Inkjet all-in-one printers can be ink-guzzling money pits -- but the Brother MFC-J985DW is refreshingly different, experts say. It's as cheap to run as a bare-bones black-and-white laser printer, but with color inks to print photos and graphics. It's built for home or small office use, with a handy duplexer, touch-screen controls and full networking options (wired, Wi-Fi, mobile or cloud).
Buy for $169.99
The Epson Expression Premium XP-640 is a value-priced printer that's worth a look for home users on a budget. Ink is pricey, but the printer itself is so cheap that it's basically a wash. The XP-640 cuts costs by omitting a few features: There's no automatic document feeder, Ethernet hookup or NFC (Near Field Communication) support, and it can't fax. If you can live without these niceties, though, the XP-640 is a good choice on the cheap.
Buy for $69.90
For black-and-white printing, the Brother MFC-L2740DW is the hands-down winner. Unlike fussy inkjets, happy owners say this laser all-in-one simply does its job, flawlessly and inexpensively, year after year. Its elegant single-pass duplexer copies, scans or faxes both sides of a page simultaneously -- a major time-saver over ordinary, one-side-then-the-other duplexers. Fast printing, a touch screen, big 250-sheet paper tray and full networking options make this the most-recommended all-in-one printer, period.
Buy for $229.99
If your bottom line is a concern, the Brother MFC-L2700DW skips three fancy features compared to the Brother MFC-L2740DW -- there's no touch screen, cloud printing/scanning or slick single-pass duplexer (it has a regular duplexer, instead) in exchange for a somewhat smaller price tag. Otherwise, it's the same machine as the top-rated Brother MFC-L2740DW. If those three features don't matter to you, save the cash and go with the Brother MFC-L2700DW monochrome laser all-in-one.
Buy for $164.99
Color laser printers don't come cheap, but reviews say the HP Color LaserJet Pro M477fdw packs a lot of bang for the buck. It's blazing-fast and feature-rich, with an elegant single-pass duplexer, touch screen, cloud connectivity and walk-up USB port to print, copy or scan from a thumb drive. High-yield toner cartridges keep print costs reasonable. Color printouts (such as glossy brochures) look fabulous, as does the sharp black text. Its 250-sheet paper tray is large enough for small offices.
Buy for Too low to displayAll-in-one printers (AIOs) -- also called multifunction printers (MFPs) -- are inkjet or laser printers that, in addition to printing, can scan; copy; and, in many cases, send and receive faxes. The latest all-in-one printers print wirelessly from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Many can connect directly to the web, so they can print web pages, emailed documents or documents stored in the cloud. Prices of all-in-one printers have fallen in recent years, with excellent models selling for $200 or less. As a result, all-in-ones now account for the majority of printers sold for home use.
However, while all-in-one printers might appear to be do-everything devices, reviews show that they are not necessarily equally adept at printing, scanning, copying and faxing. Often, a multifunction printer that excels in one aspect falls short in others. Still, if you only occasionally need to fax, copy or scan, an all-in-one printer can save you from having to buy two or three separate devices. On the other hand, if you don't think you really need to scan or fax, you can save a bit of money by going with a standard inkjet printer. You can also save desk space, since all-in-ones generally take up more room than a standard printer (although not nearly as much as a separate printer, scanner and copier). ConsumerSearch covers inkjet printers in a separate report. If all you want is a scanner, we cover those in a separate report as well.
This type of all-in-one prints by spraying ink onto the page. While cheap at the outset -- we found a very good budget inkjet MFP for $80 -- you'll pay dearly for replacement ink cartridges. In one major test, inkjet all-in-one printers cost between $210 and $720 to buy and run for two years (not counting one super-guzzler that'll gulp more than $2,000 worth of ink in two years!). Ink cartridges also tend to dry up or run out suddenly (and often). Worse, if you don't print regularly, the ink nozzles can clog and ruin the printer. Still, if you plan to print photos, you'll need an inkjet. Even an inexpensive inkjet all-in-one can print decent-looking color snapshots on glossy photo paper, unlike the vast majority of laser printers.
Monochrome Laser All-In-One PrintersAs long as you don't plan to print photos, monochrome laser AIOs perform better than inkjets in almost every way. They're less hassle, and cheaper to own in the long run. Laser printers work by bonding powdered ink (toner) to the page; toner doesn't dry up or clog like ink, and the cartridges don't run out as quickly. These days, a good black-and-white (monochrome) laser MFP doesn't cost much more than an inkjet: We found a great budget model for $130. Mono laser all-in-one printers cost the same -- or even less -- to own over two years than most inkjets, too ($210 to $440, including the purchase price of the AIO). Plus, you're rewarded with sharp text and faster printing than an inkjet. Mono laser all-in-ones can usually scan in color, even though they only copy and print in black and white.
Color Laser All-In-One PrintersColor laser all-in-one printers cost the most -- nearly $400 for our Best Reviewed pick. They cost the most to run, too ($580 to $860 including the printer's purchase price over two years), and they still don't print photos as well as an inkjet. Their strong point? Color graphics and text. If you need to print professional-looking color documents for your home or business (brochures, charts, etc.), a good color laser all-in-one printer will print them crisply, quickly, and with few ink aggravations.
