Table of Contents
Choosing a printer may sound easy. But once you dive into printer features, it gets daunting. Do you need a basic model just for printing, or one for scanning and copying, too? What about faxes? How do you choose between inkjets and lasers? What’s the real difference between a $100 and a $500 model? Don't fret: This guide will help. As PCMag's resident printer expert, I've been evaluating home and office printers for nearly four decades. PC Labs evaluates printers based on image quality, design, usability, ink cost, and overall value, and we run each printer through rigorous, repeatable speed and imaging tests. This guide has details on our current top picks for home printers, the HP LaserJet M209d and the Epson EcoTank ET-2980, along with vetted picks for more specialized needs. (We stand behind them all.) See below for the pros and cons of each, plus key points to consider when shopping for the best printer for you.
Our Top Tested Picks
HP LaserJet M209d
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
If you don't need a network connection, don't print a lot, and never print in color, the HP LaserJet M209d is the reasonably priced printer for you.
Pros
- Better print quality than most lasers in its price range
- Front-loading tray for easy refills and paper-type changes
- 150-sheet capacity
- Automatic duplex (two-sided) printing
Cons
- No bypass paper feed or optional additional trays
- No Wi-Fi or Ethernet
- Does not support mobile printing
Epson EcoTank ET-2980
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 delivers low running costs, snappy print speeds, and more-than-acceptable output quality, making it an excellent light-duty inkjet for a home or home office.
Pros
- Prints, scans, and copies
- Low running costs
- Automatic print duplexing
- Supports mobile printing and scanning
- USB and Wi-Fi connectivity
Cons
- Scanning limited to flatbed only
- Only one paper tray and a 100-page capacity
- No Ethernet port
Epson EcoTank ET-3950
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Epson EcoTank ET-3950 stands out for its fast simplex (one-sided) printing and its automatic duplex scanning, making it the all-in-one inkjet printer to beat for micro or home offices.
Pros
- Supports printing, scanning, and copying
- Low running cost
- Automatic duplex (two-sided) printing and scanning
- Robust mobile printing and scanning features
Cons
- Duplex scanning uses a reversing ADF rather than a single-pass ADF
- Only one paper input tray
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 AIO prints well and inexpensively, and it offers generous input capacity and lofty volume ratings. It's an incomparable value for small businesses and workgroups.
Pros
- Very low running costs
- Terrific print quality
- Auto-duplexing ADF
- PrecisionCore 4S printhead
- Excellent mobile connectivity options
- Two-year warranty with registration
Cons
- High initial purchase price
Brother MFC-L3780CDW
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Brother MFC-L3780CDW offers excellent output quality with relatively low print costs, making it our top recommendation for a budget color laser all-in-one printer.
Pros
- Prints, scans, copies, and faxes
- Relatively fast
- Competitive toner costs
- Excellent print, copy, and scan quality
- 50-page single-pass auto-duplexing ADF
- Wide range of wireless connection options, including NFC
Cons
- Modest 30-sheet multipurpose tray
Brother MFC-L2900DW XL
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Brother MFC-L2900DW XL mono laser all-in-one printer delivers every feature a small office needs, including the convenience of single-pass duplexing for copying, scanning, and faxing.
Pros
- Prints, scans, copies, and faxes
- 250-sheet paper tray; single-sheet manual feed
- 50-sheet automatic document feeder
- Automatic duplex printing; single-pass duplexing for scanning
- Compact size suitable for small offices or personal printing
Cons
- Separate imaging unit requires costly replacement
- No option for additional paper trays
Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 Wireless Color All-in-One
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
High-quality photo output—plus the ability to scan, copy, and print on discs—makes the Epson XP-8800 a solid choice for printing photos at home.
Pros
- Prints, scans, and copies
- Mobile printing support
- Prints from and scans to USB memory and SD cards
- Two paper trays and automatic print duplexing (two-sided printing)
Cons
- No automatic document feeder
- Scans up to letter and A4 size only
- Lackluster quality when copying photos
Canon Selphy QX20
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Canon's Selphy QX20 spits out high-quality wallet-size prints, delivering almost all you could ask for in a compact photo printer.
