A small printer can save valuable desk space without sacrificing much print quality. Whether you're furnishing a dorm room or setting up a home office, there are compact models capable of producing sharp documents and detailed, colorful photos. All our main picks below are inkjets, as there are many high-quality small inkjet printers, and their ability to handle documents, photos, and often scanning and copying makes them versatile choices. However, if you expect to print only occasionally, check out our picks for the best laser printers, which won't develop clogged printheads during long periods of inactivity.
Choosing the right compact printer involves more than checking its dimensions with everything folded away. Extended paper trays can significantly increase its footprint, and a scanner lid needs clearance above it. Consider your workload, too: smaller paper trays and slower printing can make lengthy jobs less convenient, while an automatic document feeder makes scanning multiple pages easier. Running costs also vary considerably, so a cheaper printer may cost more over time if its cartridges need frequent replacement.
We've tested over 180 printers, and below are our recommendations for the best compact printers you can buy. You can also check our picks for the best home printers, the best cheap printers, and the best printers for college students if you're looking for dorm-room-specific picks.
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 Small Printer
HomeSmall OfficeSet-And-ForgetArts, Crafts, & StickersSizeHeight" ( cm)Width" ( cm)See all our test resultsDepth" ( cm)The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is the best small home printer we've tested. This compact all-in-one inkjet combines sharp document printing, good-looking photos, and low running costs, making it a versatile choice for households that print regularly. Its refillable tanks yield a ton of pages, so you can print plenty of documents before needing more ink; replacement ink is inexpensive, too. Photos look detailed, and its outstanding color range allows it to reproduce a wide variety of colors, though it tends to oversaturate some shades.
It's not the tiniest printer available, but it's still small, and it packs useful conveniences into its compact design. Automatic double-sided printing saves you from flipping pages manually, while the built-in display lets you navigate settings directly on the printer. You can connect over USB or Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service make printing from phones and tablets straightforward. Printing speeds are modest, though, so it's better suited to everyday home use than lengthy, time-sensitive jobs.
The scanner is a weaker point: it's fine for basic tasks, but its image processing can remove fine details, and there's no automatic document feeder, so you'll need to scan each page individually. Like other inkjets, it also benefits from regular use to help prevent clogging. If you find the Epson EcoTank ET-2800/ET-2803 at a lower price, it's another option worth considering, particularly if you'd trade some photo color range for slightly finer detail. However, you'll give up the ET-2980's automatic double-sided printing.
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Best Small Mid-Range Printer
HomeSmall OfficeSet-And-ForgetArts, Crafts, & StickersSizeHeight" ( cm)Width" ( cm)See all our test resultsDepth" ( cm)If you want to spend less without sacrificing much print quality, get the Epson EcoTank ET-2410. This all-in-one supertank is slightly more compact than the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 and produces similarly detailed, vibrant photos. Its black-and-white documents aren't quite as sharp, but they're still good for everyday use, and its flatbed scanner produces clearer results. Although its black ink doesn't last as long between refills, its tanks still yield thousands of pages, and replacement ink is inexpensive.
The main features you give up are a display and automatic double-sided printing, so you'll rely on physical buttons or the app and flip pages yourself for duplex prints. It's also slower for longer black-and-white documents, though it gets a single page out faster, and color and photo printing speeds are similar. Like the ET-2980, it lacks an automatic document feeder, and for everyday documents and occasional photos, it's a versatile option that keeps both upfront and ongoing costs low.
If you only need black-and-white printing, consider the Brother HL-L2460DW instead. This print-only laser model is larger, but it prints much faster, supports automatic double-sided printing, and won't clog if left unused for long periods. You give up color printing and scanning, but it's a practical option for both occasional return labels and lengthy text documents.
