First of all, it’s important to note that most modern printers tend to have a built-in scanner. This allows the printer to also function as a copier, scanner, and even sometimes a fax machine. These are called All-In-One printers, or AIO for short. Remember that not all printers are AIOs, so if you are looking for that sort of functionality, be sure to check before you buy.
The second thing is whether you want to go for inkjet or laserjet, the two main printing technologies that exist. The main thing to know between the two is that inkjet printers are generally cheaper to buy but more expensive to maintain and laserjet is the opposite. Also, laserjets tend to have sharper quality and are not prone to ink smudging.
Next on the agenda is the Cost Per Page (CCP), which is how much it costs to print every page. You come to that number by taking the cartridge’s cost and dividing it by the number of pages that the cartridge should yield. Keep in mind that this is a rough estimation because ink usage can change a lot depending on what you’re printing.
Either way, we’ll give you a rough estimate of what you should expect regarding CCP. Granted, the best printer is not always about getting the lowest CCP that you can, especially if you don’t print often. It can be better to pay a few extra cents per page for the sake of better print quality, speed, or just overall features.
Besides the above, you’ll also want to look at Page Per Minute (PPM), which tells you how many pages the printer can print in that time frame. So 10ppm means that you’ll get ten pages within the space of one minute.
What you are comfortable with depends wholly on how much you print and how much patience you have. If you tend to do a high volume of printing, then the more ppm you can get, the better.
Finally, you’ll want to look at the feature set, and more specifically, the sort of connectivity you can get. Nowadays, most printers are expected to have at least WiFi access and an Ethernet port. Some also have Bluetooth and apps that you can use to print directly to the printer without needing a computer, which is pretty handy. You’ll also see some printers are voice-activated, which is more of a fun little extra to have.
That’s a lot to keep in mind, but worry not—our recommendations below do all the research legwork for you.
Best Printer Overall: HP Envy Pro 6455e
When looking at the best overall printer, it’s essential to try and find something that does well in most scenarios. The HP Envy PRO 6452 manages to hit many of those essential targets.
✓ Great upfront price✓ Good print quality✓ Cheap on-going costs with Instant Ink Subscription✓ A strong roundup of features✓ Stylish and modern design
✗ No card port for SD or Flash✗ Wasteful ink cartridge design✗ Relatively slow printing
For starters, this is an all-in-one (AIO) device, so not only can you print, you can scan, copy, and even fax, which isn’t something you tend to see often with these AIOs. Even better, it’s voice-activated and even supports both Alexa and Google Home Assistant, so you can get your printing done from anywhere without even touching a button. The Envy Pro also has WiFi connectivity if you don’t want to tether it to a desktop or laptop with a cable.
In terms of print quality, it’s suitable for an entry-level inkjet printer, and you’ll likely see some good sharp quality in even somewhat smaller fonts.
Photo quality is also good, but unfortunately, since it uses two cartridges rather than four or six, it doesn’t have the same color range that a printer with more cartridges has. Still, it’s not that the quality is terrible, it’s just not the best in its class.
Print speeds are around 10ppm for color and 7ppm for monochrome. As for the scanner, The Envy Pro has a resolution of 1,200 pixels by 1,200 pixels, which is pretty good. It has an auto-document feeder, although it can’t print on both sides of a sheet of people.
Finally, we come to the critical caveat—if you plan to buy this printer, it’s only economical if you purchase HP’s Instant Ink subscription with it. The reason is that while the upfront purchase cost of the printer is excellent, the printing cost is pretty bad without the subscription.
While there has been bad press about HP’s Ink subscription DRM, it’s still worth it. It takes an eye-watering color cost per page of 22 cents down to a more reasonable 3.5 cents per page. Monochrome pages go from around 10 cents down to 3.5 cents as well. It makes the HP Envy Pro an absolutely excellent printer.
Best Budget Printer: Epson Expression Home XP-4100
When trying to pick a budget printer, it’s important to try and balance low cost and features. Thankfully the Epson Expression XP-4100 does a good job of just that for just under $100.
✓ Excellent mobile app and overall connectivity✓ Great print quality for colors & monochrome✓ Modern design fits right in any space✓ Easy-to-use panel
✗ Lack of flash memory support✗ Higher running costs✗ Slow printing speed
Much like our best overall printer, this is an all-in-one device with a surprisingly small footprint and is great if you don’t have a ton of space to work with. The scan resolution is 1,200 DPI, the same as the Envy Pro 6455e, while the print speed is 4ppm for color and 7ppm for black. The print speed is slow, but don’t let that put you off.
As for print pricing, that’s a bit lackluster since we see about 11 cents per page for black and 17 cents for color. But again, if you don’t often print and need something for occasional use, the price per page won’t matter so much. Also, this is assuming you are buying the cartridges for the $20 MSRP—if you can get them cheaper, then the cost per page goes down.
The only other significant downside is that the color accuracy is not that great. That means if you’re looking for something to print photos, you’ll probably need to look to one of the other options on the list.
Still, you get WiFi and ApplePrint, making this a superb little printer for occasional use to keep somewhere on the side.
Alternatively, for those willing to pay a little extra to get a laserjet, the HP LaserJet Pro M15w is an excellent choice. While the upfront cost is higher, the printing costs are slightly lower, and there’s no risk of ink smudging.
Best Home Office Printer: HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdn
While the HP Color Laserjet Pro Multifunction is a mouthful, the printer has as many features as the name suggests, making it excellent for a home office or a small business.
✓ Feature packed✓ Excellent print quality✓ Auto-duplexing✓ Good security options
✗ Expensive running costs
For starters, this HP printer has a 300-page paper tray and 50-page feeder, so there’s no need to babysit it while it prints or copies. Then, you have auto-duplex printing so you don’t waste time having to feed paper in again for double-sided documents. It’s also pretty fast since it’s a color laser printer, and paired with the high-capacity, that means you can get a lot more printing done.
