When it comes to printers, there are three main brands that come to mind: Canon, Epson, and HP. All three brands have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it really depends on what you’re looking for in a printer as to which one is the best fit for you.
In this Canon vs Epson vs HP printers article, Manymoon will be comparing in terms of print quality, features, and price, to help you make a decision on which one is right for you.
Which Type Of Printer Should You Get?
Before we begin our comparison, it’s essential to talk about the type of printer that you need for your business or home. Even though electronic communication is now commonplace, the printer remains a necessary part of any office. You can always use printed documents whenever you need them.
It is challenging to choose a printer. There are many models on the market. This gives you plenty of options. Not all printers are worthy of consideration. Only a handful of printer manufacturers, including Canon, Epson and Brother, HP, Konica Minolta and Xerox, make durable, high-quality, reliable and long-lasting printers. These printers are the best if you don’t want your hard-earned cash to be wasted. This is why we only included the top three printer manufacturers in our comparison.
Over the years, we have tested and reviewed thousands of printers. We can draw some clear conclusions based on our firsthand experience with printers. Some printers perform better than others in text and photo quality, printing speed, ink cost, and printing speed. This is a fact that everyone knows. We have combined our knowledge, experience and observation to find the best printer brand. See our guide on the best Canon printers for a home for more information and individual printer reviews.
Printer manufacturers all boast unique features and qualities of their printers, including printing, scanning and copying quality. Printers that are all-in-one promise many things. It can be challenging to find a multifunction printer that fulfills all your needs. You don’t have to worry. This is a general overview of the performance of top printer brands like Canon, HP, and Epson when it comes to various printing tasks.
Canon vs Epson vs HP: Which Brand Has the Best Printer?
- Wireless 4-in-1 (print | copy | scan | fax)..Power...
- 8.8 / 4.4 ipm print speed.
- Designed for easy ink cartridge installation and...
- Auto 2-sided printing and auto document feeder.
- Produce quality documents, photos and boarderless...
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- Wireless 4-in-1 (Print | Copy | Scan | Fax)
- 15 / 10 ipm Print Speed
- 200 Sheet Capacity (100 Cassette, 100 Rear Feed)
- Print important documents, photos, recipes and...
- Built-in wireless (802.11b/g/n) allows you to...
- Print from your favorite mobile devices using the...
- Color printer prints borderless, full-color...
- Prints up to 13 pages per minute in black and 6.8...
- Wireless 3-in-1 (print | copy | scan)
- Easily print and scan photos and documents...
- 9.9 / 5.7 ipm print speed
- 100 sheet capacity
- Auto 2-sided printing
- ALL-IN-ONE: Print, Copy, Scan features for full...
- FAST PRINT SPEEDS: Print approximately 15 (black)...
- EASY SETUP: Get running in just a few minutes...
- EASY TO INSTALL INK: Print full color with only 2...
- 2.7” LCD SCREEN: Get the job done with an...
- Wireless 3-in-1: Print | Copy | Scan
- Integrated Ink Tanks - Up to 6,000 pages BW /...
- Black 11 ipm / Color 6 ipm
- 100-Sheet Rear Tray
- Single-sided Printing
- ALL-IN-ONE: Print, Copy, Scan & Fax features for...
- HIGH PAGE YIELD: Print up to 3,000 Black / 3,000...
- FAST PRINT SPEEDS: Print approximately 15 (black)...
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- EASY TO FILL Ink bottles have a “keyed nozzle”...
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- Great document and photo print quality from 2...
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- Wireless 4-in-1 (Print | Copy | Scan | Fax)
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- Wireless 3-in-1 (print | copy | scan).
- The PIXMA G6020 MegaTank All-In-One Printer gives...
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Compare the top printers from Canon, HP, and Epson.
Canon PIXMA TS8320
The Canon PIXMA TS8320 is a multifunction printer that includes a scanner and a copier. It’s not just an excellent printer for printing, scanning, and copying documents but also a superb photo printer. Even though the document print and speed quality are ordinary, photo printing is really outstanding.
