In the recent past, printers, fax machines, scanners and, of course, a huge copier were indispensable attributes of a successful office. Only a few could organize all this diversity at home. But times have changed, multifunctional devices have appeared. Contrary to the fears of skeptics, inkjet printing has not sunk into oblivion with the advent of laser printers. Its higher quality is also used in MFPs. In addition, the cost of such units is much lower than their laser counterparts. Now anyone has the opportunity to fully work with documents and print photos at home. In our rating - the most popular and best models of inkjet MFPs in 2016 - early 2017.
Which inkjet MFP is better?
The inkjet MFP segment was occupied by four well-known brands: Epson, Canon, Hewlett-Packard and Brother. Other firms operating in the market inkjet printing, or are not represented at all by any MFP models, or they are not very popular.
It is difficult to single out a clear favorite from the above four. In terms of the number of models produced, all except Brother have almost equal positions. The Japanese company is represented pointwise, but its products are quite competitive in their niches.
Epson and Canon products are very popular, and these brands are fighting each other in the market in every price range. HP broke away from them only in the segment of professional MFPs - plotters, where the maximum print format reaches A0 size.
It makes no sense to look for and choose a black and white inkjet MFP. In addition to the fact that there are only a few such models, they differ little in price and quality from color and black-and-white laser ones, but at the same time, you also limit yourself in the ability to perform color printing.
So which inkjet MFPs offered to the Russian consumer are considered the best?
How many photos do you take per day? The widespread use of devices that can take pictures allows a modern person to instantly record interesting events. Frames taken with a camera or smartphone can be edited, viewed countless times on the screen, but still in printed form, they bring much more viewing pleasure.. In a photo album or in a frame on the wall, photographs come to life, so to speak, give much more emotions from their contemplation. One cannot but rejoice at the fact that today for printing photos no need to contact a specialized photo lab - you can buy a printer to print photos at home. This device will allow you to take photos quickly, efficiently and cheaply.
Today, photo printers are in great demand not only among professional photographers, but also among amateur photographers, the most ordinary people who take photos and want to create photo archives. In view of this The market for photo printing devices is overflowing: you can find printers in a wide price range, with different printing technologies, different speed and differing in other parameters. What printer for photo printing will pass in each case?
Laser printers
The quality of photos printed on laser printer, not the highest unless, of course, we are talking about a professional photo lab, the price of which is very high. Principle of operation laser printer can be simplistically described as follows: electric charge, corresponding to a certain color, the charge attracts the powder of the desired shade, the powder is transferred to a sheet of paper, and the final stage of printing is exposure to high temperature, which bakes the paint on paper.
Laser printers can only be praised for the speed of printing, but it is difficult to call them economical: the cost of one photo (this indicator plays an important role when buying) is higher than that of printers with other printing technologies, which is explained by the high cost of cartridges.
Inkjet printers
The best option for home photo printing is inkjet printers. They print well, quickly, and are inexpensive. The print is transferred to paper by spraying many drops of ink through the nozzles of the printheads. And here is How does ink get on paper?, allows you to divide all inkjet printers into several groups:
The main disadvantage of inkjet printers is the tendency to clog the print heads and dry the ink. The best prevention of this is regular printing.
To reduce the cost of printed photos, today it is widely used at home system continuous feed ink (CISS). If initially such systems were made only by craftsmen, and manufacturers tried their best to make printer covers and chips on cartridges more closed and inaccessible, now printers with factory CISS are widely available for sale. If you often print photos, then such a system will come in handy.
Thermal sublimation printers
Such printers for printing photos at home appeared relatively recently. They are compact, and are used here as consumables. film cartridges that contain layers of solid dye in all primary colors. Under the influence of temperature, the dye passes into a gaseous state and is fixed on paper.
The main advantage of the technology is accuracy of transmission of all shades, which is so appreciated by professional photographers, but you will have to pay more for it, which is the main disadvantage of such printers. To reduce the cost of each print, you can look for great deals and buy Consumables with discounts, for example, on the page https://www.fotosklad.ru/catalog/rashodnye-materialy-prof/.
