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Finding the right printer can be just as frustrating as dealing with a bad one. That's why we've taken the guesswork out of it—by purchasing and hands-on testing over 100 of the top models in our lab.
We put each printer through a rigorous assessment process, including ease of use, calculating operating costs, and examining text and photo quality under a microscope.
Our favorite home printer is the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw. Though somewhat pricy, this model is capable of printing, scanning, faxing, and copying. It has great text printing capabilities, but it's not the best at photo printing. For stellar photos, check out the Canon PIXMA G620, which produces great color and B&W prints and has a low operating cost compared to many other printers in our lineup.
From home printers to photo printers, this guide outlines all our favorite models and can help you find the best printer that fits your needs and budget.
Editor's Note: Our printer review was updated on April 25th, 2025, to provide more information about our award-winning printers to help you narrow your search.
Who it's best for: For those in the market for a home printer that transforms your ordinary text documents into professional-looking masterpieces, the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is the go-to. “I was thoroughly impressed by its extraordinary text quality, which produces documents that are nothing short of pristine,” noted our testers. This, coupled with simple mobile printing options and an intuitive setup process, makes this printer accessible to everyone.
Why we love it: The Canon produces razor-sharp characters that maintain clarity across every font style and size and consistently deliver high-quality text documents that look like they were done by a professional print shop. This printer is also fast, effortlessly churning out 13 pages per minute for duplex documents, and has affordable operation costs at just five cents per page for black-and-white text documents.
Should you buy it? We think the Canon is worth the investment for those who care about high-quality text documents. That said, despite its text printing prowess, it produces underwhelming graphics and photos. The photos have imperfections like streaking, pixelation, and color inaccuracies that transform vibrant originals into washed-out, less appealing versions. For users seeking a truly versatile printer that excels in both text and visual content, this model might leave something to be desired.
Who it's best for: The Canon PIXMA G620 stands out as an exceptional photo printer, particularly for budget-conscious photography enthusiasts seeking high-volume printing without breaking the bank.
Why we love it: The Canon's innovative ink tank design eliminates the hassle of cartridge replacement and provides remarkably low operating costs at just five cents per print. “The G620 delivers impressive color prints with good highlights. I also enjoy the detail and vibrant colors,” said testers. Its versatility is noteworthy, with its ability to print up to 47 inches long and 8.5 inches wide. Aside from the beautiful photos and low operating costs, the setup is fairly simple, and anyone can follow the straightforward process, which includes an intuitive ink-filling system that minimizes mess and prevents incorrect ink placement.
Should you buy it? The Canon PIXMA G620 is not without its drawbacks. Print speed is a concern, with a 4"x6" image taking a slow 2.5 minutes—more than double the time of most printers. Color accuracy is somewhat inconsistent, with some images slightly leaning towards magenta and some slight saturation. All told, if you don't mind waiting a little longer for your prints, we think you'll be happy with the PIXMA G620 for all of your photo printing needs.
Who it's best for: The HP OfficeJet 8015e Wireless Color stands out as a budget-friendly printer that strikes an impressive balance across all of our tests. Anyone looking for a simple, affordable all-in-one printer will be happy with this unit.
Why we love it: The HP OfficeJet maintains relatively low operating costs at seven and four cents per page for black and white and color pages, respectively. It also offers a user-friendly operation and efficiently handles most printing tasks. Moreover, our testers found that this model excels in producing high-quality photographic prints. “I noticed it makes lines and small details appear sharper and more pronounced,” said analyst Lesley Robinson.
Should you buy it? This unit demonstrates notable performance across most printing tasks, especially when printing photos and graphics. It's simply a solid printer across the board. So, if you just want an affordable all-in-one printer that will get the job done, this is a good option.
Who it's best for: The Epson Workforce Pro WF-4820 shines for being a versatile home printer, excelling in all-around performance, all-in-one functionality, operational efficiency, and affordability. It'll fulfill all essential printing needs for anyone working in a home office environment while maintaining a reasonable price point.
