Printing machines make digital vacation snaps and quarterly reports into physical realities you can hang on a wall or hand out at a meeting. They’ve become less expensive and tricked-out over time, but you still need a good one to avoid wasting paper, ink or electricity. We test, evaluate and compare the latest models to save you money and hassle.
This Brother all-in-one is our top pick for a simple office printer that also copies and scans. It’s inexpensive, quick to set up and easy to control. It uses a new type of ink, but that’s a bonus rather than a drawback because the tanks don’t carry a heavy price tag. The only drawback is that the ink yields are relatively low and it requires you to replace an entire cartridge if a color runs out, as opposed to just replacing the empty tank.
The build quality is excellent, as expected from the Ender line, and it’s a bit more rugged than the model that came before it. The stock settings were fine for all our test prints, but I recommend enabling an option in the custom settings to prevent paper abrasion, especially with heavier or specialty media. The feature works by adjusting the nozzle firing cycle, which can reduce or even eliminate “stringing” that occurs when layers don’t have time to dry between passes of the printing head.
This is a great 3D printer for home use or small businesses. It’s inexpensive, easy to set up and has a built-in Wi-Fi. It’s slower than other models we tested, but it does a great job of producing high-quality prints and scans at reasonable speeds. It also has a few extra features that I don’t see in other printers, such as the ability to print on both sides of an object and a magnetic closure for the lid.