Number of colors and drop volume
An important parameter when choosing a printer is the number of colors used. If it's about inkjet printers, then this number should definitely be more than 3 primary colors, and it is better if it is equal to 6 or more, which will provide more accurate color reproduction. For inkjet printers, there is also such an indicator as drop volume. In theory, the smaller it is, the better, but in reality it is difficult to notice a significant difference between a drop of 2 picoliters and 4 picoliters. The minimum drop volume is 1.5-3 pl, in some Canon printers- 1 sq. 
For sublimation printers the number of colors is usually between 3 and 5. Printing features allow you to get excellent prints even with 3 colors, and 5-color devices are used only in a professional environment.
Consumables and printing costs
When choosing a particular printer, you need to carefully study its characteristics, in particular number of photos that can be taken with one cartridge. We divide the cost of the cartridge by its resource, and we get the price of each individual photo. Be careful, because a large resource does not always indicate the cost-effectiveness of printing - it is important to always compare prices and determine the cost of printing one image.
Those who print large volumes of photos at home should calculate the cost to the penny. If you usually print no more than 15-20 pictures per month, then the printer's economy should not be approached with such pedantry.
Print resolution
Printer manufacturers often attract buyers precisely with high resolution printing. Good quality pictures are produced by printers with a resolution not less than 4800*1200 dpi. Although print resolution is an important indicator when choosing a printer, it is not as important as printing technology, ink and cartridge quality.
Print speed and format
In the description of printers, you can also notice such a parameter as the speed of printing one photo. There are models with record performance, there are slower ones. Close attention to print speed should be paid only if you regularly print large volumes of photos, and literally every minute counts. Otherwise, it's not such a big deal.
What size do you need to print photos? You need to know the answer to this question clearly before buying, since the more print formats a printer supports, the more expensive it is, and a solid overpayment for unnecessary options is not the best solution.
Additional printer options
If the extended functionality of the printer is important, then when choosing it is important to pay attention to its additional features:
- the presence of an LCD display, which will display not only data on the printing process, but also the photo itself with the possibility of basic editing;
- a card reader will allow you to print from memory cards;
- Wi-Fi will allow you to get rid of unnecessary wires and transfer photos to print remotely;
- scanner.
Best photo printers
Epson L805
An excellent functional printer that will allow you to print a decent amount of photos at home, not only on various kinds of paper, but also on films, labels, and discs. Weight 6 kg, power 13 W, color cartridge yield 1800 pages.
Canon PIXMA MG6840
An excellent compact, inexpensive MFP that can print photos directly from external media, is equipped with a 3.4-inch display, supports AirPrint technology - wireless printing with Apple devices. Consumes 12 W, weighs 6.4 kg, noise during operation 42.5 dB.
Canon Selfie CP910
The name of this printer speaks for itself - printing small photos, mostly selfies. A compact printer allows you to get high-quality clear small photographs, and the 10 * 15 format is the most common. The device supports printing from external media, AirPrint technology, for convenience there is a 2.7-inch color LCD display, it is possible to operate on battery power. When working, consumes 60 W, weighs only 800 grams.
Epson Stylus Photo P50
There is nothing superfluous in this printer, which allows you to purchase a device for high-quality photo printing at the best possible price. If necessary, you can install CISS here and make the printing process as economical as possible. The device weighs 5.5 kg, consumes 13 W during operation, emits noise at a level of 38 dB.
Canon PIXMA iX6840
The main feature of this printer is the ability to print on sheets A3 format.
A multifunctional device (MFP) is a useful technique for people working with documents. An MFP can combine several separate devices at once: a scanner, a printer, a copier, etc. Accordingly, this can significantly save not only the purchase budget, but also desktop space. Inexpensive MFPs are especially popular, with a price tag of up to 15,000 rubles. home users, students and small office workers.
- Price - everything is clear here, the lower the better. For personal use (at home) average price per inkjet MFP should not exceed 7,000 rubles, for laser - 10,000 rubles.
- Number of pages per month - how many pages can be printed on the printer without reducing the life of the device. For the home, as a rule, a limit of 1000 pages is enough, for the office - at least 10,000 pages.
- Print photos - the ability of the device to print high-quality photos.
- Borderless printing - the ability of the device to print on paper without leaving empty margins.
- Automatic two-sided printing - the ability of the MFP to print on two pages in automatic mode.
- First Out Time - The time it takes to print the first page in black and white. Not a very important indicator for a home device, however, devices that are too slow can cause some inconvenience. The normal indicator for an inkjet printer is no more than 15 seconds, for a laser printer - no more than 10 seconds.
