Printers

Printers

Searching for the perfect printer for your home or business needs?

Below are the top 3 recommended inkjet and laserjet printers based on user reviews and experiences. I’ve also included the pros and cons of each printer so you can find the best printer for your needs. 

Why Choose an Inkjet printer?

Pros

  • Low startup cost
  • Colors blend better than laserjet.
  • Can print on a variety of paper types.
  • Inkjet cartridges are cheaper than laserjet cartridges.
  • Ideal for multipurpose home office use and rich photo printing. 

Cons

  • Colors can bleed when wet
  • Not cost effective for bulk printing.
  • Ink cartridge replacements in the long run will cost more (higher printing cost per page)
  • Prints slower than a laser jet.

The best inkjet printers

The picks listed below are based on high user review rating. Three recommendations are included: a low price point, medium price point and high price point. The higher the price point, the better the color graphics will be. 

HP OfficeJet 4650

Pros

  • All purpose scan, copy and fax machine.
  • Touch Screen on Printer.
  • Ink is reasonably priced.
  • Connects wirelessly.
  • Easy software set up.
  • Compact design.
  • Great print quality for the price.

Brother MFC-J985DW

Pros

  • All purpose scan, copy and fax machine.
  • Touch Screen on Printer.
  • Connects wirelessly.
  • Ink is reasonably priced and high quality.
  • Print and scan directly from usb and thumb drives.
  • Fast print time.
  • 4 ink colors: black, cyan, magenta and yellow.

Epson Artisan 1430

Pros

  • Wide format printing can print images up to 13” x 9”.
  • 6 ink colors for high quality images.
  • High-quality image and graphics printing.
  • Connects wirelessly.
  • Includes Photoshop Elements software (a $69 value).
  • Easy one click connection to computer.

Cons

  • Only 2 ink cartridges included (black and multicolor). When one color runs out in the color cartridge, the entire cartridge must be replaced.
  • No Ethernet port to connect to computer.

Cons

  • Slow to print color documents.
  • Load tray cannot accommodate too much paper.
  • No usb port to connect to computer.

Cons

  • Does not scan, copy or fax.
  • Ink cartridges are expensive.
  • Does not include usb cable for direct connection (must buy separately).
  • Printer can take up a lot of desk space.

Why Choose a laserjet printer?

Pros

  • Faster, more efficient printing.
  • Cheaper to print per page than inkjet.
  • Ink cartridges last longer.
  • Ideal for bulk color brochures, color flyers and text documents.

Cons

  • Higher startup cost.
  • Ink can crack when bent.
  • Cartridge replacement is more expensive.
  • Best for printing on computer paper only and not textured paper.
  • Laserjet printers are bigger and bulkier than inkjet.
  • Laserjets do not print immediately, they need time to “wake up” from deep sleep.

The best Laserjet printers

The printers listed below are also based on high user rating. Three recommendations are included: a low price point, medium price point and high price point. The higher the price point, the better quality the color prints will be. 

Brother DCPL2540DW

Pros

  • All purpose scan, copy and fax machine.
  • Connects wirelessly or with a usb cable.
  • Load tray can hold up to 250 sheets of paper.
  • Double sided printing is easy.

Brother HL3140CW

Pros

  • Connects wirelessly or with a usb cable.
  • Load tray can hold up to 250 sheets of paper.
  • Easy installation and setup.
  • Can setup and print easily from Apple iCloud.

Canon MF726Cdw 

Pros

  • All purpose scan, copy and fax machine.
  • Connects wirelessly.
  • Can print 21 color images per minute.
  • Double sided scanning.
  • Touch Screen on printer allows you to scan and send email directly from printer.

Cons

  • Installing software can take some time.
  • Only scans documents on one side.
  • Printer can take up a lot of desk space.

Cons

  • Does not scan, copy or fax.
  • Printer can take up a lot of desk space.
  • You need a usb cable for setup and cable is not included.

Cons

  • Ink cartridges are expensive.
  • Does not include usb cable for direct connection (must buy separately).
  • Printer can take up a lot of desk space.

 

Recommendations based on your projects and needs:

For home projects, prints and photos that you are not selling I recommend an inkjet printer.

For business printing such as bulk brochures, flyers and text heavy pages I recommend a laserjet printer.

For bulk color printing where image quality is not of importance, I recommend a laserjet printer.

For bulk color printing where image quality is important such as selling art prints, I recommend outsourcing to a local print shop. Why outsourcing? First, inkjet printers are not suited for high capacity printing and laserjet printers are not known for their high quality images. The second biggest reason is that when you are starting a business that is based on the quality of your prints, it is important to not sell your customers short. You want to provide customers with the highest quality prints but also keep your costs low. Professional grade laserjet printers start at $1,500 which is a steep cost for a startup. Down the road once you have established a consistent profit with your printables business, a high quality laserjet printer becomes a necessity.

 

Ready for the next step in your business plan? Follow these 6 steps to launch your Etsy Shop and start monetizing your printables!