The 7 Best Printers - Spring 2024 Reviews

The best printer we've tested is the Brother MFC-L8905CDW, an all-in-one laser model designed for small and home offices. It produces amazingly sharp and detailed documents, warms up in 15 seconds, and prints quickly at up to 32 pages per minute. Its numerous connectivity options—Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet, and NFC—make it easy for everyone in the office to access. Scanning documents is a breeze; the flatbed is large enough to process Legal-size sheets (8.5x14), and there's also an automatic feeder with single-pass duplex scanning, letting you quickly scan multi-page and double-sided documents at 32 pages per minute.

Regarding page yield and running costs, this printer yields a high number of prints, so you most likely won't need to replace the cartridges unless you have a substantial print volume. Also, replacement toner isn't overly expensive. You'll have to spend extra to replace the drum, but again, it isn't something you'll have to do often, as it's typically good for 30,000 prints. If you don't need all the features on this model, there are cheaper variants, like the Brother MFC-L8900CDW, which performs identically but has a smaller display. The Brother MFC-L8610CDW is another cheaper option; it has an 8.5x11 flatbed scanner but doesn't support duplex scanning.

Our best upper mid-range pick is the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw. This color laser all-in-one has the same features as the Brother MFC-L8905CDW and produces documents that look just as good. Plus, it yields significantly more color prints and is easier to maintain, as its toner cartridges contain the drum, meaning you don't have to replace the drum separately. However, it prints slower at 22 pages per minute, and that's only achievable via a wired USB or Ethernet connection, which is inconvenient if you don't have space near your computer or router to place the printer. The scan speed is also slower but respectable at 14 pages per minute. If you don't need an ADF, duplex scanning, or fax functionality, you can save money with one of the cheaper variants of this printer, like the Canon Color imageCLASS MF654Cdw. Our full review gives more details on the differences between models.

If you only print in black and white, consider the Brother MFC-L2750DW instead. It produces high-quality documents, warms up quickly, and prints up to 36 pages per minute. It doesn't cost much to maintain, as it yields a large number of prints, and replacement toner is cheap. Unlike the Canon, you'll have to replace the drum separately; it's usually good for around 12,000 prints, so that isn't something you'll need to do very often. The scanner only processes up to seven pages per minute through the feeder but supports single-pass duplex scanning. There are less expensive variants from Brother without duplex scanning or Ethernet if you want to save more money, and you can also get this printer bundled with high-yield cartridges.

If you want something more modest for home use, we recommend the Brother MFC-J4335DW, one of the best color printers we've tested. This well-built inkjet all-in-one has plenty of features and uses cartridges with a high page yield, so they won't have to be replaced very often. You can connect to the printer via USB or Wi-Fi, and it's compatible with Brother's mobile companion app, which you can use to print, scan, copy, and perform maintenance tasks. Its ADF-equipped scanner scans up to 20 pages per minute; however, it doesn't support duplex scanning, so you'll have to flip the pages manually when scanning double-sided sheets.

Printing-wise, it produces incredibly sharp documents with minimal artifacts, and it's quick, capable of pushing out 17 black or 15 color pages per minute. As for photo printing, printed pictures look detailed but slightly flat and grainy, with an overly warm tone. The input tray holds 150 sheets of paper, which is likely enough that you won't have to refill it often. The slightly more costly Brother MFC-J4535DW variant is also a good choice if you have a larger print load; it has an additional 250-sheet input tray, bringing the total paper capacity to 400 sheets. In addition, it comes with a larger control panel and a wider range of connectivity options, including Ethernet and NFC support.

Our best budget printer pick is the Brother MFC-J1205W, also sold as the Brother MFC-J1215W at Walmart. This inkjet all-in-one produces very sharp black and color documents and detailed and reasonably color-accurate photos. It also costs little to maintain as it yields a large number of prints, and the cartridges are relatively cheap. Connectivity options include USB and Wi-Fi, and there's support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. Unfortunately, this model only has a flatbed scanner, so scanning multi-page documents can take a lot of time. Another downside is that it prints slowly at nine black or six color pages per minute and doesn't support automatic duplex printing.

If you want a monochrome laser model in the same price range, get the Brother HL-L2460DW. It prints much faster at 34 pages per minute and is cheap to maintain as its cartridge yields a high number of pages. Also, since it's a laser printer, maintenance requirements are low; you don't have to worry about printhead clogging, which happens on inkjet printers left unused for a long time. The main tradeoffs are that it lacks a scanner, so you must be sure you won't need to digitize anything when choosing this printer, and that its print quality is mediocre out of the box; the print quality issues can be fixed with some deep diving into the printer's settings (see our review for more on this).

If you only need to print once in a blue moon, a cheap printer like the Canon PIXMA MG3620 will do. Although it doesn't feel particularly well-built and only has a basic flatbed scanner, it still prints crisp, legible documents and detailed photos. Unfortunately, it takes a little longer than most inkjet printers to warm up and prints only nine black or three color pages per minute, so patience is necessary when printing longer documents. Thankfully, it still offers USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, not to mention support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, making it easy to print documents from a multitude of devices.

Like most printers in its price range, the major drawback is its low page yield. It only has two ink cartridges—one black and one tri-color—and they're only good for roughly 200 black and color prints. Replacement ink is relatively cheap, so maintenance cost isn't the issue; it's just inconvenient because it requires a lot of maintenance, and you might end up with lots of faded or incomplete prints. Also, since it uses a tri-color cartridge, you have to replace the entire cartridge if a single color runs out, wasting usable ink.

If you're a photographer who needs high-quality prints, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is a great option and among the best color printers we've tested. This professional-grade photo printer produces incredibly detailed, sharp, and color-accurate photos. It supports borderless printing and paper sizes up to 13x19. It uses nine cartridges, including specific photo cartridges that work only on glossy photo paper, so you won't have to worry about depleting the photo ink when printing documents. The downside is that it only yields around 400 color prints, and the cartridges are costly, so the printer can become expensive to maintain if you print a lot. Also, this is a print-only model, meaning it doesn't have a scanner.

If you only print photos casually and want something cheaper, get the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550. The print quality is actually fairly close to the Canon; it just isn't as color-accurate, with a tendency to over-saturate most shades. However, it's a little more practical for day-to-day use since it has a scanner and costs less to maintain over time; its supertank design gives it a much higher yield than the Canon, which uses expensive cartridges. Like the Canon, it also supports wide format printing up to 13x19. If you don't need to print on wide format paper, you can save money with its cheaper variant, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500. It has the same print quality as the ET-8550 but has a smaller 8.5x11.7 flatbed scanner and only supports paper sizes up to 8.5x11.

For on-the-go printing, get the HP OfficeJet 250. It's a great option if you travel a lot for work or run a kiosk and need to print out receipts. Its rechargeable battery lasts about 225 prints and takes around two hours to fully charge. Despite its compact size, it still has scanning capability, sporting an ADF scanner with a maximum scanning resolution of 600 DPI. It also has an optical character recognition (OCR) feature, allowing you to scan documents into searchable PDFs.

Unfortunately, it prints slowly at one page per minute for black and color documents. It's faster when plugged in, but not by much. Also, it can only print 100–150 pages before the ink runs out, meaning you might need to carry a few extra cartridges. The cost-per-print is okay, though color printing can get expensive if you print a lot. On the upside, you can get XL cartridges that'll last longer, and it also accepts third-party ink, which can be cheaper in the long run.