Listicle: Printers to consider for working from home

Thursday 25 Apr 2024

This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 25, 2021 - January 31, 2021

Now that MCO (Movement Control Order) 2.0 has commenced, people are finding more than ever that they need a reliable home printer. How do you go about picking one? Digital Edge has compiled a few that will do the job without breaking the bank.

1 HP DeskJet Plus Ink Advantage 6475 All-in-One Printer
Price: RM549
Where to get: HP official site

According to HP, the printer features most of the functions needed in a home office: fast printing, multi-page scanning, automatic two-sided printing, wireless connection and the ability to send faxes. The company explains that this printer with the Ink Advantage system prints twice the number of pages at the same cost as its non-Ink Advantage counterparts, making it more affordable. The printer also allows you to print from anywhere using the HP Smart app on your phone.

2 Canon ImageClass MF3010 All In One Monochrome Laser Printer
Price: RM569
Where to get: Lazada

This laserjet printer prints, scans and copies with speeds of up to 18 pages per minute. According to Canon, it is equipped with On-Demand Fixing Technology, which reduces the printer’s warm-up time, enabling a quick first print. It uses the all-in-one Toner Cartridge 325, which Canon says saves money and makes it easier to replace because the photosensitive drum, cleaning unit and toner reservoir have been integrated into one compact package.

3 Brother DCP-T510W A4 3-in-1 Wireless Colour Inkjet Printer
Price: RM689
Where to get: Lazada

This multi-function printer has a built-in refill system and a user-friendly design, with a print resolution of 1,200 by 6,000 dots per inch. It prints up to 27 pages per minute for monochrome prints and 10 pages per minute for colour prints. It can print up to 6,500 pages (monochrome) or 5,000 pages (colour).

4 Epson EcoTank L1110 Ink Tank Printer
Price: RM479
Where to get: Shopee

EcoTank L1110 features integrated ink tanks, which enable spill-and-error-free refilling with individual ink bottles that have designated nozzles. The printer has an ultra-high page yield of up to 7,500 pages for colour prints and 4,500 pages for black-and-white. The EcoTank series has been considered the top ink tank printer worldwide for 10 years, based on the IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker report.

5 Brother HL-1210W Wireless Mono Laser Printer
Price: RM369
Where to get: Lazada

This monochrome laser printer costs under RM400 and has a print speed of up to 20 pages per minute. It can be connected to the built-in wireless and ethernet interface that enables multiple users to share the printer. You can print or scan documents directly using the Brother iPrint & Scan app from the phone. According to the company, the printer can deliver up to 1,000 pages of high-quality prints.

Keywords to look for when choosing a printer

Refill cost
As people expect to use the same printer for years, the refills should not be expensive. Consumers are encouraged to do their research on the cost of refill cartridges or tanks before purchasing their printers.

WiFi/wireless printing
As every household has multiple devices such as phones and PCs, wireless printing has gone from a nice-to-have to a need-to-have.

PPM/IPM
PPM or IPM is the measurement unit for printing speed. PPM stands for pages per minute; IPM for images per minute. The higher the PPM/IPM of the printer, the less workflow interruption one has to deal with.

DPI
“Dots per inch” is used to measure print quality. However, most printers today have a good enough printing quality for home use. It is only when printing for industrial purposes that the DPI becomes relevant.

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