When comparing printers, one of the first specifications many customers notice is print speed. A printer capable of producing 30 or 40 pages per minute can sound considerably better than one rated at 15 or 20 pages per minute.

Speed is important, particularly in a busy office, but it does not tell you whether a printer will be affordable to run, quick to produce a single page, easy to use or suitable for the documents you actually print.

A fast printer with expensive cartridges, a small paper tray or slow warm-up time may be less useful than a slightly slower machine with lower running costs and better everyday features.

What does printer speed actually mean?

Printer speed is normally shown as pages per minute, often shortened to ppm. This tells you approximately how many pages the printer can produce in one minute under particular test conditions.

You may see separate figures for:

The advertised figure can be useful when comparing similar printers, but real-world performance may vary. Complex graphics, colour documents, high-resolution settings, wireless connections and automatic duplex printing can all affect the time a job takes.

1. First-page-out time

First-page-out time measures how long it takes for the first printed page to appear after you send the job.

This specification can be more useful than maximum print speed if you usually print short documents. A printer may be capable of producing 35 pages per minute once it gets going, but it could still take several seconds to warm up, process the job and produce the first page.

First-page speed matters particularly for:

• Receipts and invoices.
• Shipping labels.
• Individual letters.
• Prescription or medical documents.
• Customer quotations.
• Front-desk and reception printing.

If most of your print jobs are only one or two pages long, look for a printer with a fast first-page-out time rather than focusing solely on its maximum ppm rating.

2. The cost of replacement ink or toner

A fast printer is not necessarily an economical printer. The cost of replacement ink or toner can have a much greater effect on your overall spending than the price or speed of the printer itself.

Before buying a printer, check:

A slightly slower printer with affordable high-yield cartridges may cost considerably less to own than a faster model that uses small or expensive supplies.

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3. Cartridge page yield

Page yield is the estimated number of pages an ink or toner cartridge can print under standardised test conditions.

Two printers may have a similar speed, but one may use cartridges that print considerably more pages. Higher-yield cartridges can reduce how often supplies need replacing and may lower the cost per page.

Remember that page yield is an estimate rather than a guarantee. Photos, graphics, large blocks of colour and high-coverage documents will use more ink or toner than basic text pages.

4. Automatic double-sided printing

Automatic double-sided printing, also known as automatic duplex printing, allows the printer to print on both sides of the paper without you manually turning the pages over.

This can be more valuable than a small difference in print speed because it can:

• Reduce paper consumption.
• Create more professional reports and documents.
• Make large documents less bulky.
• Save time compared with manually turning pages.
• Help offices manage paper costs.

Check that duplex printing is automatic. Some printer listings describe a machine as supporting double-sided printing when it only offers instructions for turning the paper over manually.

5. Paper tray capacity

A fast printer with a very small paper tray may need constant attention. Paper capacity becomes particularly important when a printer is shared by several people or regularly produces longer documents.

A typical home printer may hold a relatively small stack of paper, while business printers may have larger trays or support additional paper cassettes.

Consider both:

For a small business, a 250-sheet paper tray may be much more convenient than a faster printer that only holds 100 sheets.

6. Automatic document feeder capacity

If you need to scan or copy multi-page documents, check whether the printer includes an automatic document feeder, often abbreviated to ADF.

An ADF lets you place several pages into the feeder so the printer can scan or copy them automatically. Without one, every page must normally be placed on the scanner glass individually.

For offices, also check whether the ADF supports:

• Single-sided scanning only.
• Automatic double-sided scanning.
• Single-pass duplex scanning.
• The number of pages the feeder can hold.

A printer with a 50-sheet duplex ADF may save far more time in an office than a slightly faster print engine.

7. Scan speed and scan quality

On an all-in-one printer, print speed only covers one part of the machine. If you regularly digitise documents, scan speed and quality are also important.

Look at whether the printer can scan directly to:

Businesses may also benefit from searchable PDF creation, duplex scanning and automatic blank-page removal. These features can make document processing easier even though they have nothing to do with print speed.

8. Print quality and resolution

A printer that produces pages quickly is not automatically the best choice for photographs, marketing materials or detailed colour graphics.

