The best printers are robust, full-featured workhorses. But that's not everyone needs. As everything becomes more and more digital, you might find yourself only needing a printer in rare occasions — and therefore really just needing something dependable and affordable.
That's exactly what the best budget printers are all about, whether it's for last-minute homework assignments, important work documents, or cherished family photos. Finding an affordable printer that won't cause you headaches, though, isn't always easy. Fortunately, we've reviewed a bunch of them, and can separate the wheat from the chaff. So, whether you're a student on a tight budget, a small-business owner looking to cut costs, or simply someone seeking an affordable printing solution, one of the following printers should do the trick.
![Canon PIXMA TS6420a All-in-One Wireless Inkjet Printer [Print,Copy,Scan], Black](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ccp-prd-s3-uploads/2021/8/6/5ce1e00b80a0deca90662bd6eaabd88d597d2727.jpeg)
Best affordable compact printer
Canon Pixma TS6420a
- Great photo prints
- Fast for a budget printer
- Very compact and lightweight
- Low upfront cost
- Easy setup
- Black ink is expensive
- Tricolor cartridge wastes ink
Why you should buy this: Those looking to save as much money and space as possible.
Who it's for: Budget hunters, college kids, anyone who rarely uses a printer but still needs one.
Why we picked the Canon Pixma TS6420a:
If you really want to put the “budget” in budget printer, this Canon model is for you. It’s the most affordable printer we can currently find on the market and sports an incredibly compact design that can fit nearly anywhere with the paper tray down. That makes it ideal for those short on space who won’t be using a printer much but might still need one from time to time — like those living in dorms or working from home.
But although it’s super small and inexpensive, this printer still includes a scanning function, as well as a measuring grid on top for more physical projects. It’s also compatible with Alexa for quick voice commands, and generally designed to work via app (although a few onboard controls are included). It’s the best choice for maximum savings if your needs are simple.
Best affordable home office printer
HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e
- Fast monochrome prints
- Good quality color prints
- Includes fax and thumb drive support
- Good borderless photo prints
- Good support for iPhone and Android
- Ink costs will add up
- Color prints are half-speed
- Automatic document feeder lacks duplex
Why you should buy this: The affordable HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e can print at a zippy 20 pages per minute with fast-drying ink.
Who it's for: Offices that need fast color, affordable color prints in an all-in-one with a fax.
Why we picked the HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e:
HP's OfficeJet Pro 8135e is an all-in-one multifunction printer that can scan, copy, fax, and print. Long documents won't take long with the 20 pages-per-minute black-and-white prints and 10 ppm color. Walk-up printing via a thumb drive port simplifies sharing with others. This versatile printer has plenty of nice office features. It prints full-page border photos with good quality, and it's compact enough for your home.
Setup is easy with HP's great Wi-Fi support and the OfficeJet Pro 8135e's 2.7-inch color touchscreen. While it can print double-sided, the automatic document feeder doesn't support duplex. Also, watch out for ink costs if you frequently print pictures.
Best affordable tank printer
Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J1205W
- Fast printing for an inkjet
- Low price for an all-in-one
- Relatively low cost per page
- Up to a year of ink included
- Fast scanning
- Page yield estimation
- Photos lack contrast and saturation
- Photo scans require an extra step
- Difficult to set up envelope prints
Why you should buy this: You need an economical printer to handle basic color printing needs
Who it's for: Home users who may need occasional printing
Why we picked the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J1205W:
Brother's affordable INKvestment Tank MFC-J1205W is a simple, modern printer that produces reliable quality color prints in a sleek design. Free of many of the bells and whistles of more advanced offerings, the MFC-J1205W doesn't come with features like a touchscreen control or automatic document feeder, but this helps to keep the design charming and elegant. There's still a flatbed scanner up top for color copies and scans, and built-in wireless printing support makes this a flexible printer for the smart home office.
The highlight of this printer is its large-capacity ink cartridges. While not a true tank printer, Brother's high yield ink can last for up to a year of moderate printing needs, so you're saving time and money on replacement ink. This printer is a solid choice for those who may need to occasionally print a page or two every so often, but it can scale to moderate volumes for busy homes juggling office documents, homework, and other printing needs.
