This Is The Best Printer For The Average Home Office, According To Consumer Reports
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Overall, printers haven't evolved much over the years, but that doesn't mean some aren't more reliable than others. So, if you want a printer for your home or office, it helps to know where to spend your hard-earned money. One of the best places to find that information is Consumer Reports, an independent, non-profit organization and publication dedicated to sharing truth and transparency about consumer experiences. They thoroughly test products and share the results to help everyone make more informed purchase decisions. They've done precisely that to find the best laser printers for home office use.
In their reporting, Consumer Reports examines text quality, printing speed and overall reliability, using those metrics to identify which models outperform. The top option it found is the Canon imageClass LBP247dw, which Consumer Reports says is excellent for basic use, with reliable print quality and speed. On Amazon, it has a few reviews, most of which are positive. Reviews on the official Canon website follow a similar pattern.
The Canon imageClass is also praised for its accessible and affordable ink supplies. CR estimates you'll spend about $11 per year on toner, significantly cheaper than what you'd spend on traditional inkjet printer supplies. The printer itself is not only excellent, but the design also helps keep costs down. It also scored quite high for reliability.
You can get by without a printer in most cases
The advent of more advanced digital technologies has somewhat eliminated the need to own a home printer, since, outside of legal or binding documents and the odd shipping label, there's not much you need on physical paper these days. Photos can be saved and shared in digital formats, displayed on smart photo frames, mobile devices and even streamed directly to TVs. Important documents can be signed digitally or online through various services. Maps are available online or through GPS apps, so no need to print those. Even online articles you might have printed in the past to view on paper can be sent to mobile devices or e-ink devices (e-readers) and saved for later when you have time to read.
However, there are certainly times when it can be convenient to have a printer in your home or office. Affordability and reliability are top of mind for most when choosing. It's good to know there's a lot of overlap in the right models. There are several cheap printers that won't make you spend a lot of money on ink, for example, and they share similarities with CR's top picks.