When choosing a printer, it is important to choose a brand that meets your specific needs. Brother and HP are two of the most popular brands on the market. They both offer a wide range of printers suitable for different purposes, from home, office to business. In this blog, we will compare Brother vs HP printers on some important aspects to help you decide which brand is best for your printing needs.
Brand Overview
Brother and HP are important players in the printer industry, with slightly different core strengths.
Brother is a Japanese company founded in 1908, known for its reliable and cost-effective laser printers designed to handle high-volume printing. The brand focuses primarily on producing high-quality monochrome and color laser printers, ideal for commercial environments that require heavy-duty printing. HP (Hewlett-Packard) is an American multinational company founded in 1939 that has a wider appeal in both the home and office markets. Its printer product line includes everything from affordable inkjets for home use to high-performance laser printers for businesses.
While both companies offer a wide range of printers, Brother focuses more on the professional market, while HP focuses more on meeting the needs of both regular home users and businesses.
Printer Types
Both Brother and HP produce various types of printers, but there are distinct differences in their focus and product offerings.
Brother printer categories include:
Laser Printers: Brother excels in laser printing and offers both monochrome and color printers. Known for their high-speed output and cost-effectiveness, these printers are a popular choice for office environments.
Inkjet Printers: Although Brother also makes inkjet printers, they are not as widely available as laser printers. Brother's inkjet printers are usually used in multifunction printers.
Multifunction Printers (MFPs): These devices combine print, scan, copy and fax functions. Brother MFPs are ideal for office and business use.
HP printer categories include:
Inkjet Printers: HP plays a big role in the inkjet printer world, with models such as its OfficeJet, DeskJet, and ENVY series offering vivid photo quality and versatile performance.
Laser Printers: The HP LaserJet series is a solid choice for business printing needs, offering monochrome and color laser options for reliable performance.
All-in-One Printers: Its all-in-one printers are also very popular in homes and small offices, offering scanning, copying and faxing capabilities in addition to printing.
Overall, Brother's strengths lie in laser printers, while HP's focus is more balanced between inkjets and laser printers. If you're looking for an office printer for printing text, Brother's laser printers are the top choice, while HP offers a more versatile range of products suitable for a mix of home and office use.
Print Quality
Print quality is a major consideration, especially when you need crisp text or vivid images. Both printer brands offer different levels of print quality depending on the specific model and technology.
For Brother, print quality generally focuses on precision and clarity, especially in monochrome printing. Brother's laser printers are known for their crisp, sharp text output and excel at printing large documents with clear, readable text. Brother's color laser printers also excel at printing business-related graphics and charts, but may not be the first choice for high-resolution photo printing.
HP tends to take a more balanced approach to print quality. HP's inkjet models, especially the OfficeJet and ENVY series, are great for photo printing, delivering rich, vibrant colors and detailed images. HP's LaserJet series is not only strong in text clarity, but also competitive in color printing, making it a versatile choice for users who need both text and image quality.
If you want to print crisp text, Brother's laser printers are recommended. For users who need excellent photo quality and text, HP's inkjet printers are better.
Printing Speed
Also, print speed is important for people who print a lot, especially in an office environment.
Brother laser printers print very fast, especially the monochrome series. Its laser printers can print up to 36 pages per minute (PPM), which is ideal for businesses with high daily printing needs. However, its inkjet printers are generally slower, but more than adequate for small to medium-sized tasks.
HP offers a variety of speeds, depending on the model and type. The HP LaserJet printer series also prints very fast, with some high-end models reaching speeds of up to 40 PPM. Likewise, HP's inkjets print at slower speeds, ranging from 10 to 20 PPM.
For users who prioritize printing text-heavy documents at high speeds, Brother's laser printers tend to be the better choice. But for users who need a balance between speed and quality on different media types, HP is a good choice.
Paper Handling and Capacity
Most Brother printers come with high-capacity paper trays, typically holding 250 to 500 sheets of paper. Many printer models also support multiple paper sizes and offer additional paper trays for expanded paper capacity.
HP offers flexible paper handling options. HP printers designed for home use typically come with standard paper trays that hold about 100 to 250 sheets of paper. However, its higher-end laser models, such as the HP LaserJet series, have competitive paper capacities that rival Brother in a business setting.
For heavy-duty office printing, Brother's robust paper handling makes it an ideal choice. HP offers a more flexible solution for users with home and office needs, including those who need photo printing capabilities.
Cost Efficiency
This aspect includes the initial purchase price of the printer and the ongoing costs of maintenance, ink, or toner.
Brother printers are widely praised for their low cost per page, especially their monochrome laser printers. Its printer toner cartridges tend to have higher page yields, which means fewer cartridge replacements and lower long-term costs. While Brother laser printers may be more expensive upfront, the long-term savings on toner costs make them attractive to high-volume users.
HP printers, especially inkjets, are generally more affordable upfront. However, the ongoing costs of ink can be higher than toner, making inkjets less affordable for long-term, high-volume printing. In addition, HP's LaserJet models are similarly cost-effective to Brother in terms of toner, depending on cartridge prices and page yields.
For high-volume printing, Brother's laser printers offer better value for money. HP inkjets are a good fit for users who need versatility with a lower initial cost.
Ease of Use and Connectivity
Brother models typically offer touchscreens, buttons, and interfaces that are easy to operate. Many models also support wireless printing, Wi-Fi Direct, and mobile printing through apps like Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. HP printers emphasize intuitive design and are typically equipped with larger touchscreen interfaces. HP's smart apps are available for Android and iOS, simplifying printing, scanning, and management tasks. Its connectivity options also include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cloud-based printing.
Both brands excel in connectivity, but Brother's operation is simpler and more efficient in terms of user experience.
Scanning, Copying, Faxing
Brother's multifunction printers are designed for businesses. Brother MFP printers typically include high-quality scanning and copying capabilities, with fast scan speeds and high-resolution results. Many of its devices also come with fax capabilities, fully meeting office needs.
HP multifunction printers are more suitable for home and small office use. HP all-in-one printers have easy-to-use scanning, copying, and faxing capabilities, but their focus tends to be more on versatility than speed or quality. For example, HP's all-in-one printers can provide excellent results for casual use, but they may not be as fast or efficient as Brother's business-oriented models when it comes to batch scanning or copying.
Therefore, Brother MFP printers are a better choice for businesses that need high-performance scanning, copying, and faxing. HP multifunction printers are ideal for home users who need basic scanning and copying capabilities but do not need frequent use.
Summary
Now that we've covered the main comparison points, consider the above factors to see which printer brand is best for you.
Brother is a good choice for office environments and businesses that can print quickly, in high volumes, and at low ongoing costs. Its laser printer comes with multi-function features and efficient toner cartridges for frequent printing environments.
HP is better suited for home users or small office environments where versatility and user-friendly features are more important. HP inkjets and HP multifunction printers are great for the home or office that needs to handle a variety of tasks.
Ultimately, the decision between Brother and HP comes down to your specific needs. If you need a heavy-duty printer for business use, Brother's laser printers offer excellent value. For home or small office users, HP offers a more versatile and user-friendly experience.
Printer Recommendations
To help you decide, here are some printer buying recommendations:
Monochrome Laser Printer:
Color Laser Printer:
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M182nw.
Inkjet Printers:
Conclusion
Choosing between Brother and HP depends largely on your printing needs, budget, and long-term usage patterns. Consider your primary printing types, print volumes, and ongoing supplies costs before purchasing.