- B/W copy speed - the maximum number of A4 black and white copies that the MFP can print in one minute. A good indicator is at least 20 pages.
- Color Depth (bits) - The number of bits used by the MFP scanner to convey color information. This is an important indicator for people working with graphics. A color depth of at least 48 bits is considered a good indicator.
- Paper input - the capacity of the paper input trays in the MFP. It is desirable that the tray intervenes as much as possible more sheets so that you do not have to report paper frequently. For a home, at least 100 sheets are considered a normal indicator.
- Color cartridge/toner yield is the number of color pages that can be printed without replacing consumables. Changing too frequently can be very expensive, so for home use, at least 500 color pages are considered normal.
- Resource b / w cartridge / toner - the number of black and white pages that can be printed without replacing consumables. For a home, at least 1,000 pages for an inkjet and 1,500 pages for a laser MFP are considered normal.
The amount of RAM is an important indicator that affects the speed of printing high-resolution images. - Wi-Fi interface - the ability to connect the printer / MFP to other devices via the Wi-Fi interface. With this function, you can print information even from a mobile phone without using a cable to connect.
The best inkjet MFPs for the home
3 HP DeskJet 2130
Best price
Country: USA
Average price: 2,556 rubles.
Rating (2017): 4.0
HP DeskJet 2130 is the cheapest MFP presented in the review. A brand new device can be purchased for only 2,000 - 2,500 rubles. What do you get for this money:
- Color printing with a maximum number of pages up to 1000 per month (more is possible, but this will negatively affect the resource of equipment).
- Printing photos
- Printing black and white A4 pages at a speed of 20 pages per minute
- Copier function with 600 dpi resolution
- Printing on cards, labels, photo paper, envelopes
The weight of the device at the same time is only 3.42 kg - this is the lowest figure among competitors.
Of the obvious shortcomings in comparison with competitors, one can single out a non-capacious paper tray - only 60 sheets and an extremely low resource for color and black-and-white cartridges (165 and 190 sheets, respectively). You won't find Wi-Fi support here either. In fact, the low price of the HP DeskJet 2130 is quite justified, since as soon as you start using the devices, you will soon have to look for refills for cartridges.
2 HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5575
The optimum ratio of price and quality
The best laser MFPs for the home - budget up to 15,000 rubles.
3 Canon i-SENSYS MF3010
Closes the top three best MFPs for a house in the middle price segment - Canon device i-SENSYS MF3010. Despite the last place in our rating, this model definitely deserves attention. Yes, at Canon i-SENSYS the fastest rate for the output of the first print - only 7.8 seconds (typical for the entire line of Canon MFPs), as well as one of the most resource-intensive b/w cartridges - 1600 pages.
According to user reviews, the main Canon benefits i-SENSYS MF3010 is:
- Affordable price
- compactness
- Reliability and ease of use
- Cheap and easily replaceable cartridges
- Stylish and thoughtful design - when the machine is not in use, all protruding parts fold inward
- The speed and quality of printing is at a decent level
However, there are also negative reviews. In particular, some users do not like that the MFP does not come with a full-fledged cartridge, but only its probe, the resource of which is somewhat less than the declared characteristics. There are also complaints about the operation of the copier and scanner, and to be more precise, it is not very convenient to place a sheet of paper strictly in the center (a matter of habit). Because of this, some documents are cut off at the edges.
2 HP LaserJet Pro MFP M125rnw
Functional device from the most popular manufacturer of multifunctional devices - Hewlett-Packard (HP). This model could be on the top line of our rating, if not for two significant disadvantages: the high price for a home printer / copier (more than 14,000 rubles) and the presence of repeated complaints about Wi-Fi operation(losing connection).
In general, the model is very good in terms of print quality and speed. This is indicated by both technical specifications and reviews of real users. So, the amount of HP RAM LaserJet Pro The MFP M125 is 128MB and the first sheet output takes only 9.5 seconds. The resource and subsequent refilling of the cartridge is really what you can win on when buying this model. The resource of the b/w cartridge is enough for 1,500 pages, and subsequent refilling costs almost a penny (compared to competitors, and even more so with inkjet MFPs). The scanner works very well in this model - this is noted by 99% of all users.
