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As much as we have tried to go all in on paperless lifestyles, sometimes you just need to print something. Whether you need tickets for a ball game, a permission slip for a field trip, or just something for safekeeping, adding a printer to your home instantly provides you with more flexibility, but how do you pick from a nearly endless supply of printer choices? Do you need the ability to just print or are you looking for something that can scan and fax? Do you prefer laser or inkjet technology?
Thankfully, we have gone ahead and put together a list of the seven best home printers today so you don’t need to do any more searching, just purchasing. Let’s get into it!
- Best Overall: HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e
- Best Compact: HP DeskJet 3755
- Best for Photos: Epson EcoTank ET-2800
- Best Budget: Canon PIXMA MG3620
- Best Refillable Printer: Canon PIXMA G1220
- Best All-in-One: Epson EcoTank ET-3850
- Best Portability: HP OfficeJet 250
Best Overall: HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e
- 6 FREE MONTHS INSTANT INK SUBSCRIPTION when you activate HP+ – Print up to 700 pages a month. Ink ships to you automatically so you never run out. After 6 months, monthly fee applies unless...
- INCLUDES FREE HP+ SMART FEATURES – Activate HP+ free to get advanced features for mobile printing, security, automatic updates and more. HP+ only works with an HP account, internet connection and...
- BEST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOME OFFICES – Print professional-quality color documents like presentations, brochures and flyers
- UPGRADED FEATURES – Fastest color printing, up to 2x faster scan speeds, copy, fax, auto 2-sided printing and scanning, mobile and wireless printing, auto document feeder, and print from USB
- FAST PRINT SPEEDS – Print up to 24 pages per minute in black and 20 pages per minute in color
When it comes to finding a printer that offers outstanding features including printing anywhere you have a wireless connection, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e is the answer.
Right from the jump, the 9025e stands out thanks to the ability to use HP’s smartphone application. Being able to print, scan and copy directly from your phone and print to your home printer is a feature you never knew how much you would appreciate until you try it.
Aside from printing anywhere, the HP also includes some additional smart features like automatically updating its own firmware and six months of “smart ink” which delivers ink to your home before you run out. This offer from HP adds enough ink to print around 700 pages per month and then adds 50% off future ink purchases which makes for big savings over time.
Add to that printing up to 24 pages per minute in black or 20 pages per minute in color and scan speeds up to two times faster than the previous generation HP printers. If that wasn’t enough, you can add the capability to print more than just documents including brochures, flyers, and detailed color presentations.
Pick up the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e from Amazon here.
Best Compact: HP DeskJet 3755
- Main functions of this HP DeskJet 3755 (3700 series) compact printer: copy, scan, wireless printing, AirPrint, Instant Ink ready so you'll never run out of ink
- The power of your printer in the palm of your hand: The HP Smart app allows you to easily set up your printer, scan from your smartphone, order toner, and print from the cloud—such as iCloud,...
- Ink delivered to your home: get your first 4 months free when you enroll in HP Instant Ink (optional) during printer set up; plans starting at 0.99 dollar per month after the trial period, shipping...
- Compact and wireless, this printer is designed to fit your space and life; get the vibrant blue color and power in the world’s smallest all-in-one for home
- Compatible operating systems:Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3 (32-bit); OS X v10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X v10.9 Mavericks, OS X v10.10 Yosemite
Not every printer needs to be large enough to require its own desk which is why the HP DeskJet 3755 is such an attractive option for tight home workspaces.
The very slim profile measures only 16 x 7 x 5.5 inches in overall dimensions so it’s absolutely small enough to fit just about anywhere. The smaller size does mean a few trade-offs like not including high-quality photo printing or a big number of printable pages per minute printing but for the price, those are perfectly acceptable tradeoffs.
What you do get is a solid Wi-Fi-enabled printer with both color and black ink cartridges plus cloud printing capabilities. The latter feature ensures you can not only scan from your smartphone and print but also sync to Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud’s Files app to print documents directly from your device using AirPrint. The printer is compatible with Windows 8 and up plus any version of macOS 10.8 and above.
Instant ink is also a staple of HP printers so you can expect ink automatically delivered to your home before your current ink allotment runs out.
Go ultra-compact with the HP DeskJet 3755 available from Amazon here.
Best for Photos: Epson EcoTank ET-2800
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― High-capacity ink tanks mean no more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; Epson’s exclusive EcoFit ink bottles make filling easy and worry-free
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 4,500 pages black/7,500 color (2), equivalent to about 90...
- Stress-Free Printing — Up to 2 years of ink in the box (4) – and with every replacement ink set – for fewer out of ink frustrations
- Zero Cartridge Waste – By using an EcoTank printer, you can help reduce the amount of cartridge waste ending up in landfills
- Impressive Print Quality ― Unique Micro Piezo Heat-Free Technology produces sharp text – plus impressive color photos and graphics – on virtually any paper type
The all-in-one Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is a fantastic printer that prints excellent quality photos with a price tag that isn’t out of this world.
