A definitive guide to choosing the right printer for every need (and budget)

Digital printers have been part of everyone’s life since the 1990s—way before most of us were born. You went to school and learned the history and different types (and parts) of a printer during your computer class. But admit it, you memorized everything printer-related just to pass the class and not because you’re actually interested.

To be fair, you only needed to print your essays and projects back then—and the only problem you had was whether or not the printer had colored ink. But now you’re having a hard time choosing the printer most suitable for your way more complicated needs. Well, you’re in luck because we’re gonna break down everything for you.

For monochrome output

If we’re talking about efficiency and longevity, an ink tank printer like the Epson EcoTank Monochrome M1100 Printer might be your best bet. It’s compact (kinda) as it only weighs around 3.5kg—a little lighter than an average Shih Tzu. It prints around 32 pages per minute and comes with a large refillable ink tank that can print up to 6,000 pages before it needs a refill. Plus, it only costs P7,995, among the most affordable monochrome printers currently available in the market.

Now, if you have a slightly larger budget, we suggest you go for the Epson EcoTank Monochrome M2140 All-in-One Printer. It has pretty much the same specifications as the M1100—except it can print around 39 pages per minute, scan and photocopy. All for P13,395.

(P.S. Both printers are perfect for printing learning modules, just saying.)

For photos and stickers

Online businesses are so in these days. People create everything from scratch—brand name, logo, social media accounts, and all that. So, if you’re planning to open a small enterprise, we highly recommend investing in a laser printer for printing logo stickers to put on your product packaging. Brother Printer HL-L2375DW is a laser printer that can print large quantities of high definition colored output. When we say high definition, we meant 2400 x 600 dpi. And it only costs P7,990.

Another option is the Canon Printer Pixma TS207. It’s an inkjet printer that’s a tad slower in printing photos and stickers than laser printers, but has relatively the same quality, if not better. You can print around 10 to 80 pages of HD colored output (its maximum printing resolution is 4800 x 1200 dpi) using this P1,895 printer. It also supports borderless photo printing. We reco this printer mainly for personal use (e.g. a motivational poster to stick on your wall, K-pop photocards, or laptop stickers).

For general use

Everyone loves all-in-one packages, something that even printer manufacturers have taken note of. And one of the most affordable all-in-one printers you can find in the market right now is the Epson L3110 All-in-One Ink Tank Printer. For P7,995, you’ll get a device that functions as a printer, a scanner and a photocopying machine—ideal for general or home use. It also supports borderless 4R printing and an ultra-high yield of 4,500 black-and-white and 7,500 colored pages.

Now, if you really (and we mean really) want a high-quality all-in-one printer and don’t mind shelling out a hefty sum, then go for the Brother MFC-T4500DW Refill Ink Tank Wireless Duplex All-in-One Printer which costs P39,950. Trust us, it’s worth the price. It has a print resolution of up to 1200 x 4800 dpi, can print on paper as large as an A3, and allows mobile printing and scanning via the Brother Cloud Apps and WebConnect. Oh, and it can also print directly from a flash drive—no need for a desktop nor a phone. Talk about high-tech.

Originally published in Shopmag Online

Header photo courtesy of George Milton on Pexels