Laser or inkjet MFP?
Which MFP is better to buy for home use inkjet or laser? Inkjet printing technology works especially well when printing color photographs. In addition, the cost of an inkjet MFP for color printing will be several times lower than the cost of a device with laser technology.
However, inkjet technology is inferior to laser because of the more expensive printing. Resource ink cartridge much lower than laser, which leads to increased costs for the purchase of consumables.
What conclusion can be drawn from this - if you urgently need color print, but you do not plan to print a large amount of information - it is better to purchase an inkjet MFP. If color printing is not so important for you, the best option would be to buy a laser MFP with black and white printing.
1 Samsung Xpress M2070W
The best ratio of price and quality
The best inexpensive laser MFPs for the home - budget up to 8,000 rubles.
3 Brother DCP-1512R
Another relatively budget MFP from another Japanese manufacturer - Brother. Like the previous model, the Brother DCP-1512R doesn't stand out for anything special. The speed of work (printing, scanning) is at an average level, the amount of RAM is 64 MB, the output tray will fit 50 sheets, the resource of the b/w cartridge is enough for 1000 sheets (not the most high rate). There is no Wi-Fi interface. It is possible to print on cards and envelopes. The first print out time is 10 seconds.
Most users, speaking about the advantages of this MFP, first of all point to low price, compact size and cheap consumables. The photo drum and ink cartridge of the Brother DCP-1512R are replaced separately, which reduces the cost of maintenance.
2 Panasonic KX-MB2000 EN
Panasonic KX-MB2000 RU is one of the most popular home MFP models in 2015-2016 in the budget price segment. We put this device in second place in our rating. Of the technical characteristics, it is worth highlighting a sufficient print speed - 24 ppm, a cartridge resource of 2000 pages, RAM at 32 mb. According to these indicators, Panasonic is the best among inexpensive MFPs in our ranking.
There are quite a few reviews on the Panasonic KX-MB2000 RU, yet the model has been produced since 2012. Among them there are both positive and negative reviews. Of the advantages, many users note the relative cheapness of cartridges, the low cost of the device itself and very clear control.
Of the shortcomings, many complain about the rapid consumption of the cartridge. For some, the device begins to "swear" after 500 printed sheets. Although, according to the declared characteristics, the toner resource should be enough for 2000 sheets. There are also questions about the quality and speed of the scanner. The disadvantages include sufficient noise during heating.
Generally speaking, we can characterize this model as "cheap and cheerful". If you do not make serious demands on functionality and quality, but are looking for a regular MFP with a basic set of functions - Panasonic KX-MB2000 RU is a good option to buy.
1 Ricoh SP 150SUw
The best combination of price and performance
Country: Japan
Average price: 8,710 rubles.
Rating (2017): 4.7
The first place in the list of budget MFPs for the home is occupied by a multifunctional device from the popular Japanese manufacturer - Ricoh. This device is optimal technical specifications for home use. Of the models under consideration, the Ricoh SP 150SUw has a good b/w print speed of 22 sheets/min. and the optimal time for the first print is 11 seconds. Also, the machine has a fairly large paper tray: 50 sheets. The Ricoh SP 150SUw also has a Wi-Fi interface, which is very convenient when there are several computers in the house or apartment. But the cartridge resource is small - only 700 pages, which can be considered a minus.
At the same time, there were no serious complaints about the quality of printing and scanning. The device is quite compact and very functional. And what could be better for a home user?
The best inexpensive color MFPs for the home - budget up to 30,000 rubles
3 Canon PIXMA G2400
Best cartridge yield (~7000 pages). Best value for a cost-effective MFP
Country: Japan
Average price: 12,411 rubles.
Rating (2017): 4.6
Third place ranking - Canon PIXMA G2400, the most economical color MFP in our TOP 3. The resource of a color cartridge is no less than 7,000 pages, and a black-and-white one - 6,000 pages. High efficiency is achieved thanks to the increased capacity built into the case, which, according to user reviews, is a big advantage. Now you do not need to contemplate the cans of paint, which are observed in many modern MFPs, which come with CISS. At the same time, this design did not affect the dimensions of the device in any way - the Canon PIXMA G2400 looks compact and fits easily on the desktop. Add to that the nice design, the ability to scan and copy, borderless printing, and the "ridiculous" price of $200.
