Printers and Scanners Buying Guide - What to Look For Before You Buy
Choosing the right printer or scanner starts with understanding what the device will be asked to do most often. This category includes multifunction printers, inkjet and laser printers, document scanners, label printers, large format printers and receipt printers, which means buyers may be choosing between general office printing, scanning, labels, photos or wide format output.
This category sits mainly within peripherals products and is broad enough that buyers can end up comparing items with very different strengths. A good buying guide should therefore narrow the choice by usage, compatibility and long term value rather than by price alone. That approach helps prevent overspending on features you will not use and reduces the risk of buying a product that fits poorly with the rest of your setup.
What Should You Look For?
- Main task: Printing, scanning, copying and specialist output all point to different product types and strengths.
- Volume: Expected daily or monthly workload is one of the biggest factors in choosing the right machine.
- Output type: Text documents, colour reports, photos, labels and wide format output all need different technologies.
- Running cost: The best value is often found in the total cost of ownership, not just the initial hardware price. Genuine ink and toner and consumables usually drive that number more than the headline price does.
- Connectivity and handling: Paper size support, duplex features, network access and scanning workflow all matter in real use.
Types of Printers and Scanners
The subcategories below give a good picture of what shoppers are actually comparing inside Printers and Scanners. Looking at them as practical use cases makes it easier to choose the right option.
- Inkjet printers: best for colour, photos and mixed-media work at home or in small offices. Lower up-front cost; the running-cost picture depends heavily on whether you choose cartridge or refillable-tank ink delivery.
- Laser printers: built for high-volume mono and colour text output. Higher entry price, lower cost per page, faster at sustained workloads. Brother and HP both have strong mono laser ranges.
- Multifunction printers: print, scan, copy and often fax in a single machine. Best fit for home offices and small businesses that need to scan as well as print. Tank-fed multifunction inkjets (HP Smart Tank, Epson EcoTank) are the running-cost-friendly default for any meaningful colour volume.
- Document scanners: dedicated devices for high-volume document capture. Faster, more reliable and better OCR than the scanner in an MFP.
- Label printers: thermal devices for shipping labels, asset tags and retail labelling. Run on rolls, no ink or toner.
- Large format printers: A2 and wider for posters, plans, signage and technical drawings.
- Receipt printers: thermal devices for point-of-sale and ticketing.
Key Features to Consider
Printers and scanners are broad categories. The needs of an office laser printer, a photo inkjet, a label printer and a document scanner are genuinely different - which is why "what's the best printer" is the wrong starting question. The right one is: what do you print or scan, how often, and who needs to use the device. Cartridge inkjet, tank-fed inkjet and laser solve different problems with very different running-cost profiles. Multifunction devices add scan and copy. Dedicated scanners do high-volume document work better. Get the workflow question right and the rest of the decisions narrow quickly.
How to Choose the Right Option
Frequent text printing in a business setting points to laser. Colour, photos and mixed media point to inkjet - and within inkjet, refillable-tank models like HP Smart Tank and Epson EcoTank cost a fraction per page to run compared to cartridge inkjets. If you need to scan as well as print, a multifunction printer usually wins on space and convenience - though a dedicated document scanner is faster and more reliable for heavy scanning workflows. Compare media handling, duplex support and connectivity alongside print speed; running cost over a two- or three-year horizon usually matters more than the headline price. The best machine is the one that keeps your actual workflow moving without excessive consumable cost.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying on headline speed or sticker price while ignoring running cost. A cheap cartridge inkjet costs more over two years than a tank-fed model or a mid-range laser for almost any user who prints regularly.
- Choosing a multifunction device when scan or photo quality is the main priority - the scanner in an MFP is rarely as good as a dedicated unit.
- Using a general office printer for specialised work like labels, receipts or large format. The right tool exists; it's not much more expensive than the wrong one.
- Locking yourself into proprietary ink subscriptions without checking the cancellation terms and the firmware behaviour around third-party cartridges.
For a deeper walkthrough of choosing a multi-function printer - including the cartridge, tank and toner running-cost picture, and what to look for in scan and ADF features - see our dedicated buying guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cartridge inkjet, tank-fed inkjet, or laser?
For mostly-text printing at any meaningful volume, mono laser is cheapest to run. For mixed colour and mono in a household or home office, tank-fed inkjet (HP Smart Tank or Epson EcoTank) is usually the right answer in 2026 - the up-front price is higher than a cartridge inkjet but the running cost collapses. Cartridge inkjet still makes sense for very low-volume users or buyers who specifically want a small, light, cheap printer for occasional use.
Do I need a separate scanner?
Not always. Multifunction printers are convenient, but dedicated scanners can be better for heavy document or specialist scan workflows.
What matters most in a business printer?
Volume handling, running cost, reliability and easy network access are usually the key factors.
Are specialist printers worth it?
Yes when your workflow depends on labels, photos, receipts or large format output that a general office printer cannot handle well.
What does it actually cost to run a printer per page?
Cartridge inkjet pages typically cost 5-15c each in colour and 2-5c in mono; tank-fed inkjet drops this below 1c in mono and under 3c in colour. Laser comes in around 1-3c for mono and 8-15c for colour. Specialist labels and photos cost more. Real-world running cost depends as much on duty cycle and consumable choice as on the printer itself.
Are third-party ink cartridges safe to use?
Compatibility varies by brand. Some manufacturers push firmware updates that block third-party cartridges; others are more permissive. Tank-fed inkjet sidesteps the issue entirely - there's no cartridge to block. Under EU consumer law you don't void your statutory rights by using third-party consumables, but a manufacturer warranty may treat the failure differently.