Best home printers

to make sure they’re enabled. The real-time File Shield scans every file you copy or open on your computer. The Quarantine feature shows you any malicious files that have been blocked and isolated from the rest of your system. The Web Shield blocks unsafe files and downloads from the Internet. And the Email Shield puts the kibosh on malicious email attachments.

A menu accessible

from the dashboard will take you to a Statistics screen that shows you how many scans have been run, how many files scanned, how many malicious files and email attachments blocked, how many websites checked for threats, and other details. The live on-demand scan didn’t find any viruses on Another menu my Mac but did point out three ‘advanced’ issues that choice takes you to the would have required the paid version to resolve. Preferences screen where you can configure the various features in AVG Antivirus. For example, you’re able to make A handy Statistics screen keeps you up to date on how the software is protecting you, both over the last 30 days and over its lifetime.

sure that automatic updates are enabled, that AVG starts when you sign into your Mac, and that you’re notified when virus definitions are updated. Here, you can also control the behaviour of the program, choosing whether infected files should automatically be quarantined, whether the on-demand scan should check Time Machine backups and archives, and which files you may want to add as exceptions so that they’re excluded from scanning.

AVG Antivirus proved adept and detecting and blocking the EICAR test malware.

VERDICT

PERFORMANCE

AVG Antivirus proved capable and effective at stopping malware. The software easily caught the various EICAR test files I threw at it, including the eicar.com file, the eicar text file, and the eicar zip file. (But even here, the program initially tried to coax me to upgrade to the paid edition.) In a June 2022 review (fave.co/3hM38l8), AV-Test gave the software its top marks for malware detection and usability. A review from October 2022 (fave.co/3FMzLXW) by AV-Comparatives awarded AVG Antivirus for Mac a grade of 100 percent for malware protection.

As a free security product, AVG Antivirus for Mac lacks the ransomware and phishing defences and other advanced features found in paid products. But the program is cleanly designed, easy to use, and effective at thwarting malware. If you just need basic protection, you won’t go wrong here. Lance Whitney

Whatever your needs, these are the best printers you can buy right now. Chris Martin reports

Credit: Getty Images/Cunaplus_M.Faba

Printers might be boring devices in the world of tech but we all need one at some point and even more so with the increase of working from home that’s now normal due to the pandemic. Printers can be hard to find in the current climate, but we have rounded up the best we’ve tested. You might want to print a calendar, gig tickets, a boarding pass or some photos you’ve taken on your phone. Many printers are multifunction and therefore also handy for scanning and copying, too.

Whatever your needs, buying a new printer can be a confusing process. Not only do you have to

worry about the upfront cost and whether it can print a good photo, but you’ve also got to consider print speeds, ongoing costs and a host of potential features. It’s worth bearing in mind that the printer market moves slowly, and the latest printers aren’t always the best. Printer tech moves slowly so reviews might not be from this year or even the year before that but they stay on sale for a long time unlike categories like phones or laptops. Running costs

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Inkjet versus laser

Printers come in two main forms: inkjet or laser, with colour and mono flavours of each. Lasers tend to be more expensive to buy, but provide better quality output, particularly where lots of text is involved. And they can be faster. Notice we said ‘tend’ – lasers aren’t always best.

As a basic rule, if you need to print only text, and a lot of it, a mono laser printer will offer the crispest text output and the best combination of fast page-per-minute output and low ink costs. If you need to print photos, choose an inkjet printer. A dedicated photo printer with individual cartridges for each colour will suit those who print only photos. If you’re working from home and need to print a lot, a laser printer is likely going to be a better option. When buying a printer, remember that the price you pay in the store is just the beginning. Be sure to consider the cost of replenishing toner and other consumables over the lifetime of the printer. This is particularly important if you print a lot. A set of toner cartridges can easily approach the cost of a colour laser printer. You’ll need to consider the cost of replenishing tones and other consumables over the lifetime of the printer.

Credit: Getty Images/ronstik

Most manufacturers quote a ‘page yield’ estimate for their ink cartridges, which is the typical number of pages you can expect to print before the cartridge runs out of ink. You can use the page yield to calculate the average cost per page and you’d be surprised to find how much this can vary from one printer to another.

Of course, if output quality matters more to you than cost, scoot over to the other end of the cost spectrum where there are more specialised printers that use five or even six inks for printing photographs. Those additional inks can produce excellent results for your photo prints, but they add to the cost, sometimes pushing the cost for photos up to 10p or more per page.

Some brands offer a cartridge subscription service, like HP’s Instant Ink, to keep costs to a minimum.

Multifunction printer

Most modern printers are multifunction ‘all-in-one’ devices that include a scanner too. This allows you to scan photos and other documents and convert them into digital files that you can store on your computer or share with friends or colleagues. You can also print copies of your scanned documents, allowing the printer to stand in for a photocopier too. Some models even include a fax machine. If you require a scanner and a photocopier as well as a printer, you’ll save money by buying in all-in-one – but if a standalone printer suits your needs, you may be able to spend less.

