There are now numerous different companies selling printers and selling numerous different types, from simple inkjet ones to all in one scanners and copiers. But how do you know which is the best make?
There are many things to consider – cost, reliability and usability. The first, cost, falls into two main categories: your budget for the printer and the cost of replacement ink cartridges. Whilst some printers may be cheap in the outset, they may have ink cartridges that are ludicrously expensive. There is always the option of buying compatible cartridges, but certain printers are much harder to find such compatibles for and using alternative, generic ones has the potential to ruin your computer.
One of the best makes when it comes to original cost and the cost of cartridges is Epson. Their printers are very competitively priced and they are very easy to find compatible ink for. On the other hand, HP and Canon are often cheaper for originals ink and while they may often have slightly higher prices they do bring us on to the second of our checklist: quality. With Canon and HP, the quality is often better with many more of their printers being highly recommended every year. If you do want to buy compatibles always check first before you buy Canon and HP printers, as they are less easy to find for certain models than the ubiquitous Epson.
As for the final quality, usability, Epson has the great benefit of offering four cartridges instead of two on even its lower range printer, which means if you run out of a certain colour you don’t have to replace all the colours but simply just one which can save huge amounts of money in the long run. Whilst Canon products have occasionally reported faults reported, they still offer easy usage and great functionality.
Ultimately the best one for you will depend on whether you care more about the budget, the reliability or how easy they are to use.