Product review: 16 multi-function printers from 50 to 259 euros (page 24: Conclusion)

Conclusion

If you don’t want to print photos without your PC and you have a basic and occasional use, our preference goes to the Canon MP160. Canon offers two cartridge capacities. It’s not necessary to opt for the bigger one as there is only a slight gain, and you will only risk clogging up your printer during long periods of inactivity.

The small Epsons weren’t chosen due to their weak photo mode and noisiness. HP is more expensive in office prints and drops are visible in photos. Brother needs to improve color fidelity. And finally, Lexmark offers capacities that are too low with standard cartridges. There is an alternative with higher capacity cartridges, but at the cash register the bill is comparable to the price of the product itself.

Around 100 euros, you go up in speed, which is an appreciable characteristic. Two models merit a closer look here; the Canon MP510, if you need a multi-use printer, and the Epson RX560, if you are mainly interesting in photo printing.

At this price, Brother still has the same color rendering problems, the HP C4180 is the same as the C3180 except for a few options, and Lexmark is behind again with small and expensive cartridges. The HP and Lexmark scanners are also deceiving for products in this class.

Above 150 euros there are more options. Lexmark plays the AIO card with a multitude of functions like front and back printing and Wi-Fi. Canon has improved its photos with a black photo ink and it has higher speeds. HP offers a separate cartridge model that is very economical and gifted in everything, including photos, and has a fax and document loader. The Epson RX640 is better than the RX560 especially for its lower cost per page. There is a high quality for photos at a modest price. To make your choice you should first ask yourself if you need a fax. If yes, your choice is limited to HP or Lexmark. If no, there is no reason to have an overloaded control panel: Canon or Epson.