While small printers generally lack features and don't have the best print quality, they're very convenient, especially if you have a small room where every inch counts or need to store your printer in a cupboard between print sessions. Small printers come in many forms; you can find all-in-ones designed for home use, portable models with a built-in rechargeable battery, and even film-based printers that produce Polaroid-like pictures. To help you with your purchasing decision, we've put together a few top picks for different budgets, uses, and sizes.
Below are our recommendations for the best compact printers you can buy. If you're looking for printers you can use on the go, check out our recommendations for the best portable printers. You can also check our picks for the best home printers and the best printers for college students if you're looking for dorm-room-specific picks.
Quick Look
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Best Small Printer
Build Quality6.0Document Quality8.0Color Quality7.2Weight9.6 lbs (4.4 kg)Estimated Black Page Yield3,990 printsEstimated Color Page Yield3,979 printsScanner7.1Speed5.0Black Cartridge Price13.99 US$See all our test resultsColor Cartridge Price41.95 US$The best small printer we've tested is the Epson EcoTank ET-2800, also sold as the Epson EcoTank ET-2803 at Walmart and Target. This all-in-one inkjet supertank model is the best small home printer for households, thanks to its high page yields and low cost-per-print. While it isn't the smallest printer, it's pretty compact for a supertank and offers a great balance of features and performance for its size. Printed documents look sharp, and photos are fairly color-accurate and detailed, albeit slightly grainy. The flatbed scanner produces vivid-looking scans; however, there's no automatic feeder or duplex scanning support.
This model has wired and wireless connectivity options, along with support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. The main drawback is its slow print speed of just eight black and four color pages per minute. Also, know that inkjet printers are prone to clogging if you don't print a lot. We recommend checking out our pick for the best small laser printer, the Brother HL-L2460DW, if you plan on storing your printer for long periods between prints.
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Best Budget Small Printer
Build Quality8.0Document Quality9.0Color Quality6.6Weight12.8 lbs (5.8 kg)Estimated Black Page Yield1,178 printsEstimated Color Page Yield766 printsScanner7.1Speed5.6Black Cartridge Price24.99 US$See all our test resultsColor Cartridge Price40.99 US$The best compact printer we've tested for people on a budget is the Brother MFC-J1205W, also sold as the Brother MFC-J1215W at Walmart. It prints sharper documents than the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 and has a smaller footprint while in use. The main downside of this model compared to our top pick is that it yields fewer prints, making it a little more expensive to maintain over time since you have to buy more ink. You get the same connectivity options as the Epson, including support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. At nine black or six color pages per minute, this model is only marginally faster than the Epson above.
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Best Small Laser Printer
Build Quality8.0Document Quality6.0Weight16.8 lbs (7.6 kg)Estimated Black Page Yield1,273 printsEstimated Color Page YieldN/ASpeed8.4Black Cartridge Price49.99 US$See all our test resultsColor Cartridge Price0 US$If you only need to print a return label once in a blue moon, get the Brother HL-L2460DW or one of its variants. While this is by far the largest and heaviest printer on our list, it's quite compact compared to most laser printers, making it a great option for people in small apartments or dorm rooms. It's a monochrome print-only unit, so you can't print in color or scan anything, but there's also no risk of clogging. It prints quickly at up to 32 pages per minute, and with a page yield of around 1,300 prints, you won't have to replace the toner often unless you have a large print load.
The toner cartridge is relatively cheap; just remember that you'll have to spend extra to replace the drum since it's a separate unit. The major pain point is its out-of-the-box print quality, though you can fix it by changing some settings; see our review for more details. There are many variants that scale features up or down depending on your needs and price point. For cheaper options, the Brother HL-L2405W loses duplex printing but maintains wireless connectivity, whereas the Brother HL-L2400D loses wireless connectivity but maintains duplex printing and most of the printing speed.
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Best Compact Photo Printer
Build Quality7.5Color Quality5.5Weight0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)Estimated Black Page YieldN/AEstimated Color Page Yield20 printsSpeed0.8Black Cartridge Price0 US$See all our test resultsColor Cartridge Price0 US$Let's say you're looking for a way to capture the moment at a special event and print small photos on the go; for this use case, get the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2, our choice for the best compact printer for photo printing. Given its small size and lightweight, it's eminently portable, so you can easily throw it in a bag or purse for a night out. However, it's important to adjust your expectations regarding its photo quality; photos are nicely detailed, but the color and print quality can't match other portable (albeit larger) inkjet printers. Still, for its niche use, this printer is the best.
This printer produces 2" x 3" portraits using Polaroid's proprietary Hi-Print Generation 2 photo paper. You can get the printer on its own or in a bundle with packs of photo paper. Unfortunately, its photo paper is very expensive, so recurring costs will quickly add up if you print a lot. Also, its battery life lasts just 20 prints, so you'll want to keep the charging cable close. As for connectivity options, this printer only works with Android and iOS smartphones or with Chrome OS devices via a Bluetooth connection and its Hi-Print mobile app.
Notable Mentions
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Brother MFC-J4335DW:
If you're looking for a small printer for your home office, the Brother MFC-J4335DW is a better choice than the Epson EcoTank ET-2800. It has an ADF that scans multi-page documents quickly and produces better-looking documents, but it incurs higher recurring costs and doesn't produce as good-looking photos as the Epson.
See our review -
Epson Expression Home XP-4200:
Get the Epson Expression Home XP-4200 instead of the Brother MFC-J1205W if you're looking to minimize upfront costs. However, the Epson incurs much higher recurring costs and doesn't perform as well.
See our review -
Canon PIXMA MG3620:
For an even cheaper option, consider the Canon PIXMA MG3620 to the Brother MFC-J1205W. It prints better-looking photos but has a very low page yield and high recurring costs.
See our review -
Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw:
If you want a more compact and cheaper laser printer, consider the Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw instead of the Brother HL-L2460DW. However, it produces lower-quality prints and is slower.
See our review -
Canon SELPHY Square QX10:
If you prefer a punchier, brighter image but are still chasing that Polaroid-esque photo aesthetic, get the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 instead of the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2. They are similar devices, but the Polaroid is better at rendering fine details, and it charges faster, so there's less downtime between photo sessions.
See our review
Recent Updates
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.
Feb 26, 2025:
We've overhauled the article to offer better recommendations for small printers for home use by revising the product categories, changing some of our product picks, and adding new Notable Mentions.
Jan 21, 2025:
We've verified that our recommendations are available and represent the best choices. We also made edits for clarity throughout.
Oct 28, 2024:
We've replaced the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 with the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 as the 'Best Compact Photo Printer' since it's cheaper, prints faster, and produces more detailed photos. We've moved the Canon to the Notable Mentions. We've also added the HP Officejet 200 to the Notable Mentions and made small edits throughout for clarity.
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.