25 Best Printers

The HP Smart Tank 7602 has one of the largest shares in the inkjet printer market internationally, and is advertised as providing maximum productivity and saved time with its fast print speeds, ADF, and fax functions.

The HP Smart Tank 7602 is one of the most popular inkjet printers on the market. According to HP, it provides maximum productivity and saves time with fast print speeds, an automatic document feeder (ADF), and fax functions.

Its operating cost is unbeatable—only $0.002 per color document, one of the lowest among the products we tested. Even if you print a large number of documents each day while working remotely, printing costs will fit well within your budget.

We recorded printing speeds of 57 seconds for ten monochrome documents, and 97 seconds for ten color documents, the fastest of the printers we tested. When printing documents urgently for a client meeting, this printer is fast, smooth, and stress-free.

Although the monochrome printout had excellent visibility and dark text, it also had scattered areas with patchy quality. Printing documents with mixed text sizes, such as annotations, looked slightly grainy. During color printing, figures and tables were clear with vivid colors. This printer produces color documents that you would not be embarrassed to show to your boss or business partners.

Photo prints were vivid and clean, though colors were too vivid and far removed from the original, resulting in slightly lower quality. The HP Smart Tank 7602 has many additional features, such as ADF and automatic duplex printing. It also has an intuitive operating system and a touch panel.

Canon’s PIXUS MG3620 is compact and easy to use anywhere. It has an operating cost of about $0.059 per color document, so it is affordable even if used daily. We measured printing speeds of 134 seconds for ten monochrome documents and 184 seconds for ten color documents, which is slower than other printers we tested. This print speed would be noticeable when documents need to be printed quickly. An automatic power-on function, however, reduces the time to first print.

Monochrome printing produced text that was clear and sharp, with no blurring or spottiness. Color charts and graphs were vivid and easy to read, worthy of important presentation material. Photo prints were very precisely defined, capturing even the smallest details in people and distant trees, though the overall color was slightly darker than the original.

The PIXUS MG3620 is not the most convenient printer because it lacks an ADF and only one type of paper can be placed in its single paper tray. Among those tested, this printer has excellent print quality overall.

With printing, copying, scanning, and faxing in one device, Canon's PIXMA TR4720 is advertised as meeting all of your printing needs at work and home. Its case comes in two colors—black and white—allowing you to choose one that best matches your home office’s décor.

The operating cost of this printer is about $0.091 per color document, which is economical in comparison to printing at a store. Printing speeds were 138 seconds for ten monochrome documents and 260 seconds for ten color documents, which is poor if quick printing is needed. Color printing was particularly slower than with other printers we tested. The printer turns on automatically, reducing time to the first print slightly.

When printing in black and white, the text was gray, making it less visible, and there were stray marks on the page. The same was true for color documents, with text in figures and tables streaking. The print quality is adequate for internal documents, but we do not recommend using this printer for documents shown to business partners or clients.

Photos appeared slightly different from originals, and they were blurry. Although average, this is not the printer for you if you want sharp images. The printer does, however, offer great functionality, with ADF and automatic duplexing. This printer is worth it only if you print documents for personal use.

Epson, headquartered in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, introduces the EcoTank Photo ET-8500 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer, a distinctive offering in the photo printer market known for its economical running costs, thanks to its tank system.

This printer boasts six ink colors, offering remarkable high-resolution output that captures every nuance of your images, from the delicate spray of sea waves to the fine texture of sand. While its color reproduction has received mixed reviews, the EcoTank Photo ET-8500 tends to enhance the cyan, resulting in more vivid images than the original. This feature may not align with the preferences of those seeking exact replication of image data, but it is ideal for users who love photographs that pop with strong contrasts and rich colors.

In terms of user-friendliness, the ET-8500 ranks at the top among tested products. It supports a variety of printing options, including an SD card slot, USB memory, smartphone, and cloud printing, enabling effortless printing without the need for a PC. Its large 4.5-inch LCD screen further elevates the user experience by minimizing mispresses, making it accessible even to those with larger hands.

With its combination of cost-effectiveness, detailed and vibrant photo output, and exceptional ease of use, the EcoTank Photo ET-8500 is especially suitable for those who cherish capturing and preserving life's precious moments, from children's milestones to memorable events.