Pros
- Dye-sub technology delivers high-quality, long-lasting prints
- Supports borders, rounded borders, and three-sided borderless printing
- Prints on both square (2.7-by-2.7-inch) and card-size (2.1-by-3.3-inch) media
- Prints from Android and iOS devices via Wi-Fi
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Prints' peel-off backing can be frustrating to remove
- Fully borderless printing not supported
Brother PocketJet PJ883
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The top-notch Brother PocketJet PJ883 delivers good speed and output quality for a mobile thermal printer, plus offers lots of connection choices, an optional battery, and support for both PCs and mobile devices.
Pros
- Smaller and lighter than mobile inkjets
- Surprisingly good output quality
- Prints via USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Bluetooth
- Thermal paper eliminates any need for ink
Cons
- Pricey
- Monochrome printing only
Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300 Full Printer Kit delivers industrial-style labeling at low cost, making it attractive to small businesses and even hobbyists who want professional-looking labels.
Pros
- Affordable, industrial-style labeling
- Easy-to-use handheld design with QWERTY keyboard
- Tape choices include plastic, vinyl, magnetic, and fluorescent up to 18mm
- Saves up to 50 labels in memory for easy reprinting
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- Noticeably slow print speed
- Doesn't connect to a PC or mobile device for printing
- Batteries not included
The Best Printer Deals This Week*
- HP DeskJet 2855e Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer — $49 ($89) Save $40.10
- HP DeskJet 4255e Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer — $79 ($109) Save $30.10
- Epson EcoTank ET-2400 Wireless All-in-One Color Printer — $159 ($189) Save $30.00
- HP OfficeJet Pro 8125e Wireless All-in-One Color I... — $119 ($179) Save $60.10
- Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II Wireless All-in... — $499 ($702) Save $203.99
- Get the Best Prices On Printers — Download Our Free Price Comparison Tool $0
- RELATED:
- Best Cheap Printers
- Best Lasers
- Best All-in-Ones
- Best Photo Printers
- Best Business Printers
EDITORS' NOTE
April 18, 2026: With this update, we added the Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 as Best Photo Printer, replacing the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100. All of our remaining picks have been vetted for currency and availability. We currently have three printers in PC Labs for evaluation, from Canon, Epson, and HP.
- Better print quality than most lasers in its price range
- Front-loading tray for easy refills and paper-type changes
- 150-sheet capacity
- Automatic duplex (two-sided) printing
- No bypass paper feed or optional additional trays
- No Wi-Fi or Ethernet
- Does not support mobile printing
The HP LaserJet M209d hits all the right notes for a small-office or personal monochrome laser printer, including speed, quality, and a reasonably low running cost. The combination makes it a strong contender for the mono laser printer you want sitting on your desk. Paper handling is typical for the price and suitable for the range from a personal printer to a shared printer in most small or home offices. In addition to a 150-sheet drawer for up to legal-size paper, the printer supports automatic duplexing.
Home users who print only occasionally: If you're looking to print documents in black and white only, don't print very often, and want laser quality, the LaserJet M209d belongs on your shortlist. Unlike ink, the toner won't be prone to drying out and clogging due to lack of use.
People who need high-quality document prints: The M209d stands out for delivering better output quality in our tests than most mono lasers in its price range.
Users who connect their printers directly to their PCs: The M209d lacks Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, making it best suited for single-user duty, connected straight to your host system via USB.
- Prints, scans, and copies
- Low running costs
- Automatic print duplexing
- Supports mobile printing and scanning
- USB and Wi-Fi connectivity
- Scanning limited to flatbed only
- Only one paper tray and a 100-page capacity
- No Ethernet port
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 delivers low running costs, snappy print speeds, and more-than-acceptable output quality, making it an excellent light-duty inkjet for a home or home office. As with the entire EcoTank line, its running costs are low because it eliminates cartridges in favor of low-cost, bottled-ink refills that you pour into the printer's tanks. It fills the "one step up from strictly entry level" slot for EcoTank printers, and we think it's the best option for homes that need to print, scan, and copy frequently.
People who want a low total cost of ownership: The key argument for choosing the ET-2980 is its low running costs. Compared with printers that use cartridges, it offers a significantly lower cost per page.
Homes with basic printing, scanning, and copying needs: If your printing and scanning needs are minimal enough for the ET-2980's paper-handling constraints, but you still print enough for the low cost per color page to slash your total cost of ownership, the ET-2980 is likely the best fit.
