HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is a home electronics brand that focuses on computer-related products, including printers. They make a diverse range of printers like inkjet or laser, color or monochrome, all-in-one or print-only units, and even portable printers with a built-in rechargeable battery. While their selection can be overwhelming, they're separated into several different lineups, so it's easier to find what you need. Each lineup has different pros and cons that align more closely with their specific usages, and they come at several price points, so you can easily find a printer that works for you. HP has had a number of controversies over the years, including a recent one involving a software update that prevents the use of third-party cartridges when subscribed to HP's ink replenishment service.
Updates
- 09/22/2023 HP DeskJet 2755e [2723e, 2742e, 2752e]​ updated
- 06/14/2023 HP Smart Tank 7301 [6001, 7001] reviewed
- 06/01/2023 HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2604sdw reviewed
- 03/02/2023 HP DeskJet 3755/3772 updated
- 03/02/2023 HP DeskJet 4155e [4133e, 4152e, 4158e]​ updated
Best HP Printers
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Best HP Printer
Family8.1Small/Home Office9.1Student8.6Black & White8.9Photo6.2The best HP printer we've tested is the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw. This color laser all-in-one feels remarkably well-built, and its design allows easy access to toner cartridges and paper jams. Its ADF-equipped scanner scans up to 25 pages per minute and can scan double-sided sheets in a single pass, so you don't need to flip the pages manually. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and it supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service.
As for its printing performance, it produces incredibly sharp documents, doesn't take long to warm up, and prints very quickly at 21 black or 29 color pages per minute. The regular toner cartridges yield around 2400 black and 2100 color pages before they run out, and you can get XL cartridges that'll last even longer. The cartridges are expensive, but the cost-per-print is very low since you won't have to replace them often. Plus, they have the drum built-in, meaning you won't have to replace it separately.
While the M479fdw is an excellent printer, it's also quite expensive. If you want something cheaper, we recommend getting the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw, also known as the HP LaserJet Pro M283cdw at Costco. It's also a color laser model that produces incredibly sharp documents; however, it doesn't support automatic duplex scanning, and its toner cartridges don't last as long.
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Best Upper Mid-Range HP Printer
Family8.4Small/Home Office8.5Student8.8Black & White8.4Photo7.8The HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e is our best mid-range pick and one of the best HP printers for home use we've tested. It's relatively compact for such a feature-rich printer, so it won't take up much place. It has wide connectivity options and an ADF-equipped scanner with duplex scanning, and it supports the HP Smart mobile app, which you can use to operate the printer remotely. It produces incredibly sharp documents and prints up 16 black or 14 color pages per minute. It isn't bad for photo printing; it reproduces very small details but tends to substitute bright, saturated colors with a darker shade, making the pictures look fairly grainy.
A set of ink cartridges gets you a little over 1100 black or 700 color prints, which is pretty good for a standard cartridge-based printer. Plus, the cartridges are relatively cheap, so the printer won't cost much to maintain. It comes with six months of ink through HP+, an ink replenishment subscription service, but know that if you subscribe to it, you can no longer use third-party cartridges, even if you unsubscribe from the service. If you don't care about the subscription, you can just go with the regular OfficeJet Pro 9025, though it may be harder to find.
If you have a large print load, you might want to consider the HP Smart Tank 7301. Thanks to its refillable ink tank, it yields significantly more prints, up to 5,300 black and 9,000 color pages, making it even cheaper to maintain than the 9025e. However, it isn't as feature-rich as the 9025e, as it lacks duplex scanning and the ability to print from a USB flash drive. It also has a narrow color range, resulting in photos that look flat and lacking in detail, so it's best suited for document printing.
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Best Mid-Range HP Printer
Family7.8Small/Home Office7.1Student7.9Black & White7.3Photo7.6If you want something more modest for home use, get the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e, a cheaper sibling of the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e we recommend above. You may find it under another model number, like the 8022e or the 8035e. All variants are identical; the model number only changes depending on the region and retailer. Models like the 8025 and 8028 are older versions that don't include the six-month subscription to HP's ink service. Again, as mentioned above, subscribing to the ink replenishment service will prevent you from using third-party cartridges in the future.
