- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Review Updates
- Comparison
- Best Printers
- Lineup
- Page Updates
- Conclusion
- Discussions
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, and all-in-one or printer-only. While their selection can be overwhelming, they're separated into several different lineups to better fit your needs.
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.
Updates
- 11/11/2022 HP ENVY 6055e updated
- 09/29/2022 HP DeskJet 2755e updated
- 05/11/2022 HP ENVY Inspire 7255e reviewed
- 04/04/2022 HP ENVY Inspire 7955e reviewed
- 04/01/2022 HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w reviewed
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 the toner cartridges and paper jams. Its ADF-equipped scanner scans up to 25 pages per minute, and it 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. A mobile app is available for Android and iOS devices, which you can use to print, scan, copy, or perform maintenance tasks.
As for its printing performance, it prints very quickly at 21 black or 29 color pages per minute and doesn't take too long to warm up. It has a fairly large 250-sheet input tray, so you won't have to refill it often. 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, further reducing maintenance. The cartridges are expensive, but since you won't have to replace them often, the overall cost-per-print is very low. Plus, they have the drum built-in, meaning you won't have to replace the drum separately. Its color accuracy is okay, but like most laser printers, it isn't ideal for photo printing. Other than that, this is an outstanding all-in-one that'll satisfy most office needs.
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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 an all-in-one inkjet model with an excellent cartridge system. It yields around 1100 black and 700 color pages, which you can further increase with XL cartridges. It also accepts third-party ink cartridges, which might help you save more money, and this model comes with six months of ink through HP's Instant Ink subscription, a service that delivers ink to you when the printer detects low ink levels. Its overall printing speed is great at around 16 black or 14 color pages per minute, and it can print double-sided automatically.
In addition to Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet connectivity, you can print directly from a USB flash drive. The scanner has many features, including an automatic document feeder, duplex scanning capability (single-pass), and optical character recognition (OCR). OCR lets you scan documents into text files, making it easier to edit or search for keywords. Unfortunately, the scan quality is sub-par, so it isn't the best for digitizing photos. It prints outstanding quality documents and very detailed photos with reasonable color accuracy, albeit with a little bit of graininess in the pictures. The design allows easy access to paper jams and ink cartridges, and the power cord is removable, so it's easy to replace if it get damaged.
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Best Mid-Range HP Printer
Family7.3Small/Home Office7.0Student7.3Black & White6.5Photo6.8If you're looking for a more modest option to save some money, check out the HP OfficeJet Pro 6978. This all-in-one color inkjet model has Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet connectivity, and it can also print directly from a USB flash drive. The scanner produces amazing quality scans, which is great for digitizing old family photos, and it has an automatic feeder with duplex scanning capability so you can process multi-page and double-sided documents quickly.
This printer produces very high-quality black and color documents. It isn't particularly fast, as it takes a while to warm up and can only push out nine black or six color pages per minute, so you'll have to be patient. As for photo printing, its color accuracy is okay, but photos look grainy and lacking in fine details. Unfortunately, the ink cartridges don't last very long, as they're only good for about 160 black and 200 color prints, meaning you'll have to replace them regularly. The cost-per-print isn't too bad because replacement ink is relatively cheap, but it can still add up if you print a lot. Although there are some downsides, this is still a decent option and one of the best HP printers for home use we've tested in its price range.
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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. 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. You still get Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, and you can print through its mobile companion app.
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, but it's best to avoid printing too many photos, as you'll end up spending more money on replacement ink than the printer itself.
Compared to other brands
- 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.
- Some Iineups have limited scanning features. Depending on the lineup, you may only have access to a flatbed scanner or sheetfed scanner with an automatic document feeder. The LaserJet Pro and LaserJet Enterprise lineups don't typically have scanning features.
- Inkjet printer cartridges have low page yields. Inkjet printers like the HP ENVY Photo 7155 or HP Deskjet 3755 don't yield many pages before their cartridges need replacing.
HP tends to make a diverse assortment of printers, each of which is for different uses. Their photo printing lineup ENVY, for example, is comparable to Canon's PIXMA lineup, while 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 as well as 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 tend to 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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Oct 28, 2022: Minor structure change. Replaced the HP ENVY Inspire 7255e with the HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 because the OfficeJet Pro 6978 is cheaper, has more scanner features, and produces higher-quality documents.
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Aug 30, 2022: Restructured article to better match user expectations. Removed the HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w. Added the HP ENVY Inspire 7255e as a budget pick and the HP DeskJet 3755 as a cheap pick.
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Jun 16, 2022: Replaced HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e due to print quality issues with the 9015e. Replaced HP LaserJet Enterprise M507dn with the HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w because it has a better page yield, wider connectivity options, and is cheaper.
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Apr 19, 2022: Minor category and structure changes. Removed HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e and HP ENVY Photo 7855. Added HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e as 'Best For Home Use' and HP LaserJet Enterprise M507dn as 'Best For Black And White Printing'.
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Feb 18, 2022: Text updated for clarity; picks verified for availability and accuracy; no changes to picks.
Conclusion
HP is a well-known brand that offers many different printers at varying price points 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.
