A printer isn’t a product you should have to think too much about. Once you’ve got it set up, you should just be able to rely on it to spit out documents, homework, party invitations, or photos whenever the need arises. Whether you’ve got simple needs or heavy needs from a printer, you really just need to do its thing without being too slow or constantly needing to have its ink replaced.Fortunately, there are some really powerful and flexible printers on the market that are up to the task. From laser printers focused on quickly churning through massive black-and-white print demands to multifunction printers that can handle photography and documents alike. Some models even use multiple types of black ink for different purposes.The point is, there’s a printer for just about everything, and we’ll help you find the printer that’s just right for you. We’ve picked out a wide range of printers and included key specs like printing speeds, ink cartridge counts and types, as well as the resolution they can print and scan at. This way, you’ll know just what you’re in for.
TL;DR These are the Best Home Printers:
1. HP OfficeJet 5255 All-in-One Printer
Best Home Printer
Printer type: Inkjet Ink Cartridges: 1 x Cyan, 1 x Magenta, 1 x Yellow, 1 x Black Max printing speed: 10 ppm (black), 7 ppm (color) Max printing resolution: 4,800 x 1,200 DPI Max paper size: 8.5″ x 14″ Max copying resolution: 600 x 300 DPI Max scanning resolution: 1,200 DPI Power consumption: 0.11-14W Weight: 14.4 pounds Size: 17.5″ x 7.8″ x 22.2″
One of the best things about HPs multifunction printers is that they last years longer than most consumer products. For the past eight years, weve been using the same HP home office printer and OfficeJet 5255 is the latest evolution of just that. It prints, scans, copies, and faxes and does each task equally well. For that reason, its best for the home office user that sometimes needs hard copies or to fax into the new decade. To make your life even easier it only uses two ink cartridges: there are black and color. Thats it.2. HP Envy Pro 6455
Best Budget Printer
Printer type: Thermal Inkjet Ink Cartridges: 1 x Tri-Color, 1 x Black Max printing speed: 10 ppm (black), 7 ppm (color) Max printing resolution: 4,800 x 1,200 DPI Max paper size: 8.5″ x 14″ Max copying resolution: 300 x 300 DPI Max scanning resolution: 1,200 x 1,200 DPI Power consumption: 0.10 Watts (Off), 4.0 Watts (Ready), 1.70 Watts (Sleep) Weight: 15.4 pounds Size: 17″ x 14.2″ x 6.8″
For a simple printer that’ll cover all the essential features, the HP Envy Pro 6455 is a winner. This inkjet printer can handle your printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. With a design that combines all three colored inks into one cartridge, the focus is definitely document printing, but you can still print off clear graphics and even photos on HP’s photo paper. It also supports a decent range of paper sizes from 3×5 inches up to 8.5×14 inches.The HP Envy Pro 6455 isn’t a printing beast, but it manages a respectable 10 pages per minute for black-only prints, so you can get through the 35-page auto document feeder fairly quickly. It can also scan at a reasonably high resolution. And, with Wi-Fi connectivity, it’s easier to use for the wide variety of devices you might want to print from in the modern digital age.
3. Epson Expression Photo XP-970 Small-in-One Printer
Best Inkjet Printer
Printer type: Inkjet Ink Cartridges: 1 x Cyan, 1 x Magenta, 1 x Yellow, 1 x Light Cyan, 1 x Light Magenta, 1 x Black Max printing speed: 8.5 ppm (black), 8 ppm (color) Max printing resolution: 5,760 x 1,440 DPI Borderless printing: 11″ x 17″ Max scanning resolution: 4,800 DPI Power consumption: 0.2-20W Weight: 19.4 pounds Size: 18.9″ x 11.6″ x 26.3″
Of course, we needed a photo printer on this list. In this segment, Epson is arguably making the best option without getting too large. Even though most folks print no bigger than 8×10 inches, its nice to know that you can print photos on legal-sized paper using the XP-970. Part of what makes this Epson Expression Photo Printer so special is the fact that it has six ink tanks instead of the standard black ink and single color ink tank.Thats right, it doesnt just print with the three basic primary colors and blackbut instead, there are six tanks so it can mix the most intricate of hues. That lets you get more accurate color prints. Of course, it also means that you have more ink to replace overtime or to get refilled. But thats often worth it for every budding creative.
Pro Tip: Before you print images, let your monitor warm-up for at least a half-hour. That way youve got a better chance at getting colors more akin to what youll see from your printer.
4. Canon Color imageCLASS MF743Cdw
Best Laser Printer
Printer type: Color Laser Toner Cartridges: 1 x CYM, 1 x Black Max printing speed: 28 ppm Max printing resolution: 600 x 600 DPI Max paper size: 8.5″ x 14″ Max copying resolution: 600 x 600 DPI Max scanning resolution: 600 x 600 DPI Power consumption: 0.6-1,470W Weight: 64 pounds Size: 18.8″ x 18.8″ x 18.4″ – 21.4″ x 43.8″ x 34.1″
If you’ve got a lot of printing to get done, the Canon Color imageClass MF743Cdw is a capable champ. This is a hefty printer and can have an extra paper cassette added to the bottom, dramatically expanding the paper capacity from 300 sheets to 850 sheets. That can cut down on time wasted restocking during major printing loads. Despite being a laser printer, this model can handle both monochrome and color printing.A 5-inch touchscreen display helps make setup and use of the printer that much easier. And, support for Wi-Fi Direct makes sending files to the printer simple. You won’t need to connect computers with USB cables to print, and can even easily print from smartphones and tablets.