Why we love it: The WF-4820 achieves a fine balance between speed and printing text and photos without significantly compromising on quality. “I consistently observed sharp text and vibrant colors with minimal striping or noticeable artifacts, all accomplished at a rapid pace,” testers said. Its intuitive setup process and robust interface, equipped with a range of helpful troubleshooting features, also contribute to its ease of use.
Should you buy it? The Epson Workforce Pro WF-4820 does not offer duplex scanning capabilities, necessitating manual flipping of documents to scan both sides, which may not be ideal for larger double-sided scanning tasks. Minor downsides aside, the WF-4820 delivers exceptional value when it comes to overall performance and affordability, making it a solid pick for budget-conscious small home offices.
The Epson Workforce Pro is an all-in-one model with some of the lowest operational costs in our lineup, making it one of our top cost-effective options.
Who it's best for: Minimizing operational expenses can be a huge priority for those on a tight budget who print regularly. If you don't need the best print quality and don't mind slower printing, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is the best printer when it comes to long-term print costs. This printer is great for someone who prints frequently but doesn't need their pages to look pretty.
Why we love it: With the capability to print 4500 black and white pages for just $14 and 7500 colored pages for $13.99, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 delivers prints at a fraction of a penny per page, significantly undercutting other printers that may cost up to 10 cents per black and white printed page.
Should you buy it? If you only care about the long-term costs, we say go for it. That said, we found the Epson to be on the slower side. It also has middling image and text quality. “I find that some detail is lost because of how dark the shadows are,” testers noted. While the Epson stands out for its remarkably low operational costs, individuals with more demanding home office requirements may prefer a printer offering superior all-around performance and speed, even if it means sacrificing some long-term cost savings.
Who it's best for: In today's smartphone-dominated world, most recorded memories are confined to the digital realm, rarely revisited. However, mini photo printers like the Canon IVY 2 are here to change that. This well-designed machine is capable of transforming your smartphone photos into tangible prints. This is a great little printer for anyone looking to scrapbook or make collages of their favorite memories.
Why we love it: Setting up the printer is straightforward: download the companion app, connect to the printer via Bluetooth, and your prints are ready almost immediately. The IVY 2 is also compact and portable, making it easy to take with you wherever you go. This printer was capable of delivering relatively high-quality prints, especially considering its compact size. “I love the sharpness of the images for it being such a small print,” testers said. One standout feature that we enjoyed is the ZINK instant film it uses. “With its adhesive backing, I can turn my prints into stickers for fun decorations or to share with friends,” testers exclaimed.
Should you buy it? The cost of each print is a notable drawback, at around 50 cents per piece with no alternative options. This might lead to more selective printing choices, which can be disappointing. Most desktop printers offer greater capabilities and a lower cost per print. However, you can't just toss a desktop printer into a bag and take it everywhere, which is why the IVY 2 is so compelling. We consider this to be a great printer if you want something that gives you beautiful, small photos and travels well, too.
Cost per print: $0.50 | Max Photo Dimensions: 2" x 3"
The Canon Ivy 2 Mini is a small, yet reliable portable photo printer.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
How We Tested
This comprehensive printer overview is the product of hundreds of hours of testing, comparing, and researching the best products in the industry over several years. After completing in-depth research, we purchase and personally test dozens of the top models at our testing facility in Lake Tahoe. For each category, we create a series of tests that measure the most important aspects of the printer.
For home printers, we pay particular attention to text quality, speed, ease of use, image quality, and operating cost. We weight each of these categories and complete a series of tests. For text and image quality, we print a variety of standardized pages and compare in various light settings with both the naked eye and using magnification. We also manually time how long it takes to print and calculate the long term operating cost for ink and upkeep. It's a lengthy process, but we genuinely want everyone to find the best printer on the market.
For photo printers, we don't worry about the text quality but instead focus on operating cost, color print quality, black and white print quality, speed, and the setup process. These in-depth tests involve printing numerous color and black and white images. Our research analysts and in-house photographers then work together to examine with their own eyes and under intense magnification. This allows us to closely notice any color irregularities, unwanted color banding, and pixelation. We also know that operating cost is of particular interest with a photo printer. Sometimes, a more expensive printer up-front will pay off in the long run if a user plans to print a lot of photos. Lastly, we score printers higher when they have a simple, quick, and reliable setup process.