Print speed and features

Speeds quoted by manufacturers are almost never matched by real-world performance. If you often need to print in a hurry, look for independent reviews when choosing your printer.

Other useful features to look out for include additional USB ports and memory card slots that will allow you to print photos direct from a camera.

High-capacity paper trays capable of holding hundreds of sheets of paper, or an automatic document feeder that can handle scanning and copying work while you go and do something more important, might be worth looking out for. Double-sided printing is handy for halving your paper usage.

It’s also worth thinking about the bundled software that comes with your printer. Some printers include software that provides basic editing

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features, such as red-eye removal or adjusting the colour balance – some even allow you to perform simple editing tasks using controls on the printer itself.

1. BEST OVERALL Canon Pixma TS7450

Price when reviewed: £79 Full review: fave.co/3EpoLjP

Printers are hard to even find in stock right now so a great value allrounder from Canon at under £100 is worth snapping up, even though it is quite heavy. This is a great value all-inone printer that’s easy to set up and use. It’s also no slough with lots of 2. features and versatile printing including documents and photos. Cheaper printers can be expensive to run but the TS7450 doesn’t even fall into this category. The mobile apps are a little frustrating at times but print quality is good, although you’ll want to stick to proper glossy paper for photos. Note that the TS7451 is the same printer, only in white.

2. BEST COMPACT FAMILY PRINTER

HP Envy Inspire 7220e

Price when reviewed: £130 Full review: fave.co/3TiU2ZS

Those looking for a compact and easy-to-use printer for the whole family might have just found it.

The Envy Inspire 7220e is an

excellent all-rounder for those needing to regularly print text and photos at good speeds and affordable costs. The printer looks nice, has wide support for different wireless printing services and offers high-quality results.

It doesn’t have an automatic document feeder but that’s normal, so as long as you don’t need to print on A4 glossy paper, it’s a bit of a steal.

3. EXCELLENT VALUE INKJET

HP DeskJet Plus 4120

Price when reviewed:£59 Full review: fave.co/3A0hBj7

Those on a budget needing a printer for a mix of different tasks should consider the DeskJet Plus 4120. It’s basic in style and design with things like a simple LCD display but keeps costs down, especially if you use HP’s Instant Ink subscription service. Despite the low price, it can print on both sides of the paper and also has Amazon Alexa compatibility. Middling text quality and misaligned photos stop it from scoring higher.

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4. BEST INK TANK PRINTER

Epson EcoTank ET-3850

Price when reviewed: £429 Full review: fave.co/3Umgkei

Anyone against traditional cartridges should consider this EcoTank model from Epson. The ET-3850 offers high-quality printing at decent speeds while keeping the cost down, even if you’re printing A4 colour pages on a regular basis. It’s more expensive to buy the device itself than cartridge rivals but may well work out better value in the long run. And it has virtually the same specs as higher-end EcoTank models, including the PrecisionCore print head. One of the main practical downsides is that it doesn’t offer

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duplex printing and Epson only offers a one year warranty or 50,000 pages – whichever comes first.

5. BEST A3 INKJET Brother MFC-J5340DW

Price when reviewed: £274 Full review: fave.co/3A0hZOB

It’s not much to look at and it’s a bulky 17kg but the MFC-J5340DW will be a solid choice for certain users. Those needing a reliable workhorse for the home or office will get a printer that’s fast, versatile with various functions and can be easily controlled and managed from your phone. It also offers reasonable running costs if you buy XL cartridges but bear in mind the genuine ones are costly and the scanner available is limited to A4 size.

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6. BEST BUDGET

Canon Pixma TS3350 MkII

Price when reviewed: £39 Full review: fave.co/3Un3AEv

If you’re looking for a cheap printer to handle day-to-day tasks then the TS3350 MkII (or TS3320 in the US) is an excellent choice. This is not only affordable but offers great quality printing for a range of jobs, including colour images. This is even a copier and scanner too so you’re getting a lot for your money. It’s quite slow so isn’t a workhorse and

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you’ll want to get XL cartridges to keep running costs down. For printing the occasional letter, boarding pass or family photo without breaking the bank it’s perfect.

7. BEST LASER

Brother DCP-L3510cdw

Price when reviewed: £264 Full review: fave.co/3taxoZ0

If you don’t need to print photos on photo paper but instead need a printer primarily for documents then a laser is a great choice. The Brother DCP-L3510cdw uses LEDs instead of a laser, but it’s very similar and can reliably handle lots of printing with crisp quality at a decent speed.

You’ll need more room for it than a typical inkjet printer but running costs over the long term are more affordable and with Brother’s EcoPro subscription you get the printer for just £1.20. This model has a basic LCD screen but still has useful features including 2-sided printing, a single-sheet scanner and Wi-Fi, complete with AirPrint support.

8. INKJET WITH ADF

HP Envy Pro 6420

Price when reviewed: £90 Full review: fave.co/3TgMZAJ

Here HP offers an all-in-one inkjet printer at under £100 making it a tempting buy for a home office or

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