Best Inkjet Printers for Beginners (2026)

Canon's PIXMA TR4720 handles printing, scanning, copying, and faxing at $69 — a complete home office setup without a separate device for each task. Wireless connectivity supports AirPrint and Alexa, so phone-to-print takes under a minute from first setup. At 4800x1200 dpi, photo output is adequate for school projects and holiday cards. On this page, the HP LaserJet MFP M140we at $209 is the laser alternative. Laser prints faster, costs less per page at high volume, and produces crisper text — but the M140we costs three times as much upfront. The TR4720 makes sense if you print infrequently (under 50 pages a month) and occasionally need photos, where laser falls short. The HP DeskJet 4155e is the nearest competitor at $69.99 — nearly identical feature set, but HP's ecosystem instead of Canon's. Choose the TR4720 for fax capability and marginally lower price.

HP's DeskJet 4155e is a current-generation all-in-one at $69.99 with HP+ support, six months of free Instant Ink, and wireless printing via AirPrint and the HP Smart app. Print, scan, and copy jobs feed through a 35-sheet document feeder with no manual feed required for short multi-page documents. Against the Canon PIXMA TR4720 ($69) on this page, the 4155e trades fax capability for a stronger ink subscription option — HP's Instant Ink auto-ships cartridges before you run dry, eliminating the mid-project shortage problem most beginners face. The HP LaserJet MFP M140we at $209 is the premium alternative with faster print speeds and lower per-page laser costs, but that math only pays off if you're printing hundreds of pages monthly. For typical home users printing documents and occasional photos, the 4155e covers the need at the lowest reasonable entry price.

The HP LaserJet MFP M140we at $209 is the laser printer for home offices that primarily print documents and value reliability over photo quality. The monochrome laser engine produces sharp black-and-white text at approximately 20 pages per minute — significantly faster than typical home inkjet models. Cost-per-page for laser printing is lower than inkjet with genuine cartridges: standard laser toner cartridges print 1,000+ pages at $25-35, delivering a per-page cost of approximately $0.03 versus $0.10-0.15 for inkjet with name-brand cartridges. Wireless connectivity and HP+ cloud printing allow printing from any networked device including phones via the HP Smart app. The MFP designation provides flatbed scanning for scan-to-email and scan-to-computer use. The compact footprint fits on most desks without displacing equipment. The M140we uses HP+ subscription-linked toner — original HP toner is required for HP+ features and warranty coverage, a consideration for buyers who prefer third-party toner for cost savings. HP+ provides Instant Ink enrollment credit, shipping replacement toner before you run out based on tracked page counts. Compared to the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 inkjet at $20 less, the HP M140we delivers faster document printing speed and lower per-page cost for black-and-white text at the cost of color capability. For home offices printing primarily documents, reports, and text-heavy materials rather than photos, the laser approach is the more economical long-term choice.