Printer Comparison and Buying Advisor 2026
Cartridge, ink tank, black-and-white or color laser: Decisive are page mix, service life, scan workflow and follow-up costs – not a single data sheet value.
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Short decision: Which technology fits?
| Technology | Applies | Main catch |
|---|---|---|
| Cartridge inkjet | Few to medium pages, color and photos, low entry price | Small cartridges can be expensive per side; Nozzles need care during long breaks. |
| Ink tank | Regular, higher color printing and low ink costs | higher equipment price; The print head and residual ink container remain maintenance parts. |
| Black and white lasers | Many text pages, long service lives, sharp documents | No colour; Drum/fixing unit may occur in addition to the toner. |
| Colour lasers | Business graphics, teams and plannable document flows | Four toners, drums/transfer parts and higher energy requirements make operation and maintenance more expensive. |
Twelve current model families
HP OfficeJet Pro 9132e
Cartridge multifunction for home office. Colour, automatic duplex printing, ADF, two paper trays and fax. Useful for mixed documents and moderate volume; Select Instant Ink/HP+ only after checking account, internet and contract terms.
HP Smart Tank 7306
Ink tank for regular color printing. Refillable bottles, ADF, WLAN and duplex printing. Good class for many color pages; For photo printing, first check media guidance and marginal formats.
HP LaserJet Pro MFP 4102fdw
Fast black and white all-rounder. printing, copying, faxing and double scanning; Ethernet and WLAN. For larger stacks of text and small teams that don’t need color.
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3302fdwg
Color Laser MFP for the small team. ADF, fax, network and automatic duplex printing. For presentations and business graphics; Consider photo quality and toner costs against ink.
Brother MFC-J6955DW
A3 office inkjets. A3 printing and scanning, duplex, ADF, LAN and WLAN. Interesting for plans and large tables; Pay attention to the floor space and A3 consumables.
Brother DCP-T780DW
Ink tank with ADF. Print, scan and copy with refillable ink, WLAN and duplex printing. For families and small offices with regular color printing.
Brother MFC-L2860DWE
Compact mono-laser MFP. Text-oriented multifunction device with duplex, ADF and network. EcoPro is optional; Compare contract terms and usable toners separately.
Brother MFC-L8390CDW
Color laser with duplex scan. Color MFP with ADF, double scan, LAN/WLAN and business functions. For teams that need robust document flows.
Canon PIXMA TS8750
Photo and creative printing at home. Six separate inks, scanners, duplex printing and Wi-Fi. For photos and creative media; without ADF and with higher follow-up costs for a lot of text.
Canon MAXIFY GX7050
Business ink tank with fax. Refillable tanks, ADF, Duplexscan, LAN/WLAN and high paper capacity. For many office color pages; Schedule print head care for long breaks.
Epson EcoTank ET-4850
Ink tank MFP for home office. ADF, fax, duplex printing, Ethernet and WLAN. Good all-round class under regular pressure; no automatic duplex scan.
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830DTWF
Cartridge MFP with two compartments. ADF, duplex printing, fax, Ethernet/WLAN and two paper cassettes. For changing media; Check cartridge range and ReadyPrint option in advance.
How to calculate page costs without marketing trap
Compare the street price of the matching original consumable by its standardized range. For lasers, ISO/IEC 19752 for black and white and ISO/IEC 19798 for colour, for ink ISO/IEC 24711; Photo ranges follow other methods. These values are comparative values, not a guarantee: covering, cleaning, duplex, paper and service life change the consumption. Starter toners and supplied ink can have a shorter range. Calculate proportionally for laser drum, transfer tape and residual toner container; in the case of an ink print head or maintenance box, if interchangeable. Because material prices fluctuate, we do not call apparently precise cent values.
Printing volume, paper and output quality
Orient yourself at recommended Monthly volume, not only at the maximum load capacity. For mostly letters and invoices, mono-lasers are usually uncomplicated. For photos on shiny paper, a multi-color inkjet designed for this purpose is more convincing than an office laser. Ink tanks are only worthwhile if printed regularly. Check A4/A3, marginal pressure, weight, envelopes and straight indentation. Automatic duplex printing saves paper; ‘Manual duplex’ is not equivalent.
Scanner, ADF and real duplex
A flat bed is sufficient for individual receipts and photos. For multi-sided contracts, an ADF is crucial. Pay particular attention to a single-fit or automatic duplex scan: an ADF can only feed in fronts or turn the sheet slowly. Check maximum template size, OCR software, scan-to-network/email, and whether cloud destinations require an account.
Network, mobile devices and operating systems
Ethernet is more stable for fixed offices, WLAN more flexible. AirPrint and Mopria usually enable low-driver printing of Apple or Android devices. Before purchasing, check the support page for the specific model number: Windows, macOS, ChromeOS and Linux are not supported on every device with the same scanning, fax and maintenance features. 2.4-/5 GHz Wi-Fi, WPA3, Wi-Fi Direct and IPv6 are model-dependent.
Chips, subscriptions, accounts and data protection
HP Instant Ink/HP+, Brother EcoPro and Epson ReadyPrint can be convenient, but link costs to page quotas, compatible devices, Internet access or contract rules. An “e” model does not automatically mean that a subscription is mandatory; Nevertheless, check activation, account obligation, termination and behavior of delivered cartridges after the end of the contract. Firmware can affect compatible cartridges. Scan-to-cloud and manufacturer apps allow documents or metadata to reach external services. For confidential documents, prefer local destinations, LAN, device locks, guest access and telemetry settings; Keep firmware up-to-date for security reasons.
Energy, maintenance and follow-up costs
Laser requires significantly more power than ink when warming up, but is economical in standby mode depending on the model. Compare TEC value, sleep mode and automatic shutdown in the EU data sheet. Use inkjets regularly and switch them off correctly so that cleaning and parking position work. Check availability of XL cartridges/tonners, bottles, drums, maintenance boxes and spare parts before purchasing equipment. Warranty, on-site service, paper, electricity, subscription, shipping and downtime are among the total costs.
Checklist before buying
- Record monthly black/color pages and longest pause.
- Do not confuse ADF and Duplexscan with duplex printing.
- Compare LAN, WLAN, AirPrint/Mopria and required operating systems.
- Compare original material according to ISO range and add further wear parts.
- Subscription, account, cloud and compatible consumables consciously decide.
- Check paper size, weight, specialist capacity, footprint, noise and energy.
More orientation to workplace technology can be found in our Notebook sales consultants and UPS purchase consultants.
Research status: September 2, 2026. Verified through the official HP, Brother, Canon and Epson product/support areas, as well as reachable Amazon search destinations in the respective countries. model additions differ regionally; always check the exact model number and data sheet before ordering.