Another important advantage of the MFP is the convenient refilling of ink and tracking their consumption, which is due to the well-thought-out placement of ink tanks in the front of the case. According to most users, the main advantages of the Canon PIXMA G2400 include high print speed, photo print quality, excellent economy and affordable price. The disadvantages of the device are seen in the quality of the plastic case and loud sounds when printing.
2 Brother DCP-9020CDW
The best ratio of price and functionality. Automatic duplex printing
Country: Japan
Average price: 26 840 rubles.
Rating (2017): 4.7
The third place in the ranking is the Brother DCP-9020CDW, a popular reliable MFP from the well-known Japanese brand "Brother". This is the real workhorse”, which will delight every user with its high performance. It is one of the most efficient devices in new series Brother LED printers of the latest generation.
In its price segment, few devices can compete with Brother MFPs in terms of print speed. Color and b/w printing speed is 18 pages per minute with a paper tray capacity of 250 sheets. Significantly save on paper will allow the function of automatic duplex printing. The model differs not only fast printing, then a quick scan. Thus, the scanning speed of color documents is 3.09 sec/page, and black-and-white - 2.32 sec/page, which will be highly appreciated by both home users and small office workers. For comparison, the Canon PIXMA G2400 (third place in the ranking) scans 5 times slower - only 19 seconds / page.
Another important advantage of the Brother DCP-9020CDW is support for wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi. This device compares favorably with the considered competitors in the TOP-3, which, alas, did not have wireless printing capabilities.
User Review:
I specifically waited a year before writing a review. Before that, there were several MFPsHP, Samsung, etc., so there is something to compare. I print over 100 documents a day, and scan a lot through autofeed. Nothing broke, no paper jams! Extremely convenient menu, cool touch screen, WiFi works flawlessly. I recommend!
1 Epson L850
The best photo center
Country: Japan
Average price: 30,410 rubles.
Rating (2017): 4.8
If the most important criterion for choosing an MFP is the quality of printing photos, then one of the best options can be considered the purchase of the Epson L850. This is the first MFP in Epson's lineup to use six-color printing, which, combined with piezoelectric inkjet technology, produces the highest quality photographs. Perhaps, among A4 MFPs, Epson L850 - best model in color print quality. First place in the ranking of color MFPs!
The manufacturer proudly calls this model a full-fledged photo center. Indeed, the device is capable of not only printing color and black and white images, but also scanning and copying documents. Epson L850 stands out for its high print speed standard photos 10x15 cm - the output of the first photo takes only 12 seconds. The minimum volume of a drop - 1.5 pl - speaks of the high quality of printing. Advanced users or owners of small copy centers will appreciate the ability to print on many types of materials: cards, films, labels, photo paper, CD / DVD. We also note the presence of a 2.72-inch LCD display, where you can see photos taken on a digital camera and select the ones you need for printing. Very comfortably!
- Not best quality photo copying
- Lack of wifi
- Large dimensions
- Low Yield B&W Cartridge (1800 pages)
Video review
To choose a printer that is right for you, you first need to make an approximate list of requirements for yourself, on the basis of which the printer will be selected.
Today you can find a huge number various models. All of them are similar in function and quality, but there are some differences. Therefore, you need to decide for yourself what you want. After all, the product you choose should satisfy your needs so that you will not be disappointed after the purchase.
We have compiled a selection of materials that will help the most picky buyer decide and make a choice in accordance with your tasks. For those who do not want to study the topic in depth and go into details, we have prepared ratings based on user votes, and also found out what the majority of online store buyers choose.
Rating of the best printers 2016
To save your time and effort, we have compiled this rating. But we still recommend that you fully familiarize yourself with the materials in order to make your own informed choice.
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What are the printers and what are the selection criteria?
So, let's name the main criteria for choosing a printer. First, you need to decide what kind of printing you need, color or black and white (monochrome). For typing, printing documents, and engineering graphics, only monochrome printers are in demand.