Best affordable monochrome laser printer
HP M209dwe LaserJet
- Crisp laser quality
- Fast print speeds suited for documents
- Speedy duplex printing
- Easy to use companion smartphone app for scanning
- No color printing support
Why you should buy this: HP's LaserJet M209dwe sacrifices color for fast, economical monochrome laser prints.
Who it's for: Budget-oriented homes and businesses primarily interested in printing black-and-white documents.
Why we picked the HP LaserJet M209dwe:
HP's monochrome LaserJet M209dwe comes in a very compact size, making it ideal for home and home office settings. Just don't let its compact design fool you — this printer is advertised with the fastest two-sided printing for its class at 30 pages per minute for black-and-white jobs. The first page is ready in as little as 6.9 seconds, ensuring you won't have to wait long for your document to start printing. Duplex printing is also supported to save on paper, and you can print on a variety of media types, including envelopes, labels, yardsticks, postcards, and even velum paper.
The printer comes with an Instant Ink subscription, giving you the first six months of free ink toner. After that, you can cancel the subscription and buy replacements a la carte, or rely on the company's worry-free subscription to ensure you'll have enough toner for your print jobs. This printer works with HP's robust HP Smart smartphone app, giving you added flexibility to securely send a fax, print documents from cloud services like Dropbox, or even scan directly to Google Drive or your email.
Best affordable printer for budding photographers
Canon Pixma iP8720
- Print sizes up to 13x19
- Excellent output quality
- Great for photo and everyday printing
- Slightly dark skin tones
- Large, heavy
Why you should buy this: Canon's Pixma iP8720 can print standard photos to wide formats for larger prints.
Who it's for: The budding photographer and home crafter.
Why we picked the Canon PIXMA iP8720:
The Pixma iP8720 is an excellent, home-friendly printer that combines great features at an affordable price. The quality is good enough for photo printing, and it can accommodate 13x19 prints if you need wider formats. The paper tray holds 120 sheets, and our tests showed that printing speeds were around 13.3 pages per minute (ppm) for black and white, while Canon claims up to 10.4 ppm for color.
Overall, the Pixma iP8720 is a remarkable printer and a great pick, especially for those who need to print flyers and other slightly larger materials. If you're a professional photographer or earnest amateur, however, you may want a printer with higher image quality.
This printer also supports both USB connections and Wi-Fi, with added support for Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.
Best affordable workgroup printer
Epson EcoTank ET-3850
- Quite fast for an inkjet tank printer
- Good photo quality on glossy
- Includes up to two years of ink
- Low ink cost per page
- Compact, attractive design
- No duplex scanning
- Slow scan speeds
- Rare Wi-Fi connection issues
Why you should buy this: Epson's EcoTank ET-3850 refills with ink bottles to make volume printing more cost-effective.
Who it's for: Businesses that need good performance at a low cost per page for color prints.
Why we picked the Epson EcoTank ET-3850:
The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 is an all-in-one inkjet that's designed for business use, combining speed, cost efficiency, and quality in an affordable package. With print speeds of up to 15.5 pages per minute (ppm) in black and 8.5 ppm in color, this inkjet tank printer ensures your office isn't held up waiting for hard copies.
While the upfront cost is higher than some budget printers, Epson includes enough ink to last up to two years. Within the first you, you'll save money on the investment. It's ideal for small businesses and home offices that frequently print in color.
Copies are sharp and roll out quickly at up to 11 ppm. Maximum scan resolution is 1200 dpi, so the EcoTank ET-3850 works well for fine print and digitizing photos.
While it lacks duplex copying, the ability to print, copy, and scan with crisp, vivid color and sharp black text will meet most business needs. Epson's EcoTank ET-3850 offers a good balance of affordability, performance, and low operating costs, making it a reliable workhorse for small businesses and home offices alike.
Best affordable photo printer for mobile users
Kodak Step Instant Printer
- Competitive running cost
- Wireless connectivity
- Quality photo prints
- Affordable
- Micro-USB charging
Why you should buy this: Low-cost and simple pocket-sized photo printer
Who it's for: Smartphone photography lovers
Why we picked the Kodak Step Instant Printer:
The Kodak Step Instant Printer offers an economical solution for photo printing. It easily connects to your smartphone, allowing you to print your favorite images onto compact 2 by 3-inches Zink prints with adhesive backing. It is small enough to fit inside your pocket or handbag and is fairly simple to operate. The printer can be paired to your smartphone via Bluetooth and the entire printing process is done via the dedicated app which is available for both Android and iOS.
