The 6 Best Printers For College Students - Fall 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. Also, 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. Also, the cartridge system 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 we've tested.

The best laser printer for college students we've tested is the Canon imageCLASS MF644Cdw. This all-in-one color laser printer is a good choice for students who only need to print black and white documents. It's incredibly well-built, with an input tray that has sliders to accommodate different paper sizes, while access to jams and toner cartridges is easy. There are some great scanning features on this printer, including a flatbed scanner and an automatic document feeder with duplex scanning, which will be very useful for those lengthy course packs.

The cost of printing in black ink is quite affordable and the price of the cartridges isn't that expensive either. The printing speed is great, and it prints color documents a bit faster than black and white. Also, despite lacking Bluetooth, this printer has some great connectivity options, including external storage support, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet. It's also compatible with the outstanding Canon PRINT Business app, where you can scan directly to your phone and print webpages and other file formats.

Unfortunately, photo quality is terrible due to missing detail and a lot of banding present. Color accuracy is still decent enough, but this would be a poor choice for a photography class. Furthermore, buying new color toner is quite expensive and printing in color does get more expensive the higher your volume increases. That said, this is a good choice for students who need to print out black and white documents.

The Canon PIXMA TS8220 is the best printer for college students in the budget category that we've tested. This all-in-one inkjet printer is ideally suited for college dorms thanks to its compact and sleek design. Its flatbed scanner can be extended to allow for thicker items like textbooks to be copied and it has an excellent and easily visible touchscreen menu.

It has a great cost-per-print, with color prints costing just a bit more than black. The yield of the black cartridges may be low, but their upfront cost is also low, ensuring you won't be spending too much when it's time to change them. Fortunately, If you plan on doing tons of printing, Canon has higher-yielding XL and XXL cartridges available to purchase. Also, it has outstanding connectivity options and is fully compatible with the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app.

Unfortunately, it has an unremarkable scanner that lacks an automatic document feeder and duplex scanning, so you'll have to manually load each page when scanning. Because of its design, getting to paper jams can also be a bit difficult and the speed at which those documents are printed is very slow. Overall, if you're looking for a budget printer that won't take up much room in your dorm, this one is a great choice.