follow us on twitter, facebook and foursquare

 “a helpful & lucid review site for all things budget” — the new yorker

Home » Computers & Internet » Multifunction Printers » Multifunction Printers Review

Multifunction Printers Review

Related Guide: Laser Printers

Multifunction printers have many responsibilities, and all-in-one printers reviews suggest that frugal consumers should prioritize which functions are most important to them before making a buy. The cheap models on our list do a fine job carrying out some tasks, according to multifunction printers reviews, but stumble a bit on others.

Based on the multifunction printers reviews that we read, the critical performance attributes concern ease of use, print quality, scan quality, copy quality, and how much ink the all-in-one guzzles down.

Ease of Use.

With all that capability built into one machine, you might assume a cheap multifunction printer is complicated to operate. Not so. Many are quite intuitive and have displays that walk you through the steps, whether you're photocopying, scanning, or printing. An all-in-one printers review of the Canon PIXMA MP560 on CNET notes how easy it is to navigate the printer's menus using its large two-inch color display and jog wheel. The Epson NX415 also garners praise for its user-friendliness in multifunction reviews on OfficeMax and BestBuy.com. Consumers particularly like the wireless design of the Lexmark Impact S305, according to all-in-one printers reviews on Staples, and say it's a breeze to operate once all the software is installed. When it comes to menus, the Canon MX330 stumbles slightly. Multifunction printer reviews by experts on PCWorld.com say the menus are a little hard to read on the 1.9-inch display; users, however, seem less fazed.

Print Quality.

Printing is the most important of all the functions performed by cheap all-in-ones. Conceding that print quality is subjective -- much depends on what you're used to and what you're comparing it to -- multifunction printers reviews suggest that the output of cheap multifunction printers is generally equivalent with stand-alone inkjets in the same price range.

Consumers and experts are generally satisfied with the print quality of the Lexmark Impact S305. An expert all-in-one printers reviews on CNET describes the black-and-white print as near-laser quality and the photo prints are quite good; consumers, on the other hand, are somewhat less impressed and carp about smudged letters and fuzzy images in a few reviews on several sites. The Lexmark x4650 gets a pass for overall print quality, especially for use at home or school. Users posting multifunction printers reviews on Amazon say the print quality is decent; an expert from PCMag.com considers text output to be a touch below par, but says photos are worthy of posting on the fridge or handing out to friends and family. Experts at PCworld.com offer qualified support for the print quality of the Canon PIXMA MP560, saying text looks a little fuzzy, flesh tones on photo prints look a bit pink, but line art and halftones are well detailed. Users' multifunction printers reviews on Newegg, however, are way more enthusiastic; many rave about excellent print jobs, especially of photos. Expert all-in-one reviews of the Epson WorkForce 520 offer quiet praise for print quality. PCMag.com simply says black-and-white copy is more gray than black and hard to read in small font sizes, color prints tend to be uneven, and photo print quality is below par for all-in-ones in this price range. Users are more forgiving, and in multifunction printers reviews on Staples.com they comment on the sharp graphics, good text printing, and fast speeds.

Complaints abound for the Epson NX415, with users griping on Amazon about streaks, grainy resolutions, and off colors. All-in-one reviews of the Brother MFC-3360C don't comment much on output quality, although a few say it's OK but sometimes smudged and fuzzy; barbs about this model in multifunction reviews on Staples and Amazon are largely directed at paper jams and disappearing ink. (More on ink below)

Scan Quality.

The ability to scan documents and photos, and either save copies or e-mail them, is a key reason for buying a multifunction printer. The quality of the scans produced by the Epson NX415 impresses many users, like one posting on Amazon.com, who says the scan feature is surprisingly good. Target.com customers are pleased with the scanning ability of the Lexmark x4650 , although one multifunction printers review on Amazon reports scanning to PDF requires patience, and a few say the scan function doesn't work. Some users seem satisfied with the scanning function on the Lexmark Impact S305, but others gripe about some blurring and mediocre software in multifunction printers reviews on CNET and Newegg. A consumer posting an all-in-one printers review at Newegg.com raves that the scan quality of Canon's PIXMA MP560 was the best he'd seen from an all-in-one device; expert multifunction printers reviews on CNET and PCWorld are equally enthused about the scanning speed and software. The Brother MFC-330c loses points on the scanning test primarily because of its sheet-fed design. Multifunction printers reviews by users on Staples.com grumble about the challenge of scanning items that don't conform to traditional paper specifications. Epson's WorkForce 520 fails to impress a PCWorld reviewer who says this all-in-one's scans were "foggy" and faded.

Copy Quality.

All the discount color inkjet multifunction printers give you the choice of making copies in color or black-and-white. Most cheap multifunction printers reviews positively assess the clarity of the copies made by the Epson NX415, although one note on Walmart.com says the copy cycle is a bit slow. PCWorld gives the Lexmark Impact S305 cheers for its bright color copies and good detail, but adds that flesh tones aren't accurate. Experts and users agree that copy quality is decent with the Canon PIXMA MP560 -- acceptable for personal use but maybe not for high-powered business meetings, according to all-in-one printers reviews on CNET. Similar comments about acceptable but not great copies are aired in multifunction printers reviews of the Lexmark x4650 and Epson WorkForce 520. In short, when it comes to the copy function on the budget all-in-ones, most people are simply content that it does the job, as a consumer notes on Amazon.com.

Printer Ink.

User complaints about high ink prices and small ink tanks abound, and barbs are aimed at nearly every manufacturer of low-priced multifunction printers. But how quickly the ink disappears depends on you; that is, on what you're printing, on the quantity, and on the settings you choose. (All printers have several settings options: if your printer is set to draft mode, it will use less ink; if it's set to best mode, it will use more ink.) That said, users and experts nonetheless protest loudly and often in multifunction printers reviews about cartridges that seem to run dry almost overnight and having to shell out almost as much money on new cartridges as you would on a new all-in-one. Consumers grouse about nonrefillable cartridges on the Lexmark Impact S305 and Epson NX415, for example, and error messages on the Brother MFC-3360C and Lexmark X4650 when a cartridge is low but not empty or when just one cartridge is empty. The Epson WorkForce 520 escapes harsh critiques about ink consumption and costs, and the Canon PIXMA MP560 actually garners muted commendation for what some all-in-one printers reviews describe as efficient use of ink and average ink costs.

Minor flaws aside, value-minded consumers seeking the convenience of at-home printing, scanning, copying (and maybe faxing) will have little trouble finding a good-quality and low-priced model that performs all these tasks.

Back to top »

 

 

 

Lexmark x4650
HP Photosmart C5580
Kodak ESP-3
Canon Pixma MX330
Epson NX415
Brother MFC-3360C
Lexmark x4650
Epson WorkForce 520
Lexmark Impact S305
Canon Pixma MP560

 

Computers & Internet Laptop Bags Parental Control Software VOIP Antivirus Software Cheap Laptops Cheap Tablets College Textbooks Desktops

Digital Photo Printing External Hard Drives Inkjet Printers Monitors Multifunction Printers Netbooks Online Dating

Scanners Smartphones Tax Preparation Software USB Flash Drives Webcams Wireless Routers Laser Printers

blog  about us  contact us  sitemap  in the news  privacy  terms of service  jobs

Follow us on Facebook Twitter Sign up for our Free Newsletter