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Wireless Multifunction Printers, Print Speed

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In this review:
  1. Cheap Multifunction Printers
  2. Multifunction Printers Review
  3. Wireless Multifunction Printers, Print Speed
  4. Flatbed Printers, Printer Resolution
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Wireless Multifunction Printers

It used to be rare to find a wireless multifunction printer for less than $100. Now it's a commonplace; all the models we researched boast wireless capabilities.

If your household has more than one computer, wireless enables everyone to share the device.

Is a wireless multifunction printer hard to hook up? Not really. Connecting wireless devices to a home network was a real hassle in the past, but it's clear from the many expert and user reviews we read that almost everyone found their printers, regardless of brand or model, pretty easy to connect to a home network. A number of consumers, though, admit to having called customer support for help.

Setting up the connection is one thing; maintaining it is another, and some consumers were confounded by several wireless multifunction printer models that struggled to stay connected. We read a number of complaints on Amazon about the HP Deskjet 3050A and the Kodak ESP C310, for example, that refer to communication problems between the wireless multifunction printer and the base computer. Sometimes the connection works and sometimes it doesn't, users report, and sometimes they were able to maneuver around the problem by connecting through the (wired) USB port.

Review continues below

Multifunction Printers Speed.

One of the metrics that multifunction printer manufacturers like to fudge the most is the number of pages per minute, or ppm, a printer can spit out. Manufacturers usually display the ppm for printout at the lowest quality setting (draft quality) using only black ink; it's not uncommon to find cheap all-in-one printers that claim print speed at 20ppm or more. But if you prefer higher quality print settings or need to print in color, the print speed quickly plunges to about 5ppm to 10ppm, perhaps even slower. Although you shouldn't put much stock in manufacturer claims regarding print speeds, we found that the best and good models on our list maintain a respectable pace.

An expert at PC Mag praises the Brother MFC-J430w for quick text and graphics printouts, but notes that photo print speed is quite a bit slower. PC World also lauds the MFC-J430w's print speed, saying it shoots out text prints faster than most comparable devices. The Canon Pixma MG5320 likewise pushes out text prints quickly, according to CNET, although the review warns that color graphics and photo prints take considerably longer. Computer Shopper reports that print speed for the Pixma MG5320 in "standard" mode is about five times faster than in "high" mode, with barely any loss in document quality.

Epson's Stylus NX430 is well liked by users and experts for its overall performance, but PC Mag pans the pokey print speed. Testing by the site's experts found that the Stylus NX430 needs nearly 3 minutes to print a 4x6 photo, whereas other printers manage the task (same photo) in 1 to 2 minutes. CNET, on the other hand, is impressed with the NX430's print speeds for text and color graphics, saying they bested the competition in expert testing.

Review continues below

HP's PhotoSmart 5510 proves capable in terms of office document print speed, according to PC Mag. In testing, the PhotoSmart 5510 was nearly as fast as the Brother MFC-J430w, a PC Mag Editor's Choice, but photo print speeds were merely average. Pocket-lint also cheers the speed of text printouts, noting that black-and-white text printing is nearly as fast as the manufacturer's claims of 32 pages per minute. The other HP multifunction printer we researched, the Deskjet 3050A, won't set any print-speed records, although they're not bad. A CNET test found a faster-than-average pace when printing text, color graphics, and photos.

Despite the Kodak ESP C310's failure to impress expert reviewers, its print speeds are solid. A CNET expert terms results "average," whether printing text, photos, or graphics. PC Mag, however, asserts print speed is one of the ESP C310's strong points, and notes it can print a 4x6 photo in less than a minute.

by Michael Sweet (Google+ Profile)

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Best Cheap Multifunction Printers

Epson Stylus NX430

 Read why »
Where to buy

Brother MFC-J430W

 Read why »
Where to buy

Good All In One Printers

Canon Pixma MG5320

 Read why »
Where to buy

HP PhotoSmart 5510

 Read why »
Where to buy
 
 
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Don't Bother Cheap Multifunction Printers

HP Deskjet 3050A

Reviewers are not impressed with the HP Deskjet 3050A's print quality, saying color graphics showbanding and blotchiness, photo colors are dull, and text sometimes is blurry. Read more »

Kodak ESP C310

Many users report that the Kodak ESP C310 struggles with paper jams and races through ink. Print quality is also underwhelming, although this all-in-one wins points for ease of setup and use. Read more »

 
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