The excellent photo quality comes from Epson’s “Micro Piezo heat-free technology” which results in an overall sharper text as well as terrific color reproduction regardless of the paper type you choose.
It offers color support for magenta, yellow, cyan, and black ink so it doesn’t include quite the full entire color range but to get every available color you might need to consider tripling your price. For a 4×6 photo, you’re likely looking at around one minute for a full photo print to complete.
Along with photo printing, you still get plenty of excellent features like Wi-Fi, USB connectivity as well as support for Apple’s AirPrint for printing directly from iOS devices. Cartridge-free printing ensures that you have up to two years of ink included in the box so you don’t even have to consider refills for a long while. On top of that, replacing the included ink bottles is up to 90% less expensive than purchasing separate new ink cartridges.
Print out family photos today with the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 from Amazon here.
Best Budget: Canon PIXMA MG3620
- Mobile device printing: Easily print from your iPhone, iPad, Android or tablet.In The Box : PIXMA MG3620 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Printer, Manuals and other documents, Setup CD-ROM, FINE Cartridges...
- Quick and easy wireless setup
- Powerful printing options: Airprint, Google Cloud Print, NFC, Mopria and Canon Print
- Compact and space-saving design
- Print on both sides of the page with auto 2-sided print
Adding a printer to your home doesn’t have to require a significant investment, on the contrary, you can find something that works well without spending a lot. Enter the Canon PIXMA MG3620 all-in-one inkjet printer.
What you won’t get are super fast prints or outstanding color reproduction with photos but you will get printing, copying, and scanning which are the most necessary features.
And, thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi, you can do all of your prints wirelessly through your mobile devices using the downloadable Canon app.
Overall printing with the MG3620 results in around 9.9 black prints per minute while you can also print 5.7 color prints per minute. Another added bonus even with a budget price is being able to print directly from Amazon Alexa. That makes it easy to say “Alexa, print my to-do list” and the PIXMA MG3620 will print right away.
Go budget-friendly with the Canon PIXMA MG3620 available from Amazon here.
Best Refillable Printer: Canon PIXMA G1220
- Enjoy an ink savings of $1,175 and experience high yields of up to 6,000 black/7,700 printed pages with a single set of colorbottles. Plus, your printer comes with 2 bonus black ink bottles.
- Print both documents and photos on a variety of paper types using a hybrid ink system with pigment black for sharp black textand dye-based colors for vivid borderless2 photos up to 8.5” x 11”....
- FOR NUMBERS LISTED IN PRODUCT DESCRIPTION SEE “SPECIFICATION SHEET” IN TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION SECTION BELOW
- Form factor: Print Only
- No wireless connectivity
The cost of ink is often a factor with any printer purchase as the overall cost quickly factors in how much you will spend over time. To help provide some customers with relief, Canon introduced the Canon PIXMA G1220 single-function megatank inkjet printer.
Only available for black ink, Canon says the overall savings could be as high as $1,175 dollars over the life of the printer or 90% of what you might otherwise spend on ink. That you can still print more than 6,000 pages (black) with the included black ink is a big reason to give the PIXMA G1220 a hard look and it includes two bonus black ink bottles as well.
With all of these savings in mind, to achieve these goals with a refillable printer, Canon did have to make a few sacrifices. The PIXMA G1220 doesn’t include a color display or an auto-duplex mode and you won’t find a ton of room for paper. However, since Canon’s claimed printing speed is only around nine pages per minute, the lack of paper room is probably okay. The good news is that it still prints, copies, and scans so you’re not losing any functionality.
The Canon PIXMA G1220 is available from Amazon here with easy Prime delivery.
Best All-in-One: Epson EcoTank ET-3850
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― High-capacity ink tanks mean no more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; Epson’s exclusive EcoFit ink bottles make filling easy and worry-free
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 7,500 pages black/6,000 color (2), equivalent to about 90...
- Stress-Free Printing — Up to 2 years of ink in the box (4) – and with every replacement ink set – for fewer out of ink frustrations
- Zero Cartridge Waste – By using an EcoTank printer, you can help reduce the amount of cartridge waste ending up in landfills
- Impressive Print Quality ― Unique PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology and pigment black ink produce extremely sharp text – plus impressive color photos and graphics – on virtually any paper type
Looking for the best all-in-one home printer will take you down a quick rabbit hole as nearly every option indicates it’s an all-in-one printer. The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 stands out above the rest thanks to its removal of ink cartridges so you only have to worry about eco-friendly EcoFit ink bottles.
That’s automatically going to mean ink savings are in your future as you are likely to find close to 7,500 black or 6,000 color pages with up to 90% savings on ink cartridges. That’s the equivalent of not spending money on over 90 total ink cartridges over the life of the printer according to Epson.
