As Chromebooks have become more common and widely used, most printers are fully compatible with Chrome OS, giving you many options. So, which are the best? To help you, we've compiled a list of the best printers, from premium, feature-rich all-in-ones designed for office use to cheap home models for the occasional print jobs. Deciding which printer is best for you depends on your print load, scanning needs, and preferences for different connectivity options, so we've highlighted these features throughout. These printers work with Chromebooks out of the box without installing any drivers or third-party apps.
Below are our recommendations for the best printers for Chromebook. You can also see our recommendations for the best home printers, the best inkjet printers, and the best all-in-one printers.
We've tested over 170 printers since 2020 with one goal in mind: to give you reliable, unbiased reviews that help you choose the right printer for your needs. To keep things fair, we purchase every product ourselves from major retailers, just like you would. Each printer then goes through a thorough, standardized testing process that evaluates all the key factors you should consider when buying a new model. From build quality and cost per print to color accuracy and overall performance, we provide as much detail as possible to guide your decision.
Want to learn more about our methods? Look at our How We Test Printers article for a deep dive into our testing procedures.
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Best Printer For Chromebook
Build QualityDocument QualityScanningPrinting SpeedEstimated Black Page YieldprintsEstimated Color Page YieldprintsBlack-Only Printing CostUS$/printSee all our test resultsColor Printing CostUS$/printThe Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw is the best printer we've tested for Chromebooks. It's sharp, fast, and versatile, hitting up to 26 pages per minute and handling everything from everyday documents to multi-page jobs with ease. Setup is painless, too. It supports Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and it's compatible with Morpia protocol, so you can print straight from your Chromebook or Android device without drivers or third-party apps. The scanner holds up just as well. The automatic document feeder handles duplex scanning, making double-sided and multi-page documents quick to process, and the flatbed captures clean, detailed scans. Ongoing costs are also reasonable. The toner cartridges last a long time, and the drum is built right in, so there's no separate replacement to worry about. If you print heavily, XL cartridges are available to further stretch your yield.
Photos are where it falls short. Like most laser printers, it produces flat, grainy images that lack fine detail, so if photo quality is a priority, you'll want an inkjet. We recommend looking at the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 or the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500. The ET-5850 is the better office fit, with faster speeds and an automatic document feeder that supports duplex scanning. The ET-8500 is built for photo printing and delivers noticeably better image quality. Both are supertank models capable of thousands of prints per refill, which keeps long-term ink costs low, though you'll pay more to get started.
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Best Mid-Range Printer
Build QualityDocument QualityScanningPrinting SpeedEstimated Black Page YieldprintsEstimated Color Page YieldprintsBlack-Only Printing CostUS$/printSee all our test resultsColor Printing CostUS$/printIf you want to keep your cost per print as low as possible and don't need an automatic document feeder, the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is a fantastic pick. It's quick to set up and connects over USB and Wi-Fi, and supports Mopria Print Service, making it easy for pretty much anyone in your home to get connected. The supertank ink system is where this printer really shines. The ink bottles are affordable and last for thousands of pages, so you won't need to replace them often. Print quality is great too, with sharp black-and-white text and vibrant color output. Photos are detailed and lively, and while color accuracy isn't perfect, the results are perfectly fine for casual home printing.
The scanner is the weakest part. It tends to overprocess images, which can strip out watermarks and fine details, such as thin graph lines. Switching to the slower photo setting helps a lot and produces much better results, though scanning longer documents takes more time since you'll need to place each page on the flatbed manually. If you want a similar printer with a more capable scanner, the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 is worth checking out.
One more thing to keep in mind: inkjet printers can clog if you don't use them regularly, and this one is no exception. If you're only printing black-and-white documents and won't be printing often, the laser-based Brother MFC-L2820DW is a better fit. It's fast, produces outstanding documents, has a really quick scanner with an ADF, and clogging simply isn't a concern.