- Supports printing, scanning, and copying
- Low running cost
- Automatic duplex (two-sided) printing and scanning
- Robust mobile printing and scanning features
- Duplex scanning uses a reversing ADF rather than a single-pass ADF
- Only one paper input tray
If all you want from your home printer is to print documents and, perhaps, glossy-paper photos en masse, and maximize your savings on ink while doing it, look into this EcoTank model. Cheap ink is its biggest selling point: When we tested it, the claimed yield and prices worked out to 0.29 cent per mono text page and 1.1 cents per standard color page. The text quality in our tests was easily good enough for most purposes, and paper handling for printing is easily suitable for moderate- or heavy-duty use by home-office standards. Its scanning and copying features are added bonuses.
Home offices and families that print a lot: The EcoTank is geared toward home offices, but it can serve the needs of a heavy-printing family, too. It's all about printing enough, day in and day out, to leverage the low ink costs, since the printer itself, like most bulk-ink/bottle-refill models, is priced on the high side for the feature set. But if you have a home business, plus a family that hits a printer hard for schoolwork or hobbies, it's an excellent longer-term money-saver.
People who need high-quality documents: Text quality, according to our tests, is easily good enough for most purposes, but a step below top tier for an inkjet. For graphics on plain paper, the default settings deliver visually appealing output, with reasonably saturated color and smooth fills and gradients.
- Very low running costs
- Terrific print quality
- Auto-duplexing ADF
- PrecisionCore 4S printhead
- Excellent mobile connectivity options
- Two-year warranty with registration
- High initial purchase price
Epson's EcoTank Pro ET-5850 no longer comes with the two-year supply of free ink it was introduced with, but it's still a great deal for high-volume office printing. This all-in-one boasts a 50-page ADF with single-pass auto duplexing, an ample 550-sheet paper capacity, and near-typeset-quality output for text (and impressive graphics, too). It's as fast as any of its inkjet—and several of its laser—competitors, and it'll cost you only about 2 cents per page for both monochrome output and, more impressively, color.
Small businesses and workgroups: Assuming you stick to letter- and legal-size paper instead of the wide-format media supported by its EcoTank Pro ET-16650 sibling, the ET-5850 is virtually ideal for small businesses and workgroups that crank out up to about 2,000 pages per month.
Offices that need low running costs: This printer is one of the first successful office implementations of the bulk-ink concept that slashed consumer printers' page costs—to under a penny for black and white. But most of those printers don't have the chops for busy office duty. This one does.
- Prints, scans, copies, and faxes
- Relatively fast
- Competitive toner costs
- Excellent print, copy, and scan quality
- 50-page single-pass auto-duplexing ADF
- Wide range of wireless connection options, including NFC
- Modest 30-sheet multipurpose tray
Color laser all-in-one printers are neither cheap (this one's north of $500 at this writing) nor compact (about 50 pounds), but the Brother MFC-L3780CDW is a worthy workhorse by small office standards thanks to a 250-sheet paper drawer, a 30-sheet multipurpose tray, and a 50-sheet automatic document feeder that offers single-pass duplexing. It bolsters the usual Ethernet and Wi-Fi office network membership with versatile connectivity for mobile devices. And its output quality is exceptional.
Businesses of any size: This is a printer built for business use, but its price isn't so out of reach that smaller companies can't consider it. The MFC-L3780CDW will appeal to both large and small enterprises with its reliable performance and competitive running costs (approximately 12.3 cents per color page and 2.3 cents per black-and-white page).
Offices that require secure printing:Â The MFC-L3780CDW features wireless NFC badge authentication, which can be valuable if you need to protect sensitive business information from being visible in prints sitting in the output tray.
- Prints, scans, copies, and faxes
- 250-sheet paper tray; single-sheet manual feed
- 50-sheet automatic document feeder
- Automatic duplex printing; single-pass duplexing for scanning
- Compact size suitable for small offices or personal printing
- Separate imaging unit requires costly replacement
- No option for additional paper trays
Photo-perfect color inkjets get more attention, but compact, low-cost monochrome laser printers will never die for small offices and workgroups that mostly crank out black-and-white text documents. Heavy-printing families can use them, too, especially if they have students who print lots of worksheets or report drafts. For these uses, the Brother MFC-L2900DW XL is the mono laser AIO of the moment that others will have to beat, and the pricing is aggressive, too.
The MFC-L2900DW's standout feature is its ability to scan in duplex, although it offers several other perks, including being compact enough to place on your desk instead of on a dedicated printer table.