A 6-color printing system is one of the printer’s photo-specific characteristics. A specialized blue cartridge is included in the TS8320 for improved photo color. Similarly, a simple SD card slot lets you print directly from your memory card or camera.
The Canon PIXMA TS8320 also has a 4.3-inch giant color touchscreen with unique features, including CD and DVD label printing and cloud printing. Furthermore, the touchscreen makes navigation simple.
The higher-than-average ink costs were one area where the TS8320 disappointed us. It can be costly to refill or replace six cartridges. Furthermore, the documents were not as sharp and detailed as those produced by HP Smart Tank Plus 651.
Overall, the Canon PIXMA TS8320 should be your first pick because it comes with many useful features.
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850
Although the Canon PIXMA TS8320 is a good printer, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 wins the best small business inkjet printer. The printer offers a wide range of business-friendly functions at a reduced ink cost. The ET-5850, like the HP Smart Tank Plus 651, has refillable ink tanks. It can, however, print thousands of pages because it comes with plenty of replacement ink bottles. It is also capable of managing a wide range of demanding business duties.
A 50-sheet automated document feeder and two 250-page paper cassettes are included with the ET-5850. A 4.3-inch touchscreen makes overall operation even more convenient. The Epson ET-5850 also has a fantastic print speed. Similarly, the print quality is comparable to a laser printer, providing crisp, clear pages. The printer’s scanning and copying quality are the same, making it an excellent choice for offices needing a full-featured all-in-one printer.
However, the printer’s most notable feature is its ability to save ink. The printing expenses of 0.4 cents for black and white printing and 1.6 cents for color printing are the lowest of all the inkjet printers we’ve looked at so far. Although it costs more upfront than other printers, the HT-5850 is the best and most cost-effective printer for your office due to its low operating costs, unique features, and unrivaled quality.
HP Smart Tank Plus 651
Compared to the Canon TS8320, which utilizes ink cartridges, the HP Smart Tank Plus 651 saves money on ink by using refillable ink tanks. The printer’s ink tanks can last for thousands of pages before being replaced. This also means that the cost of ink per page is a fraction of a cent. However, the HP Smart Tank Plus 651 isn’t just about low-cost ink.
The printer prints glossy images with natural-looking and well-saturated colors and precise letterforms on highly detailed printouts with outstanding quality.
The main disadvantage of the HP Smart 651 is its excruciatingly slow printing speed. The poor output additionally hampers the printer’s copying and scanning capabilities. Likewise, the monochromatic readout appears to be quite generic. Another point of criticism was the modest 2.2-inch touchscreen.
Check out our comparison of the scanner of two famous brands: Epson V600 Vs Canon 9000F.
Canon vs Epson vs HP: Text Print Quality
Canon printers are capable of printing photos and documents. It all depends on what you need to print and the printer model and type. This is an example. Inkjet printers will not cut it if you need razor-sharp text. Laser printers, however, are better than inkjet ones. The latest inkjet printers do excellent printing text, almost as sharp as laser printers. Canon PIXMA MG3620, Canon PIXMA TS6020 and Canon PIXMA MG3620 are high-end models that print sharp text.
High-quality, sharp text documents are also possible with most HP printers. Epson printers are a disappointment as they fall behind HP and Canon in print quality. Epson WF-2760 is an exception that delivers sharp text and promises to print faster than its main competitors.
It can be challenging to find a duplex printer that prints both sides of the paper. It is crucial to find a printer that can do duplex and one-side printing. Epson Workforce WF6590 produced sharp and crisp prints on both one-sided and double-sided paper. Canon TS6020 prints text lighter when in duplex mode.
