Stylus printers are geared toward home users, while the WorkForce line targets small and home-based businesses. Both include standard and all-in-one models. A new series, Artisan, will replace the Stylus models. For the widest selection of Epson printers at the best prices, try Newegg.com. PCConnection and PCMall also have a wide selection, while Amazon, Costco, and Tiger Direct have better-than-average prices.
 

HP

Its Photosmart printers are ink-jets for those whose emphasis is on printing photos. The Officejet line, also an ink-jet brand, is geared more toward home offices and small businesses. Laserjets are laser printers available as black-and-white and color models in standard and all-in-one configurations. The Deskjet line is for simpler tasks, while the Business Inkjet is a higher-priced professional model. The Designjet series is for high-end graphics printing. For the widest selection of HP printers at the best prices, try Newegg.com. PCConnection, PCMall, and HP’s own Web site also have a broad selection, while Amazon, Costco, and Tiger Direct have better-than-average prices.
 

Kodak

Lines include several all-in-one EasyShare printers and a couple of snapshot printers. For the best selection of Kodak printers, try PCConnection.
 

Lexmark

Offers several lines of standard and all-in-one inkjets, as well as lasers, in a broad price range. The "Z" series is a group of compact plain inkjets that starts at $35. It also has a line of color lasers. Two new lines are the Professional and the Home & Student series. For the widest selection of Lexmark printers at the best prices, try Newegg.com. PCConnection’s site also has a wide selection, while Tiger Direct offers better prices.
 
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