Apart from allowing users to print their favorite photos, the app also lets you edit images. There are a variety of filters, frames and stickers along with adjustment options like brightness, hue, colour temperature and more.
The printer doesn't need any cartridge replacements and Kodak's Zink prints are affordable and fast to process, making it an excellent choice if you want keep your running costs to a minimum. It also features a built-in battery that allows you to print a little over 25 photos before it needs to be juiced. Speaking of which, it comes with micro-USB charging which is probably one of the only drawbacks of this photo printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
That really depends on your personal printing needs, preferences, and budget. Traditionally, inkjet printers come with a lower upfront cost for the printer compared to a comparable laser printer, but replacement ink cartridges on the inkjet can be more expensive over time than toner for laser printing systems.
That said, inkjets generally perform better with color printing processes, photographs, and artwork, while laser printers excel at handling documents, spreadsheets, and black-and-white print jobs. These days, however, the price and performance gaps are narrowing — inkjets that use tank cartridges deliver a more affordable cost per page, and laser printers are getting better at printing documents with color graphics.
If you'd like to learn more, we go into greater depth on this topic in our guide to choosing between an inkjet and a laser printer.
If you need scanning and copying functionality, you'll want to choose a printer with a scanner. Some printers come with a flatbed scanner, so you can scan papers of varying sizes. Others will come with an automatic document feeder, or ADF, that will automatically feed through what you need scanned or copied. More expensive multifunction printers will come with duplex scanning capabilities, meaning the built-in scanner will be able to perform double-sided scans.
If you're on a tight budget, you'll want to look at two things. First, you'll want to choose a printer with a lower upfront cost. These are usually inkjet printers. Second, you'll want to know the cost per page, and this will be particularly important for larger print needs.
Cost per page (cpp) is equal to the total cost of the toner or ink cartridge divided by the manufacturer's yield. For example, if an ink cartridge costs $10 and provides 100 prints, your cpp is 10 cents. When shopping for color printers, you'll generally see two or three cpp calculations: monochrome and color document costs are most common.
Sometimes, manufacturers share the cost to print a photo as well. Pictures cost the most since a photo requires ink or toner for every part of the image that isn't pure white.
Printer ink costs can add up in a hurry. Some printers handle ink better than others, so you do have a few options. The Brother INKvestment printer on this list is a great place to start, as it comes with high-capacity ink cartridges designed to last as long as possible.
True inkjet tank printers, like the Epson EcoTank shown above, cost more upfront, but you save in the long run since you can refill with bottles instead of cartridges.
That will depend on how often you're printing, the volume you're printing, and what types of things you're printing. Toner on a laser printer is generally more expensive, but it will last longer than an ink cartridge on an inkjet. Even with moderate use, inkjet cartridges will last home users a few months or even a year if you're infrequently using your printer. Investing in a printer that supports high-yield cartridges — often designated with an XL branding — or a tank will give you better yields and lower your cost in the long run.
While older printers required a wired USB connection between your printer and a Mac or PC, most modern printers support a variety of wireless protocols. If you need to print using your smartphone or tablet, be sure to select a printer with support for Bluetooth printing, Wi-Fi Direct, or NFC. Most of these printers will also come with a smartphone app that can be used to initiate printing, and iPhone versions of these apps will support Apple's AirPrint standard.
Many of these budget picks work best when used sparingly (the Workforce and Laserjet picks are notable exceptions), and using them all the time may wear them out more quickly. But with proper usage and general upkeep, you can expect any printer to last around three to five years before it starts encountering more than the usual number of problems.
The best printer brands offer good customer service and stand behind their products.
A printer is still important for some activities. You may have documents to print out and physically sign, flyers to print from an email, photos to make a collage or other art, and so on. While it's not common to use a printer every day, they still have a role, which is why a budget printer is a good choice for many people.
Want to expand your options even more? Take a look at our list of the best printers for a variety of different jobs.
If you know you need to scan and copy, as well as print, we have a guide to the best all-in-one printers available.
