Based on intensive lab testing across 200+ product and service categories.
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We lab test and compare the latest printers from Canon, Epson, Brother, HP and more to help you find the best. Our review covers basic or standard printers (inkjet and laser in both colour and mono) that just print, as well as multifunction printers (MFPs) that have in-built scanning and copying functions.
Our expert testers give every printer a thorough workout to help you:
We've partnered with Shop Ethical on this update to show the ratings that the Ethical Consumer Group gives to each company.
We also survey members to find the most reliable brands and those that deliver exceptional customer service.
Annual running costs are based on the latest ink cartridge prices provided by Printzone. Some models include one to three years of ink in the box at no additional cost. This has been noted in our test results. Annual ink/toner costs listed for these models refer to ongoing costs after the included ink runs out.
Our interactive comparison tool helps you find which standard printers and multifunction printers have features such as being able to print via Wi-Fi, near-field communication (NFC) and AirPrint, and from a desktop computer, laptop or mobile device. Our Recommended list will quickly show you which models come out on top.
To include discontinued products in your search, select the Discontinued filter under Related products on the left-hand side.
CHOICE is an independent, nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping consumers. Clicking a link will take you to a retailer's website to shop. While we make money if you buy through some retailer links, this doesn't influence any of our rankings. 100% of the money we make goes straight back into our nonprofit mission. We're currently testing this service and will consider providing more shopping links in the future. Tell us what you think.
List of brands we tested in this review.
This is the recommended retail price, but you can usually find a more competitive price by shopping around.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 39 and 1099
We recommend all printers with a CHOICE expert rating of 70% or more, as long as the MFP or standard printer also delivers a performance score of more than 70% for print quality.
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MFP stands for multi-function printer, and standard refers to inkjet and laser (mono/colour) printers.
Laser printers include mono and colour options.
Most printers can print at sizes up to A4 (21cm x 29.7cm), but some of the larger printers support A3 (29.7cm x 42cm) printing.
Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year). Costs listed for models that come with ink refer to ongoing costs after the included ink runs out.
enter value/s in increments of i between 0 and 1678
Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.
This setting uses less ink. It lowers print quality but allows you to limit full quality printing to important documents.
This setting will reduce your paper consumption.
A high score means the brand (not the model) is less likely to have faults over time, according to CHOICE members.
enter value/s in increments of i between 72 and 81
A high score means CHOICE members are satisfied with the brand (not the model).
enter value/s in increments of i between 78 and 83
A high score means CHOICE members were happy with the support they received from this brand when they had a problem with their printer.
enter value/s in increments of i between 66 and 68
Scanning and copying are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object.
enter value/s in increments of i between 51 and 90
Inkjet and colour laser printing is assessed by a panel of experts looking at a typical black-and-white letter (25%), an 8x10-inch high quality photo (20%), a colour spreadsheet (25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (20%) and moisture resistance (5%). Black and white inkjet and laser printing looks at a typical black-and-white letter (31.25%), a colour spreadsheet (31.25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (31.25%) and moisture resistance (5%).
enter value/s in increments of i between 43 and 89
enter value/s in increments of i between 114 and 10714
enter value/s in increments of i between 52 and 5737
Support for wireless printing by directly emailing the document to the printer from another device including laptops, tablets or smartphones.
Support for wireless printing by directly sending the document to the printer from Apple devices, including iMacs, iPads and iPhones, via the proprietary AirPrint connection.
Does the printer have an Ethernet port for joining a wired network?
Does the printer include a USB port?
Colour cartridges can be replaced separately.
Does it support Mac OS without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.
Does it support Linux without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.
Does it support Windows 10 without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.
A Similar model is identical in most aspects except for a few. This means that a majority of its test results are identical so you can reasonably expect to get the same results from the model we tested, but for those aspects which aren't identical, we'll note these as "Not Tested" in the Compare tables.
A Tested model refers to a model that is still current and available in the Australian market. You should be able to order this model through your local retailer, or find it online.
These models can't be found in retailers or online or are no longer manufactured. You may still find these models on second hand websites, or in second hand dealers. Test methods may change over time, so criteria which can't be directly compared will contain an N/A.
An Identical model is exactly that. Performance characteristics will be identical and the only difference will be something trivial such as colour, which won't have an impact on performance.
These are models we haven't yet tested but that are available.
Inkjet and colour laser printing is assessed by a panel of experts looking at a typical black-and-white letter (25%), an 8x10-inch high quality photo (20%), a colour spreadsheet (25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (20%) and moisture resistance (5%). Black and white inkjet and laser printing looks at a typical black-and-white letter (31.25%), a colour spreadsheet (31.25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (31.25%) and moisture resistance (5%).
Colour inkjet and laser printing speed is assessed by measuring the speed to print the same documents, made up of 25% for the photo, 25% for the colour document, and 25% each for the letter and the spreadsheet. Black-and-white inkjet or laser printing speed is assessed by splitting assessments into equal thirds, and measuring the speed to print a mixed graphics and text document (33.33%), a letter (33.33%) and a spreadsheet (33.33%).
Ease of use is assessed by a team of experts running each product through everyday scenarios that replicate typical use.
Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year). Costs listed for models that come with ink refer to ongoing costs after the included ink runs out.
Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.
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