Every year we purchase and test dozens of printers to find the best for your needs.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Why Trust Gearlab
This guide is a collaboration between Review Analyst Genaveve Bradshaw and reviewer Lesley Robinson. Genaveve has tested many of our top printers and crafts quality reviews that emphasize a high degree of attention to detail. Lesley's experience in quality assurance has allowed her to expertly test our tech products.
We've tested all types of printers.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How to Pick the Right Printer
Picking the right printer to fit your needs may be quite daunting. They can be expensive and deserve prior research before committing to the purchase. Our experienced testers and researchers have done all the testing for you. All that's left is to evaluate your needs and purchase accordingly. These devices can be separated into home, photo, and 3D. The following is a breakdown of each class of printer and its uses.
Home Printers
Home printers are the most versatile, satisfying a broad range of needs, from printing worded documents to scanning and copying. When picking a home printer, consider the volume of printing you plan to do. Some people need a printer on standby in case they need to print an important document or enable their children to print a class project. Others may operate a small business and require a device to perform large workloads at a reasonable price.
Canon Color ImageCLASSCanon Pixma MG3620
We examine each unit's text quality side by side under a microscope.
Ease of use can also affect your decision. A printer that is difficult to operate or set up and connect to your Wi-Fi can slow down productivity and cause unnecessary stress. This is why we analyze each printer's interface and features to see how helpful and streamlined they are.
Using a microscope, we closely analyzed each print.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
In the chart below, you can find the scores of our entire lineup of fully tested and top-ranked home printers. Our top choice is the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw. This machine offers a great balance of text quality, speed, and ease of use, boasting the ability to print, scan, copy, and fax. For a budget model that performs admirably across the board, the HP OfficeJet 8015e Wireless Color is worth a look. If you want an ultra-low operating cost, check out the Epson EcoTank ET-2800.
Need to extend your WiFi range?
Our WiFi extender review can help you get a wider WiFi coverage range.
Home printers are the best option for everyday printing.
Credit: Laura Casner
Photo Printers
Photo printers are great for those who desire more than low-resolution Google images from their home printer. Some memories deserve to be printed, and these devices will ensure that your image comes out with the quality it deserves. Or, if you run a small photography business and want to reduce the trip to the photo lab, photo printers will save you loads of time and money.
We carefully examine each image under digital magnification to score the print quality.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Print quality is among the most important aspects to consider when looking at photo printers. You obviously want a printer that creates accurate and relatively crisp images. You may be willing to forego this a bit for something like portability if you want a mini printer, but it's generally quite important. While testing, we broke the print quality into color and black and white to evaluate separately.
We manually measure exactly how long it takes to print an image.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
When choosing a photo printer, you'll want to consider your upfront budget, but also how much you plan to print and the corresponding operating cost (to buy ink or photo paper packs). It's also important to understand if you want to simply print 4" x 6" images, large format images, or need a printer that can do a bit of everything. Lastly, the actual size of the printer is important. We've tested printers that take up half your desk and ones that fit in your pocket. There's no right or wrong; it's just a matter of matching the right printer to your needs.
Above, you can see the full list of products ranked in our photo printer review. Our winner is the Canon PIXMA Pro-200, followed by the Canon PIXMA G620. Both models excel with color prints. The Pixma Pro-200 prints much faster than the G620, but it also costs quite a bit more.
We've tested every kind of photo printer.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Conclusion
This guide aims to make the printer buying process as easy as possible. The first consideration before buying a printer is to assess one's needs. Different printers can have different purposes, and the printers we've outlined here are the cream of the crop for their respective categories. Our mission at GearLab is to provide top-quality reviews of emerging products. We will continue reviewing the best printers in today's market so you can easily make an informed purchase.
—Lesley Robinson, Genaveve Bradshaw and Benjamin Hickok