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Best Small Budget Printer
HomeSmall OfficeSet-And-ForgetArts, Crafts, & StickersSizeHeight" ( cm)Width" ( cm)See all our test resultsDepth" ( cm)The best small budget printer we've tested is the Brother MFC-J1360DW. This compact all-in-one is a good choice if you want to keep upfront spending low while retaining useful features. Unlike the Epson EcoTank ET-2410, it supports automatic double-sided printing and includes an automatic document feeder, making longer documents easier to scan and copy. It produces excellent black-and-white and color documents, and its flatbed captures fine details well. Connectivity includes USB and Wi-Fi, with Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service support for printing from mobile devices.
The main trade-off compared to the Epson is ink consumption: its cartridges yield hundreds of pages rather than thousands, so replacements are more frequent and running costs are higher. High-yield cartridges help, and separate color cartridges let you replace only the color that runs out. Also, photos look detailed but aren't as vibrant as the Epson's, making the Brother better suited to document-focused households. If you only need to print black-and-white documents occasionally, consider the Canon imageCLASS LBP6030w instead. This compact laser printer won't clog between print jobs, and its toner cartridge yields far more pages than the Brother's ink cartridges. However, its documents look fainter, and you give up scanning, automatic double-sided printing, and support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service.
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Best Small Portable Printer
HomeSmall OfficeSet-And-ForgetHeight" ( cm)Width" ( cm)See all our test resultsDepth" ( cm)If you want the best compact printer that you can also take with you, we recommend the HP OfficeJet 250. It's much smaller than all the other printers we've mentioned so far, and it can even be used with its included battery if you need to take it with you. Despite being so small, it still has a scanner built in, though it's quite slow at 4 pages per minute. The cost-per-print is also only okay, as the cartridges have a very low yield, and aren't super cheap to replace.
If you're just looking for a small printer for home use, this likely isn't the best option, since you give up quite a few features and quality while still paying a high price. So it's really best suited for people who need portable capabilities. That being said, if the idea of a printer with a battery interests you, this printer prints excellent-quality documents and is even decent for photos, though we found the colors weren't the most accurate in our testing suite. On the plus side, it's easy to pair this printer with the app on your phone wirelessly, so you can easily print photos or documents from your phone on the go.
If you want a similar portable printer that's considerably cheaper, you may also want to check out the Canon PIXMA TR160. It lacks a scanner, and documents don't look quite as good, but it costs a lot less and is a much better option for photo printing. For other on-the-go options, check out our recommendations for the best portable printers.
Notable Mentions
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Brother MFC-J4355DW:
If you frequently scan multi-page documents or print in color, consider the Brother MFC-J4355DW over the Epson EcoTank ET-2980. Its automatic document feeder simplifies scanning, and it prints color documents much faster. However, it's larger, costs more to run, and produces less vibrant photos.
See our review -
Canon PIXMA G3270:
The Canon PIXMA G3270 is an alternative to the Epson EcoTank ET-2410 if you mainly print documents. It produces better-looking color documents, yields more pages between refills, and offers sturdier construction, a display, and user-replaceable printheads. However, it prints more slowly, and the Epson's much wider color gamut can produce more vibrant photos.
See our review
Recent Updates
Sep 24, 2026:
We replaced our 'Best Small Mid-Range Printer' with the more versatile Epson EcoTank ET-2410 and our 'Best Small Budget Printer' with the newer, better-priced Brother MFC-J1360DW. We updated the article text and Notable Mentions, including guidance for infrequent printing.
Jun 11, 2026:
We removed the 'Best Compact Photo Printer' category as it isn't as relevant to this article. We added the HP OfficeJet 250 as the 'Best Small Portable Printer' for people who want a very small and portable option with a battery.
Mar 09, 2026:
We replaced the Epson EcoTank ET-2800/ET-2803 with the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 as our new main pick, and the Brother HL-L2460DW is our new mid-range pick. We replaced the Epson Expression Home XP-4200 Notable Mention with the Brother MFC-J1010DW. No other changes were made to the picks.
Oct 28, 2025:
Confirmed that all picks are relevant and available.
May 20, 2025:
We've verified that all picks are still valid and available. There are only small text changes for clarity and conciseness.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best printers with a small footprint for most people. 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.