Best Inkjet Printers for Beginners 2026
The Canon PIXMA TR4720 All-in-One Wireless Printer is our top pick for Inkjet Printers for Beginners. Canon photo print quality is excellent at this price. For budget shoppers, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer offers solid value at a lower price.
See Today’s Price →At a Glance
| # | Product | Award | Price | Adf | Fax | Upc | Our Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canon PIXMA TR4720 All-in-One Wireless … |
Best Overall | $69 | 20-sheet | Yes | 013803339536 | 9.2 | Buy → |
| 2 |  HP DeskJet 4155e Wireless Color All-in-… |
Best Value | $79 | No | — | 195161618147 | 8.9 | Buy → |
| 3 |  Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color Al… |
Also Excellent | $179 | — | — | 010343957893 | 8.5 | Buy → |
Showing 3 of 3 products
Canon PIXMA TR4720 All-in-One Wireless Printer
“The Canon PIXMA TR4720 is the best entry-level all-in-one for households that want to occasionally print photos. Canon's photo-optimized inkjet technology produces better color accuracy and photo deta”
See Today’s Price →What we like
- Canon photo print quality is excellent at this price
- 20-sheet ADF for multi-page scanning
- Wireless, mobile printing, and Bluetooth
- Compact design
- Good color accuracy for photos
Watch out for
- Ink cartridges are expensive without a subscription
- Lower print speed than laser
- Fax feature adds cost that most buyers don't need
HP DeskJet 4155e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer
“The HP DeskJet 4155e is the best-selling home printer for good reason: it prints, scans, and copies wirelessly at an affordable price, and the HP Instant Ink subscription option eliminates the 'out of”
See Today’s Price →What we like
- Most affordable all-in-one on this list
- HP Instant Ink subscription option included
- Quick wireless setup via HP Smart app
- Compact footprint for small spaces
- Prints, scans, and copies
Watch out for
- Print speed is modest (8.5 ppm black)
- No ADF — manual document placement for scanning
- Ink cartridge costs are high if you don't subscribe
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer
“Best inkjet printer overall. Epson EcoTank ET-2800 refillable tanks eliminate the ongoing cartridge cost that makes most inkjet printers expensive to own — the right choice for households printing mor”
See Today’s Price →What we like
- Ink tank system holds enough ink for thousands of pages before refilling
- Included ink in the box covers the first two years of average home printing
- Wireless printing from phone, tablet, and computer without setup complexity
- All-in-one scan and copy capability for full home office use
- Epson ink is pigment-based for water-resistant documents
Watch out for
- Slower print speed (10 ppm black) vs laser printers
- Ink tanks must be filled occasionally — slightly messier than cartridge change
Read Full Analysis
The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 at $179.99 eliminates the recurring cost that makes most inkjet printers expensive to own: the cartridge. Refillable ink tanks replace proprietary cartridges with bottles of ink costing approximately $13-17 per color — equivalent to several sets of standard cartridges. For households printing more than 50 pages monthly, the EcoTank breaks even on the higher upfront cost within 6-12 months. The ET-2800 is wireless, prints in color, and includes a flatbed scanner — the standard all-in-one feature set for home use. Print speed is approximately 10 pages per minute for black, adequate for homework, documents, and correspondence. The initial ink bottles included with the printer provide enough for approximately 4,500 black pages and 7,500 color pages before the first refill purchase. For beginners who print consistently rather than occasionally, the EcoTank is the financially correct long-term choice.
Inkjet Printers for Beginners Buying Guide
Photo by Engin Akyurt / PexelsOur Top Pick
Canon PIXMA TR4720 All-in-One Wireless Printer at $69 — The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is the best beginner inkjet printer — refillable ink tanks eliminate expensive cartridge re....
Budget Pick: HP DeskJet 4155e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer at $69.99 — a solid choice if you're watching your budget.
Great for: Home office workers who print contracts, photos, or forms weekly, parents with school-age kids, and crafters
Not ideal if: You print fewer than 10 pages a month — public library printers or a FedEx visit is cheaper than ownership and ink costs
Cartridge vs. Tank: Two Inkjet Categories
Inkjet printers in 2026 split into two categories: cartridge-based and tank-based (EcoTank/MegaTank). For beginners who print regularly, tank-based printers have dramatically lower per-page costs — under $0.01 per black page versus $0.05-0.10 for cartridges. The tradeoff is higher upfront cost ($150-200 vs $50-80).Under 50 Pages/Month: Cartridge Printer Costs Less
Dye vs. Pigment Ink: Vivid Colors vs. Long-Term Fading
Photo quality depends on ink type: dye-based inks produce vivid colors but fade faster; pigment-based inks last decades but cost more. For photo printing, a 6-color inkset (adding light cyan and light magenta) produces smoother skin tones. Resolution (1200x4800 DPI) matters for photos — standard documents look identical at 300 DPI and 4800 DPI. Always include scanning and copying capability — an all-in-one costs almost the same as a print-only model.Related Guides
Watch Before You Buy
Frequently Asked Questions
Inkjet vs laser — which should beginners buy?
Why does inkjet ink dry out?
What paper should I use for photos?
How do I connect an inkjet printer to Wi-Fi?
Can inkjet printers print on cardstock?
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Each product earned its placement through data: total review volume, average rating, and the specific praise and complaints that repeat most often across buyers. No manufacturer paid for placement on this page. Products appear here because buyers endorsed them at scale, not because a company asked us to feature them.
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Prices shown reflect Amazon pricing at the time this page was last generated. Click “See Today’s Price” to get the current live price on Amazon. Read our full methodology →