Next, you need to decide on the price. It's no secret that the price for many buyers is the determining criterion. Then we move on to printing methods. There are inkjet printers and laser printers. The main thing here is not to make a mistake with the choice, since when using one or another printer, some shortcomings of this device may be found. After all, as experience shows, with inkjet printers not constantly used, the ink in the print head dries up, which makes it unusable. And this means that additional costs for consumables are required, which can be up to 50 percent of the cost of the goods. In this regard, if the printer can be used infrequently, as a rule, when home use, it is recommended to give preference to a laser printer. The price of a replacement laser printer cartridge is slightly higher, however, there is no danger of a device failure.
Also, when choosing a printer, you should take into account the amount of work, that is, the number of printed sheets per day, dimensions, noise level, which is not the last thing for home use. These criteria for choosing a printer are decisive when buying. Of course, we must not forget such parameters as power consumption, various connectivity options, and speed.
Laser printers
A more correct name is electrographic technology. The main part of such a printer is a photoconductor, sometimes called selenium. This drum has the ability to store an electric charge on its surface, and discretely, that is, each point can hold its own charge. The laser beam (and light in general), hitting the drum, can “illuminate” individual points of its surface, that is, remove an electric charge from them. Thus, by controlling the beam, it is possible to “draw” an image on the drum, consisting of charged and uncharged sections. Further, toner (particles of a special composition) wakes up on the drum, which sticks to charged places and crumbles from uncharged ones. After that, the toner (and the image, respectively) is transferred to paper (also pre-charged) and enters the fixing unit - the “oven”, where, under the influence of high temperature and pressure, the toner is fused into the paper.
The advantages of laser printers over inkjet ones are a continuation of their technological features. First, it's more high speed printing (does not take time for the ink to dry). Secondly, high reliability, because solid toner does not dry out from time to time, as happens with ink. Thirdly, a larger assortment of cheap media, such as almost any paper, various films, stickers, etc. While high-quality photo printing on inkjet printers requires the use of special (and very expensive) paper. Using plain paper often causes it to warp. In addition, the toner particles fused into the paper have significant durability and are not afraid of moisture. Fourthly, the cost of printing on laser printers is several times lower than that for inkjet printing. However, the cost of a laser printer itself, especially a color one, is sometimes several times higher than the price of an inkjet.
Rating of the best laser printers 2016
In addition to the high initial price, the disadvantages of color laser printing can also be attributed to a narrower range of color gamut compared to inkjet technology, in other words, a laser printer reproduces shades worse. This is primarily due to the fact that in addition to the coloring pigment, the toner contains “colorless” or slightly colored components (polymer, lubricant, etc.), which cannot be dispensed with in this technology. This problem is partially solved by the so-called "layered" technologies promoted by some manufacturers, which allow you to create additional shades of each of the four basic colors. We will talk about these technologies a little later. Another drawback of laser printers is edge distortion, because the laser beam reaches the edge of the drum at an oblique angle. As a result, the point becomes oval instead of round. In part, these distortions can be compensated for by specially shaped lenses, complex laser control, etc.
Inkjet printers
This technology is based on the instantaneous injection of a drop of ink through a microscopic hole (nozzle), the rows of which are located on a carriage moving along the paper. The smaller the nozzles, and the smaller the distance between them, the higher the resolution. Two technologies are mainly used for instant ink injection. The first is an older thermal one, when a drop of ink is pushed out by a gas bubble formed when the drop is rapidly heated by a special thermoelement. The second - more modern - piezoelectric, in which the drop is pushed out due to a sharp change in the size of the piezoelectric element when an electric pulse is applied to it.
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Nozzles have a micron diameter and are prone to clogging, both with dust and drying ink, and if one or more nozzles fail, the printer begins to "streak". Ink jet printers, therefore, have conflicting requirements. On the one hand, they must dry on paper as quickly as possible to avoid subsequent smearing, for which special multi-layer paper is used. On the other hand, the ink should not dry out inside the cartridge, and especially in the nozzles, clogging them. For this reason, the ink formula is one of the most important know-how of every inkjet printer manufacturer. And self-refueling of such printers often leads either to a loss of print quality and color reproduction, or to a rapid clogging of the print head. Laser printers do not have these drawbacks.
The choice of an inkjet printer, first of all, implies the choice of print quality. It is necessary to pay attention to the cartridges used, there can be from two to nine. The most popular are inkjet printers using six cartridges. Each printer manufacturer is trying to get ahead and impress customers with its innovations and technical inclusions: Canon, for example, decided to include two more colors (green and red) in the usual 6-color gamut, as a result of which print quality has significantly improved. , more saturated and expressive colors of the transmitted picture appeared. Isn't that what we expect when choosing a printer?