Print quality depends on several factors, including the printer technology, ink or toner formulation, paper choice, print mode and image processing.

Consider what you normally print:

Type of printing	What matters most
Letters and invoices	Sharp black text, reliability and low running costs.
Reports and presentations	Clear text, consistent colour and automatic duplex printing.
Photos	Colour accuracy, suitable photo paper and good image detail.
Shipping labels	Fast first-page output, dependable paper feeding and clear barcodes.
Marketing materials	Strong colour, media compatibility and borderless printing where required.

For general office documents, extremely high print resolution may provide little practical benefit. For photography or graphics, however, quality may be far more important than ppm.

9. Recommended monthly print volume

Printer manufacturers may provide a recommended monthly print volume. This gives an indication of the workload the printer is designed to handle regularly.

A compact home printer may be capable of printing a large batch occasionally, but it may not be designed to produce hundreds or thousands of pages every month.

Choosing a printer suited to your normal workload can improve convenience and reduce the risk of:

• Frequent cartridge changes.
• Constant paper refilling.
• Excessive wear.
• Interrupted print jobs.
• Higher-than-expected running costs.

10. Connectivity and mobile printing

A printer is only useful if your computers, phones and other devices can connect to it reliably.

Depending on your needs, look for:

Ethernet can be valuable in an office where several people share the printer. Wi-Fi Direct may allow devices to print without joining the main wireless network. Mobile printing support can be especially useful in homes and flexible workplaces.

A printer that connects reliably and is easy for everyone to use may be a better purchase than a faster model with limited connectivity.

11. Inkjet or laser technology

Printer speed figures should be considered alongside the technology used by the printer.

12. Warm-up time and energy-saving modes

Many printers enter a sleep or energy-saving mode when they have not been used for a while. This reduces energy use, but it can add a delay before the next document starts printing.

Laser printers may also need time to heat the fuser before printing. A printer with a fast maximum ppm rate but a slow wake-up time could feel less responsive than a slightly slower model that starts quickly.

For occasional printing, check:

• First-page-out time from ready mode.
• First-page-out time from sleep mode.
• How quickly the printer wakes.
• Whether sleep settings can be adjusted.

13. Paper sizes and media compatibility

Most printers handle standard A4 paper, but not every machine supports the same range of paper sizes, weights and specialist media.

Check whether the printer can handle any items you regularly use, such as:

A very fast printer is not the right choice if it cannot reliably handle the materials your home or business uses.

14. Printer size, noise and location

Dimensions and noise levels are easy to overlook when shopping online. A business printer may offer impressive speed and capacity, but it may also be too large for a home desk or too noisy for a quiet workspace.

Before buying, check:

• The full width, depth and height of the printer.
• Space needed to open trays and scanner lids.
• Rear clearance for paper or access panels.
• Whether front-loading supplies are important.
• Operating noise if the printer will sit close to a desk.

Also remember that dimensions may increase when paper trays are open or extended.

Which printer specifications matter most for you?

Type of user	Specifications to prioritise
Occasional home user	Cartridge cost, compact size, wireless printing and ease of use.
Family or student	Colour running costs, XL cartridge availability, scanning and mobile printing.
Home office	First-page speed, duplex printing, ADF, cartridge yield and reliability.
Small business	Running costs, paper capacity, recommended volume, networking and high-yield supplies.
Busy workgroup	Print speed, paper capacity, duplex scanning, security, network management and monthly workload.
Creative or photo user	Colour quality, media support, borderless printing and suitable ink technology.

A practical printer comparison checklist

Before choosing your next printer, compare the following rather than looking at speed alone:

Final thoughts

Printer speed is an important specification, but it is only one part of choosing the right machine.

A fast printer may save time during large print runs, but affordable cartridges, a quick first page, automatic duplexing, reliable connectivity and suitable paper capacity may make a much bigger difference during normal everyday use.

The best printer is not necessarily the one with the highest pages-per-minute figure. It is the printer that matches what you print, how often you print and how much you want to spend on supplies over its lifetime.

Frequently asked questions

Disclaimer: Printer specifications and real-world performance vary by model, print settings, document type, connection method and operating environment. Always check the manufacturer’s current specifications and the cost of the correct replacement supplies before purchasing a printer.