Small offices and workgroups: Small offices (and workgroups within larger offices) will benefit from this AIO the most. You won't use it for photo or image printing, but for raw document input and output, it's a super printer.
People who like to save money on toner: Brother sells the same printer under two different names: the MFC-L2900DW or the version we tested, which adds an "XL" after the model number. The XL version costs an extra $50 and packs an extra toner cartridge in the box. Given that the cartridge lists for $84.99, it's hard to see why anyone would choose the $50 savings for the non-XL version.
- Prints, scans, and copies
- Mobile printing support
- Prints from and scans to USB memory and SD cards
- Two paper trays and automatic print duplexing (two-sided printing)
- No automatic document feeder
- Scans up to letter and A4 size only
- Lackluster quality when copying photos
Thanks in large part to its six-color ink system, which helps boost color quality, the Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 Wireless Color All-in-One printer delivers both high-quality photo output and a long list of features. In addition to printing, it can scan and copy using its flatbed, and it also supports mobile printing and can print directly on appropriately surfaced discs. Other welcome features include a 4.3-inch color touch screen for giving commands, an output tray that automatically extends from its closed position when you start a print job, and a touch-screen prompt asking if you want to retract the tray when you power down.
Families: At $329.99 list at this writing, the XP-8800 is a little pricey, but it delivers enough to earn it our top recommendation for families who need a light-duty home AIO that can also print high-quality photos at up to letter—or even legal—size.
Hobbyists or those with a critical eye for photo quality: The XP-8800's photo output quality, when paired with appropriate photo paper, matches that of a professional photo lab. Shadow detail and highlights held well in our tests, and we saw no hint of common issues like posterization or dithering.
- Dye-sub technology delivers high-quality, long-lasting prints
- Supports borders, rounded borders, and three-sided borderless printing
- Prints on both square (2.7-by-2.7-inch) and card-size (2.1-by-3.3-inch) media
- Prints from Android and iOS devices via Wi-Fi
- Easy-to-use app
- Prints' peel-off backing can be frustrating to remove
- Fully borderless printing not supported
Canon's Selphy QX20 produces high-quality wallet-size prints, delivering almost everything you could ask for in a compact photo printer. Unlike most competing models, which offer business-card-size or square (Instagram-style) prints, the QX20 can handle either. And it offers plenty of other reasons to pick it up. At the top of the list is its high-quality, long-lasting output, thanks to its dye-sub technology, along with Canon's notably easy-to-use print and editing app.
People who want square and rectangular photos: A key issue when choosing a snapshot photo printer is that it must be able to print in the size and format you want. If you need the QX20's two print sizes (square and business-card-shaped) from one compact printer, it's pretty much the only choice.
People who want easy-to-use software: The Selphy Layout app is as easy to work with as any we've seen. In addition to letting you print, it offers basic photo editing and a handful of manipulations and effects.
- Smaller and lighter than mobile inkjets
- Surprisingly good output quality
- Prints via USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Bluetooth
- Thermal paper eliminates any need for ink
- Pricey
- Monochrome printing only
The printer market is flush with portable printers that can print snapshot-size or Instagram-style square photo prints, but truly portable printers that can churn out letter-size documents are much less common. Brother's line of PocketJet thermal printers has been doing that for many years.
Thermal printing means it prints without ink, in mono only, using thermal paper. Brother's papers are rated to hold an image for either seven or 20 years, and are sold in continuous and perforated rolls, single sheet packs, and fanfold stacks. The printer itself isn't cheap, the thermal paper has a limited life without fading, and the output is strictly monochrome, but the connection flexibility and extreme portability (it weighs just 1.34 pounds, including its battery) make this model a winner for this very specific usage case. Note that Brother offers a range of PocketJet models that are basically variations on the same theme, differing in print resolution, battery inclusion, and connectivity.
Couriers and other mobile workers: This is a niche printer, to be sure. Portable models like this one are commonly used for applications that require printing in a vehicle—say, receipts in a delivery truck or tickets in a police car.
Contractors: The PJ883's lightness and compactness also suit it for everything from printing a roofing proposal at a potential customer's kitchen table to churning out invoices or info at a street fair. You'll need to keep a cache of the special paper, but you'll never have to worry about refilling ink tanks.
