Even as we push for greener efforts and recycle as much as possible, there’s still a place in our lives for a dedicated all-in-one printer. Whether it’s for scanning or printing documents, the devices are extremely key to have on hand in case you need to tackle something at home. Plus, with coronavirus and so much of our current lives being done out of our homes, having a home printer to return items through the mail is critical.
However you decide to use your at-home printer, you’re going to want to make sure it’s capable of handling a variety of tasks, ideally at the lowest cost per page possible. After all, if you’re investing in a printer, paper and ink, you want to do so in the most efficient way. Other things to look out for when deciding on a printer include how much room it’ll take up, how many sheets of paper it can hold and what smart functionalities it might include.
With all that in mind, we’ve rounded up five of the best home printers that you can buy in 2020.
1. HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 Wireless All-In-One Printer
BEST HOME PRINTER OVERALL
HP’s OfficeJet Pro 9015 does everything you want and need a home printer to do. With its quick setup and speedy printing, the 9015 easily tackles every home printing job you could come across. A sleek design makes it an attractive-looking option (insofar as printers can be) and won’t take up a considerable amount of space in your home. Furthermore, the touchscreen display allows for easy navigation. Durable, fast and sharp, it definitely lives up to its ‘all-in-one’ name.
Pros: The perfect intersection of quality, speed and ease of use.
Cons: The single-sheet paper tray makes it a hassle to switch between different paper types. Small touch display can be tight to navigate.
2. Brother INKvestment MFC-J805DW Wireless All-In-One Printer
BEST VALUE
At a great value you for a home printer, the Brother INKvestment MFC-J805DW is both small and light, making it an excellent accompaniment to a home office setup. This printer excels in a variety of areas but is especially great for quickly printing and copying text documents. While this isn’t intended for heavy office use (the document feeder only holds 20 sheets and the paper tray only holds 150 sheets), this is still a great choice for occasional home use. What’s better is that the high-yield ink cartridges can bring the printing cost down to as low as one cent per page, which is phenomenal.
Pros: Does a lot for the price. Excellent cost per page.
Cons: Lacks connectivity options such as ethernet and flash storage
3. HP LaserJet Pro M15w Wireless Laser Printer
BEST FOR MINIMALISTS
If your home office is really, really tight on space, the HP LaserJet Pro M15w packs power in a small package. An Amazon’s Choice with nearly 1,300 4.5-star reviews makes it a consumer favorite. Overall, the printer’s inherently minimalist design extends to its solely black-and-white printing capability and its simple three-button control. Toner cartridges are expensive, but if you’re not using a printer on a regular basis, the low cost of the hardware may provide greater savings than lower prices for toner cartridges. If you don’t care about fancy features and just want to focus on the sheer basics — i.e., just being able to print something — this should be your go-to purchase.
Pros: Small and mighty.
Cons: Can’t do color. Replacement toner cartridges are expensive.
4. Epson EcoTank Wireless All-in-One Printer
BEST FOR HIGH-VOLUME PRINTING
If you’re willing to pay a little more upfront, the Epson EcoTank printer is a game-changer. The biggest change here is the fact the printer swaps conventional ink cartridges for permanent tanks that you refill with ink bottles, which helps to drop the printing cost to about two cents a page. The from cartridge to a refillable ink tank doesn’t hinder performance in any capacity, still producing a fast and quality printing job. With a 30-sheet document feeder, voice-activated printing, and a 150-sheet paper tray, the savings will kick in as you print more and more and more.
Pros: Cheap and quality printing by using refillable cartridges.
Cons: Hefty initial investment.
5. HP Tango X Instant Ink Wireless Printer
BEST SMART PRINTER
Inherently designed to work with a smartphone (desktops and laptops aren’t as much of the focus here), the HP Tango X allows you to print with smart commands or even your voice. The foldable and collapsible (!) printer is incredibly striking, looking more akin to something you’d see from Apple than from HP. In exchange for that portability, you have a smaller tray capacity (about 50 sheets) while features like scanning are tied to a dedicated smartphone application. Most millennials will be right at home with these features, but the stripped-down approach might be a little light for others.
Pros: Sleek, portable and attractive.
Cons: Slower printer speeds, small tray capacity, stripped-down approach.
