When choosing a home printer, consider:
- What you print: If you mostly print essays, forms, shipping labels, or other documents, prioritize sharp text, fast print speeds, and low running costs. If you print photos, cards, or creative projects, look for strong color accuracy and good photo print quality.
- Ink or toner costs: A cheap printer can become expensive if it needs frequent cartridge replacements. We test ink and toner yields and cost-per-print to help you understand long-term value.
- Scanner features: If you need to digitize old family photos, scan forms, or copy documents, look for good scan quality. An automatic document feeder (ADF) is also useful if you often scan multi-page documents.
- Maintenance needs: Inkjet printers can clog if left unused for long periods, while laser printers are generally better suited to occasional document printing. Our Set-And-Forget score is a good way to identify which models are easiest to manage.
- Convenience features: Duplex printing, mobile printing, multiple paper trays, wide-format support, and wireless connectivity can all make a printer more convenient, depending on your needs.
Below are our recommendations for the best printer for home use and the best home office printer you can buy. If you're looking for more options, check out our picks for the best all-in-one printers, the best photo printers, and the best office 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 Home Printer
HomeSet-And-ForgetSmall OfficeArts, Crafts, & StickersTypeAll-In-OneSuperTankYesColorYesPrint TechnologyInkjetSee all our test resultsWirelessYesThe best home printer we've tested is the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500, a cheaper variant of the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 that we bought and tested. It combines strong everyday document printing with excellent photo output and versatile paper handling for cards, stickers, and other creative projects, so it's a well-rounded choice for households with varied printing needs. What you're losing from the 8550 is a larger 8.5" x 14" flatbed scanner and support for wide-format paper up to 13" x 19". Unless you want to print posters or other oversized projects, the ET-8500 gives you the same excellent printing performance for less, making it the better option for most households.
The ET-8500 produces sharp, high-quality black-and-white and color documents, as well as beautiful, vibrant photos with an incredible amount of fine detail. It warms up quickly and prints up to 15 black or 10 color pages per minute. It's a supertank printer with refillable ink tanks instead of cartridges. A full set of tanks gets you thousands of prints, and replacement ink is cheap, so you don't have to worry about high ownership costs. Refilling the tanks is easy, too; even less tech-savvy people can do it with little trouble. The flatbed scanner captures sharp document text and clear graph lines, although it boosts contrast and saturation. However, there's no automatic feeder, so you must scan each page manually when processing multi-page documents. Since this is an inkjet printer, try not to leave it idle for long periods, as its printheads can clog.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Home Printer
HomeSet-And-ForgetSmall OfficeArts, Crafts, & StickersTypeAll-In-OneSuperTankYesColorYesPrint TechnologyInkjetSee all our test resultsWirelessYesIf you mainly print everyday documents and don't need the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500's versatility for arts and crafts, the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 is a great choice that costs less and takes up less space. It produces even sharper black-and-white documents and adds an automatic document feeder with duplex scanning, making it more convenient for multi-page paperwork. The ET-8500 remains the better choice for creative projects, thanks to its broader specialty-paper support and six-ink system, which produces better photos and color documents.
The ET-3950 still produces good color documents and detailed photos with a wide color gamut. Its refillable ink tanks have outstanding yields, and replacement bottles are relatively inexpensive, so it's ideal for large print jobs. However, like all inkjet printers, it can clog if left unused for long periods. Although it has several built-in maintenance features, it can still be a bit of a hassle for people who print infrequently. The scanner's 30-sheet automatic document feeder can scan both sides of a page, while the printer supports automatic duplex printing, convenient for processing multi-page documents. Scan quality is good enough for most uses. The ET-3950 also features USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity, as well as support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, so you can easily print from various devices. If you're looking for a model with a fax function, Epson's otherwise identical Epson EcoTank ET-4950 is worth a look.
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Best Mid-Range Home Printer
HomeSet-And-ForgetSmall OfficeArts, Crafts, & StickersTypeAll-In-OneSuperTankYesColorYesPrint TechnologyInkjetSee all our test resultsWirelessYesIf you don't need the Epson EcoTank ET-3950's automatic document feeder, automatic double-sided printing, or display, the Epson EcoTank ET-2410 is a strong choice for less money. It produces sharp black-and-white documents and detailed, vibrant photos, making it versatile enough for homework, family snapshots, and creative projects. Its four refillable ink tanks yield thousands of pages, and inexpensive replacement bottles keep running costs exceptionally low.
It supports matte, semi-gloss, and glossy photo paper, and its rear tray accommodates compatible heavier paper for cards and other crafts. Colors aren't totally accurate, but prints still look natural enough for casual use. Its flatbed scanner captures sharp text and clear graph lines, although you'll need to place each page manually when scanning longer documents. USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, along with Apple AirPrint and Mopria support, make printing from computers and phones straightforward. It prints slowly, so it's better suited to shorter jobs than large batches of paperwork. Like other inkjets, it also benefits from regular use to prevent clogging.
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Best Budget Home Printer
HomeSet-And-ForgetSmall OfficeArts, Crafts, & StickersTypePrinter OnlySuperTankNoColorNoPrint TechnologyLaserSee all our test resultsWirelessYesIf you only need black-and-white documents, the Brother HL-L2460DW is a practical alternative to the Epson EcoTank ET-2410 above. You give up color printing, scanning, and copying, but gain much faster printing and automatic double-sided printing. Its biggest advantage for occasional home use is that toner won't dry out or cause printhead clogs, so you can leave it unused for months without needing to print regularly or run ink-consuming cleaning cycles. That makes it especially useful for households that mainly print forms or return labels when the need arises.
