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. Users 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 desk. 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 the printer's modes. CNET, PCMag.com and ConsumerReports.org generally do the best job of reviewing new printers. CNET and PCMag.com have better scope, covering higher-end photo inkjets as well as budget models. ConsumerReports.org focuses on lower-priced printers. PCMag.com also conducts an annual reliability survey that rates and ranks printer manufacturers. 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 What Digital Camera all feature good reviews of inkjet photo printers. Photo-i features 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 inkjet 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. 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 on printers, providing a window into longer-term reliability.