Need to know
- Our experts tested 73 inkjet and laser printers from brands like Canon, Epson, Brother, HP and more
- We assess printers for print quality, printing speed, ease of use, power consumption and yearly ink and toner costs
- Become a CHOICE member to read our full reviews and test results for printers, as well as test results and reviews for over 200 product and service categories
With so many models, features and costs to consider, buying a printer can be confusing.
Plus, it's not as if you can try before you buy instore – if only you could rock up and print your holiday photos or kids' homework for a test run!
That's why we've been testing printers for years – so you know what you're getting before you buy.
Our lab experts reviewed 73 popular models, assessing key factors including print quality, speed, scanning and copying, yearly ink and toner costs, power consumption and ease of use.
Fresh prints: We test 73-plus printer models.
In the process, we've uncovered some impressive printers (spoiler alert: they're not always expensive) alongside some seriously average performers.
We don't want you to end up with a dud, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
On this page:
- Inkjet printers to avoid
- Black and white laser printers to avoid
- The colour laser printer to avoid
- Which type of printer should you buy?
- 7 tips to save money on ink and toner
Running costs
A quick word before we delve into the printers to avoid...
Along with testing print quality, speed and more, our experts also calculate running costs for each printer. We look at how much it costs to print a text page, a graphics page and a photo page, as well as how much you'll spend on ink and toner over a year.
For the calculations, we've estimated what the average person would print in a year: 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints.
Some printers come with a supply of ink and toner as part of the purchase price, which could last you up to three years depending on how often you use it, Our annual ink cost calculations don't factor this in, and are simply the cost of purchasing one year's worth of ink based on our estimated usage.
Want to know more? Read how we test printers.
Inkjet printers to avoid
This HP will truly drink your ink.
HP DeskJet 4122e
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 58%
- Price: $87
- Annual ink/toner cost: $1110
Yes, you read that correctly: this HP costs more than 12 times as much in ink each year as it does to buy in the first place.
We thought the Canon Pixma below was bad, but then this HP arrived at the party and said "hold my ink".
We thought the Canon Pixma below was bad, but then this HP arrived at the party
If you're thinking of buying this printer to save money on photo printing, don't: it'll cost you $2.25 per print. And over three years, you'll be out of pocket a grand total of $3417, thanks to the purchase price and ink and toner costs.
Not to mention that it'll need constant attention – its main tray holds fewer than 100 sheets, and it'll only print 115 pages of text before you need to replace the cartridges. By comparison, other printers will deliver 300-plus pages, with some into the thousands.
Unfortunately, millions of printer cartridges are thrown away each year, so not only will you be putting your hand in your pocket more often if you buy this HP printer, you'll also be putting more waste into landfill if you don't recycle them.
It's not great at basically all the things you buy a multifunction printer for
It scored poorly in almost every single test we ran: 29% for ink wastage, 44% for printing speed, 46% for copying...
It did perform well when we analysed its networking capabilities and power consumption, but it's not great at basically all the things you buy a multifunction printer for.
Want to know more? Read the full HP DeskJet 4122e review.
This Canon takes 54 seconds to start up... and then prints poorly.
Canon Pixma TS3160
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 60%
- Price: $59
- Annual ink/toner cost: $287
Highlighting the cheap printer trap, this Canon will cost you $59 – and then almost five times that in ink for a year of use.
That said, $287 is actually a low amount compared with thirstier models out there, but it can still be a nasty surprise.
As the second-lowest scoring printer overall in our test, this model's chief sins are poor print quality (it scored 43%) and pretty ordinary copying (55%).
Highlighting the cheap printer trap, this Canon will cost you $57 – and then five times that in ink for a year of use
It does have some saving graces – it scores well for print speed and scanning – but it's undone by woeful ink wastage.
It also takes a finger-drumming 54 seconds to start printing after being switched on, so you'll be left like Cinderella at Officeworks, bemoaning "some day my prints will come".
Read our full Canon Pixma TS3160 review.
Black and white laser printers to avoid
The Brother HL-1210W will deliver poor-quality prints, pronto.
Brother HL-1210W
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 68%
- Price: $139
- Yearly ink/toner cost: $130
While this printer has excellent print speed, comes with enough ink to print 700pp mono pages, and is relatively cheap at $130, it uses a very high amount of power when it prints and doesn't perform amazingly well: our experts rated this model's print quality at just 54%.
While it'll give you your prints pronto, they'll leave you disappointed
There are a total of 7 black and white laser printers in our review. The rest outscored this Brother model and are worth considering, including two models that our experts recommend.
