Best Home Printers 2023 - Hebei Handheld Inkjet Group Co.,Ltd

Even though sci-fi movies have long promised us a paperless society, paper documents often remain a necessity. When you need to print something for yourself, the kids or your work, you can't beat the convenience of having a printer at hand. Better still, most printers can copy and scan as well. After thoroughly testing 11 models across different printer types and prices, I chose the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e as our best home printer overall. For the best value pick, I chose the HP DeskJet 4155e.

After rigorous testing, these are our picks for the best home printers.

Nearly all printers now include Wi-Fi, so you can print wirelessly from your PC, smartphone or tablet. Another trend: Manufacturers are leaning into ink subscriptions and high-capacity ink tanks to help lower the costs of consumables—a longstanding pain point for inkjet owners.

The home printer market is a vast landscape that spans both inkjet and laser print technologies. I narrowed down that landscape and then spent weeks hands-on with 11 models to determine our picks below.

As a writer with over 30 years’ experience covering consumer technology, I’ve used or tested every kind of printer imaginable. My work has appeared everywhere from CNET to Yahoo, and I’m the author of the weekly newsletter Deal Secrets, which shares great bargains and unique ways to save money. My expertise there helped to inform this roundup, in which I paid close attention to each printer's cost of consumables. (If the printer itself is cheap but the ink will put you in the poorhouse, that's no good.)

Since these printers are intended for home use, I capped the retail price at $400. Since prices fluctuate, some of these printers have an MSRP above $400 when there are no retail discounts in play.

While print speed and quality are obviously key factors in evaluating any printer, I also focused on real-world considerations like ease of setup, ease of use (Does it have a convenient control panel? What software does it include?) and overall versatility (Can it copy, scan or fax as well? Does it do automatic two-sided printing?). Tech-challenged users, take note: A lot of these models are a pain to set up. I also considered the cost of replacement ink.

I tested all the printers via a Wi-Fi connection to a Windows 11 PC, at the default print quality settings using 20-pound copy paper. To gauge speed, I clocked how long it took each printer to output a ten-page PDF document containing a mixture of text, graphics and photos—from the time I pressed "print" to the time the last page finished. I examined the printed pages closely, looking at the text's weight and sharpness and images and graphics’ clarity and color.

Unsurprisingly, the monochrome laser printers were the fastest overall, with the Canon ImageClass MF452dw cranking out the document in just 22 seconds. The slowest laser, Brother's HL-L2305w, was still plenty fast at 39 seconds.

Most of the inkjet printers completed the PDF test in anywhere from one to two minutes, which I suspect will satisfy the majority of home users’ daily use. While there's not enough variance to warrant much debate over speed, the minor speed differences among the printers might add up if you’re printing a lengthy, 100-page document, for example. For the record, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e won the day with an impressive 45-second print time. By comparison, our best value home printer, the HP DeskJet 4155e printed that same document in 1 minute, 53 seconds—more than twice the time required by the HP OfficeJet 9015e.

For the eight color printers I tested, I ran three 4 x 6-inch test photos on standard glossy photo paper. I found these printers output photos of similar quality, with good (if not nuanced) color reproduction and clarity. Unlike the PDF, which I printed from a PC, I sent the photos to each printer via their respective companion mobile app, an obvious decision given the prevalence of smartphone photography.

Amazon

Best for:

Skip if:

The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e makes a good impression the moment it comes out of the box, starting with its stylish two-tone design and streamlined appearance. And it continues to impress once installed, cranking out pages nearly as fast as a laser printer and offering nearly every feature a home user is likely to need.

HP's setup guide is easy to follow, a rare find among the models I tested. Armed with this guide, I found the overall setup process about as simple as it gets: Insert the four ink cartridges, print and scan a test page, then install the accompanying mobile and desktop apps. In addition to Wi-Fi, the printer supports USB and ethernet connectivity.

The printer measures 10.9 x 17.3 x 13.5 inches, a footprint that's fairly compact but might overwhelm a small desk. It has a bright, 2.7-inch color touchscreen, which can tilt up for easier visibility. The touchscreen is a hair cramped, especially if you have large fingers, but the uncluttered interface affords easy access to core functions like copying and scanning. I especially liked how I could configure the shortcuts menu for multi-step tasks, such as "scan and email." The scan feature can also scan documents to your Dropbox or Google Drive.

The HP OfficeJet 9015e is about as versatile as home printers get, with a 250-sheet paper input tray, automatic double-sided printing and a 35-sheet auto-duplexing automatic document feeder (ADF) that can copy, scan and fax double-sided documents without manual intervention. It also has a USB Type-A input on the left side, so you can easily print from and scan to a USB drive. The only thing missing is any kind of bypass tray for fast feeding of envelopes or photo paper.