Connectivity on the Laserjet Pro is also pretty impressive, having USB, Ethernet, WiFi, and Bluetooth, which you don’t see often. You also have a variety of 3rd-party apps you can use, such as the HP Smart App with HP ePrint, Apple Airprint, and Mopria. There’s also some good security and encryption on it. Plus, the LaserJet Pro has permission controls if you only want certain people to have access to color printing.
In terms of performance, the Laserjet Pro works as expected in its price range. Print speed is around 28 ppm for black and approximately 17 ppm for color, which is about average for its class.
As for print quality, it’s terrific, as you’d expect from a laserjet. The text is sharp, and there’s no possibility of smudging, so it’s perfect for business documents. Photo quality is also good for charts and presentations, though don’t expect to print accurate photos with it.
Finally, we come to running costs, and the truth can be painful depending on how much you print. For monochrome, you’ll expect to see 2.2 cents per page and 14.2 cents for color. If you’re printing thousands of pages a month, that can quickly add up.
The M479fdn is a pretty good, although slightly expensive, printer. Of course, not everybody needs a printer that fancy, and if you’re looking for some high-quality monochrome printing, the HP Neverstop 1001nw is an excellent alternative. It does away with most of the features but provides the same quality and speed for less than half the price and only 0.3 cents a page, which is staggeringly low.
Best Photo Printer: Epson Expression Photo XP-970
When it comes to photo printing, the two most important things are color accuracy and range, and the Epson Expression XP-970 delivers on both.
✓ Truly excellent photo quality✓ Great price for an A3 printer✓ 11 by-17-inch borderless printing✓ Nice design
✗ Slow printing✗ Lack of automatic feeder✗ Even XL cartridges run out pretty fast
What helps it with that goal is that it opts for five-color inks, and when you add black, that’s six altogether. The color gamut that you get is truly hard to beat unless you want to go for something four or even five times the price.
As for cost, that’s a bit more complicated since there are so many different types of inks, and you can print in a variety of different sizes. You’re probably looking at up to 4.5 cents a page for black and up to 14 cents for color when you do the CPP calculation.
Is that price range good or bad? Realistically, it’s about average for this printer class, which is impressive considering its above-average color accuracy.
All that being said, the one major downside is that the printer is a bit slow, which is compounded by the fact that it can only hold one sheet of paper at a time. That means that you will have to babysit it, and if you print in huge volumes, this can be an issue.
Still, this printer more than makes up for those downsides with its stunning photo printing quality.
Best Portable Printer: Canon Pixma TR150
When choosing a portable printer, there will be a point where its size is being weighed against print features and quality. You will rarely get the same performance from something you can carry around as you would from a full-size printer. Thankfully, you can find a good balance by choosing the Canon Pixma TR150.
✓ Handles photo printing well✓ Optional battery pack✓ Good range of features✓ Reasonable ink costs
✗ Small OLED display✗ Print speeds not the best
Weighing in at 4.5 pounds, and measuring just 12.7×7.3×2.6 inches when closed, the TR150 is small enough to fit into a large briefcase or small backpack. The optional battery pack adds a bit of weight, but the slight increase is worth it if you want a printer that can be used anywhere.
Despite its small size, the Pixma supports paper sizes all the way up to the standard 8.5×11 size. It has dual ink cartridges which allow you to print everything from simple text documents to crisp and glossy photos. The print speeds aren’t mind-blowing at 9ppm for black and white and 5.5 for color but are reasonable for a portable printer.
The TR150 is compatible with Windows and macOS, as well as with iOS and Android through the Canon Print app. It also works with Apple AirPrint. There is a small OLED display alongside the control buttons on the printer, but it’s easier to change printer settings in the app than trying to do so on a 1.44-inch screen.
The Canon Pixma TR150 isn’t the smallest portable printer available, but it is still compact enough to be easily carried around without having to compromise too much on features. If you want wireless, high-quality printing on the go, without breaking the bank, the TR150 is a great choice.
Best Ink Tank Printer: Canon Maxify GX6021
Ink tank printers will, over the long run, give you much more economical printing. Getting rid of individual black and white or color cartridges means the ink isn’t wasted.
✓ Very low print costs✓ Full scanner and copier function✓ Good print speeds
✗ Quite expensive✗ Fairly large when trays are open
Our favorite ink tank printer is the Canon Maxify GX6021. This is a fairly expensive option, but one from which you will quickly start to see savings if you do a lot of printing. The $649 price tag not only gets you a printer that can produce up to 14000 pages on a single set of full tanks but also includes a full-featured scanner and copier.
It has four tanks that each hold between 132 and 167ml of ink, which might not sound a lot until you compare it to the 8ml that a standard ink cartridge holds. According to Canon, the average cost per printed page is just two cents. That is a lot cheaper when compared to using standard cartridges.
The Maxify GX6021 is not a small printer, but it’s compact enough to fit into a small office or home office without taking too much space. The paper tray can hold 100 sheets of A4, as well. The maximum print speed of 24ppm is very good, although this drops to 15.5ppm for color printing.
As for connectivity, you can use Wi-Fi to connect to the GX6021. It also has a LAN port for a wired internet connection, or you can connect directly to it using the USB cable. It is compatible with Apple AirPrint and the Mopria Print Service, or you can use the Canon Print app for iOS and Android devices.
The Maxify GX6021 is definitely not the cheapest of printer options. But if you need a fast, reliable, and economical 3-in-1 for your office or small business, this has everything you are looking for.
