- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Printers
- 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.
Note: We're currently in the middle of updating our printers to the newest 1.0 test bench, so some scores may change. We'll update this article as we've retested any relevant printers. You can see the changes to our methodology here.
Updates
- 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
- 03/10/2022 HP ENVY Pro 6455 updated
- 03/09/2022 HP DeskJet 3755 updated
Best HP Printers
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Best HP Printer For Small Office
Family7.0Small/Home Office9.3Student8.5Black & White8.7Photo6.1The best HP printer for small office that we've tested is the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw. Though it's a laser printer, which are typically monochrome-only, it prints in color as well. It has exceptional page yields for both black-only and color documents, meaning you won't have to replace the toner cartridge very frequently. That said, the cost-per-print stays low, even if you print frequently. Since it's a laser printer, its printing speeds are much faster than HP's inkjet offerings, so you won't have to wait around to print out a batch of invoices or receipts. This printer also has a high-resolution flatbed scanner and an automatic document feeder that can perform duplex scanning, great features if you need to digitize multi-page or double-sided reports quickly. As for connectivity options, you can use the printer wirelessly over Wi-Fi or using the mobile app, or you can connect the printer to a wired network as it has an Ethernet port, and there's even a USB port to print directly from thumb drives.
Unfortunately, due to the laser technology, it's not well-suited for photo printing as images come out with a lot of banding and pixelation. The colors also look dull. Additionally, like most other HP printers, this unit doesn't support Bluetooth printing; however, it does support Apple AirPrint or Mopria Print Service if you'd like to print wirelessly from a mobile device or laptop. With that said, it's a very well-built option if you're looking for an HP printer for your home office or small business, and it has the benefit of being one of the best laser printers that we've tested.
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Best HP Printer For Home Use
Family8.2Small/Home Office8.1Student8.6Black & White8.1Photo7.4It can be hard to find a printer for home use that can satisfy every family member's needs, whether it's printing out school assignments, papers, photos, or digitizing important documents and pictures. That's why our pick for the best printer for home use is the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e, an all-around great printer with plenty of features. This is the same printer as the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015, but it comes with a six-month subscription to HP's Instant Ink service. If you don't think you need the subscription, you can simply get the regular 9015 model, though it may be a bit harder to find. Speaking of the subscription service, it's compatible with HP's Smart mobile companion app, which allows you to manage your subscription, as well as print, make copies, or scan using your smartphone's camera.
This printer has an excellent cartridge system. You can print over 1000 black-only pages or over 700 color pages before the ink runs low, and there are high-yield cartridges available if you need even more. The cost-per-print is exceptionally low, so you don't have to worry about going over budget. It takes very little time to warm up and get the first page out, and it can print up to 15 pages per minute of black-only documents. Photos look great, with reasonably accurate colors, although there's some slight graininess present. There are plenty of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB, so every family member can connect to it easily. All in all, this is a great all-in-one and one of the best HP printers for home use we've tested.
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Best Black And White HP Printer
Family2.3Small/Home Office5.9Student5.5Black & White9.0Casual Photo2.7If you only need a printer that can print black documents very quickly, we recommend the HP LaserJet Enterprise M507dn. It's a printer-only model with excellent build quality and a compact design that doesn't take up too much space on a desk. It can print up to 42 pages per minute and get the first page out in under nine seconds, making it well-suited for short or long print jobs. It can also perform automatic double-sided printing, and its input tray holds up to 650 sheets of paper, allowing you to complete large print jobs with minimal interruptions. You can print over 6000 pages before the toner runs low, and you can get even higher-yield cartridges if needed. The cartridge has the drum unit built-in so that you don't have to replace the drum separately.
Additionally, it has an excellent build and design quality. Even though it's entirely made out of plastic, it feels very sturdy overall, and there are no issues with the construction. The major downside of this printer is its limited connectivity options. You can only connect to it via a wired USB or Ethernet connection, which might be problematic in a large office setting, and since it doesn't have wireless connectivity, it isn't compatible with any HP mobile companion app. If that doesn't bother you, then this is a fantastic black and white option to consider.
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 any scanning features at all.
- 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.
- No Bluetooth support. Most HP printers can't print wirelessly using Bluetooth, except for the HP ENVY Photo 7855.
HP tends to make a diverse assortment of printers, each of which is designed 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, but most tend to lack Bluetooth support. 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 they 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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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.
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Dec 21, 2021: Changes to text for accuracy; added link to TBU changelog in intro; no changes to picks.
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Oct 22, 2021: Replaced the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e as 'Best HP Printer For Family Use' due to availability; updated text for clarity.
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Aug 24, 2021: Verified availability and accuracy of picks, and updated text for clarity.
Conclusion
HP is a well-known brand that offers many different printers at varying price points to better suit your needs. As such, 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 expected in supertank and laser printers. That said, HP's printers can suit most budgets and printing needs while still offering a fairly well-rounded performance.
For other options, you can check our recommendations for the best printers for small offices, the best home printers, and the best photo printers.