The 7 Best Printers for Home Use HP® Tech Takes

Table of Content

• So, Which All-in-One Printer Should I Buy?
• Best Mono Laser (Print-Only)
• Best smart printer for the home
• Should I Get an All-in-One Printer, or a Single-Function Model?
• Is laser printer suitable for home use?
• What Type of Laser Printer Do You Need: Print-Only or All-in-One?
• Create Lab-Quality Photo Prints At Home

Easily manage printing tasks and scan on the go with the HP All-in-One Printer Remote mobile app. The Canon G3260 inkjet color ink refills are designed for the PIXMA G3200 and G3240 Wireless All-in-One Printers. PIXMA Color Ink Cartridges provide professional quality results and last up to 50% longer than standard ink cartridges, which means you get more pages and prints from your devices. Smart software and easy setup make it fast and easy to print documents and photos. A laser printer is the perfect choice for businesses that need high-quality prints quickly and easily.

Wireless printing is a popular feature to look for when choosing a new printer. Let’s look at a handful of other common decisions, features and functions to look for when buying a new printer. Each printer includes a list of compatible operating systems in its specifications sheet. Most of them support commonly used operating systems, including those in Mac and PC computers and laptops.

So, Which All-in-One Printer Should I Buy?

Pigment-based inks have solid particles in the mix and consequently last longer. Today's printers employ the same basic technologies, but much has changed. However, all agreed that your final choice should depend largely on what you intend to use the printer for. When you first set up your printer, do a test print of at least 12 pages.

Home-office printers ($100 to $400) are largely inkjets or inexpensive mono lasers, and are built for low- to mid-volume printing. Most inkjets in this category are all-in-one printers, geared primarily toward text and graphics printing, though some also handle photos well, while most lasers are printers only. Paper capacity starts at about 100 sheets, though higher-end models can hold up to 500 sheets.

Best Mono Laser (Print-Only)

A decent capacity tray will come in handy, even if you don't print in high volumes. Especially if you see a printer with a very low up-front price, look carefully at the cost of replacing the ink or toner. Some printer manufacturers charge less for their printers upfront because the long-term profits come from high-priced ink or toner.

This printer has a 600-sheet paper capacity, distributed among three paper trays (two with a 250-sheet capacity in the front and one with a 100-sheet capacity in the back). If you only need to print in black, a monochrome laser printer might be a better fit. Its page yield is amazing at around 2000 pages, and the toner is relatively cheap. The downside is that it doesn't have the drum built into the cartridge, so you'll have to spend extra to replace the drum separately. It's usually good for about 12,000 pages, though, meaning you won't have to do it too often. It prints very quickly at over 30 pages per minute, doesn't take long to wake, and performs double-sided printing automatically.

Best smart printer for the home

Some of the most common printers include inkjet printers, laser printers, and copiers. Make an impact with high-quality color and increased productivity. Get the fastest in-class two-sided printing speed and First Page Out Time . Count on simple security solutions, and get easy mobile printing. HP Instant Ink is the big one here, along with Brother Refresh EZ Print and Canon Pixma Print Plan. All offer owners of select printers the option to pay a monthly fee for printing up to a certain number of pages.

(The included instructions answered any questions she had.) The same control panel can be used to select between printing, copying, and scanning as well as monitor paper and ink levels. This printer also works with smart devices, including phones, tablets, and Alexa. Fortunately, there is a computer version as well as one for your smartphone. The rest of the setup and printing process is pretty straightforward, according to our tester. Small design features also stood out in testing, such as the ideal length of the cord to keep office clutter to a minimum. However, this printer only prints and does not include scanning or copying functions.

Canon imageClass MF269dw

It's ready to crank out page after page with flawless, vividly colorful Excel and PowerPoint graphics and typesetter-quality text, at speeds only the most expensive enterprise printers can beat. It offers plenty of connectivity and expansion options, plus extensive fleet security features. If you opt for a laser printer, a monochrome laser printer’s toner cartridges tend to be inexpensive.

If photos are on your agenda, you need an inkjet or dedicated small format photo printer. If the only color output you print is graphics, you probably want an inkjet as well, but if you print infrequently, an inexpensive color laser may be the better choice. If you plan on doing any scanning or copying, but not so much that you need a standalone scanner, you should look to an all-in-one or multifunction printer. Decent AIOs aren’t that much more expensive than their printer-only counterparts. Our pick for the best budget home printer is the Brother MFC-J1205W. It's a good option if you print just a little more than the occasional project.

While not a big difference, if you are printing a lot of photos, there may be faster options or those that also print in color. Like other laserjet printers, this option is a bit pricey, especially considering that it does not print in color. But given the long life of its cartridges and fast printing, it is still a good value. Brother calls this an INKvestment Tank printer, the company’s answer to Epson and Canon's refillable ink tank printers.

You also get the ability to print wirelessly, so you can easily print from any computer or mobile device—no annoying cables required. This printer also has a slot for your memory card so that you can print photos directly. You can also connect your smartphone or tablet using the Canon app. The print quality is best for black and white documents but also decent for color and photos as well. There’s no auto-duplex mode, for example, no multipurpose tray, no fax, and no display. There’s just an A4/letter-sized scanner bed for copying documents one side at a time and a paper tray that can hold 150 sheets of A4.

Is laser printer suitable for home use?

Ink is delivered automatically to your door, which means you don’t need to shop around or place an order. Plus, you’ll get your next ink cartridge before you run out of the one in your printer. See your shared print queue and know when your photo is next in line, then scan your printed photo to unlock content. It has a special sticky backing so you can choose to use your prints as full-color stickers. It’s your new social tool for capturing the best moments of your life and sharing them on the spot.