Have you ever wondered where your printer cartridges go after you’ve run out of ink? If so, you probably guessed that they were either thrown away or recycled into the earth. Well, guess again. Your printer cartridges end up in a landfill where they could potentially pollute the soil and water supply.
So if you’re like most consumers who use inkjet printers, you’re probably not happy about this. There’s no reason why you should have to waste money buying more cartridges when you’ve only used up a third of them. With this in mind, you might be interested in learning how to buy the best printer. After all, if you’re trying to save money, you want to spend less money—and spending more money on printer cartridges is a good way to do just that.
This week we're showing you the best printer for every budget and purpose, from high-speed inkjets to laser printers. We've got all the details to help you decide which printer is right for you.
Top Picks
Check out our list of the best printer below and find the most suitable for yourself.
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Best overall: Lexmark MC3426adw
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Best value: HP DeskJet 3755
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Best purchased product: WorkForce WF-7210
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Best value product: Brother MFC-J5945DW
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Best affordable product: Brother DCP-J1200W
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Most sustainable: Canon PIXMA MG3620
Best Printers
Every office has its own printer needs and preferences. Whether you’re printing business cards, invoices, reports, or anything else, there are a wide range of printers available on the market. We’ve made a guide to help you sort through the options. We compare and review some of the best printers available today.
1. Lexmark MC3426adw
Superfast laser printing at home
Product’s Specifications
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Brand: Lexmark
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Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
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Printing Technology: Laser
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Special Feature: Compact
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Color: White
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Recommended Uses For Product: Office, Home
Today' best deals: View at Amazon, View at Lexmark
Product’s Highlights
Don't base your opinion of the Lexmark MB3442adw on its size. Every function a business-class printer should have is present on this little, all-in-one machine, which also prints documents faster than the majority of other laser printers. With one of the greatest duty cycles we've seen, Lexmark firmly advises a maximum monthly page volume of 8,000 prints, so it should easily serve any small to medium sized business.
Reasons to buy
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Excellent print quality
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42 pages every minute
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Print and scan in duplex
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Touchscreen management
Reasons to avoid
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Display that doesn't tilt
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Processing rates change
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Not the most affordable toner
Product Summary
The small Lexmark MB3442adw checks all of our boxes, despite the initial impression that you're not getting much multifunction printer for your money. Although it still manages to squeeze in a ton of paper, toner, and features, the small form is advantageous.
The touchscreen and front USB ports are undoubtedly practical, and the duplex printing and scanning are both done efficiently. Large texts like manuscripts may be printed fast, and quality is dependably good. This AIO is for you if you need to print a lot of pages and need the extra features of a scanner and ADF.
Compared to other printers from famous brands such as Canon, HP and Brother this printer is also best for home.
2. HP DeskJet 3755
The smallest home printer
Product’s Specifications
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Brand: HP
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Connectivity Technology: Cloud printing
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Printing Technology: Inkjet
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Special Feature: Network-Ready, HP Instant Ink Eligible, Cloud Print Enabled, Optional HP High-Yield Cartridges
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Color: Blue
Today' best deals: View at Amazon, View at Adorama WW
Product’s Highlights
The HP HP DeskJet 3755 gives all the essential capabilities, including duplex printing, in a very capable all-in-one device with a price that's as alluring as its aesthetic if your print requirements aren't very high but you still need flexibility. While its lack of an LCD display, its small paper capacity, and its slow print speed can all be disregarded if you're printing on a modest scale, we were delighted by its simplicity of use and overall print quality.
It is somewhat of a false economy, though, given the scant amount of ink that comes in the package and the price of additional cartridges. Anyone willing to sign up for an Instant Ink subscription might consider purchasing this printer for occasional printing in a home office.
Reasons to buy
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Small and fashionable
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Inexpensive
Reasons to avoid
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Not an auto-duplex.
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sluggish print speed
Product Summary
While there are several creative small-in-one designs that combine printing, scanning, copying, and faxing into a device that can fit into a drawer, HP has done well to incorporate a 35-page ADF without significantly increasing the size of the device.
Besides, we also recommend the printers from Canon, Brother and Epson for you.
You wouldn't object to this printer taking up room on your desk thanks to its softly lighted output slot. It prints quietly and creates a more melodious sound when a print job is finished rather than beeping impatiently.
Being merely 13 cm high has the drawback of leaving little area for paper. With only twenty-five sheets, or ten photographs, the output capacity is much more constrai
3. WorkForce WF-7210
An affordable, entry-level A3 inkjet printer with plenty of competition around
Product’s Specifications
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Brand: Epson
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Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi
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Printing Technology: Inkjet
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Special Feature: Auto-Duplex
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Color: Black
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Recommended Uses For Product: Office, Home
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Model Name: WF-7210
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Printer Output: Color
Today' best deals: View at Amazon, View at Epson
Product’s Highlights
A likable A3 color printer with reasonable running expenses, strong connectivity, and a fair pricing is the Epson WorkForce WF-7210 DTW. Oh, and it produces excellent prints, too. However, if you want an all-in-one, it might be worth spending a little extra.
The WorkForce WF-7210 DTW, which replaces the WF-7110DTW and is geared for small businesses, is Epson's entry-level A3+ color inkjet printer. It is the only member of its family.
