The best color printers and MFPs

What is MFP

An MFP is a combination of equipment such as a printer, copier and scanner. Some device models additionally include telephone and fax. Many functions are often used at home - printing text, copying printed or handwritten material, scanning documents and high-quality printing of photographs.

By purchasing a printer, scanner, copier or fax separately, you will spend much more money than buying all the necessary devices in one device.

In addition, purchasing an MFP will give you many other benefits.

1. Compactness. A set of individual devices will take up a lot of space.
2. Reliability. If working parts break, repairs will cost much less.
3. Multitasking. Working with documentation, photographs, etc.
4. Economical use of paints.
5. Easy to install and configure - you only need one socket. The kit includes one cable, driver, and installation instructions.
6. Ease of use. As a rule, the MFP is equipped with a modern LCD display.

Selecting the type of MFP

Laser or inkjet? This question interests a large number of buyers. Both the first and second have their advantages and disadvantages. By studying them in more detail, you will be able to make the right choice.

Laser

First, let's look at the advantages of laser MFPs.

1. Laser models for home perform fast printing. Unlike inkjet printers, they can perform large volumes of work (printing speeds up to 25 pages per minute).
2. Simplicity of the device. Repair is required extremely rarely, since the device hardly breaks down.
3. The device is easy to use. Even an untrained person can cope.
4. The multifunctional device operates with almost no noise or vibration. After refilling, the cartridge lasts for quite a long time, on average from 1000 to 2000 sheets.
5. The paint cannot dry out, as there is toner powder inside.
6. Cheap models are available in a wide range.
7. The device accepts paper of different qualities. It is also possible to print on stickers, films and thick fabric.

Color laser models for home use have some disadvantages. First of all, this is the high cost of the device. In addition, although the device has color printing capabilities, you should not buy it for photographs. But for documents and drawings, it is quite possible to choose a laser printer. The disadvantages of black and white laser models for home include the high cost of the device and frequent refilling of the cartridge.

Jet

Inkjet MFPs are mainly color models. Their advantages include the following:

• affordable price of the device;
• easy cartridge refilling;
• possibility of connecting to CISS (saving ink);
• Photos printed on photo paper are of high quality.

Jet jets also have many disadvantages.

1. The main disadvantage of inkjet MFPs is that the ink often dries out (if you do not use the device for more than a month). This can cause the print head to dry out, which can lead to costly repairs.
2. The ink in the cartridge runs out quickly, so it needs to be refilled frequently, and this, in turn, affects the print quality. Black stripes appear and letters are unclear.
3. Vibration when the device is operating - this occurs due to the print head moving left and right.
4. The printing time on inkjet MFPs is longer, and the printing speed is lower than that of laser ones (from 10 to 15 pages per minute).
5. Ready-made sheets should be protected from drops of water, as the text may bleed.