As noted earlier, the HP OfficeJet 9015e was the fastest inkjet printer I tested, finishing the ten-page sample document in just 45 seconds. Overall print quality was very good: Graphics looked crisp and vibrant, and text appeared dark and uniform, though with just a trace of splotchiness on a couple of the fonts. You’d barely notice this aberration in most cases, and it disappears entirely if you bump the print quality up from the default "Better" setting I used in my tests.

This printer's one weakness lies with its photo printing. It produced smooth, passable images that I’d deem good enough for home projects, but not up to the same caliber as others I tested. If you plan on printing a lot of photos, I’d suggest considering a different model.

My real struggle here is with consumables: A replacement set of 4 ink cartridges retails for a hefty $113. However, this works out to a fairly reasonable 2.2 cents per monochrome page and 8.9 cents for color.

You can bring those costs down by subscribing to HP's Instant Ink program, which automatically ships new cartridges to you when the printer detects it's close to running out. The program's pricing ranges from 99 cents to $25 per month depending on how many pages you print, and you get a free six-month trial so you can test the subscription waters. You must sign up for that trial within the first seven days of installing the printer, and doing so requires a credit card. As with many such trials, you’ll need to cancel to avoid getting billed once it expires. You also need to register for HP+ to unlock certain printer benefits, including a second year of warranty coverage, but there's no charge for that.

The HP OfficeJet 9015e is a superb home printer that combines stylish looks with fast, high-quality printing. In a perfect world, it would support a second paper source and do better at printing photos, but otherwise it's easy to recommend as a standout in a sea of printer choices.

Best for:

Skip if:

How good can a $100 all-in-one printer possibly be? In the case of HP's DeskJet 4155e, surprisingly good. It looks and functions like something pricier, starting with its 35-sheet ADF—a feature that's uncommon at this price (although, the similarly priced Brother MFC-J1010DW has an ADF as well). Even better, it prints well on copy paper, though in my tests this model proved it was no speed demon.

The HP DeskJet 4155e is a little more challenging to set up than its larger cousin. It includes a terse, incomplete setup guide. Curiously, the guide doesn't mention how to install ink cartridges; for that, you have to look at the separate reference guide. This printer uses a single black and a single color cartridge, behind a deeply recessed access panel I found tricky to open.

The HP DeskJet 4155e control panel is easily accessible and intuitive.

Continuing the setup was smooth sailing thanks to HP Smart, a novice-friendly mobile app that handles connecting to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (for setup). The app also puts a lot of the printer's core functions at your fingertips with a clear, visual interface—a welcome find, considering the printer has just a single-line monochrome display and buttons to navigate its functions and settings. The app also enables faxing a scanned document, something the printer can't do directly. Another: super-handy Shortcuts, like "scan to Google Drive" and "print, email, and save."

Though admirably compact at 13.1 x 16.9 x 7.9 inches, the HP DeskJet 4155e needs several inches of front and rear clearance to accommodate its input and output trays. The input tray tilts out from the back and holds just 60 sheets, so plan on reloading fairly regularly. It's also kind of a pain, forcing you to lean way over the printer to see what you’re doing (the ADF partially obstructs the view). The input tray's sliding paper guide is challenging, too—it's both hard to see and hard to reach. If you often switch among paper, envelopes, photos and the like, you might prefer a printer with a front-loading paper tray, like the Brother MFC-J1010DW.

The HP DeskJet 4155e has a basic control panel, with the aforementioned small status LCD flanked by seven buttons. On the right, press the color button (offset by an array of colors) or the monochrome button to copy a document; press multiple times to increase the number of copies. The left buttons are less intuitive. One toggles wireless on and off, another resumes print jobs. And the "i" button? Well, you’d think pressing "i" would show information on the LCD, but it actually prints an information page.

It took the HP DeskJet 4155e nearly two minutes to print our ten-page sample document, making it the slowest model tested. Its text was dark and sharp, though, the best of the value contenders. I was surprised the printer had more pep when printing photos, where it output my test images quickly and produced good overall results. In my test document, graphics and images exhibited vibrant color, but appeared grainy. Unsurprisingly, switching to the "best" print quality setting yields vastly improved results, though doing so makes an already slow printer even slower.

The HP DeskJet 4155e comes with a 6-month HP Instant Ink trial so you can decide if an ink subscription works for you. You must sign up for that trial within the first seven days of installing the printer, and doing so requires a credit card. As with many such trials, you’ll need to cancel to avoid getting billed once it expires. You also need to register for HP+ to unlock certain printer benefits, including a second year of warranty coverage, but there's no charge for that. If the subscription isn't a good fit, a standard dual-cartridge replacement set would cost you about $32; a high-yield set about $53. That translates to a relatively high cost-per-page of around 14 cents (with a standard black cartridge yielding 120 pages, a standard color 100). A subscription has the potential to reduce those costs.

