Top Two Printers for Cricut Explore

Now that you have a  Cricut Explore…or soon to acquire one. You will be wanting a new Color Printer to go along with it to take advantage of the Print Then Cut Feature, right?   If you have not bought your Cricut Explore yet, be sure to check out the Black Friday specials on Cricut Explore Bundles @ http://goo.gl/4wv8wg .

After doing a lot of research recently,including onsite comparison test of various Epson, HP and Canon Printers, I have selected the TOP TWO PRINTERS for CRICUT EXPLORE OWNERS based on my finding.  While there are a lot of other good color printers our there, these two rose above all the others. These are my personal recommendations.  I am picky…very picky when it comes to output quality and value. I don’t recommend things lightly…if I take the time to share with you, then its gotta be a solid choice or I won’t share it. 

Criteria used to base my TOP TWO PRINTERS recommendations: 

• Had to be a WIRELESS PRINTER  – every other device we use is wireless so my printer should be too
• Had to have TWO IN PUT TRAYS – one for paper and one for photos
• Had to have GORGEOUS COLOR OUTPUT – for both printed images and photos
• Had to be able to PRINT FROM ANYWHERE FROM ANY DEVICE –  using either iPAD, iPhone, Android Tablets and phones
• Have reasonable INK COSTS – while quality ink is good to have it can’t break the bank
• Had to PRINT ON VARIOUS MATERIALS – it needed to handle paper, photo paper, cardstock, sticker paper, printable vinyl and whatever else I wanted to print
• Had to be EASY TO USE – I don’t have time for complicated when I craft.  I wanted a decent size touch screen control panel to change the output material AND easy set up
• Had to have a SCANNER – great for crafty people to have access
• Had to be UNDER $200 – good quality can be had at a great value…you just need to look for it

So which two printers made the list after this scrutiny ? Each of these met all the criteria above PLUS 

HP ENVY 5660 WIRELESS ALL-IN-LONE INKJET PRINTER WITH SCANNER

• Lab quality photos and laser-quality text outputs
• Scan and copy tasks are easy to use
• Saves up to 50% on color ink using the optional HP Instant Ink Replacement Service Original HP Ink is ordered by your printer when you start to run out and delivered to your door so you’ll always have it at a low price
• sleek low profile look and smaller foot print in my crafting room

The BEST PRICE I FOUND was on Amazon @ http://goo.gl/h3K0tW  for an amazing low price of only $112.67 PLUS FREE SHIPPING. ( I appreciate your using my affiliate link above to purchase.)

EPSON WORKFORCE WF-7610 WIRELESS COLOR ALL-IN-ONE INKJET PRINTER WITH SCANNER AND COPIER  – WIDE FORMAT OPTION FOR 12X12 PRINTING

• Professional-quality prints comparable to color laser but with lower printing cost
• Wide Format borderless prints up to 13″ X 19″
• Scanning bed is extra large to cover 11″ X 17″

The BEST PRICE I FOUND was on Amazon @ http://goo.gl/AmjkYR for an amazing price of only $179.99 PLUS FREE SHIPPING.  (I appreciate your using my affiliate link above to purchase)

So which one did I recently purchase for my craft studio ?  I purchased the HP Envy 5660.  It met all my criteria for features, size on my craft table and that HP Insta-Ink Option was too good to resist since I use the Print Then Cut Feature A LOT !  I didn’t really see myself ever using 12X12 printing so no need to spend more money than I wanted. And while Cricut is saying that they will have Print Then Cut ready for 12X12, there is no timing of when that will happen. I already have an excellent dedicated copier/scanner/fax machine in the study….so this new printer is just dedicated for crafting and perfect for my needs ! 

HAPPY PRINTER SHOPPING….OR ADDING THESE TO YOUR HOLIDAY WISH LIST. Feel free to share this post with others as many people are asking this same question. Come join us over at Lets Learn Cricut Explore Facebook Group (click on link) where we share info on Cricut Explore and inspire each other with your creations !  Debbie