Read our full Brother HL-1210W review.
The colour laser printer to avoid
You'll pay more for a laser printer that turns out colour documents and photos, so it's extra important to make sure you're spending your money wisely.
Our experts recommend three colour laser printer from our tests, but if you don't shop carefully it's easy to pick up a mediocre model.
There's one in particular that's best deleted from your shopping list:
If you want to live your life in full colour, you can do better than this.
Brother HL-L3280CDW
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Price: $389
- Annual ink/toner costs: $1027
Even though 69% is not a terrible score, and this printer did have excellent print speed and excellent networking capability, there are a few reasons that this Brother isn't a great performer.
It's very costly to run and you'll pay more than $1.50 per photo, which is a lot for the decidedly ordinary pics this printer turns out.
You'll pay $1.50 per photo, which is a lot for the decidedly ordinary pics this printer turns out
It's also one of those annoying machines that won't print at all when the black ink has run out.
Read the full Brother HL-L3280CDW review.
Which type of printer should you buy?
Before you start shopping around, it's vital to consider how you plan to use your new printer. CHOICE expert, Peter Zaluzny says: "It's important to be realistic about what sort of printing you are likely to do most, and what features are essential for you, and do your homework to find the right sort of printer to do that job – which is where our printer buying guide comes in."
"The first step is to roughly work out the frequency and kinds of documents you want to print. If, for example, you only print the occasional documents for official purposes then a standard monochrome printer will suit your needs. But if you have kids in school that regularly need to print assignments, templates for craft projects and the like, then a colour printer with low annual ink costs will be ideal."
"Setting up an approximate usage scenario can help you narrow down to a handful of printers that suit your needs. Then you can compare upfront and ongoing ink expenses in our test to find one that delivers good quality prints within your budget."
It's important to be realistic about what sort of printing you are likely to do most, and what features are essential for you
Peter Zaluzny, CHOICE expert
"Printers can be quite specialised these days, from cheaper models aimed at only occasional use, to ink-tank (not cartridge) models designed for high output at low cost per page, as well as models designed to print high-quality photos," says Pete.
"Then there are the multifunction printer models that have a wide range of extra features, from scanning and copying to faxing (yes, people still do this!) and more.
7 tips to save money on ink and toner
Don't just look at the upfront cost of a printer before you buy, our experts warn.
"Ink is usually a bigger component of total cost than the printer itself," says tech content producer Ben Bridges.
Ben shares seven hot tips to avoid spending too much on printer ink:
1. Remember that inkjet cleaning cycles use more ink
Inkjets have to keep the jets clear, which they do with a cleaning cycle if the printer hasn't been used recently, or has been switched off. This uses up ink, which adds to the cost of ownership. Laser printers don't have to do this.
2. Don't assume it's cheaper to buy a new printer
People sometimes look at the price of the printer and the price of ink – and think it's cheaper to buy a new printer. It generally isn't: new printers nearly always come with a reduced supply of ink, so you won't be getting the full complement.
And of course there's the environmental impact of replacing an entire printer, rather than just buying a new ink cartridge.
3. Check whether you can use compatible inks
Some printers prevent you from using 'compatible' third-party inks that are generally much cheaper than the manufacturer's ones. They're now obliged to include a statement on the box that they don't work with compatible inks – you might want to avoid these printers.
Also, a quick Google search will show you how manufacturers restrict third-party ink usage over time. It's not uncommon for brands to roll out software updates that block these cartridges on otherwise compatible printers, well after you've purchased them. You may want to avoid brands that do this.
Need for speed: Our lab test measures how quickly a printer can print.
4. Consider a CISS printer
On a positive note, there are now plenty of CISS (continuous ink supply system) printers that let you refill their cartridges from bottles. They're much cheaper to run, but more expensive to buy – another trade-off.
5. Avoid single 'colour' cartridges
There are a few printers with a single 'colour' cartridge, so when one colour runs out, you have to replace the whole cartridge. These printers are best avoided.
6. Beware false predictions about remaining toner
An inkjet printer can tell exactly how much ink is left in an inkjet cartridge (by shining a light through it). But lasers have no real way of measuring the toner left. So they just count the pages printed and tell you you're running out when the number comes up. In actual fact, you may not be.
7. Don't let your photos fade away
If you want to print photos, you really need special photo ink. Magenta and cyan both fade in the light, so if you stick your photos to the front of the fridge, for example, they'll eventually turn yellow.
Our laser and inkjet printer reviews let you see how much a printer will cost you in toner and ink each year, as well as how much ink they use for cleaning – and much more.
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With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
And you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
