The 6 Best Home Printers - Summer 2022 Reviews

The best home printer we've tested is the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550. This all-in-one model uses six ink cartridges with the addition of gray and photo black ink, allowing it to produce more detailed photos with better shading. It's also a supertank model, meaning it has a refillable ink tank instead of cartridges. A full tank yields thousands of prints, and replacement ink is cheap, so you can print to your heart's content without worrying about rising maintenance costs. It takes about 50 seconds to print a 4" x 6" photo on glossy paper, and it supports borderless printing up to 13" x 19".

Although this is a photo printer, it produces very high-quality documents, too. That said, if you only plan on printing documents, you can easily find cheaper models that can do it just as well, like the mid-range picks we have below. This model also lacks features like an automatic document feeder and duplex scanning, though it does produce amazing scans that look sharp and colorful. You can connect to the printer via Wi-Fi, USB, or Ethernet, and you can print directly from an SD card.

If you only need a printer for document printing and general office tasks, you can save some money with the Epson EcoTank ET-3850. It's also an all-in-one color inkjet model with a refillable ink tank. It's a great choice for households that print a lot, as a full ink tank yields thousands of pages. The ink bottles are cheap, so you don't have to worry about high maintenance costs. It prints black and color documents well, and it does so at a decent speed, churning out 15 black or seven color pages per minute. Printed photos look detailed and colorful, albeit not very color-accurate as it tends to oversaturate the colors a bit.

For connectivity, you get Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and it supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, making it easy for every household member to access the printer. The scanner produces exceptionally high-quality scans, which is great for digitizing old family photos, and it has an automatic feeder to process multi-page documents. However, it's slow, as it can only scan up to three pages per minute and doesn't support duplex scanning. It's compatible with Epson's mobile app, which you can use to print, scan, copy, and perform maintenance tasks.

If you're looking for something even cheaper but don't want to go too cheap, the mid-range Brother MFC-J4335DW might be more compelling. It's an all-in-one inkjet model that yields around 2200 black and 800 color pages, and you can get higher-yield cartridges that'll last even longer. It prints black and color documents quickly, and it doesn't take too long to wake from sleep and get a page out. This printer has USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, and is compatible with Brother's mobile companion app. The main downside is that it prints photos with a lot of grain and washed-out colors.

For our budget pick, we chose the Brother MFC-J1205W. It's an inkjet model designed for people who print just a little more than the occasional project. It has a sturdy build, prints decent-looking photos, and yields around 1100 black and 700 color pages. As it's a budget model, you do have to compromise on a few features, like an automatic feeder and Ethernet connectivity. It's also on the slower side for printing speed, so it isn't the best option if you regularly print long reports or essays. What you're paying for is the high page yield, which helps keep your maintenance costs low.

If you just need a cheap printer for those once-in-a-blue-moon projects, our recommendation is the Canon PIXMA MG3620. It doesn't feel particularly well-built and only has a basic flatbed scanner, but it prints good-quality documents and photos. The main thing you should know about a cheap model like this is that its page yield is very low at around 200 black or color prints, meaning you'll have to replace the cartridges often.

The cartridges are relatively cheap; however, the cost can still add up over time if you print often, and it's also a lot of maintenance. You can get XL cartridges that'll last longer, though they'll still yield fewer prints than the budget Brother MFC-J1205W or the mid-range Brother MFC-J4335DW.

If you only need to print in black, you might as well save some money with a monochrome all-in-one, like the Brother MFC-L2710DW. This laser model doesn't require nearly as much maintenance as an inkjet printer, so you don't have to worry about any printheads getting clogged or breaking. Its page yield is amazing at around 2000 pages, meaning you won't have to replace the toner often unless you print a lot.

The toner cartridge is cheap, but it doesn't have the drum built-in, so you'll have to replace the drum separately, adding to the overall maintenance costs. There are higher-yield cartridges available that'll last longer, and the printer also accepts third-party toner, which might be even cheaper. It prints very quickly at over 30 pages per minute, doesn't take long to wake from sleep, and performs double-sided printing automatically.