- Affordable, industrial-style labeling
- Easy-to-use handheld design with QWERTY keyboard
- Tape choices include plastic, vinyl, magnetic, and fluorescent up to 18mm
- Saves up to 50 labels in memory for easy reprinting
- Lifetime warranty
- Noticeably slow print speed
- Doesn't connect to a PC or mobile device for printing
- Batteries not included
Just right for light-duty plastic label printing, refrigerator magnets, and more, the Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300 Full Printer Kit delivers industrial-style labeling at low cost, making it attractive to small businesses and even hobbyists who want professional-looking labels. It capably handles a variety of media, including standard plastic labels for home or business use, heat-shrink tube tape for labeling cables, and magnetic decals that make excellent promotional fridge magnets. The level of capability for the price makes the LW-PX300 a clear Editors' Choice pick for low-volume printing of industrial labels.
Hobbyists and small e-commerce businesses: Hobbyists straightening up a workshop and small retailers or kitchen-table-based online shippers adding bar-code labels to merchandise will find the Epson LW-PX300 handy, thanks to its ability to print to a wide variety of label types.
Factory or IT workers with extremely light-duty needs: This label maker is ideal for light-duty industrial-style labeling—for industrial or IT workers who need to flag cables, pipes, and bins—but only occasionally, and only a few at a time.
The Best Printers for 2026 Compare Specs
Printers vary widely based on what you intend to print with them, whether you need color printing or just monochrome, and whether they’re for home use or business use (or dual use in a home and home office). In particular, high-quality printing for text, graphics, and photos requires different capabilities for each. And even if you print just one kind of output most of the time, you also may want a printer that can do other things well. Be clear about the full scope of your printing needs before you buy.
Most printers are designed for either business (usually office) or home use. Generally, business models are designed primarily for text if they are mono printers, and both text and graphics if they are color models. Home printers (typically inkjets) favor photos, and often graphics.
Special-purpose options include label printers, portable printers, and dedicated and near-dedicated photo printers. (Even among specialty printers, 3D printers are a special case, and beyond the scope of this discussion.)
Should I Get an All-in-One Printer, or a Single-Function Model?
Most printers today add extra functions beyond printing. The additions always include scanning, which can be convenient and economical if you have light- to moderate-duty scanning needs. If you don't need scanning or related features like copying and faxing at all, however, or your scanning requirements are heavy-duty, you might be better off with a single-function printer and a separate scanner that's appropriate to your needs.
Most lasers, and some inkjets, with extra functions include "multifunction printer" or "MFP" in the names, while most inkjets, and some lasers, use "all-in-one" or "AIO." The two terms, and their acronyms, are interchangeable. Along with scanning, the additional functions almost always include some combination of standalone copying, standalone faxing, faxing from your PC, standalone emailing, emailing through your PC, and standalone copying to and printing from online systems.
Office MFPs typically include an automatic document feeder (ADF) to handle multipage documents and legal-size pages. Many ADFs can handle two-sided documents—either by scanning one side, flipping the page, and scanning the other, or by using two sensors to scan both sides of the page in a single pass. Some single-sided ADFs let you scan one side of a stack of pages, flip the stack manually to scan the other side, and then automatically interfile the pages in the right order.
Some inkjet AIOs offer additional printing options, including printing on optical discs. Many let you print documents and images from, and scan to, mobile devices. Some models let you email documents to the printer from anywhere in the world and print them. Our roundup of the best all-in-one printers will help you sift through the many options out there.
Is Inkjet or Laser Better?
Generally, business models use laser or similar technology (more on that shortly) and are geared toward text, or text and graphics, while home printers are generally inkjets and favor photos and graphics. Within each printer category, the quality of each kind of output varies widely. Some business printers can handle all three types well enough for in-house printing of brochures and other marketing materials, for example.
The two most common technologies, laser and inkjet, increasingly overlap in capabilities, but there are still differences. Most lasers and LED printers (which are identical to lasers except for using LEDs as a light source) print higher-quality text than most inkjets, and almost any inkjet prints higher-quality photos than most lasers. However, some inkjets today print text that's nearly laser-quality, except for a tendency to smudge if the paper gets wet, while some lasers print photos at what's known as business-quality, which translates to good enough for a trifold brochure. The best printer tech for you depends on what you print.
What Are the Most Common Types of Printer?
Beyond questions of technology and output type, there are several more finely grained printer categories to consider when searching for the best model for you. Knowing the best category for your needs will massively narrow down your options right from the start.
