Best Printers 2026: Inkjet, Laser & All-in-One Picks

The Canon Color imageCLASS MF743Cdw is the all-in-one laser printer for a busy small office that needs reliable, high-volume color output. At $799.72, it sits at the high end of home and small-office printers, and the specs justify the premium. You get 21 pages per minute in both color and black-and-white — a meaningful throughput advantage over inkjets. The 50-sheet automatic document feeder handles multi-page scan and copy jobs without your supervision, and automatic duplex covers print, copy, and scan, which reduces paper consumption on document-heavy workflows. The 5-inch color touchscreen is genuinely useful here. At this printer's level of functionality, you're configuring workflows, accessing cloud print services, and managing user settings frequently enough that a large, responsive display saves time over buried menu systems. Dual-band WiFi keeps the printer reliably connected even in crowded wireless environments. The significant trade-off is cost per page. Color laser toner is expensive, and at $799 upfront plus ongoing toner costs, the total cost of ownership over three years is considerably higher than an inkjet or a basic monochrome laser. This printer earns its keep if you're printing 500+ pages per month across a small team. For occasional home printing, it's engineering and expense far beyond what you need. The machine is also large and heavy — this is a desktop printer that requires a dedicated piece of furniture, not something you tuck in a corner.

The HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw is the color laser printer for the home office user who needs occasional color output with professional laser quality. At $498.90, it splits the difference between entry inkjets and high-volume office lasers. The automatic duplex prints on both sides without manual re-feeding, and the 2.7-inch color touchscreen gives you enough interface real estate to navigate the printer's features without squinting at a tiny LCD. Print speed is rated and the color laser technology means no ink-dry wait time — pages come out immediately ready to handle. Wireless connectivity supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, and HP Smart app integration enables printing from your phone with minimal configuration. The limitation is print volume and cost per page. Color laser is economical at moderate volumes, but the toner cartridges at this level are not the high-yield options available in the larger MF743Cdw-class machines. If you regularly print brochures, presentations, or photo-quality documents, the M255dw will handle them, but the per-page cost adds up faster than you'd expect. This printer is best suited to the home office worker who prints maybe 100-300 pages per month — enough to justify laser quality over inkjet, not enough to need a full office-grade machine.

The HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe is the right monochrome laser for the home office worker who primarily prints text and doesn't need color at all. At $169, it's the entry point for automatic duplex laser printing, and it includes six months of HP Instant Toner through the HP+ program — a meaningful reduction in the upfront cost-per-page math. The automatic duplex and ADF combination means you can run multi-page double-sided documents through the feeder without standing at the printer. Monochrome laser is the ideal technology for documents: crisp text, fast output, and toner that doesn't dry out if you don't print for two weeks. The M234dwe handles standard office tasks — contracts, reports, invoices, correspondence — with no fuss and fast warm-up time. The honest limitation is that you lose color entirely. If you occasionally need a color printout — an image, a chart, a presentation slide — you'll need a separate solution. The HP+ subscription model for toner is also worth scrutinizing: the program requires keeping the printer internet-connected and enrolled in HP's ink service, and the subscription pricing may not save money for low-volume users once the free months expire. For straightforward, high-volume text printing, though, this is the budget laser to recommend.

The HP DeskJet 4155e is the entry-level wireless all-in-one for users who print infrequently and mostly in color. At $69.99, the upfront cost is the lowest of any printer with wireless, scan, and copy capability. Print speed is 8.5 pages per minute in black and 5.5 ppm in color — slower than laser but fast enough for light home use. The HP Instant Ink subscription is included free for the first six months, which brings the per-page cost down during the introductory period. The wireless setup is straightforward, and HP's Smart app handles mobile printing well. For a household that prints school assignments, boarding passes, coupons, and occasional photos, the DeskJet 4155e covers the use case without over-engineering. The significant limitation is the lack of an automatic document feeder. Scanning multi-page documents requires you to manually flip and reposition each page on the flatbed glass — time-consuming and error-prone for anything longer than a few pages. Inkjet ink also dries out if you don't print regularly; going two or three weeks without printing can clog the heads. The per-page cost of inkjet is also higher than laser when you factor in the cost of replacement cartridges at low volume. This printer is best for households that print occasionally and value low upfront cost over long-term economics.

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 distinguishes itself from the HP DeskJet 4155e at the same $69 price point by including a 20-sheet automatic document feeder and a fax function — features normally found on more expensive printers. The ADF is genuinely useful for anyone who scans contracts, forms, or multi-page documents with any regularity; you load the stack and walk away rather than manually advancing each page. AirPrint support means iPhone and iPad printing works without installing drivers, which is a convenience advantage for Apple households. The compact footprint fits on a small desk or shelf without dominating the space. The limitations are shared with all entry inkjet printers: print speed is modest, the ink cartridges are standard-yield (not the high-yield options available for larger Canon printers), and ink will dry if you go extended periods without printing. At $69, you also get an entry-level print head that produces good results for documents and casual photos but won't satisfy anyone who prints high-quality photography. The fax function, while included, requires a phone line connection that most households no longer have. Think of it as a bonus rather than a reason to buy. For the price, the inclusion of an ADF makes this the better buy over the HP DeskJet for users who scan documents regularly.