PDF Printing Quality
For PDF documents, the text and graphics quality can also differ. The Canon TS6020 printer printed the most elegant and sharpest PDF letterforms than any other printer. Both Epson and HP consistently printed sharp and beautiful text in PDF. Epson Expression XP-640 produced fuzzier edges even on presentation matte papers.
When it comes to printing PDF graphics, the HP printer excels. The HP Officejet 4650 and HP Envy 5540 models print stunning color saturation and details. The Epson XP-420 also did a great job of retaining midtone transitions. Unfortunately, Canon MG3620 caused too dark shadows when printing graphics.
Canon inkjet printers have the highest print quality. Canon TS6020 printers produce excellent prints at 9.9 pages per hour. The HP Envy 5540 has a speedy printing of only 8.9 ppm but is worthy of mention for its exceptional text printing.
Canon vs Epson vs HP: Glossy Photos Print Quality
All inkjet printers, regardless of make, produce excellent glossy photos. There are subtle differences among Epson, HP and Canon printers that should be noted. If you use Epson or HP printers, you may get a slightly distorted photo that is warmer. While some people like this “feature”, most of us don’t. By contrast, Canon printers deliver a more natural look. However, Canon printers such as the MG3620 or TS6020 can produce saturation when using deep red colors.
The Epson XP-640 is an excellent choice for rich colors and fine details. It can produce too much yellow, making photos look unnatural.
We were not impressed with some of the tested models, mainly regarding landscape photos with dark shadows. The images lacked fine details and had an unnatural feel to them. It was a difficult test, but you would expect printers of such high-profile companies to overcome these problems. Prints from Epson XP-640, for example, lack subtle details and have flat shadow areas. HP 5540 and Canon TS6020 gave some detail in dark shadow areas.
Some models also printed blurry or “cloudy-looking” photos. Epson WF-2760, XP-420 and others produced too dark pictures for our liking. The Canon models, as well as HP Envy 5540, produced “poppy” images. This was not the case for XP-420. The XP-420 assures good shadow details. Canon TS6020 had some shadow issues that were blocked in the photos.
Canon is also a leader in printing glossy photos of high quality. Canon TS6020 produces stunning glossy images with a natural look and a lot more pop.
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- KEY FEATURES – Color printing, copy, scan and a...
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- HP APP – Print, scan, copy, or fax right from...
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- UPGRADED FEATURES – Fast color printing, copy,...
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- BEST FOR FAMILIES – Print a variety of color...
- FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost,...
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- BEST PRINT QUALITY – HP Smart Tanks offer the...
- HP SMART APP – Print, scan and copy from your...
- FROM AMERICA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The...
- KEY FEATURES – Color printing, copy, scan, auto...
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- HP APP – Print, scan, copy, or fax right from...
- 3 MONTHS OF INK INCLUDED when you activate HP+ –...
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- 3 MONTHS OF PRINTING INCLUDED when you activate...
- INCLUDES FREE HP+ SMART FEATURES – Activate HP+...
- KEY FEATURES – Fast color print, copy and scan,...
- FAST PRINT SPEEDS – Print up to 18 pages per...
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- UPGRADED FEATURES – Fast color printing, scan,...
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- BLAZING FAST COLOR – Up to 35 color pages per...
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- PROTECTS YOUR DATA – Includes HP Wolf Pro...
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- Print remotely with the HP Smart app: Set up your...
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Canon vs Epson vs HP: Print Speed
There is no speed difference between an Epson, HP, or Canon printer when printing text documents. Each printer can print text at speeds of 7.7 ppm to 8.6 ppm and 79 pages per minute.
Canon TS6020 was the fastest Canon printer, printing at 9.8 ppm. HP Officejet 4650 (9.5 ppm) and WF-2760 (9.9 ppm) were Epson and HP’s most rapid models.
Graphics printing was affected by a slightly slower speed. Canon’s average rate (2.8 ppm) was slower than Epson’s (3.1 ppm), while HP only managed 2.1 ppm. The graphic printing speed of the HP Envy 5540 was half that of Epson’s fastest printer, the XP640 (5.1 ppm). Similar results were also achieved by the Canon PIXMA TS6020, which prints graphics at 3.1 ppm.
