Printers

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What's behind our printer Ratings?

Experts at our National Testing and Research Center tested 96 models in printers to see which ones perform best.

We look for:

Overall score
Overall score is based on speed and quality of print, scan, and copy functions, plus ease of use. The displayed score is out of a total of 100 points.
Ink and paper/month
Estimated cost (in dollars) for ink and photo paper in a month of typical use, based on our tests and how our readers told us they print. For inkjets: 23 text pages, 9 graphics pages, 2.4 large photos, 3.6 small photos, and 3.5 photos on plain paper. For lasers: 62 text pages, 24 graphics pages, 1.7 large photos, 1.9 small photos, and 2.3 photos on plain paper. Photos cost the most, text documents the least, so your results may vary from these figures, but they are useful for comparing models.
4x6 photo cost
4x6 photo cost per print.
8x10 photo cost
8x10 photo cost per print.
Text cost
Text cost per print.
Photo quality
This is our assessment of the appearance of each photo. Models with higher scores produce more natural looking photos, with smoother changes in shading and fewer problems with banding.
4x6 photo time
This score reflects how quickly the model can print one 4x6 photo on photo-quality paper. 1 minute or less is excellent; 1 to 2 minutes is very good; 2 to 4 minutes is good; 4 to 6 minutes is fair; and longer than 6 minutes is poor.
8x10 photo time
This score reflects how quickly the model can print one 8x10 photo on photo-quality paper. 2 minutes or less is excellent; 2 to 4 minutes is very good; 4 to 6 minutes is good; 6 to 8 minutes is fair; and longer than 8 minutes is poor.
Text quality
This indicates how crisply and clearly a printer produced black text in a variety of faces, sizes, and styles. Models with higher scores produce more uniform type, with sharper edges and smoother curves.
Text speed
This score reflects how quickly the model can print text on five pages of plain, letter-sized pages. 30 seconds or less is excellent; 31 to 60 seconds is very good; 61 to 90 seconds is good; 91 to 120 seconds is fair; and longer than 120 seconds is poor.
Graphics quality
Our assessment of the appearance of color graphics produced by the printer. Black and white lasers were judged on black and white graphics.
Convenience
Measures the ease of carrying out a series of common activities with the printer.
Scan quality
Scan quality is for color photos, graphics, and text scanned at each model's default settings.
Copy quality
Copy quality is for graphics and text.
Power saving
This indicates how well the printer conserves power between uses.
Versatility
Versatility indicates features that increase a printer's utility or capabilities.

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Recommended printers

Recommended printers are standout choices with high scores. They include CR Best Buys, which offer exceptional value. When narrowing your choices, weigh features, price, and attributes that matter to you.

Recommended printers

Printer buying guide

To find the printer that is right for you, read our expert advice on which features to consider and how to find the best value.

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Inkjet and laser printers have become more affordable and increasingly full featured. Inkjet printers have become the standard for home-computer use. If you're looking for information about printers, Consumer Reports is your best resource. Consumer Reports’ printer reviews will give you honest buying advice that you can trust. Use our printer buying guide to discover which features are most important to consider. We also provide unbiased Ratings and printer reviews to help you choose the best printer for your needs.

Ratings & recommended printers

All in one printers (68)

If all you do is print, you can save money and space by purchasing a dedicated printer. But if there's any chance you might want to copy or scan, it's worth investigating an all-in-one. While most models are bigger than the typical new stand-alone printer, they take up less space and cost less than a separate printer, scanner, and copier. Having to hook up only one device to your computer simplifies setup as well. An all-in-one's scanning function should be fine for print originals. Some can also handle basic film and slide scanning, though for top quality we recommend a separate scanner. The copying function is fine for casual use. Some all-in-ones add fax, phone, and answering functions.

As the Ratings show, paying more for a printer doesn't necessarily mean you'll get better photos. And don't consider only the purchase price of the printer itself. Per-print costs can make a cheaper model more expensive in the long run than a higher-priced printer with low per-copy costs.

The Ratings rank models by performance.

Regular printers (26)

Printer manufacturers are concentrating most of their efforts on all-in-ones, so many of the regular inkjets available are bare-bones, low-cost models. Still, for the money, standard inkjets are solid all-purpose printers for most consumers who want to print both text and color photos. Most can print almost anything, including photos up to 8.5 x11 inches or larger, text, and graphics such as greeting cards. You can use various types and sizes of paper, from business cards to banners.

Quality is another plus. The photos from the best inkjets are as good as those you get from a photofinisher. Larger prints also typically cost less than you'd pay a photofinisher--about $1 to $1.50 for an 8x10-inch photo, compared with $2 to $4 for professional processing. But inkjets aren't renowned for speed, so it could take awhile to print a number of 8x10s.

Don't print photos or color graphics? Traditional black-and-white laser printers can't be beat for fast text printing at a good cost, especially if you print reams of black-and-white text documents.

As the Ratings show, paying more for a printer doesn't necessarily mean you'll get better photos. And don't consider only the purchase price of the printer itself. Per-print costs can make a lower-priced model more expensive in the long run than a higher-priced printer with low per-copy costs.

The Ratings rank models by performance.

Snapshot printers (2)

The Ratings rank printers by test results and features.

Recently reviewed printers

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Konica Minolta Magicolor 1600W

(Tested)

A color laser printer from Konica Minolta. It has no networking. Works with Windows only.

Konica Minolta Magicolor 1600W

Lexmark C540n

Brother HL-4570CDW

Samsung CLP-365w

Printer buying guide

Inkjet printers have become the standard for home-computer use. They can turn out color photos nearly indistinguishable from lab-processed photos, along with stickers, transparencies, T-shirt transfers, and greeting cards. Many produce excellent black-and-white text. With some very good models selling for less than $200, it's no surprise that inkjets account for the vast majority of printers sold for home use.

Laser printers still have their place in home offices. If you print reams of black-and-white text documents, you probably need the quality, speed, and low per-copy cost of a laser printer. Printers use a computer's microprocessor and memory to process data. The latest inkjets and lasers are so fast partly because computers have become more powerful and contain much more memory than before.

Before you start shopping, decide whether to get an inkjet or a laser model, and a plain printer or an all-in-one. You can base your decision on what you'll be printing. This printer guide will help.

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