The right printing machine can turn your digital vacation snaps and quarterly reports into physical realities you can hang on a wall or hand out at a meeting. But the type of printer that’s best for you depends on how much you print and how often, as well as what types of media you use. In this article, we review the latest models to help you find a great one that won’t waste ink or electricity.
For budget-conscious consumers who want a basic model, we recommend the Brother MFC-J1205W (also sold as the MFC-J1215W at Walmart). This inkjet all-in-one produces sharp and detailed black documents, and decently accurate color prints. It’s also inexpensive to maintain, as replacement ink cartridges are cheap and the printer can hold a large amount of print media. It doesn’t have an automatic document feeder or Ethernet connectivity, however, and prints slowly at nine black or six color pages per minute.
If you’re a screen printer who wants to start your own home-based business, check out the Yudu machine. This tabletop unit packs a screen exposing, drying and printing system into a single plastic all-in-one design, and is well reviewed by hobbyists who are using it for low volume one color designs on various substrates. It’s not a great choice for high volume commercial printing or high-end sports apparel, however. The machine only prints one color at a time, so you’ll need to remove the screen before you can add another – and the process they provide for doing so is sloppy and time consuming.