How to choose an MFP for your home: overview of the main criteria

• Print type. The main parameter of any printing technology that you should focus on first. If your work will be dominated by frequent printing of a large number of black and white texts, then a laser device will be the ideal choice. When most of the work comes down to infrequent printing of photos or color pictures, then it will be cheaper to purchase an inkjet printer for your home.
• Cost is not always the main characteristic when choosing. Just because it's more expensive doesn't mean it's better. For your home, there is no point in buying inkjet equipment that costs more than 7–10 thousand, and laser technology that costs more than 15 thousand.
• A printer's monthly yield is the maximum number of pages it can print in a month. In home reality, this figure of a thousand sheets, which is two packs, is more than enough.
• Printing photos and working with color is usually the job of inkjet MFPs. Models with six or more colors cope well with this task.
• Borderless printing is more useful for working with photographs, as they look more interesting.
• The “output” time of the first sheet is more relevant for laser black-and-white technology. The fact is that before starting work, the printer must warm up the oven, which “bakes” the toner on the sheets. In some models, an indecent amount of it is spent on this process. The normal indicator is a maximum of 15 seconds.
• "Bit depth" of color. Color data inside the equipment is transmitted in digital format. The more accurate the information, the brighter and clearer the MFP will display the image on paper.
• Tray capacity - for home this is an unimportant indicator, but if you are going to print a lot, then pay attention.
• The resource of consumables and their cost are the most expensive part in any printing technology. To save money, the cost of the cartridge itself must be acceptable. Toner, ink and paints should also be available. The resource also plays an important role, in other words, the ability of the cartridge to print many sheets on one charge. For color, this figure is 100–500 sheets, and for laser, from 1000.
• Scanner properties. Since an MFP is not only a printer, but also a built-in scanning model, its maximum resolution is considered an important parameter. The quality of document scans directly depends on it. The higher the parameter, the better.
• Print resolution. A similar characteristic for print quality. Higher scores ensure better display of text or other graphic information on sheets of paper.
• Print speed. For home use, this characteristic is not very important. But if you often print large files on many pages, then pay attention to this parameter in the description of the technology’s capabilities.
• Supported formats. The main working format for home appliances is A4. In most cases, a larger size is not necessary. A3 is more suitable for printing in offices.
• Additional functions. The equipment can also be equipped with the following capabilities: Wi-Hi module (rating of printer models with Wi-Fi) and Ethernet, duplex for double-sided printing, automatic feeder, printing directly from a flash drive.
• Possibility of connecting CISS - a continuous ink supply system greatly saves the user’s money when printing color photos, images, and graphs. Another plus is the absence of problems with the surface of the print head drying out. Using this technology, the paint is stored in separate tanks rather than in cartridges. Read the instructions for installing CISS on the printer. It's not difficult and it's quite possible to do it yourself.
• Reviews from owners - before purchasing, don’t be lazy to search and read the reviews of people who have already bought the MFP and have been using it for some time. You should look for models with a lot of positive feedback.
• Availability of a service center in your region. The warranty period will pass quickly, and any equipment may fail. It is not always possible to fix it yourself. Therefore, it is important that there are specialists nearby who can help with repairs.
• Noise level. Modern models are already designed in such a way that their operation does not cause inconvenience. But if there are small children in the house, then this characteristic may be important. In the description of the MFP it is indicated in “Db”.
• MFP with drum cartridge. There are few such options for the home, but it turns out that such models are more economical. A drum is a cartridge in which the photo roller and toner are separate parts.
• The presence of built-in memory affects the speed of operation of the MFP and its ability to print large files.

Briefly about the advantages of CISS

This system is used only for ink jets. CISS can be cartridge or capsule. The difference lies in the installation of a cartridge unit or lightweight capsules on the print head, respectively. Economical ink consumption is ensured by the flow of ink from refillable reservoirs to the print head . Cartridges (or capsules) are connected to ink bottles using a multi-channel silicone cable. The CISS system is absolutely hermetically sealed, with the exception of the compartment in which pressure stabilization occurs.

CISS with cartridge unit and chips

CISS with capsules

MFP selection criteria

Before purchasing a device, the buyer needs to decide on the functional tasks, the location of the device and evaluate their budgetary capabilities. Based on these criteria, it is easier to make the right choice.

The points that MFP buyers should pay attention to are the following.

1. Laser or inkjet. Inexpensive laser MFPs in the home segment are monochrome, suitable for intensive printing of high-quality documents. A laser multifunctional device with color cartridges is significantly more expensive, and if you often need to print color images, it is better to choose an inkjet MFP for your home, which is more affordable for the family budget. The quality of inkjet printing is not inferior to laser printing, but the productivity of such technology is lower.
2. Scanner resolution. Any MFP is equipped with a scanner. The characteristics of the built-in scanner differ in resolution between different models. If an MFP is purchased for scanning graphic images, and high detail accuracy is required, then you should choose a model with a higher resolution. In all other cases, a device with a simpler scanner will do.
3. Print resolution. The quality of a printed document directly depends on the resolution of the printing device, measured in dpi. It is important to pay attention to this parameter when choosing. For documents, a value of 600 is sufficient, for photographs - at least 2400.

   

4. Print speed. Laser and inkjet devices differ in speed capabilities. The first ones have a higher speed and are about 20 b/w pages per minute. For printing school abstracts, student papers, and engineering documentation, models with relatively high speeds for issuing printed sheets are preferable. If the device is not planned to be used for large volumes of printing, speed parameters are not so important. In this case, you can buy a standard inkjet printer with a print speed of 10 b/w pages per minute.
5. Print format. Typically, models for the home are produced in sheet A working format. Devices with the ability to print in A3 format are classified as office equipment.
6. PC connection. MFPs can connect to a computer in several ways: via a USB connector, Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters. A USB cable connection provides local communication with a computer. The presence of a Wi-Fi or Ethernet interface in the device will allow you to work with it via a connection via your home local network from any device.

