Who Makes the Best Printers?
Do you know exactly what you are looking for in a printer but cannot decide which brand to purchase? With so many manufacturers constructing various types of printers that have similar qualities, it can be a difficult decision. Should you get the least expensive option? Should you get the one with the most recognizable brand name?
The purpose of this article is to provide facts and opinions gathered from thousands of consumers and experts so you are able to make an informed decision about which printer to buy.
Which manufacturer consistently makes the best printers? Would you invest in something made by a company with poor overall reviews, even if you find one product that seems flawless? The chart below shows ratings based on the most important elements of different types of printers: inkjet, laser, photo, business and all-in-one machines.
Print Speed | Text Quality | Photo/Graphic Quality | Copy Speed | Design | Operation Noise | Networking | |
Brother | ★★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ |
HP | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
Epson | ★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★★ |
Canon | ★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ |
Xerox | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★★ |
Lexmark | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★ |
Dell | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ |
★★★= above average; ★★= average; ★= below average
Based on these results, you should be able to gauge which manufacturer is the best for your particular needs. This next chart is to give you an idea of the overall reliability and the frequency of problems. Higher ratings are better in each category.
Immediate Issues | Significant Issues | Severe Issues | Overall Reliability | |
Brother | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ |
HP | ★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ |
Epson | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★ |
Canon | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ |
Xerox | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ |
Lexmark | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
Dell | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★ |
★★★= above average; ★★= average; ★= below average
From these charts, you can be the judge of the best printer manufacturer. Brother seems to have the best ratings overall, but Brother printers seems to suffer slightly in the quality department. Canon offers the best quality, but you will have to wait for it. HP is average in both departments, but lacks consistent reliability. Epson is the only manufacturer that is average or above across the board, but considerably less Epson printers are sold each year than many other manufacturers, so issues may go unreported.
So, who makes the best printers? Hopefully the information provided has helped you come to that conclusion based on the elements you find to be the most important.
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