Home printers (approximate price range: $50 to $250) are almost exclusively inkjets (with the exception of some small-format dedicated photo printers). They are built for low-volume printing, tend to be slow, and also tend to have high ink costs. They typically print photos better than text, and may or may not print graphics well. Almost all of them are all-in-ones. If your budget is tight and you want a single, inexpensive printer for text, graphics, and photos that also handles photos reasonably well, this is where to start.
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 ranges from about 100 sheets to 500 sheets, depending on the model. Most of these printers are also suitable for micro offices (up to five people), and many are excellent choices for households, especially for students who print a lot of documents for school.
Home-office printers are a subset of business printers ($100 to $2,500 or more), which range from compact models for low-volume use to gigantic floor-standing units that can anchor a department. Most business printers are lasers (though inkjets have been making inroads into that market for years), and many are monochrome, intended primarily for text rather than graphics and photos. Most are multifunction devices. For many businesses, speed and paper capacity are paramount, and security is important as well, which is why many business printers offer security features such as password-protected printing. Some even employ accessories such as an encrypted hard drive or an ID card reader to limit access to documents.
Regardless of the home or business category a printer falls into, cost can be a key factor. In general, the more expensive the printer, the lower its per-page printing costs, while the lower the cost per page, the more expensive the printer will be. Whether you'll save more with a low-cost printer or low-cost ink depends on how much you print (more on this later). Some printer makers also offer ink subscription programs that can lower running costs, particularly if you print close to the number of pages included in the plan.
Near-dedicated photo printers ($400 to $2,000) are designed for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts, but almost all of these photo printers are just as useful for graphic artists, since they also print high-quality graphics. Some are wide-format printers designed to print on paper up to supertabloid size (13 by 19 inches), and many can also print on paper rolls. For precision color, they use up to a dozen ink cartridges. Ink cost per page for these models is much higher than for office printers, due to the amount of ink they use. The total cost per page is higher still because their inks are designed to print on a range of expensive, high-quality papers, each of which can give the image a somewhat different look.
Small-format photo printers ($80 to $250) are dedicated devices built strictly to (you guessed it!) print photos, especially from smartphones. Print sizes can range from wallet-size to 5 by 7 inches, and many models can print only a single size. Most are highly portable, and either come with a battery or accommodate one that you can buy separately.
Tabloid- and supertabloid-size printers ($150 desktop printers to multi-thousand-dollar floor-standing beasts) are another subset of business printers. These wide-format machines come in the same potential variations as other office printers, from mono-only or color-capable, to printer-only or MFP, to inkjet or laser. The difference is that they can handle printing on up to tabloid (11-by-17-inch) or supertabloid (13-by-19-inch) size paper. Note that the least expensive in this group accept only one large sheet at a time, making them useful for printing at this size in small quantities only, and only occasionally.
Label printers are built to churn out paper or plastic labels. Some include label design software and connect to your computer, while others are standalone devices that let you design and print labels using a small, built-in keyboard. Manufacturers of either kind of label printer typically offer a variety of label colors, types, and sizes.
Portable business printers aren't common, but they can be useful for applications like printing a proposal for a potential customer while sitting in their office or at their kitchen table, or printing the latest version of a handout for a potential client while sitting in your car, just before a meeting. Typical models in the portable printer category are compact and lightweight, and use inkjet or thermal printing technologies. Most come with a rechargeable battery.
What's the Best Printer for Occasional Use?
As with most situations, even if you print rarely or only occasionally, the best printer depends on what you need to print. Conventional wisdom is to focus on inexpensive inkjets. However, inkjet nozzles tend to clog if you don't print very often, which can force you to either waste a lot of ink in cleaning routines or even throw out cartridges filled with unused ink. If you don't need color, and particularly if you print text only, you may actually save money by spending more on an inexpensive mono laser from the get-go. Lasers don't have any nozzles to clog, so you can let them sit for months without printing, then fire them up and print without problems. They also offer better text quality.
The choice is a little trickier if you need color graphics or photos. Color lasers have the same advantage as mono versions: no nozzles to clog. But even the least expensive ones are pricey enough that you may not want to put that big a dent in your bank account. They're also bigger and heavier than you may want to deal with.
