You probably want something adaptable enough to meet everyone's demands while looking for the finest printer for home use. Your family might suddenly need to print lengthy essays or reports, scan delicate old images, or copy documents for signing.
To ensure you can digitize your work quickly and effectively, it's crucial to have robust scanning functions. Additionally, a cheap cost-per-print is essential to help you stay inside your budget. If you wish to print easily from any device, it is ideal to have a range of connecting options.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is the top home printer we've tested. With the addition of gray and picture black ink, this all-in-one model employs six inks and can print amazingly realistic photos. It is also a supertank model, which means that ink tanks that can be filled up are used in place of cartridges.
Since new ink is inexpensive and a full tank produces hundreds of prints, you can print endlessly without being concerned about escalating maintenance costs. A 4" x 6" glossy photo may be printed in around 50 seconds, and borderless printing up to 13" x 19" is supported.
Despite being a photo printer, this one creates documents of the highest caliber. However, if you merely intend to print documents, you can find inexpensive ones that work just as well, like as the mid-range options we've included below. This model does not have duplex scanning or automated document feeder, but it does create outstanding scans that are clear and vibrant. You can print directly from an SD card and connect to the printer by Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi.
The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 is less expensive than an expensive photo printer like the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 if all you need the printer for is printing documents and doing normal office work. It's a terrific option for households that print a lot because it's an all-in-one color inkjet model with a refillable ink tank that produces hundreds of pages on a single fill.
It produces 15 black or 7 color pages per minute, printing papers in black and white and color with good quality. Even if printed images tend to somewhat oversaturate the colors, they nevertheless appear detailed and colorful.
It supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service and offers Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet connectivity, making it simple for every member of the household to use the printer. The scanner creates scans that are incredibly high-quality, which makes it ideal for digitizing old family photos.
It features an automatic feeder to handle multi-page documents, however because duplex scanning is not supported and it can only scan up to three pages per minute, it is fairly slow. You may use the mobile Epson app to print, scan, copy, and take care of maintenance with it.
The mid-range Brother MFC-J4335DW can be more appealing if you're seeking for something even more affordable but don't want to go too cheap. There are higher-yield cartridges available for this all-in-one inkjet machine that will extend its lifespan even more.
It produces approximately 2200 black and 800 color pages. Although it will never equal the page yield or cost-per-print of a supertank printer like the ones we've mentioned above, it's still quite outstanding for a printer that utilizes ink cartridges.
Although it doesn't have the best color accuracy or range, it nevertheless creates high-quality black-and-white and color documents, and printed images still seem quite detailed. It wakes up fast from sleep and prints a page at a speed of 17 black or 15 colored pages per minute. Additionally to support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, you now get USB and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Brother MFC-J1205W is the top home printer in our tests for that price range. It's an inkjet printer made for users who print a little more frequently than just the occasional assignment. It has a solid construction, produces about 1100 black and 700 color pages, and prints photos that look decent.
You will have to give up a few features, such as an automatic feeder and Ethernet connectivity, because it is a cheap model. It isn't the ideal solution if you frequently print lengthy reports or essays because it prints documents more slowly. The high page yield that helps keep your maintenance costs down is what you pay for.
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 is our suggestion if you merely need an inexpensive printer for those once-in-a-blue-moon projects. It simply has a simple flatbed scanner and doesn't feel very well built, but it prints papers and images of high quality. You should be aware that a cheap model like this has a very poor page yield of roughly 200 black or color prints, necessitating frequent cartridge replacement.
Although the cartridges are not expensive, if you print frequently, the cost can still pile up over time and requires a lot of maintenance. Although they will still produce fewer prints than the entry-level Brother MFC-J1205W or the mid-range Brother MFC-J4335DW, you may choose XL cartridges that will last longer.
Use a monochrome all-in-one printer like the Brother MFC-L2710DW to save some money if you only need to print in black. Since there are no printheads to worry about failing or becoming clogged like there are with inkjet printers, this laser type requires far less care than an inkjet printer. With a page yield of about 2000, it is quite impressive, and the toner is reasonably priced.
The drawback is that you'll have to pay extra to replace the drum separately since it isn't constructed with one. Since the drum typically lasts for 12,000 pages, you won't need to change it very frequently. It wakes up rapidly from sleep, prints double-sided sheets automatically, and prints at a rate of over 30 pages per minute. It has a scanner with an automatic feeder, although duplex scanning is not supported.
You can choose the slightly more expensive Brother MFC-L2750DW if you need capabilities like duplex scanning, NFC connectivity, or a touch-sensitive display because this printer comes in a variety of models with somewhat varying features and performance.
On the other hand, if you want to save money, there is a less expensive model called the Brother MFC-L2690DW, which prints a little slower and doesn't have Ethernet connectivity. Additionally, some variations include high-yield cartridges that last longer. The complete review contains a comparison of all the versions.