For one, the ET-2800 doesn’t do auto-duplexing, meaning it won’t print on both sides of a page if this feature is important to you, check out the ET-2850.

(For truly professional-quality graphics, you need to spring for a more expensive color laser printer like the ones listed below.) It doesn’t excel at printing photos, charts, and graphics, but it does those jobs about as well as any ink-stingy inkjet. It pumps out text with decent quality at admirable speed.

That’s dirt cheap compared with most inkjets. The average ET-2800 user should expect to use just $5 of ink per year, according to our estimates. You can often find it priced under $250, which may still sound like a lot until you factor in ink prices. The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is a great example. The models used to be so expensive they made sense only for people who needed to print all the time, but they’ve dropped in price significantly. These inkjets use a refillable ink reservoir instead of cartridges, which makes for rock-bottom ink costs. Tank printers hit the market a few years ago. If you want to make an even more informed purchase, consult our printer buying guide and our report on the high cost of wasted printer ink. The models below print out text with dependable quality, many excel with graphics, and all but one of them will scan and copy, too. To make things even easier, we’ve combed through our ratings to bring you the best printers of the year, each selected to meet different needs. We combine those test results with brand reliability and owner satisfaction ratings derived from our member surveys to arrive at an Overall Score that lets you compare every model on the same scale. Each model is purchased at retail and evaluated on more than 250 data points. CR members can consult our ratings for a detailed breakdown of close to 175 printers. But with Consumer Reports on your side, the process is a lot easier. That’s easier said than done if you have only the marketing copy written on the side of the box to go by. We’ve found that most bargain-priced printers burn through hundreds of dollars’ worth of ink as the years roll by, money you can save if you buy a more ink-efficient printer that fits your specific needs. No matter what you decide, don’t run out and buy the cheapest model you can find. Laser or inkjet? Regular or all-in-one? Should you invest in a printer that uses a reservoir tank? There’s a lot to sort through when you’re shopping for your next printer.

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