- 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 offices that we've tested is the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw. This color laser all-in-one feels remarkably well-built, with a design that allows for easy access to the toner cartridges and paper jams. However, it's bulky, so you might need to make some space on your desk. Its ADF-equipped scanner scans up to 25 pages per minute and can scan double-sided sheets in a single pass. 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 churns out 21 black or 29 color pages per minute, and it 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 higher-yield cartridges if you need more. 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 unit 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 HP Printer For Home Use
Family8.1Small/Home Office8.3Student8.5Black & White8.1Photo7.4Our pick for the best HP printer for home use is the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e. 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 higher-yield cartridges. It also accepts third-party ink cartridges, which might help you save more money, and this model comes with a six-month subscription to HP Instant Ink, 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. The input trays hold 500 sheets of paper, which is great for large print jobs.
In addition to Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet connectivity, you can print directly from a USB flash drive. The scanner has plenty of 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. The only thing missing is the ability to extend the scanner's lid hinges for thicker items like books. It prints good-looking photos with reasonable color accuracy and only 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 should it get damaged.
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Best Black & White HP Printer
Family3.5Small/Home Office5.4Student7.4Black & White7.9Photo2.8If you're looking for a monochrome HP printer, check out the HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w. It's a laser all-in-one, but unlike most laser printers, it has a refillable toner tank that you can replenish toner bottles, similar to inkjet supertank models. A full tank yields around 9500 pages, so you won't have to worry about refilling it often. Also, a toner bottle is cheaper than the cartridge of most laser printers. The only downside is that the drum unit is a separate piece you'll have to spend extra to replace. That said, the drum unit has an expected life of 20,000 prints, so it'll take a while before you need to replace it. It doesn't take long to warm up, but unfortunately, it only prints around 12 pages per minute and can't perform double-sided printing.
Although there's a scanner, it can only scan at a maximum resolution of 600 dpi and doesn't have an ADF to scan multi-page documents. As for its connectivity options, you still get Wi-Fi and USB; however, there's no Ethernet port, which might be an issue for offices that rely on a wired LAN connection. It supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service and is compatible with commonly-used desktop operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS.
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.
- 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 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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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.
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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.
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.