Inkjet Printer Review

Standard printers vs. multifunction machines

Many reviewers have shifted their coverage of printers to all-in-one models that can scan, copy and fax in addition to print, a shift that's also reflected in the market. More people these days are interested in models that do more than just print documents and photos. Still, all-in-ones are expensive if you don't need the extra functionality, and they can take up considerably more space on your desktop. ConsumerSearch covers multifunction printers in a separate report.

The best printer reviews directly compare multiple models, test print quality with the same variety of paper consumers will use and test all of each printer's modes. CNet.com, PC Magazine and Consumer Reports generally do the best job of reviewing new printers. CNet.com and PC Magazine have better scope, covering higher-end photo inkjets as well as budget models. Consumer Reports focuses on lower-priced printers. Owner reviews at Amazon.com and Newegg.com paint a picture of how happy users are with their printers after they've used them for days, weeks and sometimes months.

With photo inkjet printers replacing general-purpose inkjet printers in the marketplace -- and photo quality from those printers equaling or exceeding lab print quality -- photography magazines have become excellent sources for reviews of photo printers. Shutterbug, PopPhoto.com, Imaging-Resource.com and WhatDigitalCamera.com all feature good reviews of inkjet photo printers. Photo-i features truly outstanding individual reviews, with an interactive, weeks-long testing process and extensive photographic samples, but this U.K.-based site includes only a small sampling of printers available in the U.S. The overall drawback to photography magazine reviews is that they tend to focus on higher-end consumer models ($300 to $850) and professional models.

This report covers full-size inkjet printers and photo printers. All printers covered in this report are Windows and Macintosh compatible and have a one-year limited warranty, unless otherwise specified. If you are interested in a dedicated snapshot printer, which prints only 4-by-6-inch or 5-by-7-inch photos, they are covered in our separate report on photo printers.

A final consideration is that advances in printer technology, so dramatic in past years, have slowed in the last 12 to 18 months. Jon Canfield of Shutterbug notes that inkjet printers have, in a sense, "matured." This means that printer models are staying on the market longer -- that's a plus for consumers since it's easier to find many months of user views for printers, providing a window into longer-term reliability.