The glossy-photo printing mode was also the fastest with the Canon TS6020. To be exact, it can print a photo of the latter size in just 2 minutes and 54 seconds. The HP Envy 5540 produced a picture in 2 minutes and 12 seconds. This is almost 20 seconds faster than Canon TS-6020. Epson XP-640 was the slowest, taking approximately 2 minutes and 33 seconds.
Canon once again wins for print speed, especially graphics and high-quality glossy photos. Canon TS6020 is the fastest printer to print images and graphics.
Canon vs Epson vs HP Printers: Copy and Scan Quality
If you are concerned about scan and copy quality, HP models are the best choice. These models deliver smooth transitions and lots of detail, even on plain paper. Mainly the HP Envy 55540 produces original copies. Envy 5540 is better than Officejet 4650 in creating copies with darker shadows and finer details. It also has dotted textures and rough midtone transitions, which is disappointing. Even worse is that black and white copies are less quality than those made with the Officejet 4650’s automatic document feeder.
Canon models, however, have slightly more rough textures than HP Envy 5540. The Canon TS6020 produces natural-looking colors, even though the darker areas are comparatively more detailed. The MG3620 copies were a bit flat because they did not have a transition. The text was also rougher than the original, and documents had also developed banding. The Epson XP640 produces the highest quality copies of all Epson printers.
Scan quality is also excellent for both Canon and HP models. The Epson XP-420 offers a high level of scan quality. This is not the case for the other Epson models that we’ve been discussing in this review. WF-2760, for example, must do a preview scan to create an attractive scan. Similarly, XP-640 makes copies that are not perfect around the edges, especially when converting text into PDF.
HP is the clear winner if you need to print copies on plain paper. Both HP Envy 5540 and Officejet 4650 make high-saturated, exact copies on plain paper.
Canon is better than both Epson and HP in terms of scanning quality. Canon TS6020 printer is a beast that can scan photos and documents a fraction of the time it takes Epson and HP printers.
Canon vs Epson vs HP: Copy and Scan Speed
Which printer is faster when it comes to the speed of copy and scanning? While making copies, HP is slower than Canon and Epson. Canon all-in-one printers can make copies in 13.4 seconds, while Epson printers take 11.4 seconds. HP printers are slower, taking on average 24.2 seconds.
It takes Canon printers 23.3 seconds to create a color copy. This is much faster than Epson or HP, which take 27.9 seconds each.
High-resolution color scans require Canon models to scan JPEGs at 600 dpi in 49.2 seconds. Epson scans JPEGs with similar resolution in just 1 minute and 10 seconds, while HP takes 1 min and 31 seconds. There is little difference in the speed of Epson and Canon’s models. The Epson MG3620 scans in 39.4 seconds, slightly faster than the Epson XP640’s 39.5 seconds.
The Canon MG3620 is the fastest printer for scanning black and white PDFs. Each scan takes only 8.9 seconds. The job is completed by HP Envy 55540 in 9.7 seconds, while Epson XP420 takes an average of 10.9 seconds. Epson XP-640 is the slowest printer, taking 16.1 seconds to scan.
Canon printers outperform all other printers in terms of speed for making copies and scanning. Canon MG3620 is faster than any other printer and can cause black-and-white and color scans.
Canon vs Epson vs HP: Ink Price
The cost of ink over time is determined by how much you print. Although all-in-one printers have a low initial price, they are not always the most cost-effective. Budget models, in particular, will have high ink costs, evaporating all of your “savings” quickly.
Although ink cartridges and tanks are inexpensive, the expenditures accumulate over time. Epson’s introductory cartridge has a print per-page cost of 6.9 seconds, which is the industry’s lowest. Canon and HP charge 8.3 cents and 9.2 cents per pager, respectively. Epson also leads in high yield cartridges, with a cost per page of only 5 cents. Canon’s high-yield cartridges cost 6 cents, followed by HP’s (7.2 cents).