While not perfect, the HP DeskJet 4155e handles basic printing, scanning and copying chores very well, at a low up-front cost and with better quality than competing models. And it has the best companion app of any home printer manufacturer (and the same app as the HP OfficeJet 9015e).

Amazon

Best for:

Skip if:

With its oversize touchscreen, dual input trays and sizable footprint, the Canon ImageClass MF452dw looks like something you’d find in a fancy office. Fortunately, it's priced to fit home budgets (on sale, its price dips to $250 or less). Canon's monochrome laser was the fastest printer I tested, and it aced our test document, producing razor-sharp text and smooth, well-balanced images.

Once I got this big, heavy (36 pounds) machine situated and removed all the packing tape (there was an unusually large amount of packing tape), the printer was ready to use. The toner cartridge came installed and ready to use (something I’ve never seen in a laser printer), and its roomy, 5-inch touchscreen made it easy to get connected to the Wi-Fi network and navigate print, copy, scan and fax functions. However, Canon's only desktop software setup instruction was a curt, "Download the desktop software."

The Canon ImageClass MF452dw offers a large, color touchscreen display.

There's very little this printer doesn't do. Aside from its rapid print speeds, its standout features include a 250-sheet input tray and 100-sheet multipurpose tray (for things like envelopes and labels). You can scan documents directly to the cloud service of your choice. If you really want to get into volume printing, you can add an optional 550-sheet third tray to the bottom of the printer, an accessory that reflects this model's intended office use.

The printer includes a standard toner cartridge that should last for about 3,100 pages. A standard replacement costs about $100, while Canon's high-yield cartridge (good for nearly 10,000 pages) costs around $225. To put that in some perspective, a typical inkjet might be good for only a couple hundred pages before you need new ink cartridges. Laser printer toner doesn't dry out the way ink does. Plus, you don't have to worry about a print head getting clogged up, a common issue with inkjet printers. This is why I often champion laser printers to home users who don't print very often; they’re cheaper to operate over the long haul and present fewer hassles.

Amazon

Best for:

Skip if:

The Brother MFC-J5855DW is an absolute beast of a printer, both in terms of physical size and print prowess. Its desk-swallowing footprint accommodates a 250-sheet paper tray that can hold media up to 11 x 17 inches. There's also a bypass tray for feeding photo paper and envelopes, without having to swap out your main paper supply.

This machine was refreshingly easy to set up, with little packaging to remove and easy-to-install ink cartridges. A spacious touchscreen interface made quick work of the initial configuration, and I liked the detailed instruction manual, which included links and QR codes to set up videos online.

The Brother was one of the fastest inkjet printers I tested, at least for documents. Photos took longer to print and appeared a bit grainy, but they exhibited good color quality overall. In our test document, text looked a touch soft and overly dark, but images and graphics were solid overall. Brother's mobile app puts print, scan and copy controls at your fingertips, but the desktop software is dated and limited, offering just basic scan tools.

Brother promises that the four included "Inkvestment" cartridges can last you up to one year (based on 300 pages per month). A replacement set costs about $100. That still translates to an extremely low cost per page, around 1 cent per monochrome page and 5 cents per color, making this a great fit for small offices that need to print big on a budget.

The four standout printers here left seven models by the wayside, though all of them have points in their favor. Here's a look at the ones that didn't make the cut—but might still be worthy of your consideration.

Canon Pixma MG3620 Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer

Epson Workforce WF-2960 Wireless All-in-One Printer

When choosing a home printer, there are several factors to consider. I spoke to Valerie Alde-Hayman, senior analyst at consumer research firm Gap Intelligence. She notes that wireless capabilities, two-sided printing and device footprint (the space required on your desk) are top priorities when shopping for a home printer, and that those who print large volumes also look closely at print speeds. Let's walk through these factors below, to help you make an informed decision:

The first step is to assess your printing needs. Consider how often you print documents and what types of documents you print (text, photos, graphics, etc.). For example, if you routinely need to print envelopes, you might want a printer with a rear input tray and front output tray to keep the envelopes or heavy paper stock from curling.

The Canon ImageClass MF452dw is my pick for best laser home printer.