5. Canon MAXIFY MB5420
Best Home Office Printer
Printer type: Inkjet Ink Cartridges: 1 x Cyan, 1 x Magenta, 1 x Yellow, 1 x Black Max printing speed: 24 ppm (black), 15.5 ppm (color) Max printing resolution: 1,200 x 600 DPI Max paper size: 8.5″ x 14″ Max scanning resolution: 1,200 DPI Power consumption: 0.9-27W Weight: 28.4 pounds Size: 18.1″ x 18.3″ x 13.9″
When Canon announced their Canon MAXIFY MB5420, they targeted small business owners with several features. For starters, its got a big emphasis on connectivity. Using Google Cloud Print, Apple Air Print or Canons own printing app its pretty easy to use no matter which device youre printing from. Youve also got black, magenta, yellow and Cyan ink types with the option of going for XL size cartridges if youre a power user. If youre in a rush and printing out a ton of FedEx labels, you can be confident that the MB5420 is going to do it quickly.The Canon Maxify MB5420 also has a built-in scanner. Thats nice for folks that dont like using scanning apps on their phone like CamScanner. And if youre interested, Canon makes some class-leading Pro Luster Paper for gorgeous prints to adorn your home.
6. HP LaserJet Pro M404dn
Best High-Output Printer
Printer type: Laser Toner Cartridges: 1 x Black Max printing speed: 40 ppm Max printing resolution: 1,200 x 1,200 DPI Max paper size: 8.5″ x 14″ Power consumption: 0.05-495W Weight: 18.9 pounds Size: 15″ x 9.5″ x 25″
If youre one of those people who never has a major need to print color, then the HP LaserJet Pro M404dn is worth it for you. Its yet another laser printer and arguably the fastest one on this list. Its pretty simple too. There is one toner cartridge and its black. You can print with it connected to your computer or you can use AirPrint or CloudPrint (though the latter will be going away by the end of 2020). Quite honestly, those are your best bets as its otherwise got a fairly old USB port connectivity option.7. Epson SureColor T3170
Best High-End Photo Printer
Printer type: Inkjet Ink Cartridges: 1 x Cyan, 1 x Magenta, 1 x Yellow, 1 x Black Max printing resolution: 2,400 x 1,200 DPI Max Paper Size: 22″ x 34″ Power consumption: 0.2-28W Weight: 60 pounds Size: 38″ x 20″ x 9″
The Epson SureColor T3170 comes at a high price point of around $1,000. If youre spending this much cash, you should know that youre almost spending as much as professional photo printers. This printer makes prints at a 2400 x 1200 dpi resolution–which is far more than most folks need. And when printing at the best quality, itll probably take a few minutes. With Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ink options, its well equipped to print most documents with graphs.Another reason whys it so pricey? Well, its got a router built into it. That means you can skip buying one or a Wi-Fi Mesh system and use your printer to connect all your devices. Of course, it can hook onto your existing Wi-Fi network as well using its touchscreen interface, which also makes it easy to print from a tablet or a smartphone. Once you set it down, youre probably not going to want to move it around. Its heavy!
8. Canon Pixma TR150
Best Portable Printer
Printer type: Inkjet Ink Cartridges: 1 x BKCYM, 1 x Black Max printing speed: 9 ppm (black), 5.5 ppm (color) Max printing resolution: 4,800 x 1,200 DPI Max paper size: 8.5″ x 14″ Power consumption: 0.3-8W Weight: 4.63 pounds Size: 12.7″ x 7.3″ x 2.5″
Your home printer doesn’t have to live strictly at home. The Canon Pixma TR150 is compact and lightweight, making it far more portable than your typical printer. Weighing in at a little under five pounds, it doesn’t weigh much more than laptop, and it won’t take up much more space than a large textbook.Despite its compact nature, you’re still getting the functionality you’d expect out of a quality printer. the Pixma TR150 can print in both color and monochrome, and it can support up to Legal paper size and has room for 50 sheets of paper in its rear tray. It’s printing resolution also matches that of many other home printers. You do miss out on copying, scanning, and faxing, but Canon has at least included support for wireless printing, so you can leave the USB cables at home. You can leave the power cable at home as well if you pick up the optional battery, which will give you power for up to 330 prints.
What to Look For in a Home Printer
When youre looking for a printer, you should really ask yourself about what features youre going to need. Some printers are better for home business owners while others make more sense for families.Laser printers are usually best for the folks who mostly print text documents and dont have any major reason to print in color. So an accountant printing tax documents have a bigger need for a laser printer than a Real Estate agent for example.
Realtors prefer to put color photos to accompany their listings in the window of their offices to attract those who dont spend their money on avocado toast. For that reason, Realty companies could make the most of an inkjet printer. Plus, there are lots of connectivity options.
The cool thing about modern printers is that printer manufacturers realize folks are printing less and less across the board. This goes for both the photo space and the work environment. So while the market has been shrinking, printer manufacturers are trying their damndest to get you to buy their products. Theres a lot of innovation happening right now and the consumer ultimately benefits from the strongest surviving options.
Chris Gampat is a level 75 Author Bard with over a decade of experience. Most of his focus has been on tech, photography and men’s lifestyle. He eats nutella from the jar like a real grown up.Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
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