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Best Budget Printer For Chromebook
Build QualityDocument QualityScanningPrinting SpeedEstimated Black Page YieldprintsEstimated Color Page YieldN/ABlack-Only Printing CostUS$/printSee all our test resultsColor Printing CostN/AIf you only need a printer to print once in a blue moon, get the Brother HL-L2460DW or one of its variants. Unlike inkjet printers, there's no risk of clogging on laser printers if you don't print anything for a long time. This model feels well-built, has low recurring costs, and most variants feature many connectivity options, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB. It prints significantly faster than our mid-range option, up to 34 pages per minute. There are a couple of downsides. First, it's a print-only unit, so you must ensure you don't need to scan anything.
For people who need to print in color or who need a scanner, get the Brother MFC-J1205W, also sold as the Brother MFC-J1215. It has a sturdy build, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, and a flatbed scanner with extendable lid hinges. It produces high-quality black-and-color documents, though you'll need to be patient: it prints only 9 black or 6 color pages per minute. Printed photos look detailed but overly dark, as the printer struggles to reproduce bright, saturated colors. This printer yields around 1,100 black and 700 color prints per set of ink cartridges, and the cartridges are cheap, so your maintenance costs are exceptionally low.
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Best Cheap Printer For Chromebook
Build QualityDocument QualityScanningPrinting SpeedEstimated Black Page YieldprintsEstimated Color Page YieldprintsBlack-Only Printing CostUS$/printSee all our test resultsColor Printing CostUS$/printLast but not least, there are cheap printers. Our pick is the Canon PIXMA MG3620, a basic inkjet all-in-one model. It's a good option if you need to print regularly but in low volume; otherwise, getting a model with better page yields is best, like the Brother HL-L2460DW above. This model isn't super sturdy, lacks a display, and only has a flatbed scanner, but it produces sharp documents and decent-looking photos. The main drawback is its poor page yields, as you'll need to replace the cartridges often if you print a lot. Also, since it uses a tri-color cartridge, you have to replace the whole cartridge even if one color runs out, wasting usable ink.
On the flip side, if you don't print frequently, the printheads can clog, also wasting ink. All in all, this printer needs a lot of maintenance, and the replacement ink costs can add up.
Notable Mentions
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Brother MFC-L3780CDW/MFC-L3720CDW:
The Brother MFC-L3780CDW/MFC-L3720CDW is a good alternative to the Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw with similar performance. However, it's slightly more expensive and will cost more to maintain, except if you use the high-yield cartridge.
See our review -
Canon PIXMA TR8620a:
If you want higher-quality photos, the Canon PIXMA TR8620a is a good alternative to the Brother HL-L2460DW. It can print colorful pictures, but doesn't yield as many pages, so you'll have to pay more for ink. It can also suffer from clogging issues, which isn't the case with laser printers.
See our review -
Epson EcoTank ET-2800/ET-2803:
The Epson EcoTank ET-2800/ET-2803 is also a good alternative to the Epson EcoTank ET-2980. It has a very similar feature set with some slight variation in the printing characteristics. While the ET-2980 produces more vibrant colors, the ET-2800 distinguishes itself with a slightly more detailed output.
See our review -
Canon PIXMA G3270:
The Canon PIXMA G3270 is a great alternative to the Epson EcoTank ET-2980. It's usually cheaper, especially when it's on sale, for only a slight decrease in overall performance.
See our review -
HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e:
If you want a printer that includes an automatic document feeder, consider the HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e instead of the Epson EcoTank ET-2980. It yields fewer prints, but its print quality is also very good.
See our review
Recent Updates
Mar 04, 2026:
We removed the now-discontinued Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw, the Brother MFC-L8905CDW, and the Brother MFC-J4335DW. We removed the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 and the Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw from the Notable Mentions. We added the Canon PIXMA G3270 and HP Officejet 9125e as alternatives to the Epson EcoTank ET-2980.
Apr 18, 2025:
Added the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 as a Notable Mention. No change in recommendations.
Jan 23, 2025:
We've verified that our recommendations are available and represent the best choices. We also made small edits for clarity.
Oct 28, 2024:
We've verified our recommendations are available and represent the best options, and we made small edits to the text 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.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the top printers for Chromebook you can buy. 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.