Laser printers include mono and colour options.

Multi-function printers can print, scan and copy. MFP stands for multi-function printer. Standard printers can't scan and copy.

We recommend all printers with a CHOICE Expert rating of 70% or more, as long as the MFP or standard printer also delivers a performance score of 70% or more for print quality.

The CHOICE Expert Rating for standard and multifunction printers is made up of Overall print, scan and copy score (55.6%), environmental score (22.2%), ease of use score (16.7%) and versatility score (5.5%).

Made up of printing speed and quality score (60%), scanning speed and quality score (20%), copying speed and quality score (20%). Weightings for standard printers, which can't scan or copy, are evenly distributed across printing speed and quality.

An assessment of the printer's power consumption, noise levels, recyclability, build-quality and upgradability.

Ease of use is assessed by a team of experts running each product through everyday scenarios that replicate typical use.

An assessment of the presence and performance of various printer functions such as networking, printing via the internet, paper capacity, borderless printing options, auto document feeders, methods you can print from, available apps and faxing.

Inkjet and colour laser printing is assessed by a panel of experts looking at a typical black-and-white letter, an 8x10-inch high quality photo, a colour spreadsheet, a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text and moisture resistance. Black and white inkjet and laser printing looks at a typical black-and-white letter, a colour spreadsheet, a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text and moisture resistance. These results contribute to the overall print, scan and copy score.

Colour inkjet and laser printing speed is assessed by measuring the speed to print the same documents used for the printing quality assessment. These results contribute to the overall print, scan and copy score.

Scanning and copying on multi-function printers are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object. These results contribute to the overall print, scan and copy score. Standard printers that can't scan or copy are listed as N/A.

Scanning and copying on multi-function printers are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object. These results contribute to the overall print, scan and copy score. Standard printers that can't scan or copy are listed as N/A.

We set up wired and wireless connections, assessing the steps required and the adequacy of the instructions. These results contribute to the versatility score.

Nosier models score less in this part of our test. Models with higher scores operate at lower volumes (decibels). Noise is recorded and and assessed in four phases; idling, printing, scanning (where applicable) and copying (where applicable). These results contribute to the environmental score.

Contributes to the environmental score.

We consider the impact of the 'maintenance cycle' in inkjet models, which consumes ink when print-heads are automatically cleaned. Less ink used equals reduced expense. We use our 'average use scenario' – 1000 mono prints and 500 colour documents over the course of a year. This is not tested on continuous ink supply system (aka big ink) printers. In this case, the contributions to the ink wastage score are distributed evenly across the remaining parts of the test.

Continuous ink supply system (CISS) printers have a much higher page yield than most standard ink cartridges/toner barrels. We limit CISS ink consumption tests and cost calculations to 3000 pages in order to reduce paper waste. Most CISS printers exceed this limit. This is explained in detail in our How We Test Printers article.

Continuous ink supply system (CISS) printers have a much higher page yield than most standard ink cartridges/toner barrels. We limit CISS ink consumption tests and cost calculations to 3000 pages in order to reduce paper waste. Most CISS printers exceed this limit. This is explained in detail in our How We Test Printers article.

Continuous ink supply system (CISS) printers have a much higher page yield than most standard ink cartridges/toner barrels. We limit CISS ink consumption tests and cost calculations to 3000 pages in order to reduce paper waste. Most CISS printers exceed this limit. This is explained in detail in our How We Test Printers article.

The time it takes from powering on to starting printing the first page, measured in seconds.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. The rating ranks from A (highest) to F (lowest); N/A means there is no rating for that company.

A high score means the brand (not the model) is less likely to have faults over time, according to CHOICE members.

A high score means CHOICE members are satisfied with the brand (not the model).

A high score means CHOICE members were happy with the support they received from this brand when they had a problem with their printer.

Inkjet printers that are only used infrequently run a maintenance cycle to clean the print-heads before use. We calculate how much is used over a three-week period. The higher the figure, the worse the performance – 400 would mean that the printer uses four times as much ink to clean itself as it does to print. We can't accurately calculate how much ink tank type printers use for cleaning so they don't get a score in this test.

This setting will reduce your paper consumption, without the need to manually feed paper back into the printer. Some models do support printing both sides manually, which is noted in the specifications.

'Tested model' refers to printers that are currently available in shops and online, while 'Discontinued model' refers to printers that are no longer available in shops, but may be available second-hand.

This is the recommended retail price, but you can usually find a more competitive price by shopping around.

Does the printer come with ink and if so, how much? Starter sets are one set of partially filled cartridges that you will need to replace sooner, while full sets are one set of completely full cartridges.

The cost of the cartridge/barrel divided by the number of pages it can print before running dry. Text costs use mono cartridges while graphics pages use colour ink. CISS printer ink costs are calculated on a maximum yield of 3000 pages in order to reduce paper waste during our tests, even if the ink bottles aren't fully depleted. Your annual expenses may be lower if you print in excess of 3000 pages per year. This is explained in detail in our How We Test Printers article.

The cost of the cartridge divided by the number of pages it can print before running dry. Text costs use mono cartridges while graphics pages use colour ink. CISS printer ink costs are calculated on a maximum yield of 3000 pages in order to reduce paper waste during our tests, even if the ink bottles aren't fully depleted. Your annual expenses may be lower if you print in excess of 3000 pages per year. This is explained in detail in our How We Test Printers article.

Number of A4 sheets that can fit in the printer's main tray.

Number of sheets that can fit in the printer's multipurpose/additional tray.

Some printers support smaller paper sizes which can be handy for cards or invites. An A5 sheet is half the size of an A4 sheet and an A6 is half the size of an A5 sheet.

Most printers can print at sizes up to A4 (21cm x 29.7cm), but some of the larger printers support A3 (29.7cm x 42cm) printing.

Maximum page size that can be copied/scanned.

Maximum resolution supported by the scanner for multi-function printers.

The maximum print output speed of the printer's engine, in pages per minute (ppm). Note that there is no standard for measuring print speed so advertised and actual output can vary greatly. It can take four times as long to print a colour page as a black-only page.

The maximum print output speed of the printer's engine, in pages per minute (ppm). Note that there is no standard for measuring print speed so advertised and actual output can vary greatly. It can take four times as long to print a colour page as a black-only page.

We measure the dimensions when the printer is set up and ready to go, with any trays or hoppers extended so you can see the space required for operation. Measured in cm.

Does it support Windows 11 without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Does it support Mac OS without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Does it support Linux without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Support for wireless printing by directly sending the document to the printer from Apple devices, including iMacs, iPads and iPhones, via the proprietary AirPrint connection.

Support for wireless printing by directly emailing the document to the printer from another device including laptops, tablets or smartphones.

Does the printer include a USB port?

Enables wireless connectivity with nearby devices.

Printer can automatically feed paper in and out, to scan/copy on both sides. Models that don't support auto-duplex scanning may be able to scan/copy on both sides with a manual feed from the user. Not all models that support auto- duplex printing also support auto-duplex scanning.

Scans each page from the automatic document feeder.

Can the multifunction printer (MFP) send a fax without having to connect to a PC? The MFP must have a phone line input, and dial pad (which may be accessible via a menu on the touch screen).

Each cartridge has the capacity to inject ink onto the page rather than an integrated printhead, which has all of the colours in one cartridge.

Does the printer have an Ethernet port for joining a wired network?