As far as prints themselves, the Epson stands out with a 250-sheet paper tray that auto-feeds paper as well as automatically prints on both sides to help save on paper costs. The scanner and copier are controlled through the 2.4-inch color display or you can handle everything through Wi-Fi with the Epson app available for both Android and iOS. Best of all, you have a two-year warranty in case anything goes wrong.
Grab your very own Epson EcoTank ET-3850 printer from Amazon right here.
Best Portability: HP OfficeJet 250
- Main functions of this HP all-in-one portable printer: scan, copy, easy portable printing wherever you need it, wireless Print from your laptop or mobile devices, 2. 65" Color touchscreen, auto...
- Mobile printing: print from anywhere using your smartphone or tablet with the free HP ePrint app, easily connect to your printer with Bluetooth smart technology and Wi-Fi Direct
- Easy portable printing wherever you need it. This durable, compact printer fits in your car, backpack, and more, for convenient printing anywhere. Start printing right out of the box with quick and...
- Reduce charging interruptions with a long-lasting battery. Charge from home, in your car or office, and more. Plug in your AC power source to charge within 90 minutes while the printer is off
- Use Original HP 62 ink & HP 62XL cartridges for great results Print after print. Original HP ink prints up to 2x the pages as refilled cartridges
Sometimes a home printer needs to be more than just a home printer which is why the HP OfficeJet 250 is such an easy-to-recommend option.
At just 14.9 x 7.8 x 3.6 inches in size, the HP OfficeJet 250 easily fits into a backpack or car for taking on the go. Portability doesn’t mean much if you can’t print anywhere so expect to get around 225 black prints with the rechargeable battery that takes around two hours to fully charge.
And should you never leave the house with the HP OfficeJet 250, this portable is still pretty great at being able to print a multitude of print sizes including letters, legal, statements, envelopes, cards, and photos.
With all of the available print sizes mentioned, it’s easy still to consider the HP OfficeJet 250 an all-in-one option. Using the 2.65-inch color touchscreen will help you quickly scan and copy documents using the ten-page automatic document feeder. Should you want to print wirelessly, that’s included as you can print from anywhere using the free HP ePrint app and the printer’s built-in Wi-Fi connection.
Go portable with the HP OfficeJet 250 available from Amazon here.
How to Pick the Best Home Printer
You’ve likely already picked up on the idea that choosing a home printer isn’t easy given the large number of available options, but with five main considerations in mind, you’ll be able to find the right one for you.
- Print Speed
- Ink Costs
- Photo Quality
- Size
- Connectivity
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Print Speed
This is a pretty obvious one but when you are looking for a printer, finding one that has average to good print speed is important for a home printer. The last thing you want is to spend a few hundred dollars on a beautiful new home printer only to find out it prints six pages per minute. What you’d like to find is a printer that can handle around 15 to 20 prints per minute in black and white for laser printers and up to ten pages per minute with inkjet.
Ink Costs
The cost of ink has long been a sore sport with printer ownership but the good news is that Epson and Canon, in particular, have taken great strides to not just reduce cost but also reduce waste. Many printers now skip out on cartridges entirely and focus on refilling black or color inks through recycled bottles which can save hundreds and hundreds of dollars in total over the life of the average printer. It’s also good to look for a printer that comes with a few extra black ink bottles which can save you even more time and money.
Photo Quality
When it comes to photo quality, not all printers are created equal. Many printers claim to be strong photo options but to really achieve that, you need a large array of color options plus hyper-sharp text prints. Look for a printer that includes at least magenta, cyan, and yellow as color options (along with black) and one that can print a photo in under two minutes.
Size
Home printer sizes have shrunk over the years but they can still provide a good sized range of available options for any home. There are truly portable options that you can fit in a carry-on or backpack or home printer options that once placed on a desk or end table are unlikely to ever leave that spot. It’s important to consider the available space you have and how much of that space you want to be taken up by a home printer.
Connectivity
This is less of a problem these days but connectivity options like Wi-Fi or AirPrint should be standardized across all printers. Having the option to print from anywhere using HP, Canon, or Epson apps (along with Brother) are not just nice to have but can make your entire workflow easier when you want to print while sitting on a sofa.
Using Home Printers: What It’s Like
Home printers have long been a mainstay of the home office or for families and with remote work on a meteoric rise, their importance has risen tremendously. While it might be easy to consider that as long as you can print, any home printer is good, that’s overlooking a lot of potential hiccups and snafus.
First and foremost, finding a printer with Wi-Fi connectivity is an absolute must as it’s seamless to print from your smartphone or tablet when needed. You might find some truly budget-friendly models that only work with an ethernet connection and that’s okay, but for many people, finding a home printer with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity is a definite must.
The best part of many new printers has been the decreasing cost of ink over time thanks to eco-friendly refillable printers that no longer rely on cartridges. The cost savings cannot be ignored nor can the overall help for the environment so looking for a printer that offers a refillable option is another definite box to check.
