Best Printer 2026 — Expert Reviews, Buying Guides and Top Picks
Finding the right printer shouldn’t take hours of research. We test and review the best printers available — inkjet, laser, and all-in-one — so you can make a confident choice without wading through marketing fluff. Whether you’re printing from home, running a small office, or just need something compact for occasional use, you’ll find an honest recommendation here.
Our Top Printer Picks for 2026
| Printer | Type | Best For | Our Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e | Inkjet AIO | Home office | 🏆 Best Overall |
| Brother HL-L2350DW | Laser | Documents | 💰 Best Value |
| Epson EcoTank ET-4850 | EcoTank AIO | Low ink cost | 💡 Smartest Buy |
| Canon PIXMA TR8620a | Inkjet AIO | Photos | 📸 Best Photos |
| HP DeskJet 4155e | Inkjet AIO | Budget | 🎯 Best Cheap |
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The Honest Guide to Buying a Printer in 2026
The printer market in 2026 is dominated by a few decisions that will define how much you spend over the life of the device. Get these right and you’ll save real money. Get them wrong and you’ll wonder why you’re paying for ink every other month.
Decision 1: Laser or Inkjet?
If you mainly print text documents — reports, invoices, contracts — a laser printer will cost you less per page and print faster. The Brother HL-L2350DW at around $100 is one of the best long-term value purchases in consumer electronics. Buy it once, spend almost nothing on toner.
If you print photos, greeting cards, colored documents, or want one machine for everything — inkjet wins. Modern inkjets like the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e are genuinely fast, high quality, and smart about wireless connectivity.
Decision 2: How Much Will Ink Cost You?
This is where most people go wrong. A $50 printer with $15 cartridges that print 200 pages will cost you more per year than a $180 Epson EcoTank with $15 bottles that print 4,500 pages. We calculate real running costs for every printer we recommend — see our full running cost guide before you buy.
Decision 3: What Features Do You Actually Need?
Most households don’t need fax. Most students don’t need a 50-sheet auto document feeder. Most home users don’t need Ethernet — Wi-Fi and AirPrint for iPhone are enough. Buy for what you’ll actually use. Our buying guides strip out the marketing and tell you what matters for each use case.
Latest Reviews and Guides
We publish new printer reviews and buying guides every week. Recent additions:
- Inkjet vs Laser Printer — Which Is Actually Better for You in 2026?
- Best Printer for Students in 2026 — 5 Picks That Won’t Break the Bank
- Best Printer Under $100 in 2026
- Best All-in-One Printer 2026 — Top 5 for Every Budget
- Cheapest Printers to Run in 2026 — EcoTank vs Laser vs Cartridge
All recommendations include Amazon affiliate links. We earn a small commission if you buy through our links — at no extra cost to you. This is how we keep the site free.
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It’s been a long time since I’ve bought a printer and I’m happy to see my choices are more numerous and the prices have come down.
I’ve got a Brother HL2170 that I need to replace for my home office. I was just going to get a basic lasers but after reading your review and synopsis I think I’ll check out the HP Office Jet pro you recommended. Instead of just printing documents in B&W I’d like the option of color.
And the price is way less than I thought.
Thanks for the links and info!
Your welcome David. The HP OfficeJet Pro X576dw is an excellent choice for all kinds of printing jobs!Good luck with your new purchase.
Vince
Hi! I am looking at buying a new printer, but am a bit overwhelmed. I am looking for a laser to make labels for small bottles and the choices I have come across are a bit over my budget at around $3k. Is there a good low priced alternative for label making? Thanks, cass.
I now know too much about them, lol! Actually, I was looking at a laser, people told me it’s just better because the ink doesn’t dry out like an inkjet.
But the price for a laser was really high! I’m glad I didn’t get one yet, and had a chance to read this article. It made me realize that I don’t need all that fancy stuff, just a black and white laser. The price for those are a lot more reasonable.
Thanks for posting this!
Lol, that’s great to hear. Good thing you did your research and read my article Keoni. If you need more tips about your black and white laser don’t hesitate to contact me.
Vince
I happened across your website at a very good time, I plan to make a purchase in the near future and you have given me a lot to consider for my next purchase i was not aware of until reading your article today.
I do a lot of photo enhancing, I would like the best model for this kind of job. Would you be able to give me any suggestions on the better ones for printing photographic images from my photoshop program?
I’m very glad I could help you out. If it are only photos you are going to print, I suggest you to go for an inkjet. One I like a lot is the Canon Pixma MP990. Its photo printing capabilities are immense. Make sure to read my review first.
Vince
That HP OfficeJetPro looks good. I’ve been wanting to get one that’s also a scanner and copier. But I also like relying on toner setups better because they just seems to work better, last longer and have less printing problems. How does the cost of an overall use of an inkjet compare to one with toner? Thanks.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your interest in my article and for leaving your comment. About that comparison. A toner based model has a higher initial cost than an inkjet, but if you are going to print a lot you can save a lot of money. Toners have a higher page yield and this leads to a lower total cost of ownership.
Have a great weekend.
Vince
Hi Vince,
It is kind of appropriate that I came across your great article as it was indeed “the”ultimate guide for helping one find a printing machine.
Even though I have a less than 1 year old combination printer/copier/fax machine that I shelled out some bucks for, I found out recently that it will not be compatible with my desktop computer should I upgrade to the Windows 10 O.S. now free, (for several more months) but which in 2 years will no longer be supported by updates coming from Microsoft. This fact was confirmed by 3 senior tech officials who are in the Computer IT profession that I have already contacted trying to resolve my problem.
I assume that all of the machines that you recommended would be compatible with Windows 10? Sooner or later people are going to be forced to upgrade to computers of those models.
Last year I briefly remember looking at a review of a Brother model, (probably not your #1 recommendation) before I purchased the machine that I currently have. I found out that it was not capable of copying and fax work. Also as my computer is a Dell I also was told that that particular Brother would not have even been compatible working in conjunction with my desktop.
This was a very well written and thorough review, Vince.
Jeff
for almost three years i have been thinking of coming up with my own printing shop and generate some income from the students that use to be coming for printing assignment but the only problem i encountered was with the right printer to choose but finaly you have answered my question
thank for the information
cheers
jose