The 6 Best Printers For College Students - Fall 2021 Reviews

The best printer for college students that we've tested is the Brother MFC-J4335DW. This model is the replacement for the Brother MFC-J805DW INKvestment Tank. Like its predecessor, it uses the INKvestment Tank, a hybrid cartridge–tank system, for excellent page yields at an outstandingly low cost-per-print. It means you'll rarely need to replace the cartridges, even if you print often.

The build quality is great, with easy access to paper jams. It warms up very quickly to print out the first page, and the overall printing speeds are great. The scanning features are great, including a flatbed with an outstanding scan resolution and an automatic document feeder for multi-page documents. The connectivity options are great, including Wi-Fi Direct, Apple AirPrint, and Mopria Print Service, and you can use the companion app to print, scan, and copy from your phone.

Unfortunately, it doesn't support Bluetooth, which might be inconvenient for some. The photos it prints look only okay, with washed-out blacks and plenty of grain throughout the photo. It also takes a long time to print them. Fortunately, colors have decent accuracy, which should be fine for normal use. All in all, it's a great all-in-one printer that should fit the needs of any student, and it's also one of the best printers with cheap ink that we've tested.

The best printer for students for black and white printing that we've tested is the Brother HL-L2390DW. This monochrome laser model feels amazingly well built and solid, with easy access to paper jams from the rear and a paper tray cassette that expands to accommodate different paper sizes. While it doesn't have a large footprint, it's fairly tall.

The cartridge system has an amazing black page yield, so you won't need to replace the cartridge often, and because the toner is fairly inexpensive, the cost-per-print is superb as a result. Printing speed for black-only text documents is superbly quick, so essays print in no time. Its flatbed scanner has a good resolution and color depth, and the lid's hinges lift to easily scan thicker items.

Unfortunately, the photos it prints are monochrome and have terrible quality, but this is expected from a laser printer. Keep in mind, because the drum unit is separate, you also need to replace it eventually. While its connectivity options are decent, it doesn't support printing via Bluetooth or directly from external storage. All in all, this is a great black and white printer for college students, and it's also one of the best laser printers we've tested.

The best printer for students for photos that we've tested is the Canon PIXMA TR4520. This unit is within the budget range but includes very good scanning features like a flatbed with a high scan resolution and an automatic document feeder for multi-page documents. The connectivity options are decent, including Wi-Fi via router and Apple AirPrint.

It prints impressive-looking photos with clear details and vibrant colors that are decently accurate. Automatic duplex printing is supported, so you can easily print double-sided documents. Also, the cost-per-print for color documents and photos is decent, thanks to the cheap tri-color cartridge. You can also use the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY companion app to print, scan, and copy directly from your mobile device.

Unfortunately, it yields a terrible number of black pages, and the color page yields are disappointing. It prints very slowly overall, so you'll have to wait for long documents. There's no support for Wi-Fi Direct or external storage, which might make it difficult to print from different devices. Overall, this is a good choice for students who need to print great-looking photos for classes or just for fun.

The best cheap printer for students that we've tested is the Brother MFC-J1205W. It feels very well built, with easy access to paper jams via a door on the rear and the ink cartridges in the front right. You can push the output tray all the way in to make the printer more compact if you aren't using it, which is good if you're low on desk space.

It uses Brother's proprietary INKvestment Tank, a hybrid cartridge–tank system, for great page yields at a superbly cheap cost-per-print, which is great if you print plenty of research papers or essays. There's also a flatbed scanner with a good scan resolution, meaning you can digitize handwritten notes, and the lid hinges raise slightly for scanning thicker media. Also, printed photos look decent and have acceptably accurate colors. You can print via Wi-Fi Direct, Apple AirPrint, and Mopria Print Service.

Unfortunately, it prints slowly, so you'll need to wait a little while for longer print jobs to finish. There's also no Bluetooth support, which might be inconvenient for some, and you can't print directly from external media. Although it doesn't have a display, there are five buttons with LED indicator lights that tell you the printer's status. All in all, this printer is an excellent choice for students who need to print on a budget.