If you're a college student looking for a printer, there are many excellent options to choose from. You can find models for producing detailed photos, quickly printing out documents, or giving the lowest cost-per-print. It's important to choose the printer that's best suited for your needs so that you don't spend more on replacement cartridges than the printer itself, or too much for an expensive printer you only use a few times a year. Other factors like connectivity options and mobile app support can also be good to consider. To cover all your bases, we've included both inkjet and laser options while keeping your budget in mind. Although inkjet printers tend to be cheaper upfront and produce better color prints, a laser printer is your best bet if you don't print often; unlike inkjets, laser printers don't suffer from clogging when unused for long periods, so they can save you money in the long run.
Below are the best printers for college students you can buy. You can also check out our recommendations for the best printers for Chromebook, the best printers for Mac, and the best printers under $100.
Quick Look
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Best Printer For College Students
Build Quality7.5Student8.8Estimated Black Page Yield6,764 printsEstimated Color Page Yield3,766 printsBlack-Only Printing Cost0.004 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.014 US$/printDocument Quality9.0Scanner8.4Color Quality7.2See all our test resultsSpeed6.8The Epson EcoTank ET-3950 is the best printer for students with large printing needs that we've tested. It offers extremely high page yields and low running costs. This model uses refillable ink tanks. The ink is affordable and lasts for thousands of pages, making the ET-3950 ideal for frequent high-volume print jobs. It includes USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connections, along with Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service support, which makes printing from different devices easy. This all-in-one printer also includes a feature-rich scanner. Its automatic document feeder supports both duplex printing and scanning, which helps when processing multi-page documents. The printer isn't the quickest, however. It's relatively slow to wake up from idle, and its scanner can only scan about four pages per minute.
Print quality is great. The printer produces very crisp black-and-white documents and good color prints, although the colors may look slightly muted. If you want to print the occasional photo, the output is sharp and vibrant, even if color accuracy still falls short of professional standards. Scanning results are acceptable, though they can be a bit overexposed. The printer may clog if left unused for extended periods.
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Best Mid-Range Printer For College Students
Build Quality8.0Student8.4Estimated Black Page Yield2,280 printsEstimated Color Page Yield825 printsBlack-Only Printing Cost0.014 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.078 US$/printDocument Quality9.0Scanner8.6Color Quality6.1See all our test resultsSpeed8.1If you print a lot but don't need as many office printer features, check out the Brother MFC-J4335DW. It produces nice documents, doesn't take long to wake from sleep, and prints quickly at 17 black or 15 color pages per minute. Its recurring costs are very low, as it yields a large number of prints, and replacement cartridges aren't expensive. The scanner has extendable lid hinges and processes up to 20 pages per minute through the feeder; however, it doesn't support automatic double-sided scanning like our top pick, the Epson EcoTank ET-3950.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi and USB, and support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service is present. It works with Brother's Mobile Connect app, which you can use to print, scan, copy, and perform maintenance tasks from your smartphone. This model's input tray holds 150 sheets of paper, which is likely big enough that you wouldn't need to refill it regularly. If you have a larger print load, you can get the slightly more costly Brother MFC-L4535DW variant, which has an additional 250-sheet tray for a total capacity of 400 sheets. It also has a larger control panel and more connectivity options, including an Ethernet port and NFC support. See our review for more details.
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Best Budget Printer For College Students
Build Quality8.0Student8.0Estimated Black Page Yield1,178 printsEstimated Color Page Yield766 printsBlack-Only Printing Cost0.021 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.054 US$/printDocument Quality9.0Scanner7.1Color Quality6.6See all our test resultsSpeed5.6For those on a limited budget but who still print and scan regularly, go with the Brother MFC-J1205W, also sold as the Brother MFC-J1215W at Walmart. Its compact size is perfect for tight spaces, and the printer feels impressively well-built. It has a high-resolution flatbed scanner to digitize notes and class handouts, as well as USB and Wi-Fi connectivity. It's also compatible with the Brother Mobile Connect app, which you can use to perform maintenance tasks and order supplies from your mobile device.
You can print over 1,000 black or 750 color pages before the ink cartridges run low, and the cartridges are cheap, so maintenance costs remain low even if you print a lot. It doesn't print that fast, though, pushing only nine black or six color pages per minute. That said, it's still a fantastic choice if you're looking for a budget-friendly printer.
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Best Cheap Printer For College Students
Build Quality5.5Student7.1Estimated Black Page Yield142 printsEstimated Color Page Yield254 printsBlack-Only Printing Cost0.134 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.098 US$/printDocument Quality8.5Scanner7.4Color Quality7.0See all our test resultsSpeed6.2If you need to spend as little as possible, the Canon PIXMA MG3620 is your best choice. This printer is only a good option for a low print load. Otherwise, if you have a heavier print load, you're better off with the more expensive Brother MFC-J1205W because you'll likely save money in the long run. Or, if you only print once in a blue moon, consider using a laser printer. Check out our pick for the best budget laser printer, the Brother HL-L2460DW.