If you need to print photos only and never anything larger than 5 by 7 inches, a small-format photo printer may be the best option. Most use technologies that, as with lasers, don't have any nozzles to clog. If you need to print on letter- or legal-size paper, or print color graphics as well as photos, an inkjet is the only other choice.
How Much Does a Printer's Duty Cycle Matter?
The short answer to how much you should care about duty cycle is easy: It depends. The long answer starts with understanding the difference between the maximum and recommended duty cycles. The maximum duty cycle is the absolute limit a printer can print per month without affecting the maximum number of pages it can print in its lifetime. The recommended duty cycle is usually defined as how much it can handle on a regular basis and still last as many years as it was designed for. It's sometimes based instead on the paper capacity and how frequently you can conveniently refill the trays.
Many inexpensive printers don't provide duty cycle ratings at all, or show only the recommended version on their spec sheets. If you print only a few pages a day or less, that's not an important oversight, since you're unlikely to overshoot the number of pages per month the printer is designed to deliver. If you print enough that you think the duty cycle might matter, however, don't buy a printer that doesn't include that information. Figure out how much you print by how often you buy paper and in what amounts. If you usually print double-sided, count each sheet as two pages in your calculations. Then pick a printer designed to print at least that much.
What Paper Types and Sizes Do You Print On?
Be sure to consider the minimum and maximum paper size you print on, paper thickness, and whether you need a duplexer to print on both sides of the page. If you often print on more than one type of paper—switching to envelopes, checks, or letterhead, for example—look for a printer with multiple drawers, or at least a single-sheet bypass tray, so you don't need to constantly unload regular paper and load your specialty media, then reload the regular paper. You'll also want a paper capacity that won't require too-frequent paper refills. A good rule of thumb is that you shouldn't have to refill paper more than once a week, on average.
How Much Will a Printer's Total Cost of Ownership Be?
The high cost of printer ink is a traditional sore spot for both home and business customers, which has led major manufacturers to introduce ways users can lower their per-page ink costs. But the printer makers are also keen to preserve their own revenues, which means you need to think in terms of the total cost of ownership —the initial cost plus the total cost of ink over the printer's lifetime—to know which printer will be less expensive in the long run.
Depending on how many pages you print, paying a high cost per page for a low-cost printer can actually be the less expensive choice. (Our primer How to Save Money on Your Next Printer shows how to calculate the total cost of ownership for inkjets. The same logic works for any printer.)
If you print enough to make a high-cost printer with low-cost ink the more economical choice, "bulk ink" may be the way to go. Epson’s EcoTank and SuperTank printers, Canon's MegaTank printers, and HP's Smart Tank Plus printers use inexpensive bottled ink that you pour into internal tanks, while Brother’s INKvestment models ship with high-capacity ink cartridges—in some cases, several sets of them—that offload ink into reservoirs, or tanks, within the printer. With any of these models, you'll pay extra up front for the printer, but the included ink will last a long time, and additional bottles or cartridges are notable for their low price. (See more about how to save on printer ink.)
Ink subscription programs are another way to lower ink costs. 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 same fee applies for either black or color printing, and each company automatically sends you more ink when you run low. These programs can save you a considerable amount of money, particularly if you print mostly in color and print close to the number of pages included in the plan.
How Fast Do You Need to Print?
If you print only one or two pages at a time, you don't need a speed demon. In fact, most home printers are not built for speed, and most lasers with high page-per-minute (ppm) claims omit the first page from the calculation, giving the much slower first-page-out (FPO) time separately. If you print a lot of longer documents, however, the fast speed starting with page 2 is more important, in which case you probably want a laser printer.
As a rule, laser printers will be close to their claimed speeds for text documents, which require little processing time. Inkjets often claim faster speeds than more expensive lasers, but they often don't live up to these claims. However, inkjet printers have been getting faster, and a few recent high-end models (sometimes dubbed "laser alternative" inkjets) can hold their own against comparably priced lasers in terms of speed. (See how we test printers.)
How Are You Going to Connect Your Printer?
USB ports remain ubiquitous on printers. Most office printers, and an increasing number of home printers, also include an Ethernet jack, Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, or both, which allow you to share the printer with your home or office network. (If you're having trouble with this feature on your current printer, here's how to troubleshoot your printer's Wi-Fi connection.) Printers that offer Wi-Fi Direct (a peer-to-peer protocol that sometimes masquerades under a different name) can connect directly to most Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
Most major printer companies now offer mobile apps so you can snap a photo with your phone and print it directly, without having to transfer it to a computer first. Small-format photo printers often support Bluetooth for connecting mobile devices and more. A few printers can connect to a mobile device for printing via Near Field Communication (NFC) when you tap a phone or tablet to a specific spot on the printer. However, the NFC fad seems to be fading.
