Best All-in-One Printer (not for photos)

[generdude]

I need to replace my HP Office Jet 4620 printer. I would like to solicit some recommendations for a new one.

Not necessarily HP.
Won't be used for photos (maybe 1% of the time).
Will be using printing, scanning and copying.
Prefer lower paper feed and output tray to fit into short space, although I could move the printer to a new location for a top loader.
2-sided printing.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

I am still using an old Epson Stylus Photo R800, which is/was a great device, but more geared for photo printing.

These days, most printers are pretty close in quality, speed, etc. It would come down to budget and feature set.

Any in particular you are looking at currently?

C

 

[stephenr7768]

canon TR4551 should fit the bill

 

[ranman]

I need to replace my HP Office Jet 4620 printer. I would like to solicit some recommendations for a new one.

Not necessarily HP.
Won't be used for photos (maybe 1% of the time).
Will be using printing, scanning and copying.
Prefer lower paper feed and output tray to fit into short space, although I could move the printer to a new location for a top loader.
2-sided printing.

I've been a power user in the past, and always felt a high-end HP was necessary to meet my business needs. This past year I purchased a Brother MFC-J895DW, and have been very pleased with the result. Smaller footprint, top loader, reliable internet connection, scanning in pdf format directly to your computer, and 2-sided printing are included features. The cost of ink is much less for those times when I need hard copy.

I'm not processing as much printing output through the device as I have in busier years, but it's a full-feature device, with print/scan/copy capability. There's a top loader for multiple pages and it does an excellent job. The cost to operate is much less than the HP machines I've used for the past 20 years.

I wouldn't choose this printer for large scale, heavy, constant loads on a daily basis, but if you have more of a standard office need, the price of this printer is low enough to give it a try. It it's not enough to serve your total needs, it will be a great backup for extra capacity. If I need an additional printer I'll be adding another of these.

 

[37Shannon]

I replaced a Dell all-in-one that lasted only 2 years with a Brother MFC-L3770CDW. Everything that ranman says applies to this printer, except that this is a color laser printer. Cost me $395 at Best Buy at the time. Replacement toner cartridges from Brother run about $75 each.

I personally have not had good luck with Epson printers, and I read an article a few months go (it seems to me that it was in Consumer Reports, but I can't find the issue) that stated, based on customer survey response data, that Epsons are not particularly reliable, which echos my experience. I've had two Epson printers over the years; the first one (9-pin dot matrix) failed while under warranty (always a bad sign) and the second one (ink jet), developed an anomaly where the bi-directional print head didn't always align the top-half of a printed line with the bottom half, causing the line to appear somewhat italicized, and it also developed print-and-smear ink issues.

One other thing: EVERY time I tried using after-market inkjet or laser cartridges, I had trouble. So a determining factor in what printer you choose, whether inkjet or laser, should be biased toward cost of operation (i.e., vendor-supplied ink or toner replacement), not initial cost.

 

[GPS]

I need to replace my HP Office Jet 4620 printer. I would like to solicit some recommendations for a new one.

Not necessarily HP.
Won't be used for photos (maybe 1% of the time).
Will be using printing, scanning and copying.
Prefer lower paper feed and output tray to fit into short space, although I could move the printer to a new location for a top loader.
2-sided printing.

I've been using an Epson Workforce 635 for many years. Performance has always been mediocre, and I wouldn't recommend it or its updated equivalent. With an upgraded Comcast gateway, it has become impossible to connect it to Wi-fi, so: time to upgrade.

I looked at enough reviews from Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, manufacturers and forums to generate a serious headache and finally ordered a Brother HLL3290CDWB yesterday from Costco for ~$300. It hasn't arrived yet, so: no informed review comments, but it meets all of the requirements above, is rated higher than the ink jet AIO's I looked at, and isn't expected to shut down when ink or toner runs low.

This doesn't appear to be a true laser printer (it uses LEDs instead of lasers to fuse toner to paper), but the output is fast and print quality high enough to exceed home-use demands. At $300 with Costco return/exchange privileges, it was a no-brainer for me. (Speaking of "no-brainer", my headache is gone, at least for the time being.)

 

[generdude]

Interesting that Brother has been brought up. I have been thinking that the Brother MFC-J895DW might be the answer for me. I see also that it is very popular and sold out in many places. Must be a good one.

 

[GPS]

I've been using an Epson Workforce 635 for many years. Performance has always been mediocre, and I wouldn't recommend it or its updated equivalent. With an upgraded Comcast gateway, it has become impossible to connect it to Wi-fi, so: time to upgrade.

I looked at enough reviews from Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, manufacturers and forums to generate a serious headache and finally ordered a Brother HLL3290CDWB yesterday from Costco for ~$300. It hasn't arrived yet, so: no informed review comments, but it meets all of the requirements above, is rated higher than the ink jet AIO's I looked at, and isn't expected to shut down when ink or toner runs low.

This doesn't appear to be a true laser printer (it uses LEDs instead of lasers to fuse toner to paper), but the output is fast and print quality high enough to exceed home-use demands. At $300 with Costco return/exchange privileges, it was a no-brainer for me. (Speaking of "no-brainer", my headache is gone, at least for the time being.)

Here's an update on a unit that I ordered online June 3 and was delivered June 4.

The hardest part of the setup was lifting the box.

I followed the directions, initially connecting the USB 2.0 to printer cable to an old MacBook running High Sierra (10.13.6). Once that connection was established, it was easy to download software from the Brother support site and connect my other devices running High Sierra and Big Sur (11.4) over Wi-Fi. There are also downloads for mobile devices.

I printed an initial test page of music in black-and-white from my desktop and was not surprised to find it very quick and clean. A color photo from my iPhone 12 took a bit longer but came out nicely too. The only problem is that, at 8.5 x 11, it shows skin imperfections and a stain I was unaware of in the kitchen ceiling too clearly.

Verdict: So far, so good.

 

[generdude]

Sounds good, but the HLL3290CDWB won't fit into the space it would go in.

 

[dchyde]

I am using an Epson XP-900 Expression Premium. My choice, as I do a lot of CD/DVD printing, if you need that function. Ink cartridges are hellishly expensive but if you use compatibles it does not like it but that is the same for all brands of printers. Set of five cartridges, $104.00 NZ. Half the cost of a new printer here.

 

[generdude]

That printer is no longer in available. I'm using up my color inks as my printer will print in color, not black and white, so at least I'm still getting some use out of it.

 

[MightyGem]

I bought a HP 6032 back in June. No complaints so far.

HP ENVY 6032e All-in-One Wireless Colour Printer - HP Store UK

For everyone in the family. Print and scan documents, photos, and more. Set up and connect on any device,[1] and get self-healing Wi-Fi™.[2] Choose HP+ at setup to receive 9 months of Instant Ink [...

www.hp.com

 

[generdude]

Thank you. I'll keep it in mind!

 

[Howard Brazee]

My latest printer is a Canon Pixma G6020. In the past, most of my printers die when I can no longer clean the print heads, so I determined to buy a color laser printer, but instead got this. It has *huge* ink reservoirs, and in several months I have not yet had to refill one. I did once need to go through the cleaning routine. Ink is cheap.

 

[generdude]

That won't fit into the space. I'm not really doing much printing anymore, so something small, something that'll work with the latest OS updates.

 

[generdude]

Hi
HP laserjet Pro MFP M400DN is best for your requirements.

Thank you, but that's too large and more than I want to spend. I just need one for lightweight all-in-one duties at home.