The 6 Best Home Printers - Summer 2020
Reviews

The Brother MFC-L3770CDW Laser is the best home office printer that we've tested. This color laser printer is designed to be able to handle large print jobs and it'll be sure to get documents in your hands fast. It has a fantastic build quality that's largely comprised of sturdy hard plastic. If you plan on using it for black and white documents, then you'll find the cost-per-print will remain low even during big print jobs, and it also accepts high yield cartridges, meaning you won't have to worry about replacing the toner often.

This printer is very well-designed. The input and output trays are equipped with sliders that easily adjust to the size of the paper you're using, and the toner cartridges are easy to access. It also comes equipped with a fantastic scanner that's well-suited to scanning photos thanks to its resolution and color depth. It has an automatic document feeder that allows for double-sided documents to be scanned, and the hinges allow the lid to be raised quite high in case you have to scan a thick manual or book. If you don't need a scanner, the Brother HL-L3270CDW Laser is a great alternative, which performs similarly overall.

However, while this is a color printer, we wouldn't recommend you use it for printing photos since it doesn't have the best color accuracy and its cost-per-print will rise drastically if you print color photos in large batches. Also, its connectivity options are lacking, as it doesn't have Bluetooth or an SD slot. That being said, this is an outstanding printer, and its low cost per print makes it an excellent addition to any home office.

The best home printer we've tested so far is the Brother MFC-J995DW. This is an all-in-one inkjet printer that performs well for any type of printing. It has an outstanding cartridge system that features Brother's INKvestment Tank Ink System, which holds more ink per cartridge to achieve a significantly higher yield. Its cost-per-print is simply superb for black and color printing, so costs remain low over time even if you print a lot. Printing speed is good and it supports duplex printing as well.

If you need to digitize some of your old photos or scan long documents, the scanner can handle the job with ease. However, it can't perform double-sided scanning despite having an automatic document feeder. Also, while printed photos look great, there's some banding when printing certain colors, which may be a deal-breaker if you're looking to have the best-looking photos available. Color accuracy is okay, although it isn't recommended for professionals whose work requires accurate color reproduction.

This printer has good connectivity options, including support for external storage devices like USB thumb drives and SD cards. It's compatible with Brother's mobile app, which lets you perform most tasks using just your smartphone. Overall, this is a versatile printer that should satisfy most needs.

The best printer for printing black and white documents that we've tested so far is the Brother MFC-L2750DW. This multipurpose monochrome printer has an exceptional toner cartridge which produces a high number of pages before it needs replacing, and its cost-per-print is pretty low, helping you to save money over time. Thanks to its excellent design, getting into the printer and fixing paper jams is quick and easy.

This printer is well-built and it has an outstandingly quick print speed. It has a scan flatbed so that you can scan photos and it also has a scan sheetfed with an automatic document feeder, which makes it easy to process multi-page documents like tax forms in one go. If you have multiple family members sharing this printer, it also has great connectivity options, and while it doesn't have Bluetooth support, it has NFC capabilities as well as a superb companion mobile app.

As it's a monochrome printer, it's not suited for printing photos at all, and it can't support glossy photo paper. The printer itself is also pretty tall and large, so you need to make quite a bit of room for it if you want to place it on your desk or table. However, if you're just printing black and white documents like essays or work reports, this is one of the best options for that job and also just happens to be one of the best laser printers we've tested to date as well.

The best family printer in the budget category we've tested so far is the Canon PIXMA TS5320. It's a compact and versatile printer that can satisfy most needs despite its unremarkable build and design. The display console is rather small; however, it's an OLED screen that has good visibility at any angle and the menus are easy to navigate. The scanner is fairly basic as it lacks an automatic document feeder, so scanning long or double-sided documents can be time-consuming.

Unfortunately, the cartridge system on this printer is bad. It only has one color cartridge, and both black and color cartridges have a very low yield, which means that you have to replace them often if you print regularly. Not only is this inconvenient, but it also makes it more expensive in the long run. That said, its cost-per-print is still decent due to the reasonably priced ink cartridges. Printing speed is slow and color accuracy is just okay, but on the bright side, it prints great-looking photos.

If you have multiple family members sharing the printer, the good thing is that it has wide connectivity options, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Canon's exceptional mobile app lets you print, scan, or copy from your smartphone, as well as performing maintenance tasks and ordering ink. Overall, while it isn't the most fully-featured printer out there, it's a pretty decent choice for most families.