With that out of the way, let's talk about this printer's performance and features. It's a sturdily-built printer with a user-friendly touch-sensitive display and plenty of connectivity options, including USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet. It produces exceptionally sharp black and color documents; it's just a little slow, as it only prints up to 10 black or six color pages per minute. For photo printing, it produces very detailed pictures, but it doesn't have the widest color range, so printed pictures can look a little muted.
Features aside, the biggest difference between this model and the 9025e above is page yield. Its ink cartridges are only good for about 240 black and 270 color prints, meaning you'll have to replace them regularly. That said, the cost per print is still low because the cartridges are relatively cheap. The scanner produces good quality scans; however, it's rather slow, as it only scans three pages per minute through the automatic feeder and doesn't support duplex scanning.
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Best Budget HP Printer
Family6.1Small/Home Office4.8Student5.6Black & White5.2Photo6.9If you need something that can get the job done for those occasional projects, consider the HP DeskJet 3755. Like the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e above, this printer has many variants. Again, they're all identical in feature and performance, as they're merely regional or retailer-exclusive variants. It's a simple and compact inkjet all-in-one that's well-suited for small spaces like college dorm rooms. It doesn't have a flatbed scanner, but you can scan via its feeder. The scanner supports up to legal-size sheets and has a software-based optical character recognition feature. Unfortunately, it can't scan double-sided documents, so you'll have to flip the pages manually.
The biggest drawback of this model is its page yield. Its black and tri-color cartridges yield only about 100 black and 40 color prints, meaning you'll have to replace them regularly. Also, since it only has a tri-color cartridge, you'll have to replace the whole cartridge even if only one color runs out. Its printing speed is slow at five black or three color pages per minute, so it isn't the best for printing long papers or essays.
It prints surprisingly good-looking photos with adequate color accuracy. Still, it's best to avoid printing too many photos, as you'll spend more money on replacement ink than the printer itself. This printer doesn't come with six months of free ink but is eligible for the service, but again, it might not be worth it if you plan on using third-party cartridges.
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Best Portable HP Printer
Family6.8Small/Home Office4.4Student7.0Black & White4.8Photo6.6For on-the-go printing, we recommend the HP OfficeJet 250, a compact model with a built-in rechargeable battery. It's a great option if you travel a lot for work or run an outdoor kiosk and need to print receipts. The battery is good for about 225 prints and takes around two hours to fully charge. It produces sharp documents but is just a little slow, as it only prints three black or six color pages per minute. Despite its compact size, you still get an ADF scanner that produces high-quality scans. It also has an optical character recognition (OCR) feature that lets you save scans as PDFs for quick keyword searches.
The biggest downside with this printer is its page yield, as 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 isn't too bad because the cartridges are relatively cheap, although 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 might be cheaper.
![HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e [8022e, 8028e, 8035e] Design Photo](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/dRd2VVY8/hp-officejet-pro-8025e-8022e-8028e-8035e/design-small.jpg)
![HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e [8022e, 8028e, 8035e] In-Test Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/ZvZRDNv9/hp-officejet-pro-8025e-8022e-8028e-8035e/in-test-small.jpg)
![HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e [8022e, 8028e, 8035e] Color dE Graph](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/4GtTLI3Q/hp-officejet-pro-8025e-8022e-8028e-8035e/de-bargraph-small.jpg)
![HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e [8022e, 8028e, 8035e] Color dE Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/lf3A82Cg/hp-officejet-pro-8025e-8022e-8028e-8035e/color-de-small.jpg)
![HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e [8022e, 8028e, 8035e] In the Box Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/Rmay9DLm/hp-officejet-pro-8025e-8022e-8028e-8035e/in-the-box-small.jpg)
Compared To Other Brands
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Diverse lineup.
