If you find yourself looking for the best printer under $100, you may notice that your options are quite slim. And when you finally do find a model, you may wonder what features or capabilities you're missing out on. While models at this price point still generally produce excellent quality prints, you often lose out on some advanced features like an ADF, duplex scanner, and especially things like supertank ink systems to reduce long-term costs.
But where the hardest-to-spot disadvantage of cheap printers often hides is in the overall cost over time. While you may spend less upfront, almost all cheap printers are much more expensive to print in the long-run, due to things like the cost of the ink cartridges. Also, with all inkjet printers, the ink can clog if you don't print every month or so, requiring you to purchase new cartridges. For those reasons, if you don't print often, it may be worth it to look into a cheap laser printer if you don't need to print photos or in color, though unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to find those under $100.
Below are our recommendations for the best printers under $100. If you're more interested in better value printers, even if they may cost a bit more up-front, check out our picks for the best cheap and budget printers. Or if you just want to see some of our favorite printers altogether, take a look at our recommendations for the best home printers and the best black-and-white printers.
We've tested over 170 printers since 2020 with one goal in mind: to give you reliable, unbiased reviews that help you choose the right printer for your needs. To keep things fair, we purchase every product ourselves from major retailers, just like you would. Each printer then goes through a thorough, standardized testing process that evaluates all the key factors you should consider when buying a new model. From build quality and cost per print to color accuracy and overall performance, we provide as much detail as possible to guide your decision.
Want to learn more about our methods? Look at our How We Test Printers article for a deep dive into our testing procedures.
-
Best Printer Under $100
Color Cartridge PriceUS$Black Cartridge PriceUS$PhotoSmall OfficeBlack-Only Printing CostUS$/printSee all our test resultsColor Printing CostUS$/printThe best printer under $100 that we've tested is the Canon PIXMA TS4320, a variant of the Canon PIXMA TR7120 that we bought and tested. While the regular price is slightly over $100, it often goes on sale for $60 to $70 USD, and that's when we'd recommend it. The main difference between the TS4320 and the variant we tested is that it lacks an ADF scanner, has no display, and is physically a little bit smaller. However, they use the same ink cartridges, so despite saving quite a bit up front by going with the lower-priced variant, you won't pay more in the long run. There's also another variant (the TS6520) that has a display and costs about $10 more. Overall, the actual printing specs are the same between all the variants, so we expect the performance to be identical to what we experienced in our standardized hands-on testing.
Speaking of performance, it's decent overall. It isn't the fastest in the world, but it delivers an acceptable 12 pages per minute (PPM) for black-and-white printing and six PPM for color printing. We found the documents to look excellent in both color and black and white, and it prints good-looking photos, especially considering the price point. As is usual with this price segment, the long-term costs are where things start to look a little sour. The cartridges are fairly expensive to purchase ($34 for color and $26 for black at MSRP), and you'll only get about 250 pages per cartridge. Though shockingly, this is still one of the better cost-per-print ratios we've seen for a printer under $100. -
Best Small Office Printer Under $100
Color Cartridge PriceUS$Black Cartridge PriceUS$PhotoSmall OfficeBlack-Only Printing CostUS$/printSee all our test resultsColor Printing CostUS$/printIf you use your printer for more office-type tasks, we recommend the Brother MFC-J1360DW. While this printer's MSRP is slightly over $100, it often goes on sale below that threshold. Immediately upon seeing this printer, it might look more like an 'office' printer than the previous pick, due to its inclusion of an ADF scanner, which makes it much easier to scan multiple documents. It also has a 1.8" screen, which can make navigating the settings much easier, especially if you want to do quick photocopies without involving your computer at all.
Despite only being a little bit more expensive upfront than the Canon PIXMA TS4320, the Brother's cost-per-print is decently lower. This is in large part thanks to the fact that each color has its own cartridge instead of one unit for all three colors. This means that if you print something with a lot more cyan, you don't have to throw away all of your other ink just to replace it. Unfortunately, photo printing isn't as good as the Canon's, though photos still look good overall, and both color and black-and-white documents still look excellent. -
Best Portable Photo Printer Under $100
Color Cartridge PriceUS$Black Cartridge PriceUS$PhotoSmall OfficeBlack-Only Printing CostN/ASee all our test resultsColor Printing CostN/AIf you want to print photos on the go, check out the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2. This compact printer fits easily into a small handbag and features a built-in rechargeable battery, so you can print anywhere. It's designed for use with Android and iOS smartphones and connects easily through Bluetooth. Using the Polaroid Hi-Print mobile app, you can print, access your photo library, take a picture with your smartphone, and apply basic image processing, such as adjusting colors and photo size, while adding a filter, text, sticker, or frame to your photos.
It produces 2" x 3" portraits using Polaroid's proprietary Hi-Print Generation 2 photo paper. The print quality isn't that great compared to desktop printers, but for its niche use case, this printer is the best, as it produces nicely detailed photos that are fun for capturing the moment at a special event or night out. You can get the printer on its own or in a bundle with packs of photo paper. Unfortunately, its photo paper is very expensive, so recurring costs will quickly add up if you print a lot. Also, its battery lasts just 20 prints, so you'll want to keep the charging cable close.
Notable Mentions
-
Canon PIXMA TR4720/TR4722:
The Canon PIXMA TR4720 is a decent alternative to the Canon PIXMA TS4320 if you want features like an ADF scanner and a screen. However, it feels a lot cheaper, and its cost-per-print is way lower, meaning you'll pay much more over time, eliminating the money you save upfront.
See our review -
Canon SELPHY QX20:
The Canon SELPHY QX20 is a great alternative to the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2. It produces a slightly wider color range, particularly brighter tones, while the Polaroid is better at reproducing fine details. Just know the Canon is usually more expensive.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jun 11, 2026:
We completely overhauled the article to better reflect the current market and only recommend printers that are actually available for under $100. We rewrote the introduction to better explain the disadvantages of printers in this price bracket, and changed the filters of the table tool to better showcase printers under $100.
Mar 05, 2026:
We added a reference to the Brother MFC-J1360DW in the main pick's text; this is the Brother MFC-J1010DW's successor, and presents an excellent alternative. Other picks are still relevant and available.
Oct 28, 2025:
Confirmed that all picks are relevant and available. These are still our best picks for printers around the $100 price mark.
Apr 28, 2025:
Minor text changes for clarity and conciseness. No change in recommendations.
Jan 31, 2025:
We've verified our recommendations are available and represent the best options. We've also made some edits for clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best printers for under $100 for most people. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of our cheap printer reviews, sorted from least to most expensive. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no printer is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.