What are the essential criteria in choosing a multi-function printer? Is a high price a reliable indicator of quality and performance?
The answers to these and many other questions can be found in a comprehensive test report of the consumer council which includes, for the first time, laser printers as they become more affordable on the consumer market.
The test focused on 16 samples comprising 14 inkjet priced from $520 to $2,680, and two laser models from $7,288 and $7,888.
The results of the test showed the printers to vary quite considerably in terms of quality and speed in their multi-function of printing, scanning and photocopying as well as their ease of use, versatility, energy consumption and noise.
Among the samples, three inkjet (priced at $2,680, $1,980 and $980) and one laser (at $7,288) were rated to be the overall best performers with a 4-point score, followed by six inkjet and one laser with a 3.5-point overall rating. The rest received a 3-point score.
The overall rating does not take into account the cost of the machine itself nor the cost of consumables (ink/toner) for printing which is a significant expenditure in the operation of the printer.
The samples were shown to vary substantially in the cost of consumables from one to another. The cost for printing a letter page in black-and-white is from 8 cents to 45 cents; for a colour graphic page 7 cents to $1.9; for a full photo page $2.4 to $20.9.
The variations in the cost of consumables for the different printers mean that the estimated expenditure can vary from $217 to $1,281 a year - assuming printing 3 letter pages in B&W, 2 colour graphic pages and 1 full photo page per week.
A point of interest to the environmentally conscious. Some printers were found to consume higher levels of electricity during standby (from less than 0.05 to 16.1 watts) and switched-off mode (from under 0.05 to 10.9 watts).
This means, in monetary terms, one pays an estimated extra of under $1 to $85 a year in electricity bills.
For those printers which run up high levels of electricity even when switched off, consumers are advised to disconnect the power supply when the printer is not in use for a long period.
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