Canon Vs. Epson Printer: Which One Is Worth Your Money?

When it comes to choosing a new printer for home and office use, there are only a few brands that come to mind. Both Canon and Epson must be among those brands. They both have a loyal customer base, and the number keeps increasing. Canon is one of the leading names in industrial digital imaging solutions, and its printers are often considered the best choice for photo printing. EPSON is also one of the world's largest computer printers.

Whether you are looking for an all-in-one inkjet printer or a laser printer, knowing each brand's strengths and weaknesses can help you make an informed decision. Canon and EPSON both are heavyweights printers that offer amazing features. But they also have their advantages and disadvantages. In this blog, we'll compare the models, performance, features, print quality, speed, and even the cost of ink of these top brands to help you make a well-calculated decision.

Comparison: Photography & Print Quality

Canon is the leading manufacturer of digital cameras worldwide, but few of the EPSON's printers can give Canon's printer a run for their money. Canon's PIXMA Pro-200 is the ultimate home printer to print outstanding photos on A3+ paper. In contrast, EPSON's EcoTank ET-8550 lets you create large borderless A3+ prints. Initially, the EcoTank system may seem more expensive, but it is more cost-effective in the long run due to its less expensive ink cartridges. In determining the print quality, we have taken these brands' print, copy, and scan quality.

Text Prints

Although laser printers produce more crisp and razor-sharp texts than inkjet printers, at the same time, EPSON's WF-2760 inkjet printer produces sharp texts at faster text printing speeds than other inkjets. But inkjet printers from Canon, such as PIXMA MG3620 and PIXMA TS6020, produce similar quality prints. If you want an inkjet with a duplex printing feature, go for EPSON" s WF-6590 and Canon's TS6020. The latter produces lighter text prints than the former.

PDF Prints

Although Canon's TS6020 produces the sharpest and sleekest PDF text prints, EPSON's Workforce WF-2760 can produce attractive prints in a row.

Glossy Photo Prints

Canon's printers can produce vibrant photos. Canon Prints produces more naturally-looking prints with more details in shadowy areas. EPSON's XP-640 produces unnatural images because of the fine details and saturated color. At the same time, EPSOn's WF-2760 produces light-colored photos. If print quality is your priority, go for Canon because its text, photo, and scanning options remain unmatched.

Comparison: Copy & Scanning Feature

The scanned copies created by Canon printers are rough-looking, but the scan quality is better than EPSON's models. Other than EPSON's XP-640, WF-6590 and WF-2760 produced darker prints.

Epson Vs. Canon: Overall Speed

For a small business, efficiency is vital, so a printer with high printing speeds is essential. Canon printers are mostly known for high-quality text prints and excellent photo prints, but their printers tend to be slow. In contrast, EPSON printers can print both text and graphic documents at a faster pace than Canon. So if it's efficiency that you are looking for, then EPSON is an ideal choice for you.

Whose Entry-Level Model is Better?

Both brands offer compelling products with good print quality at budget-friendly models. EPSON Expression HOME XP-3155 and Canon PIXMA TS3350 are their entry-level models. If you have a minimal budget and are dead set on Canon, then you can go for Canon PIXMA TS3350, an ideal choice for kids and students. However, if you can afford to pay the extra for EPSON, you would get some desirable features, such as automatic double-sided printing and a higher print and scan resolution. You also get individual color ink cartridges which will benefit you in the long run.

What’s the Ink Cartridge Cost of Both Models?

The all-in-one printers are designed to be cost-effective, but when buying printer ink, the prices vary. Canon offers a range of ink cartridges, but its entry-level models rely on dual cartridges, such as PIXMA PG-545 and CL-546 inks. These printers use individual ink cartridges for black, cyan, yellow, and magenta colors. The premium inkjet models feature more cartridges with an even greater range of tones. Replacing an individual ink cartridge will cost you less than replacing the whole tricolor cartridge. EPSON's 603 multipack features four individual ink tanks, which can print up to 150 black & white pages—and 130 color prints.

Canon's cartridge features a built-in print head, which comes in handy in case of stubborn ink blockage. As Canon printers offer quality printing services, the printers sometimes consume ink more quickly. When this issue occurs, you can replace the whole cartridge. If you plan to go through printer ink more frequently, then go for EPSON.

How is the Paper handling of Brands?

Dealing with paper jams can be frustrating, so you need a printer to handle the workflow. The good news is both brands offer products with double-sided printing, large loading trays, and ADF (Automatic Document Feeder). To smoothly switch between printing documents to printing on glossy photo paper, you need to consider a model with two input trays. Having a duplexer to produce two-sided prints will save some paper. Also, ADF comes in handy in case of multiple copying.

Conclusion

Both Canon and EPSON offer compelling models with amazing features. In terms of premium models, they come neck to neck. At the entry level, Canon offers more affordable models. But by investing more in EPSON, you get more desirable characteristics. Canon wins by a thin margin in a few categories, whereas EPSON fares well in many classes.

Regarding ink cartridge replacement cost, EPSON aces it with its color inks even in entry-level models. Lastly, we would like to say that Canon's multifunction devices are pretty much unbeatable. So, in either case, you will have to compromise, and it all comes down to your personal choice and needs.