To find the best all-in-one printers, we evaluate all aspects -- ease of use, features, cost to own and, of course, how well they perform. We study professional tests at tech-specific publications such as PCMag.com, ComputerShopper.com, TomsGuide.com, CNET and TheWirecutter.com. PCMag.com conducts an annual Readers' Choice survey, as well, to find out which printer brands break down the least. We also look at ConsumerReports.org, which conducts thorough, unbiased tests for 102 all-in-one printers, but provides less discussion than the others. Owner reviews at retail websites (Staples.com, BHPhotoVideo.com, Amazon.com and BestBuy.com) provide the last piece of the puzzle; they unearth real-life problems that don't show up in short-term tests.
Most inkjet all-in-one printers are just too slow and ink-wasting for small office use -- but not the Brother MFC-J985DW (Est. $170). "Unusually low running costs ... unheard of in a printer at its price," says PCMag.com, where it's the Editors' Choice. TomsGuide.com concurs, naming this "cost-per-page champ" one of 2017's best all-in-one printers.
It's incredibly cheap to run -- actually rivaling a black-and-white laser printer in that important consideration. Text pages cost 0.8 cents per page, experts calculate, and 4.7 cents for color. Over two years, expect to spend about $350 to buy and run the printer, according to a leading test.
It prints text quickly, for an inkjet. It shoots out about 9 pages per minute (ppm) in two independent tests. Mixed text/graphics slows to 4.6 ppm at PCMag,com, "a typical speed for an inkjet MFP at its price," Tony Hoffman says.
Color photos and graphics look pretty darn good, testers agree -- not as brilliant and detailed as from a photo-centric printer, but impressive. "Glossy photos printed with very sharp details, rich colors and good shadow detail," says Eric Butterfield at TomsGuide.com. Text looks "near-laser quality all the way down to fonts of about 6 or 7 points," says William Harrel at ComputerShopper.com.
Scans and copies look very good in tests. There's a letter-size flatbed scanner, and the MFC-J985DW can print and copy on paper up to legal size. The main paper tray holds 100 sheets, with a 20-sheet 4-by-6-inch photo bypass tray. A built-in duplexer and 20-sheet automatic document feeder allow two-sided printing and scanning. Brother says the printer can churn out up to 2,500 pages in a month, but recommends a maximum of 1,000 pages per month normally.
Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB hookups allow you to print either wired or wirelessly from your computer or directly from your smartphone or tablet (iOS, Android, Windows or Kindle Fire). You can also print from and scan to the cloud (Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive and more are supported) or a USB drive. A touch screen makes the MFC-J985DW easy to use.
Owners love the MFC-J985DW according to reviews at Staples.com and BestBuy.com, where it averages over 4 stars. They say the printer is compact, well built, and the ink really does last a long time. At Amazon.com, owners award the printer 4 stars over more than 300 reviews; that's high praise for an inkjet printer, but not nearly as high as some Brother laser MFPs get, and we talk about a top choice among those in our discussion of laser all-in-one printers, elsewhere in this report.
If you're on a tighter budget, you may want to consider the cheaper Epson Expression Premium XP-640 (Est. $80). It offers a lot of the Brother's features and costs half the price -- but it can't fax; lacks an automatic document feeder, Ethernet hookup and NFC (Near Field Communication) support; and its pricey ink winds up costing more in the long run.
"Still, if you're looking for an all-in-one device that won't break the bank while handling most tasks you can throw at it, Epson's XP-640 fits the bill," TomsGuide.com says. Text doesn't look as sharp as the Brother's in tests, but graphics and photos actually look better, in some testers' eyes -- in fact, TomsGuide.com names it "Best for Photos" among all-in-ones. PCMag.com agrees: "Without question, the XP-640's photos came out looking good enough to do justice to your keeper snapshots."
The Epson prints about as fast, handles the same paper sizes and ticks a lot of the same boxes as the Brother -- touch screen, duplexer, wireless printing (including directly from your phone or tablet), cloud printing and one-year warranty.
Now for the drawbacks. You'll spend more on ink over time (7.4 cents per text page -- nine times as much as the Brother, according to one leading test), although the printer's cheap price offsets that (expect to spend $310 to buy and run the printer for two years). As for durability, Epson doesn't specify anywhere how much printing the XP-640 can handle per month. At any rate, reviewers say Epson printers aren't as durable as Brothers. In a major consumer survey, one out of every five new Epson inkjet printers broke within three years, versus about one in eight Brother inkjets. And in PCMag.com's reader survey, Brother beats Epson in every category, including reliability, need for repairs and need for (and quality of) tech support.
Still, like the Brother, the Epson Expression Premium XP-640 earns high marks from customers at Staples.com and BestBuy.com. But at Amazon.com, about one in six owners blast it with a 1-star rating. Malfunctions and paper jams are common complaints.
Brother MFC-J985DW Inkjet All-in-One Color Printer, Duplex Printing, Wireless Connectivity, Amazon Dash Replenishment Enabled, Cost-Effective Color Printer, Business Capable Features
from Amazon.com
New: $199.99
$169.99
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:
Epson XP-640 Wireless Color Photo Printer 2.7"
from Amazon.com
New: $149.99
$69.90
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:
Updated April 13, 2018
Updated April 12, 2018
Updated April 11, 2018
Updated April 10, 2018
Updated April 05, 2018
Updated April 04, 2018
Updated April 04, 2018
