Deciding to buy a Canon or HP printer? Want to change a printer brand? Looking for higher-quality photo printing? No matter which of the above, you can find the answer in this article. This blog discusses the differences between Canon vs HP printers and provides some printer buying advice.
Overview
- Canon and HP printers both make inkjet and laser printers, and both print excellent text and pictures.
- When it comes to printer types, laser printers always produce better text quality than inkjet printers, no matter what the brand.
- When it comes to glossy photo prints, Canon printers print photos that look more natural.
- Although Canon printers copy and scan faster than HP, HP models perform better.
- Costs for Canon and HP brands vary depending on the printer and supplies. Printers with more features are more expensive. The higher the page yield of the cartridge, the more expensive it will be.
- Both Canon and HP have multiple product lines such as inkjet, laser, and all-in-one machines to meet different user needs.
HP vs Canon Printer, What’s the Difference?
What is the difference between Canon vs HP printer? We'll explore some of the key factors for Canon and HP printers: print quality; print speed; copy and scan quality; copy and scan speed; cost and paper handling performance.
1. Print Quality
Text Print
Canon and HP printers are known for their excellent text printing capabilities. In terms of printer type, regardless of brand, laser printers generally produce better text print quality than inkjet printers.
Laser printers use toner powder and heat to fuse text to the paper, producing clear, easy-to-read text. The laser printing technology is more resistant to fading and staining than inkjet technology. Some laser printers include: Canon ImageCLASS D1100, Canon MF741CDW, HP LaserJet MFP M234dw and HP Color LaserJet 2605N.
Photo Print
Both Canon and HP printers can produce glossy photo prints. But compared to the yellowish tint of HP prints, Canon printers produce more natural-looking photos.
Canon excels at processing high-quality photos, with finer details and a wider range of colors and tones. Its printers, especially the high-end models, such as the PIXMA PRO-200, offer excellent image quality and can print excellent photos up to A3+ size. While HP also makes printers that deliver high-quality printing, its higher-end models are more suitable for office environments and typically print at the maximum size of A4. For example HP DeskJet 3772, HP OfficeJet 4650 or HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M652n.
2. Print Speed
Canon printers outperform HP printers in terms of print speed for both text and graphics printing.
For text printing, the Canon can achieve an average of 8 pages per minute (ppm), while the HP printer averages 9 ppm. In terms of graphics printing, Canon can reach the fastest speed of 3 ppm, while HP can reach the fastest speed of 2 ppm.
3. Copy & Scan Quality:
Copy
Compared to Canon printers, HP printers perform better at reproducing colors on plain paper, with fine details and crisp colors. Canon printers tend to have excellent performance when copying black & white text documents. Therefore, HP printers are better suited for vibrant color copies, such as marketing materials or graphic presentations.
Scan
In addition to the high resolution and color fidelity of scanned photos, Canon printer scanners, especially those in the PIXMA series, offer versatility and precision when processing a variety of document types. With advanced scanning capabilities and user-friendly interface, Canon printers make it easy for users to obtain professional-quality results. On the other hand, HP printer scanners, like those in the HP OFFICEJET series, not only excel in document management but also offer seamless integration with cloud-based services and mobile apps. This enables users to effectively digitize and organize documents, thereby increasing productivity and workflow efficiency in home and office environments.
4. Copy & Scan Speed
Copy
Below are the average copying speeds of Canon and HP printers:
|
|
Canon |
HP |
|
Black & White Copy |
13.6 seconds |
23.5 seconds |
|
Color Copy |
24.1 seconds |
30.9 seconds |
(The data comes from some popular printers.)
It can be easily concluded that Canon printers are much faster than HP printers in both black and white copies and color copies.
Scan
Let’s look at the average scanning speeds of Canon and HP printers:
|
|
Canon |
HP |
|
Color Scan |
50.7 seconds |
89.2 seconds |
(600 x 600 dpi resolution. Data comes from some classic printers)
There is a big difference between the two printer types when it comes to high-resolution color scanning. At 600 x 600 dpi, the Canon scanner took an average of 50.7 seconds to complete an image scan, while the HP took 89.2 seconds. Canon printers scan much faster than HP printers.
5. Spending Cost
When you're ready to buy a printer, you need to be prepared to spend money on the machine itself and supplies. Although you only need to buy the printer once, ordering supplies is also a huge expense.
Printer Cost
In terms of printer prices, there is a certain difference between Canon and HP. Although not absolute, based on market trends and consumer feedback, the overall selling price of Canon printers is cheaper than the overall selling price of HP printers. As printer configurations move toward high-end products, the gap may narrow further.
Ink/Toner Costs
The pricing of ink or toner cartridges for HP and Canon printers also varies greatly, ranging from $9.90 to $300. Generally speaking, the price of toner cartridge consumables for HP models is lower than that of Canon.
To reduce these costs, both companies offer ink subscription plans for some lines of printers to help save money, such as Canon PIXMA Print Plan and HP Instant Ink Plans.
True Image provides compatible cartridges including Canon and HP, the price is a fraction of the original, superior performance, and the same page yield as OEM.
6. Paper Handling
The printer's paper handling is related to batch printing speed and quality, and special media printing. This involves factors such as the input tray, duplex printing, specialty paper compatibility, and display.
Today, HP and Canon printer product lines have expanded to include inkjet, laser, and all-in-one printer lines. They all customize printers with different functions according to different groups of people to meet the needs of users. If you want to find any features, you can go to the official HP or Canon website to check and choose the printer that matches your expectations.
In summary, Canon narrowly wins in printing, copying, scanning speed and other aspects, while HP excels in color copying.
Popular Canon / HP Printer Models
Here are some popular printer models in recent years for your reference.
| Printer Cartridges | Printer Models | Price |
| HP 141A/HP 141X | HP LaserJet M110w | $129.00 |
| HP 138A/HP 138X | HP LaserJet Pro 3001dw | $199.00 |
| Canon 070/Canon 070H | Canon imageCLASS MF462dw | $279.00 |
| Canon 067/Canon 067H | Canon Color imageCLASS MF653Cdw | $299.00 |
| Canon 069/Canon 069H | Canon Color imageCLASS MF753CDW | $445.42 |
| HP 210A/HP 210X | HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw | $529.00 |
| HP 206A/HP 206X | HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283FDW | $549.00 |
| HP 58A/HP 58X | HP LaserJet Pro M404n | $550.99 |
| Canon 055/Canon 055H | Canon Color imageCLASS MF743Cdw | $784.99 |
Prices sourced from Amazon and may change over time.
By the way, you may also be interested in this: Best Printer for Small Businesses in Spring 2024.
