Most and Least Reliable Printer Brands

“Reliability is important,” says Rich Sulin, who leads CR's printer testing program. “The last thing you want is to find yourself back on the market because your last purchase turned out to be unreliable—and it turns out, when it comes to printer brands some are far more likely to cause problems than others.”

In our most recent survey, CR members told us about their experiences with 113,959 individual printers. One key finding is that predicted reliability for any brand can vary from one type of printer to another.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of who makes the most and least reliable printers in each major model category, from all-in-one inkjets to single-purpose black-and-white laser printers.