Rating of inkjet printers 2016
Color printers
Do you really need a color printer? If you print mostly black and white documents, then the answer is no. But if you have to print a lot of documents with graphics or photographs, then you certainly need a color printer.
Here you have to decide which color printer to choose - inkjet or laser. A faster laser printer costs more. An inkjet color printer can provide you with decent quality prints for a more reasonable price. 
Rating of the best color printers of 2016
If you don't want to go into details, take a look at this list. These models are recognized as the best in class color printers for home and office use.
And now about the criteria for choosing a color printer.
Color printer speed
If speed is important to you, get rid of cheap color inkjet printers right away. Mid-range color inkjet printers print text at 14-17 pages per minute and take several minutes to print a single page of color graphics. Compare this to laser color printers that print in color at 26 or more pages per minute with a first page out interval of less than 10 seconds. What speed do you need and how much are you willing to pay for it? Based on this, decide which color printer to choose - laser or inkjet.
Quality
Both inkjet and laser color printers can print professional quality photos. However, if you take a closer look at inkjet printers, you will see that not all of them can do it equally well. And the trend is this: the more expensive the inkjet printer, the higher the quality of its printing. There are color inkjet printers specifically designed for printing quality photos, and this is exactly what you need if photo printing is so important to you. But for this purpose, you can also choose a color laser printer - and you certainly can't go wrong.
Printer Resolution
Check the resolution of a color printer, which is indicated in dpi (dots per inch) - the higher it is, the better the image quality. standard resolution 600x600 is suitable for most types of printing except photo printing. Also check if the color printer offers a range of resolutions so that you can different types printing, such as printing in draft mode, select the appropriate resolution.
Consumables such as cartridges, toner, etc.
A color inkjet printer must have a separate black ink cartridge. Choose an inkjet color printer with separate cartridges for each color - it's cheaper to replace one cartridge than the entire cassette. Replacing the toner of a color laser printer is much more expensive than replacing an inkjet cartridge, but the cost per print on a laser printer is lower. It is for this reason that many people choose a color laser printer.
Color Printer Reliability
Some cheap color printers have very short lives. And some brands are more reliable than others. It is wiser to spend 25,000 rubles on a printer that will work without interruption for 5 years than to buy another printer every year for 5,000 rubles, which will work again for no more than a year. Check the color printer device. Is the cartridge mounted on the print head? Replacing a print head is much more expensive than replacing a cartridge.
Check before you buy
Never buy a color printer without first testing it on the spot. Read the specification and see how the printer behaves when turned on. Check how it prints text pages and graphics or photos - some printers do not perform equally well in both modes. If you choose a color inkjet printer, pay special attention to the clarity of printing both text and graphics - some inkjet printers do not do this well enough
Another legend that we inherited from the time of "prehistoric materialism" is the high cost of laser color. In recent years, as the cost of the colored laser devices, and the cost of printing decreased several times. Suffice it to say that the color "laser" entry level can be found at a price within $ 400, and the cost of a color page (at its 5% coverage) is in the range of 5-20 cents, not including paper. This is despite the fact that the cost of a monochrome page is 1-4 cents. By the way, we have come to one of the most important parameters for the user.
Mobile printers
Car printers
The ability to print on the road not only photos, but also business documents although it is unusual for our businessmen, it is very convenient. After all, the most successful thoughts and suggestions are always born at the last moment, already on the way to an important interlocutor. Why miss the opportunity to surprise a customer or partner with a fresh idea? Prepare your presentation on your laptop and then print it on the go.
When you look at this small box, you certainly don’t suspect that this is a full-fledged printer that can print very, very well. His appearance looks more like a box or just a case for various little things - on electronic device, and even more so the printer, it is not at all similar.
The printer has two covers: one - small - serves as a paper inlet, and at the same time protects the mechanism that moves the paper inside the printer on the road. The second lid - bigger - turns the plastic box into a real (albeit small) printer. Speaking of dimensions: the height of the device is only 52 mm.
