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Why your next new printer should be a Which? Eco Buy
Only printers that pass our tough sustainability lab tests can be called Which? Eco Buy printers. If you see an Eco Badge on our printer reviews, then you'll know that model won't run up high ink and energy costs, and minimises paper waste.
An Eco Buy printer could save you up to £100 in running costs over the course of a year, compared to a rival model. With the average printer lasting around ten years, your new printer will soon pay for itself.
It's not enough for a printer to save you money and be green, though. It must have scored well in our tests. So you can rest assured that your chosen model will also be great at its job.
Read on to find out how we test Eco Buys and which other products also currently have them.
Logged-in Which? members can access our Eco Buy printer reviews
What is an Eco Buy?
We buy every product we test and use the same consistent tests for each type of product, so you can trust our product reviews because they’re based on our independent lab test results.
Our new Eco Buy recommendations are based on Which? members telling us which factors are the most important to them when making sustainable buying decisions.
To earn our Eco Buy recommendation, a product must have a lower impact on the environment than other models we’ve tested. As well as excelling at core Which? Tests, products must also meet some or all of the following criteria:
- Made by a brand with a proven track record for long-lasting products you can rely on
- Efficient with energy and water use
- Easy to repair should anything go wrong
When it comes to printers, only the most energy-efficient models, with low running costs and great print quality, earn our Eco Buy badge.
A printer with rock-bottom running costs brings the possibility of big savings. Choosing an Eco Buy printer could save you over £100 in running costs over one year.
Although the models which offer these long-term savings tend to be more expensive upfront, they usually pay for themselves over time. But we’ve also uncovered some Eco Buys models for under £200.
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Eco Buy printers
There’s plenty of hoops for a printer to jump through in order to earn our Eco Buy badge.
To become an Eco Buy, a printer must:
Have a total test score of at least 60%
Only printers that perform well in our core Which? tests are eligible for an Eco Buy label, so you know that not only are you getting a sustainable and efficient printer, but one that also offers good quality printing.
Have five stars out of five for power use
We calculate the star ratings for the power use of the printers we test based on the usage when the printer is turned off, in standby mode and when idle, and just after printing. Eco Buy printers need to be the very best for energy-efficiency.
Have at least four stars for print quality and speed
We scrutinise the variety of pages the printer produces in our tests and our Eco Buy printers must produce high-quality printouts. We also check how long it takes text documents and photos to be printed, to make sure you won't be waiting ages.
Have at least four stars for printing costs
Buying a thirsty printer with high printing costs means you’ll often spend hundreds of pounds over the printer’s lifetime on ink. Our Eco Buy printers need to be a cut above for printing costs, ensuring they’re economical to run.
Be able to auto-duplex
Using both sides of a sheet of paper is vital in making sure the impact of your printing is minimal, so all our Eco Buy printers need to automatically print on both sides of the paper.
Login to find out which models we’ve singled out as combining sustainable and high-quality printing by heading to our Eco Buy printer reviews.
Use our expert printer reviews to pick the a great model for your budget.
What other Eco Buys does Which? have?
To help you choose more sustainable products, we’ve added Eco Buys to many of our reviews, including headphones, fridge freezers, and dishwashers, to name a few.
In these areas, we look at several factors, such as whether a product is made by a brand with a proven track record of long-lasting products, if they’re efficient with energy or water, and if they’re easily repairable.
Head to our Eco Buy reviews for the products below:
- Fridge freezers
- Fridges
- Freezers
- Kettles
- Headphones
- Built-in ovens
- Dishwashers
- Washing machines
- Tumble dryers
- Washer dryers
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