Canon, Epson, and HP are all close in ink prices per color page using a standard cartridge. Canon is the most expensive at 21.1 cents, followed by Epson (22.1 cents) and HP at 23.3 cents. When you use high-yield cartridges, the difference in running costs is noticeable. It will only cost you 10.9 cents per page to print with Canon. Epson printers cost 14.8 cents per print, whereas HP printers cost 18.5 cents. The Canon TS6020 costs 8.5 cents, while the Epson XP-640 costs 10 cents to print color pages.
Many companies now offer ink subscription programs, which can help you save a lot of money on ink cartridges and tanks.
In the lowest ink costs contest, Canon wins with flying colors. The Canon TS6020 uses the least ink, although the Epson XP-640 is also quite good.
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Canon vs Epson vs HP Printers: Paper Handling
A printer with two paper trays is recommended if you print black and white documents, PDFs, color documents, glossy images, and other media. If your printer does not have a couple of trays, you will have to change the media frequently. A duplex printer, which prints on both sides of the paper, does not conserve paper.
If you decide to use a duplex printer, be sure it prints in the same quality on both sides of the article. You can also copy many pages concurrently utilizing the printer’s auto document feeder. However, only a few printers can produce high-quality two-sided copies and prints. Similarly, most automatic document feeders, such as the Epson WF-2760, are somewhat slow.
You won’t need a complicated control panel if you print, copy, or scan from a smartphone or computer. Multiple buttons are required to operate an all-in-one printer in standalone mode. A touchscreen, for example, is a convenient method to run your printer. Touchscreen printers, such as the Epson XP-640, are incredibly modern and reliable. On the other hand, some folks prefer physical buttons over touch panels. It is simply a matter of personal preference and choice.
Canon also takes up the prize for the best paper handler. The Epson XP-640, on the other hand, was the quickest duplexer in our tests, printing two-sided texts at a rate of 5.5 pages per minute. At 3.6 pages per minute, the HP-Envy is the second-fastest duplexer, producing two-sided text documents.
Canon vs Epson vs HP: Laser All-in-Ones
We’ve just compared inkjet all-in-one printers so far. We think it’s also crucial to reach some of these firms’ laser all-in-ones. It is important to note that Epson does not manufacture laser printers, so we will only discuss Canon and HP laser printers.
If you don’t need to print glossy images and only need a printer for professional duties, a monochrome all-in-one laser printer can quickly satisfy your needs. Inkjet printers are much slower than laser printers. Inkjet printers print text documents at 8 pages per minute, while laser printers print at 13.7 pages per minute. That’s over 6 pages per minute difference.
Canon laser printers print text and black-and-white images at the fastest speeds. The Canon ImageClass MF217W, for example, prints graphics and text at 12.2 ppm and 15.9 ppm, respectively. The HP LaserJet Pro M127fw, on the other hand, only prints graphics at a speed of 6.1 pages per minute. Its text printing speed, however, is slightly faster at 13.5 ppm.
Another advantage of laser printers is the cheaper cost per page of printing. Even with high-yield cartridges, inkjets cost 5.9 cents per text page. On the other hand, laser printers, such as the Canon ImageClass MF217w and MF229dw, have an average print cost of only 3.5 cents per page.
These estimates are for an $84 cartridge with a 2400-page capacity. HP laser printers are often larger than Canon laser printers. For example, with a $64 cartridge with a printing capacity of 1500 pages, the HP LaserJet Pro M127fw costs 4.3 cents per page.
The Canon ImageClass MF217W is one of the top laser printers on the market. They provide high-quality prints at an astonishing speed and inexpensive operational costs.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing a printer among the three can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Each product owns its pros and cons. We hope that this comparison can help you get the most suitable device for your need.
