MFP stands for multi-function printer, and standard refers to inkjet and laser (mono/colour) printers.

Laser printers include mono and colour options.

We recommend all printers with a CHOICE Expert rating of 70% or more, as long as the MFP or standard printer also delivers a performance score of 70% or more for print quality.

The CHOICE Expert Rating for standard and multifunction printers, the overall score that determines which models we recommend, is made up of performance (60%), ease of use (20%), brand reliability (10%), networking (5%) and ink wastage (5%). The performance assessment for standard printers is made up of print quality (80%) and print speed (20%), while the performance assessment for multifunction printers is made up of print quality (65%), print speed (15%), scanning performance (10%) and copying performance (10%).

Inkjet and colour laser printing is assessed by a panel of experts looking at a typical black-and-white letter (25%), an 8x10-inch high quality photo (20%), a colour spreadsheet (25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (25%) and moisture resistance (5%). Black and white inkjet and laser printing looks at a typical black-and-white letter (31.25%), a colour spreadsheet (31.25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (31.25%) and moisture resistance (6.25%).

Colour inkjet and laser printing speed is assessed by measuring the speed to print the same documents, made up of 25% for the photo, 25% for the colour document, and 25% each for the letter and the spreadsheet. Black-and-white inkjet or laser printing speed is assessed by splitting assessments into equal thirds, and measuring the speed to print a mixed graphics and text document (33.33%), a letter (33.33%) and a spreadsheet (33.33%).

Scanning and copying are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object.

Scanning and copying are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object.

Ease of use is assessed by a team of experts running each product through everyday scenarios that replicate typical use.

We set up wired and wireless connections, assessing the steps required and the adequacy of the instructions.

We consider the impact of the 'maintenance cycle' in inkjet models, which consumes ink when print-heads are automatically cleaned. Less ink used equals reduced expense. We use our 'average use scenario' – 1000 mono prints, 250 colour document prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year. This is not tested on continuous ink supply system (aka big ink) printers. The 5% contribution to each overall score is distributed evenly across the remaining parts of the test.

Power consumption is a small factor in overall cost, so we don't add it to the total, but it's included in the reports.

Inkjet printers that are only used infrequently run a maintenance cycle to clean the print-heads before use. We calculate how much is used over a three-week period. The higher the figure, the worse the performance – 400 would mean that the printer uses four times as much ink to clean itself as it does to print. We can't accurately calculate how much ink tank type printers use for cleaning so they don't get a score in this test.

The time it takes from powering on to starting printing the first page, measured in seconds.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. The rating ranks from A (highest) to F (lowest); N/A means there is no rating for that company.

A high score means the brand (not the model) is less likely to have faults over time, according to CHOICE members.

A high score means CHOICE members are satisfied with the brand (not the model).

A high score means CHOICE members were happy with the support they received from this brand when they had a problem with their printer.

This setting will reduce your paper consumption, without the need to manually feed paper back into the printer. Some models do support printing both sides manually, which is noted in the specifications.

This setting uses less ink. It lowers print quality but allows you to limit full quality printing to important documents.

'Tested model' refers to printers that are currently available in shops and online, while 'Discontinued model' refers to printers that are no longer available in shops, but may be available second-hand.

This is the recommended retail price, but you can usually find a more competitive price by shopping around.

Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year).

Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year).

Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year).

This is the cost of one year worth of ink when you need to refill based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year. You may use more or less ink over the course of a year. Some printers include free ink in the box which can cover usage for up to three years. Prices listed in our table refer to refill costs after the free ink is exhausted. Ink/toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs.

Physical size of the scanning plate in millimetres (WxH)

We measure the dimensions when the printer is set up and ready to go, with any trays or hoppers extended so you can see the space required for operation. Measured in cm.

The maximum print output speed of the printer's engine, in pages per minute (ppm). Note that there is no standard for measuring print speed so advertised and actual output can vary greatly. It can take four times as long to print a colour page as a black-only page.

The maximum print output speed of the printer's engine, in pages per minute (ppm). Note that there is no standard for measuring print speed so advertised and actual output can vary greatly. It can take four times as long to print a colour page as a black-only page.

Most printers can print at sizes up to A4 (21cm x 29.7cm), but some of the larger printers support A3 (29.7cm x 42cm) printing.

Some printers support smaller paper sizes which can be handy for cards or invites. An A5 sheet is half the size of an A4 sheet and an A6 is half the size of an A5 sheet.

Maximum resolution supported by the scanner for multi-function colour printers.

There are two main types of ink cartridges. K = key (black), used for monochrome printing. C,M,Y,K = cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), used for colour printing. Some brands also have proprietary ink alternatives, such as Canon (GY = grey, LGY = light grey, PGBK aka PBK, PB or PK = page black and photo blue) and Epson (LC = light cyan, LM = light magenta).

Refers to the size of the LCD screen where applicable.

Printer can automatically feed paper in and out, to scan/copy on both sides. Models that don't support auto-duplex scanning may be able to scan/copy on both sides with a manual feed from the user. Not all models that support auto- duplex printing also support auto-duplex scanning.

Scans each page from the automatic document feeder.

Can the multifunction printer (MFP) send a fax without having to connect to a PC? The MFP must have a phone line input, and dial pad (which may be accessible via a menu on the touch screen).

Colour cartridges can be replaced separately.

Each cartridge has the capacity to inject ink onto the page rather than an integrated printhead, which has all of the colours in one cartridge.

Does the printer have an Ethernet port for joining a wired network?

Does the printer include a USB port?

Enables wireless connectivity with nearby devices.

Support for wireless printing by directly emailing the document to the printer from another device including laptops, tablets or smartphones.

Support for wireless printing by directly sending the document to the printer from Apple devices, including iMacs, iPads and iPhones, via the proprietary AirPrint connection.

Does it support Windows 11 without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Does it support Linux without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Does it support Mac OS without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.