From school assignments to working from home to filing personal documents, having a reliable printer at home that can also copy, scan and fax can help keep you organized and save late-night trips to printing centers.
Personal printers are not only more affordable than ever, but they’re also becoming increasingly versatile. While printers for at-home use were previously only that — just printers — they’re now mini offices that can copy, scan and sometimes even fax. While many of us have access to printers either at work or school, having a printer at home still has benefits that justify the small cost of buying a new unit and replacement ink cartridges.
For those who work in an office, they may have access to an industrial-sized printer, but printing sensitive documents, like personal financial information or a resume, may not be ideal when using a printer that is shared by co-workers.
Having a printer at home that can scan and copy documents is also an easy way to create backups of important documents, including passports, birth certificates and credit cards, which adds peace of mind when moving or traveling as these essential items can easily be lost. Printing physical copies of travel itineraries and boarding passes can also save time when checking in at the airport.
Although fax machines may be going the way of the dinosaurs, there are many businesses, including medical offices, that still require patients to send sensitive information via fax.
With wireless capabilities, fast printing times and the added abilities to be able to copy, fax and scan, these are the best all-in-one printers for any home office.
1. Canon Office and Business All-In-One Printer
The Canon can print just about anything from just about anywhere, with wireless printing available through AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, or any wireless device, including your phone, tablet and laptop. The Canon can also provide a super-fast connection speed when printing off a USB or through a wired connection to PCs. The Canon has a fully integrated 35-sheet Duplex, which allows for copying, scanning, and faxing multiple pages at once. The Duplex feature also allows for double-sided printing without having to manually flip each page. The Canon can print in black and color for photo-quality prints.
Pros: Ability to send documents to the printer through AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, your Wireless device, a Wireless LAN, USB and more.
Cons: Print time could be faster.
2. Brother Monochrome Laser Printer
The Brother is ideal for small business owners, with a generous 250 paper feed tray, including a 50-sheet automatic document feeder. The Brother can print up to 30 pages per minute, and with Duplex abilities it can print double-sided without having to manually flip sheets of paper. With the ability to handle various paper types, including envelopes and card stock, and wireless abilities that include printing, scanning, copying and faxing, the Brother is well suited for home offices.
Pros: 30 ppm, duplex printing, wireless capabilities.
Cons: The Brother is a monochrome printer, which means it only prints in black ink, although it can still scan in color.
3. HP LaserJet Pro Multifunction Laser Printer
If you’re looking for a heavy-duty printer you can use at your home or office, then consider HP’s multi-function laser printer. It’s designed with convenience and ease-of-use in mind. The touchscreen color display makes it easy to reach your desired setting, and you can print wirelessly through WiFi, or connect using the USB port. You can automatically print on both sides, in addition to scanning and copying.
Pros: Prints up to 40 pages per minute. Easy printing using WiFi. Auto double-sided printing.
Cons: Expensive.
4. Brother MFC INKvestmentTank All-in-One Printer
This printer from Brother is designed with the cleverly named INKvestment tank — what that means is that the cartridge is designed to last a long time. It has plenty of other features that make it a good buy— duplex printing makes it easy to print on both sides, and the convenient touchscreen makes it easy to print from a variety of services such as Google Drive and Dropbox. The tray holds up to 150 pages, and the automatic feeder makes copying and scanning easy.
Pros: Large ink cartridge, smart features like smartphone compatibility and a color touchscreen display.
Cons: Ink amount may not last as long as described depending on usage.
5. Canon Image CLASS All-in-One Laser Printer
For serious printing jobs, Canon’s Image Class is one of our top picks. It has a range of great connectivity options so it can keep up with modern demands. You can connect using Apple Air Print, Google Cloud Print and you can even connect your smartphone without a router using WiFi Direct. The multipurpose tray can be used for printing, copying or faxing. The LCD touch screen is designed to be easy to navigate.
Pros: Easy connectivity using Apple Air Print, Google or Wi-Fi Direct. Touchscreen LCD.
Cons: Black and white printing only.