The last piece of advice for owners of Apple devices. Pay attention to support for AirPrint technology. This will allow you to print any documents and photos from iPhone, iPad, MAC without installing special applications and drivers.

List of the best MFP models of 2021

Canon PIXMA G2411

The main distinguishing quality of this device is the presence of a factory continuous ink supply system, which allows you to make prints more saturated, and the paint will not dry out during periods of prolonged downtime of the equipment. The overall dimensions of the product are not too large, which allows you to comfortably place the product in your home office or in a compact office. The control panel is represented by several keys with compact icons printed on them; there is also a small segment-type display, the diagonal of which is 1.2 inches. Documents are printed using pigmented black ink, while color images appear thanks to a water-soluble ink system. The minimum drop volume is not too large - it is only 2 picoliters, so the image resolution is quite acceptable. It reaches a density of about 4800x1200 pixels.

The printing speed is not very high, which is quite typical for inkjet equipment. In one minute, the device produces up to 9 sheets of monochrome images (text, documents, etc.) or up to 5 sheets of color A4 prints. Also, within one minute, the device must produce at least one photograph of 10x15 cm format. The basis of the scanner here is the CIS matrix, which provides a scanning resolution of 600x1200 pixels. One A4 sheet is scanned within 19-20 seconds. This product is capable of working with paper of a wide variety of formats and densities - you can use matte, glossy, semi-glossy, photo paper, classic office paper, the density of which is 80 g/m2. m. The device is capable of working only with the Windows platform, it connects via USB, there is no WiFi module here, so it will not be possible to use the equipment as a network device.

Advantages:

• Manufacturers were able to achieve fairly high quality photographs;
• Quickly copies documents;
• Availability of a continuous ink supply system;
• Economical paint consumption;
• Long service life;
• Informative display.

Flaws:

Cannot be used as a network one.

Canon PIXMA G2411

9.Brother DCP-L3550CDW

It has a fairly decent price-quality ratio; users also note the high reliability of this device. The model is equipped with a tray whose capacity is 250 sheets of standard office paper, so you won’t have to load it too often even with intensive use. It uses laser printing technology, so there will be no need to refill these products quite often. In addition, the cost of refilling is significantly lower compared to inkjet models. The print quality of this printer is as close to professional as possible: the resolution is 2400 dots per square inch. For ease of control, the products are equipped with a full-color touch-type liquid crystal display, thanks to which you can get full access to all the necessary functions of the equipment.

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The product is quite easy to set up. If necessary, it connects to several computers at once via a wireless network. The MFP comes with a cartridge designed to print 1000 full-color pages. Support for fast printing from mobile devices - phones or tablets is provided; manufacturers have equipped the product with an automatic sheet feeding system for scanning and copying - about 50 sheets will fit here. There is also an automatic two-sided printing function. The product operates almost silently, so it will not distract you from your work.

Advantages:

• High quality printing and scanning;
• Possibility of remote access;
• Perfectly suitable for both home and office use.

Flaws:

• To work with the MacOS operating system, you will have to set up this device for a long time.

Brother DCP-L3550CDW

Epson L850

The first model equipped with six colors. Like those already discussed earlier, there is a continuous ink supply system. The device is not too large in size and has good functionality: it can be connected via wire or via Wi-Fi or Lan. The MFP is equipped with a color liquid crystal display.

The device uses piezoelectric inkjet technology, due to which the MFP allows you to obtain excellent output quality of any images, including photographs. The manufacturer claims that this is a real full-fledged photo center - this is quite true. Photos are printed very quickly - the 10*15 format is ready in 12 seconds. Images can be applied to a variety of surfaces - cards, films, photographic paper, disk surfaces, labels, and so on.

Advantages:

• Good quality photo printing;
• Reliable performance;
• Low ink consumption;
• Dimensions acceptable for home use.

Flaws:

• When copying photographs, the quality is not the highest;
• Low black resource - only about 1800 pages.

