The 7 Best Inkjet Printers - Spring 2023 Reviews

The best inkjet printer we've tested is the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850, an all-in-one supertank model. It produces amazingly sharp documents, prints quickly at up to 25 pages per minute, and doesn't need much maintenance since its ink tank yields thousands of prints. Plus, replacement ink is cheap, so your running costs will remain low even if you print a lot. Its wide connectivity options make it easily accessible, and its ADF-equipped scanner allows you to quickly process multi-page and double-sided documents. As for photo printing, printed pictures look detailed and colorful but a tad grainy.

If you find the ET-5850 too expensive and don't mind compromising slightly, you might consider a cheaper variant, the Epson EcoTank ET-5800. It has the same features and provides the same print quality, but it's a little slower to print color documents and doesn't support borderless printing. Another alternative is the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5180. It yields more prints than the ET-5850 but doesn't feel as well built and prints very slowly at 14 black or eight color pages per minute. It also has a smaller input tray, so you'll have to refill it more often.

If you prefer to save money with a more modest mid-range model, go with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e. It has Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet connectivity, and you can also print directly from a USB flash drive. The scanner has many features, including an automatic document feeder, single-pass duplex scanning capability, and optical character recognition (OCR). The latter lets you scan documents into text files for quick keyword searches. Unlike our pick above, this model uses traditional ink cartridges. It doesn't yield as many prints, but at around 1100 black and 700 color pages, it's still pretty impressive. Also, it comes with six months of ink via HP's ink replenishment service. It prints fairly quickly at 16 black or 14 color pages per minute.

For those with a large print load, you might want to consider the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 instead. It's around the same price as the HP, but since it's a supertank model, it yields significantly more prints, making it much cheaper to maintain. There are a couple of tradeoffs, though, like slower printing speeds and the lack of duplex scanning and external storage support. The print quality is also a little worse than the HP's, but still great overall.

Our best mid-range inkjet pick is the Brother MFC-J4335DW, a simple all-in-one model designed for home use and one of the best all-in-one inkjet printers we've tested. It's very cheap to maintain as its ink cartridges last a long time and are relatively inexpensive. Plus, it's eligible for Brother's ink subscription service, which might help save some cash. It produces high-quality documents, and while it doesn't have the best color range and accuracy, it still produces very detailed photos that are good enough to hang at home.

The scanner processes documents quickly through its automatic feeder and produces outstanding scans, making it great for digitizing photos. It doesn't support duplex scanning, meaning you'll have to flip the pages manually when scanning double-sided sheets.

The best budget inkjet printer we've tested is the Brother MFC-J1205W, also known as the Brother MFC-J1215W if you're shopping at Walmart. It's an inkjet model designed for people who print slightly more than the occasional once-in-a-blue-moon project. It has a sturdy build and a decent number of connectivity options, and it prints high-quality documents and decent-looking photos. Its ink cartridges last a long time and are relatively cheap, so the cost-per-print is exceptionally low.

As it's a budget model, it has a few compromises, like its slow printing speed and the lack of an automatic document feeder. It's compatible with Brother's mobile app, which you can use to print, scan, copy, perform maintenance tasks, and order supplies.

If you only need to print once in a while for a specific project and need something to get the job done, consider 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 drawback is its low page yield. The cost-per-print is still low because the cartridges are cheap; it's just inconvenient because it requires a lot of maintenance, and you might end up wasting paper and time due to incomplete or faded prints. It's fine if you only need it for those occasional, one-off projects, but if you print more regularly, consider going with our budget or mid-range pick.

While the other picks in this article are all great printers, they're mainly designed for general purposes like everyday printing and scanning. If you're looking specifically to print photos and want the best print quality, the Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 is your best bet. It produces incredibly detailed, vibrant, and colorful photos with no banding or other artifacts, and it can print on wide format paper sizes up to 13" x 19". Of course, there are some downsides to specialized printers like this one. The first has to do with maintenance cost, as there are nine ink cartridges to replace, and they're expensive, so it can add up quickly if you print a lot. Second, it's a print-only model, meaning you'll need a separate scanner to scan anything. Last, it prints very slowly, taking over two minutes to produce a 4" x 6" photo.

If you print a lot and worry about high maintenance costs, get the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550, one of the best all-in-one inkjet printers we've tested. Its refillable ink tank yields significantly more prints than the Canon, and its replacement ink is much cheaper. It also has a flatbed scanner and can print directly off an SD card. The print quality is outstanding but isn't as color-accurate as the Canon because it tends to oversaturate the colors to make them more vibrant and punchy. If cost is a concern, there's a cheaper variant, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500. It gives you the same print quality but only supports paper sizes up to 8.5" x 11".

If you need a wide-format printer to print posters, we recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-15000. It's an all-in-one supertank model that yields thousands of pages, and you can replenish the tank as you go. Plus, the replacement ink bottles are relatively cheap, so your maintenance cost remains low even if you print a lot. It has USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity, along with Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service support. It prints black-and-white documents decently fast but is a little slow with color documents. One thing to know is that while it has duplex printing capability, it doesn't work when printing tabloid size. Printed photos look good, albeit slightly grainy and not very color-accurate.