They offer many different models that focus on different needs, like photo printing or office use. -
Quick printing speeds.
For the most part, both the LaserJet Enterprise/Pro and OfficeJet Pro lineups have pretty quick print speeds for all kinds of documents. Although the ENVY lineup is slow to print black text and color documents, they can print photos fairly quickly. -
Laser printers have affordable cost-per-print.
As their toner cartridges can yield more pages before they need replacing, each page you print with their laser printers is affordable.
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Confusing model names.
HP tends to use different model numbers for the same product to indicate the region and retailer in which the printer is sold, which can be very confusing for the average user. -
Mediocre print quality on low-end models.
Budget HP printers tend to have worse print quality than other brands like Brother and Canon. -
HP+ subscription prevents use of third-party cartridges.
HP offers an ink replenishment subscription service called HP+. It's usually bundled with certain printers and includes six months of free ink, like the OfficeJet Pro 9025e. However, subscribing to the service will prevent you from using third-party cartridges, even if you cancel your subscription later.
HP vs Brother
HP and Brother are both major printer manufacturers. Brother printers typically have better print quality, especially on lower-end models. However, HP has a wider range of printers, including portable printers and laser printers with a refillable toner tank, similar to supertank inkjet models. See our recommendations for the best Brother printers.
HP vs Epson
There are many differences between Epson and HP. HP produces a wide range of printers, including laser, inkjet, and portable models, while Epson focuses almost exclusively on inkjet desktop models. HP printers typically have better print quality for document printing, but Epson printers usually perform better when it comes to photo printing. Epson produces a lot of supertank models, which have significantly better page yield than most HP printers. Check out our recommendations for the best Epson printers.
HP tends to make diverse printers, each for different uses. For example, their photo printing lineup ENVY is comparable to Canon's PIXMA lineup. In contrast, their LaserJet Pro and LaserJet Enterprise lineups are more similar to Brother's current offering of office printers. As a whole, HP's printers have few similar characteristics between lineups. However, thanks to their variety, their printers come in many different price ranges, so you can find something at a price point that suits your budget.
Lineup
HP offers several different printer lineups to suit your specific needs. They use the following names:
- DeskJet = Entry-level, compact inkjet printers for home use. They tend to have somewhat limited scanning features.
- ENVY = Inkjet printers meant for printing photos. They focus on rich and detailed photo printing quality and more precise color accuracy.
- LaserJet Pro = Laser printers for small/home office use. Some are monochrome, and others use color toners. Unlike the LaserJet Enterprise line, they usually support wireless connectivity.
- LaserJet Enterprise = Laser printers designed for small businesses that need to print off a significant amount of pages. They tend to be print-only and have a very quick print speed. They're marketed as more secure as they use wired connections for printing.
- OfficeJet = Inkjet printers that are better suited for home/small office use. They're usually well-rounded printers capable of printing in black as well as color.
- Smart Tank = Supertank inkjet printers. These printers tend to have outstandingly high page yields.
Recent Updates
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Aug 18, 2023: Small text changes to add the HP Smart Tank 7301 as an alternative to the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e. No change in recommendations.
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Jun 19, 2023: Verified that all picks are valid and available. No change in recommendations.
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Apr 21, 2023: No change in recommendations. Minor text changes to include the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw as an alternative to the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw.
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Feb 20, 2023: Minor text and structure changes. Added the HP OfficeJet 250 as the 'Best Portable HP Printer'.
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Dec 22, 2022: Replaced the HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 with the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e because it performs better and is cheaper.
Conclusion
HP is a well-known brand with many different printers at varying prices to better suit your needs. Their build quality and performances shift around depending on the lineup you're looking at. There's even a noticeable difference in their cartridge performances, with their Smart Tank and LaserJet Pros having the highest yields; this is normal in supertank and laser printers. That said, HP's printers can suit most budgets and printing needs while offering a fairly well-rounded performance.