Epson L850

Brother DCP-1602R

The products are characterized by an optimal combination of good equipment and high performance, with all working elements placed in a relatively small housing. This provides the user with quick access to the paper tray and cartridge. The sheets are taken from the lower compartment and exit into a special niche. All controls are located on the top panel: in addition to a set of buttons, there is a small but quite informative monochrome display. It does not have a backlight, but all data is readable with ease. All keys have pictograms and signatures written in Russian. The buttons are rubberized and press with little effort. The product operates reliably regardless of the paper used. The device takes up a minimum amount of free space, and all folding trays can be folded up instantly if necessary.

You don’t have to install the drivers yourself; when you connect to your computer, the system will do everything itself. The device works with various operating systems - all drivers for them are on the official website. The printing speed is quite high, it can reach about 20 sheets per minute. It is possible to copy documents without connecting to a personal computer. Photo printing is characterized by high detail, all halftones are preserved, colors come out bright and quite saturated, resolution reaches 2400x600 dpi. The case here is made of plastic, painted black with a matte finish, it looks quite strict, so it will fit organically into the interior of both home and office.

Advantages:

• Fairly cheap consumables;
• Drivers are easy to install;
• High printing speed;
• The product is easy to use.

Flaws:

• The scanner lid folds down quite rigidly.

Brother DCP-1602R

Canon PIXMA TS5040

It has a classic shape: a rectangular body with slightly rounded corners. This design looks simple, but stylish and modern. Overall dimensions are not very large - 372x315x126 mm. The body is made primarily of plastic with a matte finish. This is a fairly practical solution, since there will be no traces of touch left on the printer and dust will not be noticeable. On the front panel there is a set of buttons and a 7.5 cm diagonal liquid crystal monochrome display. There is a slot for connecting an SD memory card. This device supports inkjet printing technology; the tray can hold up to one hundred sheets of ordinary office paper or about 20 sheets of high-density paper. The droplet volume is 2 picoliters with a maximum resolution of 4800 pixels. In order to print one photo measuring 10x15 cm you will have to spend about 40 seconds.

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The device already operates not too loudly, but the manufacturers have also provided a so-called silent mode. Device drivers are installed automatically, the print quality of both text and photographs is excellent. Color rendering is maintained at a high level, color and tonal gradients are not distorted. There is a flatbed scanning module that operates autonomously from a personal computer. The model has quite broad wireless capabilities. It is equipped with a powerful WiFi module; you can print documents and photos even from your phone.

Advantages:

• Reasonable cost;
• Compact overall dimensions;
• Wide functionality;
• Attractive appearance;
• Convenient and clear wireless display.

Flaws:

• Relatively expensive consumables.

Canon PIXMA TS5040

Canon i-SENSYS MF3010

It is one of the most economical laser printers that is perfect for office use. In principle, it would be useful at home, but its significant size will require a lot of space. The scanner dimensions are limited to A4 format, which is not always convenient, since many books or magazines are larger.

The scanner produces an image with a resolution of 600*600 pixels, which is quite enough for this budget device. All the default settings are chosen quite well, so in most cases the user does not have to play with contrast or brightness. The scanner works quite smoothly and produces an image without any glare. The device warms up very quickly – about 8-10 seconds.

Advantages:

• Low price;
• Good print and scan quality;
• Compatible with non-original cartridges;
• Durability;
• Attractive appearance;
• Reliable housing, no backlash.

Flaws:

• Batch scanning is not provided;
• It can be problematic to install drivers on a laptop;
• There is no duplex printing function;
• The cartridge quickly runs out when printing about 200-300 pages per day;
• No digital keypad.

Canon i-SENSYS MF3010

HP LaserJet Pro M132a

These products appeared on the shelves of digital equipment stores not too long ago - a little less than a year ago. The model is distinguished by wide functionality and decent printing speed: the first page comes out just 7.5 seconds after startup. The equipment body is made of modern plastic with increased wear resistance. On the front panel you can find control buttons and a small liquid crystal display. Connects to a personal computer using a USB 3.0 interface and can work with various operating system platforms - Windows, MacOS. The product uses laser imaging technology. A system is involved here that controls the consumption and remaining amount of toner, so the contrast of both black and white and color images will be at the highest level.

There is also an Auto-On/Auto-Off system that monitors signals coming from outside. The product is automatically brought out of standby mode when printing is sent to it, in addition, this technology can significantly save energy. The model can work with various types of paper - from office paper to envelopes, stickers, postcards and so on. Within a maximum of one month, this printer is capable of producing up to 10 thousand sheets of A4 paper.