Next consider other special features you may need, such as scanning, copying and faxing. Most all-in-one printers can handle scanning and copying, and some also handle faxing over a landline. While you can find printers that only print, as our roundup here shows, you don't have to spend tons of money to get an all-in-one printer. Some models handle these abilities better than others, though. If you scan a lot, look for a model that gives you lots of destinations for those scans: PC, USB drive, email and so on. And if color printing isn't important to you, a monochrome laser printer is a great bet: It’ll produce razor-sharp text on plain paper and typically print more quickly than an inkjet. Plus, you don't have to worry about print heads drying out and expensive ink cartridges going to waste.

Some printers are easier to set up than others. If you’re not especially tech-savvy, it might be good to enlist a friend to help with things like ink cartridge installation and Wi-Fi setup. Unfortunately, very few printers come with instructions for configuring the printer using desktop software, which you’ll need for basics like printing and more advanced features like scanning.

All printers can print from a computer, smartphone or tablet. But some printers are better suited for walking up and using via the control panel or touchscreen than others. If you frequently use your printer to do a quick walk-up copy, scan or fax, look for a touchscreen control panel, which makes doing so easier. Investigate a printer's mobile app (in your preferred app store) before making a purchase decision; if it looks up-to-date and logically designed, that's a good indicator of how easy the printer is to use once it's in your home.

The typical all-in-one printer can print, scan and copy; some models can fax as well, either directly (via an old-school landline) or via mobile app. If you plan to copy or scan lots of pages—or even just a few—look for a model with an automatic document feeder (ADF). An ADF can zip through stacks of pages, a time-saving convenience over tediously feeding pages on the flatbed scanner one at a time.

Similarly, if you want to save time (and paper), choose a printer that supports automatic duplexing. This feature lets you print on both sides of a page without having to flip it over manually. You might also want an ADF that can perform double-sided scans as well.

Finally, look at the paper handling options. Most printers can accommodate multiple sizes, weights and media types, but if they have just one input tray, you’ll be doing a lot of manual switching. Some models include a second tray, usually called a multipurpose or bypass tray, for feeding other media without added hassle. If envelope printing is on the menu, look for a rear-feed or straight-path tray to help minimize curling.

This is arguably the trickiest part about choosing a printer, because the old "bargain-razor, expensive-blades" model is still in effect: The printer itself tends to be fairly affordable (if not outright cheap), but ink can cost a pretty penny.

As noted above, a monochrome laser is almost always the cheapest to operate, and toner lasts for years; it won't dry out the way ink does. For high-volume color printing, however, an ink-tank model (which you refill yourself using actual bottles of ink) is likely to be your best bet, though it’ll usually cost you more up front.

"If shoppers have the budget to spend up front on a device and would like to achieve long-term cost savings, then they should strongly consider an ink tank printer," says Alde-Hayman.

As for old-school cartridge-based models, many are now available with ink subscriptions, which deliver replacement cartridges on-demand and can cost less than buying them à la carte. An ink subscription is convenient and might save you money, but it requires you to anticipate how many pages you might print in a given month. Your savings depends on your printing habits.

This age-old question has an age-old answer: If you need to print color, buy an inkjet—but keep in mind that ink can be expensive and printheads can clog or dry out with lack of use. A laser printer won't have this problem, and toner cartridges typically have a much lower cost-per-page, but home laser printers don't print color pages typically (and those that do have expensive color toner). There are color lasers, yes, but they tend to be large and expensive, and therefore not ideal for home users.

The problem with traditional ink cartridges is that they’re fairly small, and therefore can't hold much ink, and therefore need to be replaced frequently—which gets expensive. An ink tank printer can hold considerably more of the stuff, and when it runs out, you just refill the ink tanks from plastic bottles. Although ink tank printers cost more up front, you can definitely save in the long run. An ink tank printer is an excellent value for anyone who does high-volume color printing, but you can expect to see a higher purchase price for the printer itself.

The Brother MFC-J5855DW is a tank-based all-on-one printer and my pick for best home office printer.

This question is tougher to answer because there are so many variables. In theory, it makes sense to pay a small monthly fee so you never run out of ink, especially if that fee works out to less than buying cartridges à la carte. But unless you print roughly the same amount every month, and even the same kinds of documents (that use similar amounts of ink), the math gets complicated. Thankfully, you can usually try an ink subscription free for at least a couple months, which should help you determine whether it makes sense to continue.

If you want to print on both sides of the page, look for a model that supports double-sided printing, also known as duplexing. A printer that supports auto-duplexing can automatically print on both sides of a page. Some models have manual duplexing, in which you can instruct the printer to pause the job after one side finishes so you can turn the page over manually. This gets tedious and time-consuming, and it's often challenging to know which way to orient the paper for the second side. If double-sided printing is important to you, choose an auto-duplexing printer.

For even more great deals on printers, check out Forbes Coupons. You can find big discounts from brands like Dell, HP and Best Buy.