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However, with tons of people now working from home, we're starting to see a mini-renaissance for home printers. And if you're one of the many who now find yourself in need of your own printer, CNET is here to help you find the right one for your home office. We've combed through the changing landscape of printers to bring you the best models available in 2022 so you can print photos, work documents, college essays and more whenever you need.
It has a handy 2.7-inch touchscreen display for navigating options and the printer supports an array of wireless printing protocols, including Apple AirPrint and Mopria. If you sign up for the HP+ Smart Printer System and Instant Ink delivery, you get six months of ink cartridge supplies for free . This printer uses a 2.4-inch color display along with buttons on the front panel to navigate among functions.
Single-function printer vs. multifunctional printer
One device that can do it all at a budget-friendly price, with a low cost per page and duplex printing. Offering all your printing, scanning, copying, and faxing needs in one compact, attractive device. One of the most disappointing things that can happen when using a printer is getting a dull or blurry output that falls below expectations.
And I get to share my most exciting discoveries with the Forbes Vetted readers. To keep the printer functional, you’ll need to keep it stocked with ink or toner, as well as paper. If it’s a laser printer, a separate drum unit will also need replacing periodically. Replacement ink for inkjet printers that rely on ink tanks is the most affordable option of them all. Many printers report two different speeds—the time it takes for the first print to slide out of the printer and the pages per minute once it starts printing.
Rollo Wireless Printer X1040
Just like most of our picks below, these printers take their functionality a step further by usually combining printing, scanning, faxing, and sometimes copying in one device. They can use either inkjet or laser print technology and are larger than typical printers. Their multipurpose functionality also makes them perfect for home or office use. The Canon ImageClass MF741Cdw, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4820, and the HP Deskjet 4155e excelled at printing high-quality color photos. The ImageClass led the pack, with every metric being measured slightly better than its direct competitors. The only drawback to these machines was that each slightly struggled when printing graphics with hard edges and sharp contrast.
Reduce your eco-footprint by eliminating wasted printouts by all means necessary. Think before you print, and carry out double-sided printing whenever it’s possible. The major cost that comes with running a printer is the price of ink or toner cartridges. We were keen to choose printers that will offer you the best value for your money for many years to come to. The Epson Workforce Pro WF-4820 is the most well-rounded printer we tested.
Best Portable Home Printer
As an EcoTank printer, this Epson is able to take advantage of the incredibly low print costs brought around by its refillable tanks. That’s arguably a major reason why it seems like such an expensive printer. The ET-3850 claims to be able to print a volume of 14,000 black or 5,200 colour pages before needing to be fully refilled. Compared to a standard cartridge-based printer, the money saved for such a large print volume is ridiculous. We found it to be a useful multifunctional device, given it can not only print but also scan and copy. Handily, the ET-3850 features an automatic document feeder, which we found allowed documents to be scanned and copied with relative ease, giving you access to all of this printer’s facets at once.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF745Cdw is the best contender to rival those speedy laser printers used in offices while still hitting a more affordable price point. This printer can handle a hefty workload—spitting out 28 pages per minute from its 300-page capacity paper tray and 75-page output tray. You can even print double-sided, so there’s no need to feed the paper back in if you need something front and back. Just note that you lose out on resolution with that extra speed, so it’s best for documents over photos and graphics. For a straightforward inkjet printer that gets the job done well, you need to snag the Epson Expression Photo XP-8700.
It’s wireless, supports Bluetooth connectivity, and allows duplex printing. This device prints in both color and black and white, and its compact size makes it a decent choice for home or family use. The price of this printer is considerably affordable for all the awesome features it offers.
We combine those test results with printer brand reliability and owner satisfaction ratings derived from our member surveys to arrive at an Overall Score that lets you compare every model on the same scale. Many HP devices are ENERGY STAR® certified to help reduce the impact of your at-home energy consumption. Lower both your monthly energy bill and greenhouse gas emissions by investing in a printer that makes the most efficient use of its processing power. Print and scan directly from your phone, get notifications, use voice commands to customize the print queue, and send documents straight to the cloud. The elegant design blends in with your home decor so you never have to worry about clunky technology creating an eyesore in your little oasis. Many printers, like the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 AiO printer, feature an optimized DPI of 4800 x 1200.
This all-in-one printer has a 40-page automatic document feeder and a 250-sheet paper tray. The printer lacks a display; to control its features, you must use your computer or mobile device. Like other HP models, this printer supports a variety of wireless printing protocols, including HP Smart App, Apple AirPrint, Mopria and Wi-Fi Direct. While not a big difference, if you are printing a lot of photos, there may be faster options or those that also print in color. Like other laserjet printers, this option is a bit pricey, especially considering that it does not print in color. But given the long life of its cartridges and fast printing, it is still a good value.
This portable printer lacks the all-in-one versatility of the HP OfficeJet 250, but it costs nearly half the price. For the remote worker, this printer will quickly become a welcome piece of equipment for printing from hotel rooms, coffee shops, or just about anywhere else. The HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2604sdw is part of HP’s Tank series designed with economical, refillable toner cartridges. The printer comes pre-loaded with what HP describes as up to two years’ worth of ink.
Sometimes you just want a quality printer that covers all the essentials — copying, scanning, faxing, and of course, printing. That’s where the HP Envy Pro 6455e comes into play, and it’s not going to break the bank either, coming in under $200. This inkjet printer is easy to get started using and can handle all the tasks you throw its way. The dual-band Wi-Fi or Bluetooth support means you can wirelessly print from almost any smart device in your home.
HP® offers dozens of inkjet printers that deliver crisp blacks and bold colors to ensure all your projects pop off the page. When you want to get professional-grade prints from your home office, HP® has the right device to get the job done. Let’s take a look at features of different kinds of printers so you have all the information you need before deciding on which printer is right for you. We print text documents of varying size, ranging from one page long to five pages, to 20 pages, to simulate the experience of printing letters, boarding passes, essays, manuscripts. We print documents that feature a mixture of text and graphics, such as pie charts and bar graphs, to simulate printing out reports and contracts.
To recreate that, I taped my receipts from my food shopping to create a scan. I used a mixture of new receipts and ones that had faded in my wallet, then I checked the scan for legibility. Most scanners will enhance the image you are scanning and that certainly helps with receipts. The cost of purchasing the printer is only part of the overall equation.