Advantages:

• Ease of setup and management;
• Stylish and attractive appearance;
• Compact overall dimensions;
• Decent printing speed;
• Insignificant cost of the device itself and consumables for it.

Flaws:

• The cartridge volume is not too large, so you will have to refill it quite often, especially with intensive use.

HP LaserJet Pro M132a

Samsung Xpress M2070W

In the ranking of the best MFPs this year, this model took only third place for only one reason - it has large dimensions - 406 * 359 * 235 mm, which is why it is not very convenient to install it at home. Many users in their reviews highlight the ease of use of the scanner, the lid of which is equipped with movable hinges. This makes it easy to use it to work with thick books or voluminous documents. The output tray holds one hundred sheets and has a USB port. The display is liquid crystal, next to it there are several backlit buttons responsible for control.

The amount of RAM is 128 MB. Print resolution is 1200*1200 pixels; in addition to paper, the device supports materials such as film, cotton or recycled materials - the main thing is that their density is in the range from 60 to 175 g/m2. m, their format is from 76*127 mm to 216*356 mm. Laser printing, multicolor and monochrome, scanning and photocopying possible. After the equipment has fully warmed up, the printing speed is about 20 sheets per minute. There is a duplex printing function, but you will have to configure and manage it manually. The MFP can be used wirelessly; documents can be sent for printing even from the Google Cloud cloud service.

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Advantages:

• Keeps wireless connection well;
• You can print documents from your tablet or smartphone;
• High printing speed;
• Connects and configures as quickly as possible.

Flaws:

• Significant overall dimensions;
• When turned off, the settings may be lost;
• Noisy when warming up;
• Chip cartridge;
• Sometimes he chews paper.

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Samsung Xpress M2070W

HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5075 M2U86C

In second place in our ranking of the best MFPs is a model developed by a world-famous manufacturer, which is equipped with a WiFi Direct wireless module. It is capable of supporting Apple Airprint and ePrint technologies. Largely due to these points, the user can send print jobs directly from his smartphone, tablet or other mobile gadget. Using this equipment, you can get high-quality borderless pictures, the color rendition is saturated, and no distortion was detected during tests. Copies of various documents can be made without directly connecting to a personal computer. The product takes up a minimum of free space and is lightweight, so it can be moved from one place to another if necessary. It is perfect for use both in a home office and in an office.

You can connect to a computer using a standard USB 2.0 cable; the maximum print speed reaches 10 sheets per minute. When printing photographs, the resolution can reach 4800x1200 pixels per inch.

Advantages:

• Low cost;
• Easy to set up and operate;
• There is a wireless communication module;
• Long service life;
• Small overall dimensions;
• Original appearance.

Flaws:

• Cartridges run out pretty quickly.

HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5075 M2U86C

Canon MAXIFY MB2140

Well, we’ve reached the leader of our review of the best MFPs for the home. It is very similar in shape to a cube, but all the faces are streamlined. The case is made of high-quality matte plastic, all surfaces are slightly rough, no fingerprints will remain on them. The layout of the working elements is traditional - the scanner is located at the top of the product, the paper tray is installed at the bottom of the product. However, the controls are not located quite as usual - the buttons are located on the hinged cover of the scanning element. The maximum capacity of the tray is 50 sheets of standard office paper. On the hinged lid there is a liquid crystal information display, which displays all the data necessary for the user. Its diagonal is 3.5 inches and has an anti-reflective coating. The menu is clear, completely Russified, which greatly facilitates the operation of this device.

If desired, through this product you can print information located on a flash card or on any other external storage device. If necessary, you can use this device as a regular fax - for this it is enough to connect it to a telephone line. Received fax messages are saved in the internal memory of the device itself, and they can also be saved to external media in the form of PDF files. Photos are printed using special pigment technology, which provides the highest possible resolution. The device can work with both glossy and matte paper, the density of which can reach 300 g/m2. m.

Advantages:

• High speed printing and scanning;
• Significant cartridge resource;
• The cost of both the device itself and its consumables is quite reasonable;
• The MFP can also work in standalone mode;
• Very easy to use;
• If necessary, you can save data in the product memory.

Flaws:

• There is no duplex scanning feature.

Canon MAXIFY MB2140