The 6 Best Printers For College Students - Black Friday 2020 Reviews

The best inkjet printer for college students that we've tested is the Brother MFC-J995DW. This all-in-one model is an outstanding option for college students while also being a smart choice for small businesses and family use. It has a sturdy build, and the ink cartridges are easily accessible from the front. It has a flatbed scanner and an automatic document feeder, which will be useful if you have to scan a large textbook.

Even if you're printing in large amounts, the cost-per-print is very affordable. The cartridge system also features Brother's INKvestment Tank ink system, meaning it'll last longer before needing replacement. It has some good connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet for a more reliable connection, and plugging it directly to your computer via USB. Also, it's compatible with the remarkable companion app, Brother iPrint&Scan, where you can print, scan, and copy directly from your mobile device.

Unfortunately, while printed photos look great and detailed, they often come out misaligned when performing borderless printing. Also, color accuracy is mediocre and wouldn't be recommended for students in print media. Also, it lacks a Bluetooth connection and is relatively slow at printing black-only documents. That said, this is a superb option to help students save money in the long run and one of the best all-in-one printers that we've tested.

The best laser printer for college students that we've tested is the Canon imageCLASS MF644Cdw. Its superb design gives easy access to paper jams and toner cartridges, and its input tray has sliders to accommodate almost any paper size you need. It has a flatbed scanner, an automatic document feeder that can perform duplex scanning, and the scanner lid has hinges that can open wide enough to scan a thick textbook.

The cost-per-print is impressively low thanks to its outstandingly high page yield for both color and black-only documents. Although the color cartridges are quite expensive, especially if you need to replace all three at once, you shouldn't need to replace them too often. Black-only and color documents both print out quite fast, so you can get those last-minute assignments in your hand quite quickly. It also has great connectivity options, letting you print via Wi-Fi, an Apple or Android device, or an external storage device.

Unfortunately, it's pretty terrible at printing photos, with some areas missing detail and others containing a lot of banding, but this is common for a laser printer. Colors aren't very accurate, but it should be decently accurate enough for a pop of color in a report. Although you might have trouble finding a spot for its bulky size in your dorm room, this printer might be worth the compromise if you want a very good laser printer with a high page yield and low cost-per-print.

The best printer for college students in the budget category is the Canon PIXMA TS8220. This all-in-one inkjet printer is an excellent option for students, thanks in part to its compact design that fits great in small apartments or dorm rooms. It feels pretty sturdy overall and has a removable power cable, making it easy to replace in case it gets damaged. There's a scanner flatbed with extendable hinges that allows thicker documents or textbooks to be copied.

While the black cartridges don't hold much ink, they aren't very expensive, ensuring a very low cost-per-print. Color cartridges are significantly more expensive, but they have a higher page yield, meaning you won't have to replace them very often. It's pretty slow at delivering both black-only and color documents, but photos come out relatively quickly. The photo quality is great, with very little graininess or banding.

Unfortunately, because it only has a flatbed scanner, scanning multi-page documents might be very time-consuming and tedious since you'll have to do it all by hand. Also, paper jams are an even bigger pain because you need to lift quite a few parts to reach them. Colors are inaccurate, but this shouldn't matter unless you need great color representation in your assignments. Nevertheless, the Canon is still an amazing budget printer for students and is among the best wireless printers that we've tested.