It’s okay to admit it: In our digital world of smartphones, smart TVs, smart speakers, and smart-everything-else, printers aren’t the most exciting pieces of tech. But whether we like them or not, these simple appliances have been fixtures in homes and offices for decades, and chances are very good that you’re one of many who needs one. Chances are also very good that if you’re reading this, it’s because you’re shopping for a new printer for your own home or business.
It’s easy to assume that printers haven’t changed much over the years. At a glance, today’s printers don’t appear to be all that much different from those of yesterday, and honestly, the basic overall design has remained more or less the same. Yet new technologies have brought these devices into the 21st century in some key ways, with everything from built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity to greatly improved output capabilities putting today’s printers way beyond the run-of-the-mill inkjet machines of decades past. Even color laser printers have become incredibly common (and thus much more affordable), with many if not most of these now falling within the budgets of small companies and regular users.
Whatever your reason for wanting a new printer – be it because your years-old inkjet is on death’s doorstep or you’re just after a first printer for a dorm room, home office, or business – there’s one out there that’s sure to meet your needs and budget. And if you need a new printer, you probably need it now, meaning that you can’t wait for those upcoming spring and summer sales to find a good deal. That’s why we’re here: Below, we’ve rounded up a generous handful of the best printer deals you can find right now, covering everything from modern all-in-one inkjets to color laser printers, followed by a short list of a few of our favorites that we strongly recommend:
Today’s best printer deals
- Epson Home XP-4100 Wireless Inket Printer — $50, was $100
- Epson WorkForce WF-2850 Inkjet Printer — $59, was $70
- Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3733 Inkjet Printer — $89, was $109
- Brother HL-L2395DW Laser Printer — $130, was $170
- HP OfficeJet Pro 8035 Printer with Free Ink — $150, was $200
- Epson WorkForce WF-7720 Wireless Inkjet Printer — $180, was $300
- Brother MFC-L2750DW Laser Printer — $200, was $250
Best all-in-one printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 9015
HP makes a lot of printers, and sorting through the company’s catalog of printers alone can take some time. Let us save you some time by taking you right to the best one: The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 is our favorite all-in-one printer, copier, and scanner for most uses. It’s fast, it offers great printing, and it’s wireless, so you can print from network-connected devices via Wi-Fi or Apple AirPrint.
HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 is easy to use and configure, too, thanks to its color touchscreen. The only drawback that’s worth noting is that, while it’s smaller than previous models, this printer still a bit bulkier than most inkjet all-in-ones. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a premium do-it-all printer for the home or a small office (and you’re willing to pay a little extra for it), the OfficeJet Pro 9015 is the one.
Best budget printer: Canon Pixma MG6320
If the OfficeJet Pro 9015 was a little rich for your blood (let’s face it, not all of us are willing to spend more than $50 on a simple printer), then Canon has you covered with its budget-friendly Pixma MG6320. This all-in-one inkjet can print, copy, and scan, and it’s wireless, so you can easily print from your connected computer or mobile device right on your home network as well as via apps like Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print — no wired hookups required.
Naturally, a printer this cheap isn’t going to give you gallery-quality results or professional-grade volume output, but that’s not the point. For the price, it’s hard to look a gift horse like the Canon Pixma MG6320 in the mouth if your printing needs are basic.
Best laser printer: Brother HL-3170CDW
Laser printers are purpose-built for offices and other professional settings, cutting through high-volume tasks that a traditional inkjet printer would struggle with. These printers used to be primarily monochrome (made for school and business environments where a lot of black-and-white printing happens), but color laser printers are no longer rare and are even quite affordable.
You’ll still pay more for one, though, but models like the Brother HL-3170CDW — which happens to be our top recommendation for most people — punch above their weight when it comes to price. It’s simple, sleek, and considerably less bulky than many laser printers, and can crank out 23 pages per minute from its 250-sheet feed tray. You can pay four figures for a “professional” color laser printer if you want to, but for around $400, you’d be hard-pressed to do much better than the Brother HL-3170CDW.
Best small business printer: Canon Maxify MB5420
Printers see the heaviest use in offices, whether it’s a small home office or a large business, and for that, your standard consumer-grade all-in-one printer probably won’t cut it. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a good office-grade printer, though, and the Canon Maxify MB5420 does plenty of heavy lifting at a price that won’t make you wince.
It’s surprisingly compact for its output capacity (more so than many other office printers, anyway), holding 500 sheets of paper while boasting a snappy monochrome print rate of 22 pages per minute and a color print rate of 10ppm. And like any good modern printer, it can also copy and scan, and can even do faxes if you’re still into that sort of thing. Not bad for less than $300 at its normal price — and even better if you can find a printer deal.
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