Do You Need Printer Security Features?
Printer security is often overlooked, but at your peril. Hackers can gain access to a network through the printer, and for any office printer that you're not right next to, sensitive documents in the paper tray can be seen by prying eyes before you get to them. Many business-centric models include a private printing feature, so that after you send the print job to the printer, you have to enter a PIN at the printer's control panel to actually print it.
For business printers in particular, firmware should be kept up to date, as it often fixes vulnerabilities, and any printer hard drives should be encrypted. Many manufacturers offer administrative tools to help IT departments ensure printer security.
How Do You Gauge Printer Size and Weight?
To a large extent, a printer's size and weight are dependent on the paper handling features you need, but even so, there are considerable variations. Make sure the printer will fit in its allotted space (in all three dimensions, including paper feeders and output trays that may need to extend), and isn't too heavy to move around if you decide to renovate. Suitably compact printers are available for people who live and work in dorm rooms or other tight spaces.
Should You Buy Third-Party Printer Ink?
For inkjet tank-based printers, ink from the printer manufacturer doesn't cost enough to be an issue. For cartridge-based printers, third-party ink is often significantly less expensive. But be aware that it can also come with a whole tank full of trouble.
First, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get the same quality ink from a third party that you would when buying the manufacturer-branded product. Also, using non-approved ink can void your warranty. And don’t think you can get away with secretly using that renegade ink: If your printer has an internet connection, it may well report your violation to the manufacturer. Sometimes, after a firmware update, we've seen a printer "deauthorize" the use of third-party/aftermarket cartridges.
Many printer manufacturers now offer ink subscriptions, so new ink shows up at your door (or is promised to show up, at least) when you need it. If that's available for your model, it's often the best option.
Should You Buy Cheap Printer Paper?
For everyday printing, store-brand 20-pound weight paper will usually serve nicely. However, you'll often get better-looking output if you step up to a higher-quality paper. For lasers, as well as for inkjet text and graphic printing, that means a heavier weight and possibly a brighter white level. For photos on inkjets, it means getting matte presentation paper or photo paper. Getting photo or matte paper from the same brand as your printer is usually the best choice; printer manufacturers design ink and paper to work together, and they often offer a variety of presentation and photo papers.
Recycled paper also offers acceptable quality, and you can find 100% post-consumer-content recycled paper for many uses, including cover stock and bright white paper suitable for business use. There are other kinds of eco-friendly paper as well, such as all-purpose paper made from sugar cane and photo paper made from cotton. Do your small part to save a tree and research eco-friendly media options. Any modern printer will handle them well.
What Type of Printer Is Best for Home Use?
The best printer for your home depends, once again, on what you plan to print. As a general rule, if you print text only, or text and graphics that don't need color, a mono laser printer will do the trick. 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.
Laser printers have the advantage of being able to sit for months without being used, and then simply turn on and work, without the clogged nozzles or wasted ink for cleaning them that inkjets sometimes need. Whatever technology you choose, if you plan on doing any scanning or copying, but not so much that you need a standalone scanner, look for an all-in-one or multifunction printer. Decent AIOs aren’t that much more expensive than their printer-only counterparts.
Should You Buy a Refurbished Printer?
Printers have reached the point where improvements are infrequent and incremental, so buying a printer that’s a few years old isn’t going to mean sacrificing any groundbreaking technology. That said, if you buy a refurbished or used printer, get it from a trustworthy source, make sure it's been recertified by the manufacturer, and look for a reasonable warranty and return period. Here's what to know before buying refurbished electronics.
Ready to Buy the Right Printer for You?
You should now be ready to shop based on our advice and key picks for various usage cases. Keep in mind what you need to print, how many pages you need to print, and how much you're willing to pay up front and per page, and you'll be sure to find the best printer for you. If you're replacing an old printer, recycle or donate it so it can become someone else's refurbished bargain.
If money's tight, start with our picks for the best cheap printers, and check out how to save money on ink. If you're shopping for a business, we've got the best business printers rounded up for you as well.
