We Tested Home Printers: This Is the Best One

While a home printer might not be the first thing you think of when setting up your home office, it’s all too necessary of a purchase to print documents, shipping labels, or last-minute forms without a trip to the office supply store. An inkjet printer can become a valuable addition to your home office; it's our preference over laser printers, which are usually more expensive and better suited for high-volume printing.

Our favorite home printer out of the 25 we tested is inkjet, makes photo printing a breeze, and is less expensive than its laser printer counterparts. It also comes with a set of ink tanks so you have your next few cartridges on hand. We found it excelled over others in terms of its ease of use, setup, design, speed, effectiveness, and value, and you’ll find out why below.
After an easy setup right off the bat, we were immediately impressed with the crisp and clear black-and-white (and color!) copies, which not all the printers we tested could do. The scan of any photos was excellent, and the wireless printing and the time it took to make a copy was very quick.

After a two-month testing period, we can attest that it’s as easy and quick to use as can be. Printing wirelessly from a computer worked perfectly. It was simple to connect from our phones and computer whether via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Overall, we had no issues. Scanning was very easy to figure out how to do too.

We also found it surprisingly easy to print from a different computer than one we had used before. We weren’t sure what to expect with the Wi-Fi connection and how a computer was paired with it, but when we needed to print from our personal laptop as opposed to our work one, it worked seamlessly.

As far as printing photos, after an easy download of the Canon app (you don’t need the app for copies and black-and-white prints), we printed a photo from our phone’s camera roll. The printer comes with photo paper, so we popped that in, printed a 4-by-6-inch print, and it came out just like a print from a one-hour photo lab. On top of that, we think the price, at less than $200, is excellent for the quality it gives.

Technology: Inkjet | Connectivity: Wireless, USB | Color: Yes | Size: 14 x 17 x 7.5 in.
Our Testing Process
To find the best home printer for your office, we tested 25 printer options that included both inkjet and laser printers. Our first test involved starting a timer and unboxing the printer. We followed the instructions for any assembly, including installing the printer cartridges, loading paper into the tray, and printing an alignment page.

We then connected the printer to a Wi-Fi network, if applicable, printed a page, and stopped the timer to see how long the setup took. For printers with a digital display or control pad on the printer (our top pick does), we scrolled through the menu and judged how easy it was to view and navigate.

Next, we tested the printer’s function and speed when printing documents (arguably the most important part of our testing). From a laptop, we printed a document in black and white and timed how long it took to print the document (the average being 14 seconds). We then looked over the printed page to check for quality. Did the text and photo print well and straight? Or did the text appear wavy or inconsistent?

We then continued this same process by printing colored documents and multiple pages, noting whether the printer experienced an error such as a paper jam, and how challenging it was to resolve the error.

To test the printer’s function and speed for photo printing, we printed a photo on both plain paper and photo paper and asked whether the quality was still outstanding. How was the color saturation? Were there any streaks or inconsistencies in the photo that don’t appear in the digital file?

If models came with phone-to-printer technology, a copier, or a scanner (our overall best pick has all three), we tested these functions and took note of how easy they were to use. We used the scanner with single pages, multi-page documents, pages from a book, and both color and black-and-white options. We continued to test all printers for two months to determine whether we still stand by our original impressions.
How to Shop for Home Printers Like a Pro
Printer Type
When it comes to choosing a printer type (inkjet vs. laser), the two main things to consider are how often you’ll be printing and for what purpose. “For example, is the printer going to be most often used to print basic color documents like forms or recipes? Or professional, complex documents?” says Diana Sroka, global head of HP Consumer Print Services.

Most options on the market are inkjet, including our overall best pick, and these types are generally less expensive and often work better for things like photo printing.

An inkjet printer works by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink onto paper to create sharp text and vibrant images, and it’s great for everyday documents, photos, and color printing, making it a good choice for home office use. On the flip side, with this type of printer, you’ll have to replace the ink cartridges more frequently (hence the word “ink” in the name).

We don’t have a laser printer on our list, as they’re more frequently used in professional offices to meet high-volume printing needs. They’re often more expensive as well.
Connectivity
Our overall best pick makes it easy to connect to your printer with no more than a Wi-Fi connection. With this connectivity option, simply open your laptop or phone, and print straight from your devices.

This printer also supports using Ethernet cables if you prefer that instead, and it’s also compatible with Apple AirPrint and the Canon Print app.

Depending on your technology comfort level, you have a few different options for the way you print, and we found connecting to the printer with our preferred method (Wi-Fi) as easy and convenient as can be, even when pairing more than one device with the printer.
Size
The size of our overall best printer pick is just one of the reasons it stood out among the rest. At 14 by 17 by 7.5 inches (about the size of a small microwave), it’s compact enough to fit in smaller home offices without taking up too much room or becoming an eyesore. The smallest printer we tested was 7 by 16 by 6 inches, which is only slightly smaller, so we think it’s a practical size that will fit in most spaces.