It produces sharp text and clear graphs, reaches 34 pages per minute in our testing, and offers USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity. There's a short wait for it to warm up, but longer jobs print quickly. A standard replacement toner cartridge yields around 1,300 pages in our testing, keeping running costs low, and higher-yield options are available. The drum needs replacing separately, although Brother rates its lifespan at around 15,000 pages. If you need a budget all-in-one instead, consider the Brother MFC-J1360DW. It adds color printing and an automatic document feeder, but prints more slowly and requires more frequent cartridge replacements.
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Best Cheap Home Printer
HomeSet-And-ForgetSmall OfficeArts, Crafts, & StickersTypeAll-In-OneSuperTankNoColorYesPrint TechnologyInkjetSee all our test resultsWirelessYesFor an inexpensive all-in-one that can handle documents and occasional photos, consider the Canon PIXMA TR7120. Compared with the Brother HL-L2460DW above, you gain color printing, a flatbed scanner, and an automatic document feeder, but printing is slower, and ink needs replacing much more frequently. It produces sharp documents and detailed photos with colors that look pleasing for casual use. Bright, saturated shades can appear darker and less vibrant than intended, though, so it isn't ideal for color-critical work.
Despite its low price, it supports automatic double-sided printing and connects through USB or Wi-Fi, with Apple AirPrint and Mopria support for mobile devices. Its main limitation is its low page yield. High-yield cartridges help reduce replacement frequency, but the tri-color cartridge must be replaced when any one color runs out, wasting the remaining ink. Regular printing also helps prevent clogs. If you don't need the automatic document feeder or display, the cheaper Canon PIXMA TS4320 variant offers a simpler option. We tested the TR7120, but expect similar printing performance from that variant.
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Best Home Office Printer
HomeSet-And-ForgetSmall OfficeArts, Crafts, & StickersTypeAll-In-OneSuperTankNoColorYesPrint TechnologyLaserSee all our test resultsWirelessYesIf your home printer also doubles as an office printer and you don't mind a relatively large model, the Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw is an excellent choice and one of the best document printers we've tested. This all-in-one color laser printer delivers impressively sharp documents and yields thousands of pages, which keeps running costs low. Canon improved on the previous Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw, delivering slightly better print quality and faster performance while maintaining the same overall experience. You still get excellent print quality, high page yields, and a capable ADF. Unlike inkjet printers, you won't have to worry about clogged printheads. That said, its photo prints will be much less detailed and clear than what you can get with an inkjet. It prints up to 26 pages per minute in both color and black and white, and the built-in duplex-scanning ADF makes it easy to handle multi-page, double-sided documents. Cheaper variants with fewer features are available if you want to save some money.
If you only need to print in black and white but still need the functionality of an all-in-one device, consider the Brother MFC-L2820DW. It produces high-quality documents, warms up quickly, and prints up to 33 pages per minute. It costs little to maintain, as it yields many prints, and replacement toner is cheaper than the Canon, since there's only one toner cartridge to replace. The caveat is that, unlike the Canon, you'll have to replace the drum separately. The scan quality is excellent, although the MFC-L2820DW lacks duplex scanning; higher-end variants, like the Brother MFC-L2885DW, support duplex scanning, but they're hard to find.
Notable Mentions
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HP Smart Tank 7603:
The HP Smart Tank 7603 is a less expensive alternative to the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 for everyday documents, offering very low ink costs and an automatic document feeder. However, its photo colors are less vibrant, and its specialty-paper support for arts and crafts is more limited.
See our review -
Brother MFC-J4355DW:
The Brother MFC-J4355DW is an alternative to the Epson EcoTank ET-2410 for households that prioritize documents. It prints faster and adds an automatic document feeder and automatic duplex printing, but its cartridges yield fewer pages, and its photo colors are less accurate.
See our review -
Canon PIXMA TR8620a:
The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is a good photo printing alternative to the Brother HL-L2460DW. It produces colorful, detailed pictures but doesn't yield as many pages, so you'll have to pay more for ink.
See our review -
Canon imageCLASS LBP6030w:
The Canon imageCLASS LBP6030w is an alternative to the Canon PIXMA TR7120 for cheap monochrome printing without inkjet clogging. It has lower running costs but lacks color printing, scanning, automatic duplex printing, and AirPrint/Mopria support, and produces less detailed documents.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 15, 2026:
We replaced the discontinued Canon PIXMA MG3620 with the Canon PIXMA TR7120 as our 'Best Cheap Home Printer' and the Brother MFC-J4355DW with the Epson EcoTank ET-2410 as our 'Best Mid-Range Home Printer' for its stronger overall home performance. We also updated the Notable Mentions.
Aug 20, 2026:
We updated the text of our top two picks to clarify their strengths and tradeoffs, and added the Canon imageCLASS LBP6030w in the Notable Mentions as an alternative to the Canon PIXMA MG3620.
Jul 29, 2026:
After further consideration, we decided to replace the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 with the Brother MFC-J4355DW as our mid-range pick, as its pricing more closely aligns with that category. The ET-2980 was moved to the Notable Mentions category as an alternative for people who prioritize photo printing. Other picks remain unchanged.
Jul 10, 2026:
We've added a new introduction with a short buying guide to help users choose the right printer for their needs. We've also replaced the Brother MFC-J4335DW in the Notable Mentions section with its more widely available successor, the Brother MFC-J4355DW.
May 29, 2026:
We confirmed that all picks are still available and represent the best choices for users.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best printers for home and home office use. In addition to test results, we factor in price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you would like to do the work of choosing the best printer for home use yourself, here's a 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.