Reasons to buy
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Good value for the money
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Extended warranty
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Fast
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Excellent print quality
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Both trays
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A3 Duplex (not just A4)
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Low cost
Reasons to avoid
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Handling paper might be difficult
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No front USB port or memory card reader
Product Summary
A useful asset to any small business, the Epson WorkForce WF-7210 DTW is a powerful large-format color printer. It is reasonably priced, with low operating costs, and an on-site three-year warranty.
The issue, however, is that there is fierce rivalry at this end of the market, especially when you take into account special time-limited offers that manufacturers make in an effort to gain market share.
4. Brother MFC-J5945DW
Product’s Specifications
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Brand: Brother
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Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi
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Printing Technology: Inkjet
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Special Feature: Wireless
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Color: White
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Recommended Uses For Product: Office, Home
Today' best deals: View at Amazon, View at Brother
Product’s Highlights
The MFC-J5945DW resembles a substantial lump of gray plastic, much like the majority of Brother's office-focused devices. The footprint is fairly large, especially when you extend the front paper tray to fit A3 pages and draw out the multipurpose paper tray at the back.
In addition, the lid of the scanner bed is fairly large due to the 50-sheet automatic document feeder it has (ADF). Even the area where the four ink cartridges are stored protrudes from the machine's
Reasons to buy
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High ink and paper capacities
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Printed in A3 format
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Possible bold or crisp text
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Reasonable operating expenses
Reasons to avoid
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Low yield ink is also present
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Photos are not sharp
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A3 documents cannot be scanned
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Erratic print outcomes
Product Summary
In the tiny workplace, this well-designed MFP demonstrates that inkjet printers have certain advantages over laser printers in terms of cost-effectiveness and flexibility, but there are trade-offs in terms of speed and consistency.
5. Brother DCP-J1200W
Basic business printer with lots of ink and little else
Product’s Specifications
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Brand: Brother
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Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet, NFC
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Printing Technology: Laser
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Special Feature: Auto-Duplex, Network-Ready
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Color: BLACK
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Recommended Uses For Product: Office, Home
Today' best deals: View at Amazon, View at Adorama WW
Product’s Highlights
Because everything but the most necessary features have been removed, the Brother DCP-J1200W is affordable. However, what it does, it does very well. The absence of a touchscreen, an Ethernet port, a USB host port, and a multifunctional tray are minor annoyances, but for some people, the inability to auto-duplex will be a deal-breaker.
It prints slowly as well, but if you're not in a rush and don't mind manually flipping each page over to print the other side, you'll be rewarded with respectable print quality at a respectable price. Brother's INKvestment Tank cartridges are more cost-effective than standard cartridges, but they can't compete with refillable ink tanks on price per page.
Reasons to buy
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Available cartridges with a high yield
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Simple off-white pattern
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Good print quality overall
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The box contains a lot of ink
Reasons to avoid
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No input with several uses
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No Ethernet or USB Host ports
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Not an LCD or ADF
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No automatic duplex mode
Product Summary
The Brother DCP-J1200W (MFC-J1205W) is a three-in-one multifunction printer, scanner, and copier but not a fax machine. It has few additional features due to being at the low end of the range.
Of course, there is built-in Wi-Fi with support for Wireless Connect, AirPrint, Mopria, and Brother Mobile Connect. It can print on a variety of blank media, such as glossy picture paper, A4 paper up to 220g/ms in weight, and envelopes.
Printers: Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which Sizes and Types of Paper Do You Print On?
The smallest and largest paper sizes, paper thickness, and if you require a duplexer to print on both sides of the sheet should all be taken into account. Look for a printer with numerous drawers, or at least a single-sheet bypass tray.
If you frequently print on different types of paper, such as envelopes, cheques, or letterhead, to avoid having to repeatedly remove ordinary paper, load speciality media, and then reload regular paper. Additionally, you want a paper capacity that won't force you to add paper more frequently than you feel comfortable doing. You shouldn't need to replenish paper more frequently than once a week, on average.
2. How quickly must you print?
You don't need a speed demon if you merely print one or two pages at once. As a matter of fact, the majority of home printers are not designed for speed, and most lasers with high page per minute (ppm) promises omit the first page from the rating calculation in favor of the significantly slower first-page-out (FPO) time. However, if you frequently print lengthier papers, the rapid speed beginning on page 2 is more crucial, thus you probably want a laser printer.
3. Do You Need Security Features for Printers?
Security on printers is frequently disregarded, but at your own risk. The printer can be used by hackers to access a network, and if you're not immediately next to an office printer, sensitive documents in the paper tray can be viewed by curious eyes before you get to them. Many business-oriented models offer a private printing option that requires a PIN to be entered at the printer's control panel after the print job has been sent to the printer in order to actually print it.
Firmware should always be updated for corporate printers, as it frequently fixes vulnerabilities, and any printer hard drives should be encrypted. Many manufacturers provide management solutions to aid IT organizations in maintaining printer security.
Conclusion
You should be prepared to shop if you follow the previous guidelines and the best printers for various usage scenarios listed below. You'll be sure to pick the ideal printer if you consider what you need to print, how many pages you need to print, and how much you're willing to pay upfront and per page.
If you're replacing an old printer, recycle it or give it away so that someone else can get a great deal on a refurbished model.
If money is tight, start with our selections of the most inexpensive printers and look into ink savings options. We've picked up the top business printers for you if you're looking to buy one.