As for the Canon, its build quality isn't as sturdy, as it's made from cheap plastic and lacks some nice-to-have features like an automatic document feeder. But it does what it's supposed to do and prints good-quality documents and photos. It's also a little slow, pushing just nine black and three color pages per minute. The main drawback of a cheap model like this is its low page yield, high maintenance requirements, and potentially high ownership costs. If you print frequently or in high volume, you'll have to replace the ink cartridges often, and since it uses a tri-color cartridge, you'll have to replace the entire cartridge even if just a single color runs out. The cartridges aren't expensive, but your maintenance cost will still add up quickly if you print a lot.
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Best Laser Printer For College Students
Build Quality8.5Student7.8Estimated Black Page Yield1,273 printsEstimated Color Page YieldN/ABlack-Only Printing Cost0.039 US$/printColor Printing CostN/ADocument Quality9.0Scanner8.1See all our test resultsSpeed8.8If you only need to print black-and-white documents but still want the features of an all-in-one model, get the Brother MFC-L2820DW. This all-in-one laser model also features an ADF that scans up to seven pages a minute; while scans look a bit faint, they're exceptionally clear and detailed. Print quality is also outstanding, and the prints come out at an amazing pace, up to 33 pages per minute. It's easily accessible from a wide variety of devices, as you can connect to it via Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and use the Brother companion app for more functionality.
Its page yield is good at around 1,300 prints, and you can get a high-yield XL cartridge that'll last even longer. The drum is a separate unit you'll have to spend extra to replace, although it's usually good for about 15,000 prints, so you won't need to change it too often. There are other variants with more features. For example, the Brother MFC-L2880DW has duplex scanning, single tap NFC support, and prints a little faster at 36 pages per minute. The issue is that this model can be hard to find in North America. See our review for more details about variants.
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Best Budget Laser Printer For College Students
Build Quality8.0Student7.1Estimated Black Page Yield1,273 printsEstimated Color Page YieldN/ABlack-Only Printing Cost0.039 US$/printColor Printing CostN/ADocument Quality6.0See all our test resultsSpeed8.4If you only need to print the occasional document or return label, consider our budget laser pick, the Brother HL-L2460DW. This print-only model feels well-built and sports all the common connectivity options like USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Ethernet. It prints quickly at up to 34 pages per minute, supports automatic duplex printing, and costs little to maintain, thanks to its high page yield and cheap replacement toner. It's also fairly compact and fits nicely into a dorm room or small office space. The main drawback regarding features is the lack of a scanner, so you must be sure you won't need to scan anything when choosing this model.
There's one important difference between this version and previous-generation Brother printers at this price point: the out-of-the-box printing quality isn't what you would expect from a Brother laser printer. However, you can still produce sharp-looking documents by changing the printer's settings; it just takes some work. Check out our full review if you want to learn more about this. Finally, there are cheaper variants if you want to save money, like the Brother HL-L2400D, which prints marginally slower at 32 pages a minute and only offers USB connectivity.
Notable Mentions
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Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw:
If you need color printing but want all the benefits of a laser printer, the Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw is a good alternative to the Brother MFC-L2820DW. It has a faster ADF that's capable of single-pass duplex scanning. However, the printer is slightly more expensive, and you'll have to spend more on toner since there are more cartridges to replace than in a monochrome model.
See our review - Canon PIXMA TR8620a: For anyone who mainly prints photos, the Canon PIXMA TR8620a is a good mid-range alternative to the Brother MFC-J4335DW. It produces higher-quality pictures with a wider range of colors and better accuracy; however, it's slightly more expensive, and its ink cartridges yield far fewer prints, only around 200 black and 300 color prints. See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 28, 2025:
Replaced the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e with the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 as the top printer for college students. It provides better yields and better print quality.
Jan 30, 2025:
We removed the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 as a special mention for teachers to focus our recommendations. We also made small edits for clarity throughout.
Nov 04, 2024:
We've verified our recommendations are available and represent the best choices. We've also made small edits for clarity.
Aug 08, 2024: We've completely revamped this article, introducing a new format, new performance usages, and changes in recommendations to better represent the best choices available.
Jun 20, 2024: Due to availability, we've replaced the Brother HL-L2350DW with the Brother HL-L2460DW and removed the HP DeskJet 3755/3772 from the Notable Mentions. We've also updated the text for clarity and accuracy.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are the best printers for students. 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 all our printer reviews. 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.