All-in-One Printer Roundup
It used to be that a printer was a printer, and a scanner was a scanner, and apart from giant expensive corporate printers, if you wanted a printer/scanner/copier, you pretty much had to buy each one separately – that is, until the All-in-Ones came around. At first, they weren’t exactly budget friendly, but over the past few years, their prices have dropped so much that you can get them just as cheap as a plain old printer. Of course, there are quite a few All-in-Ones to choose from, so we’ve put together a list of some of the top printers here on alaTest.com.
The Pixma MX870 offers just about all of the features of a $400 office printer, but costs only about $150, making it extremely popular. It has a 2.5-inch color LCD screen, Wi-Fi connectivity, and integrated card reader as well as three separate paper loading trays and multi-document two-sided scanner, something rare amongst other affordable printers. It also uses separate cartridges for each color of ink, which, while slightly more expensive up front, improves print quality and saves money in the long run since you won’t have to replace all the cartridges when just one color runs low. On the down side, it does print quite slowly, so if you do any time sensitive or high-volume printing, you may want to look elsewhere.
Another Pixma, the MP495 is essentially a cheaper version of the MX870. Available for around $60, it’s extremely affordable, while offering quality comparable to All-in-Ones twice its price. Unlike its MX870 big brother, the MP495 doesn’t have an LCD screen, separate paper trays, or even card reader, but it does have integrated Wi-Fi and can print, scan, and copy just as well. Sadly, it also shares the MX870’s rather slow print speed.
The main appeal to the ESP 7250 is its low cost of ownership. It is similarly priced to the popular MX870 and offers many of the same features, like color LCD screen, Wireless printing, and card reader. It also has two paper trays, one for photos, and the other for paper sizes up to 8.5 x 14 inches. While it does print faster than the two Canon models above, it’s slightly slower than you’d expect from most printers at this price range. Its print quality does leave a bit to be desired, but with the most affordable replacement ink cartridges on the market, most people are willing to overlook this fact.
When quality is a priority, people turn to the Pixma MP990. It shares the same six ink cartridge configuration as the other the MX870 mentioned above, and combined with a high nozzle count, it is capable of printing extremely high quality images. The MP990 is also very feature rich, with integrated Wi-Fi, multi-card reader, higher resolution scanner, and larger 3.8-inch color LCD display. If you’re willing to sacrifice a bit more money for quality, this is the printer for you.
If none of these All-in-Ones are quite what you’re looking for, or if you’re in the market for something other than an All-in-One, such as a large format or laser printer, be sure to take a look at our extensive Printer Category. Odds are you’ll find what you’re looking for.