The PIXMA TS9521C Crafting All-In-One Printer from Canon, a leading brand in the inkjet and laser printer markets, debuted in 2018 with a focus on crafting and scrapbooking enthusiasts. It supports borderless printing up to 12x12 inches and can handle greeting card sizes of 7x10 inches, catering to a variety of creative projects.

This printer features a five-color ink system renowned for its vibrant color reproduction, capable of capturing the nuanced hues of sunlight in autumnal scenes and the subtle gradients that define them. However, those who prioritize the finest details may notice that the resolution could lead to prints appearing somewhat grainy, as the images are made up of tiny dots.

User convenience is a strong suit of the PIXMA TS9521C, equipped with an SD card slot and compatibility with mobile and cloud printing options, enabling straightforward printing without the necessity of a PC. The large 4.3-inch LCD screen further enhances its usability, facilitating a seamless interaction.

The printer excels in producing beautiful photos with rich color fidelity, making it an ideal choice for individuals passionate about capturing and preserving the beauty of natural landscapes and urban scenes in their creative projects.

The Expression Photo Wireless All-in-One Printer XP-8700 from EPSON, a leader in information-related equipment like printers, projectors, and computers, hit the market in August 2022. It's designed for those looking to produce professional-quality photos from the comfort of home.

This printer shines with its detailed photo printing capabilities, accurately capturing elements like water droplets and sand grains for a crisp, high-resolution output. However, it's worth noting that its color reproduction tends to amplify vibrancy beyond the original images. This is particularly evident in seascape photos, where the contrast between the blues and reds can be striking—appealing to some for its beauty, but seen by others as somewhat artificial.

When it comes to user convenience, the XP-8700 stands out from the competition. It features an SD card slot and USB port, along with support for mobile and cloud printing, enabling straightforward printing without the intermediate step of transferring data to a computer. The 4.2-inch LCD screen enhances usability, making printer operations smooth and hassle-free for all users.

HP's Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283FDW produced the highest quality prints in comparison to all of the other laser printers we tested. We observed no print defects, such as streaks, color misalignment, or positional displacement, in both black-and-white and color documents. We saw only one instance of blurring when printing 6-point text, but otherwise, printing was clear and sharp.

Color accuracy was high, and although a laser printer can’t reach the quality of an 8-color inkjet printer when it comes to photos, this printer approximates the output of a 5-color inkjet printer. Even when printing leaflets and POPs, exact color tones are preserved from screen to paper.

During speed tests, we printed 22 pages of monochrome documents per minute and recorded an average time of 145 seconds for printing 50 pages in bulk. This printer also features an ADF, automatic duplex printing, AirPrint, and smartphone printing. The ADF supports only single-sided scanning. If you need to make multiple copies of double-sided printed material, manual operation is required for each page. Also, the LCD is touch-operated, but it's only 2.7 inches, so people with large fingers may easily press the wrong buttons.

The Color imageCLASS MF654CDW laser printer by Canon offers high print quality, but it wasn’t the best among the printers we tested. Color reproduction was equivalent to a 5-color inkjet printer, but it did produce a few printing defects. Text prints are heavy, so small text (6-point or smaller) is blurred in some cases. Some testers reported that the toner overlapped too much.

During speed tests, this printer printed 21 documents per minute, which was average among the printers we tested. The time it took to print 50 copies of a document was 154 seconds, which might slow some people.

The MF654CDW offers an ADF, automatic double-sided printing, and smartphone printing, though the ADF supports only single-sided scanning. The LCD is 5.2 inches and it supports touch operation, so getting to features is quick and convenient.

HP’s Color LaserJet Pro M255DW laser printer is a single-function model that does not support copying or scanning. Its print quality was a strength among the printers we tested. No blurring or smudging was observed, even when printing 6-point fonts. Color reproduction was accurate, but it can’t compete with 8-color commercial inkjet printers, though it's close to a 5-color inkjet printer for photo printing. Some lines were observed in both monochrome and color images, but the print quality was otherwise high.

During speed tests, it printed 22 monochrome documents per minute, and it took 144 seconds to print 50 copies in bulk, which was average among the printers we tested. This printer does not have an ADF, but it does support smartphone printing such as AirPrint, Mopria, and Wi-Fi Direct. It has a touch LCD and its compact size makes it easy to place, so it is a good choice for a home office where space is a premium.