Compact printer helps you print documents on the go
The device works either from the accumulator, or from a network. By the way, he also has a docking station where the device is placed in a standing position - a hint that typing while recharging is not recommended (or rather, impossible). The printer can operate from a fully charged battery for a very long time: 450 pages with 50% text coverage, or 225 normal pages of text.
After recharging the battery, you can finally turn on the device. Do not be lazy - look into the very heart of the printer - open the cover of the cartridge compartment. See how little inkwells are there? Obviously, the manufacturers were counting on the field use of the device - the cartridges are too small for daily use.
What else confuses in the device? Lack of card reader and screen. It is in a portable compact printer they could be very useful - at least for reading photos without using standard interface PictBridge.
Since we are talking about means of communication with the outside world, let's say that the printer can receive data via infrared from mobile phones- photographed, immediately printed out - very convenient. If there is a need to work with the printer via the BlueTooth port, you can purchase a special adapter.
The printer's maximum photo resolution is 4800 x 1200 dpi. By the way, the device uses FINE printing technology - the drop size is 2 picoliters. Although, why is such a small drop needed in a four-color printer? However, it is always nice to know that your printer uses the most advanced printing technologies.
Mobile receipt printers
POS printer - This combination is often referred to as a receipt printer, a specialized main or auxiliary device that prints tickets, checks, coupons, receipts and invoices. This class of printers also includes the so-called slip printers for underlay printing, as well as kiosk printers.
All printers are divided among themselves according to the printing method into thermal printers and matrix printers with a matrix printing method. Dot matrix printers are widely used not only in wholesale and retail trade, but also in the service sector. They create text on paper using separate dots. Such printers print not only on ordinary, but also on thermal paper.
Receipt printers are widely used in hotels, restaurants, bistros and cafes where non-fiscal cash receipts are used. They can also be found as part of POS-terminals with fiscal memory located inside the case.
The check printer consists of a check printing device, a printing device that allows you to print a control tape (so-called journal) together with a check, as well as imprint the necessary information into slips - backing documents. The slip printer is usually equipped with a stamp that automatically fills in the current document. There are cases when the nodes for printing a magazine and a receipt tape are combined into one node, using a receipt tape with a copy layer. In this case, the information in the journal will completely repeat everything that is stored on the receipt tape. However, if these nodes are separated, information that is not very important for accounting (for example, the header lines of a check) may be missing when the journal is printed. The printer can also be equipped with a bell or a power supply.
Where is a receipt printer most commonly used? Basically, these printers are included in the automated cashier's workstations with a fiscal memory module. Similar workplace is usually a POS terminal. In general, modern trade cannot be imagined without hardware automation. Despite the fact that the receipt printer is, in fact, an ordinary printer, it produces very valuable financial information, based on which the rest of the processes in the enterprise automation and management system are carried out. Do not forget that an important characteristic in the operation of a receipt printer is also the resource of the print head and cutter.
Other types of printers
In addition to traditional MFPs, there are also specialty printers. In principle, the above-described automotive devices for printing receipts and labels can also be classified as such. But there are still printers that do not print with ink and not on paper.
What is a 3d printer?
The principle of operation of a 3d printer is based on the principle of gradual (layered) creation of a solid model, which, as it were, is “grown” from a certain material, which will be discussed a little later. The advantages of 3D printing over the usual, manual methods of building models are high speed, simplicity and relatively low cost.
For example, to create a 3D model or any part manually, it can take quite a lot of time - from several days to months. After all, this includes not only the manufacturing process itself, but also preliminary work - drawings and diagrams of the future product, which still do not give a complete vision of the final result.
As a result, development costs increase significantly, the period from product development to its mass production increases.
3D technologies, on the other hand, allow you to completely eliminate manual labor and the need to make drawings and calculations on paper - after all, the program allows you to see the model from all angles already on the screen, and eliminate the identified shortcomings not in the process of creation, as is the case with manual production, but directly during development and create a model in a few hours.
At the same time, the possibility of errors inherent in manual work is practically excluded.
How does a 3D printer work?
The use of 3D printing is a serious alternative to traditional methods of prototyping and small-scale production. A three-dimensional or 3D printer, unlike a conventional one that prints two-dimensional drawings, photographs, etc. on paper, makes it possible to output three-dimensional information, that is, to create three-dimensional physical objects.
On this moment equipment of this class can work with photopolymer resins, various types plastic filament, ceramic powder and metal clay.
