The Best Inkjet Printers for 2021

Inkjet printers are incredibly versatile. Besides text documents, many can also print photos — even museum-quality prints — labels, graphics, and other types of materials. Multifunction (all-in-one or MFP) variants add scan, copy, and fax, making them ideal for small offices and home environments.

After reviewing dozens of inkjet printers from across the market, we’re ready to make a few recommendations for the top spot. The best inkjet printer is the Canon Maxify MB420, but we also have a few other favorites you should take a look at.

The best inkjet printers at a glance

The best overall inkjet printer: Canon Maxify MB5420

Why we picked Canon’s Maxify MB5420:

Inkjet printers offer many advantages, but traditionally speed hasn’t been one of them. That has changed over the years, as the newest printers designed for the small office and home are now capable of making fast, quality prints. One terrific option is Canon’s Maxify MB5420.

The MB5420 is large, but it’s designed to support a multi-person office — up to nine employees, according to Canon. The company claims a page print speed of 24 images per minute for black and white or 15.5 for color. In our tests, we achieved 22.2 and 10, respectively, which we find to be in line with Canon’s rated speed. The printer also supports one-pass duplex printing, with high-yield ink cartridges that will last longer.

More importantly, the prints are excellent, particularly with color. Although it isn’t a photo printer, the MB5420 could handle the task when we printed on photo paper. Don’t look at the Canon Maxify MB5420 solely as an office product. If you have a household that prints often, the MB5420 is suitable for that environment too. But if it’s overkill for your needs, check out the Maxify MB5120.

The best inkjet photo printer: Epson SureColor P700

Why we picked the SureColor P700:

Epson’s newer SureColor P700 paints a pretty picture using a 10-channel, drop-on-demand printhead supporting colors ranging from Cyan to Matte Black. That means each color has a dedicated nozzle, including Photo Black and Matte Black — no cartridge switching required. It relies on Epson’s UltraChrome PRO10 ink promising colored print longevity of up to 200 years, or 400 years when only using black.

According to Epson, D-max is increased with this model thanks to its new Carbon Black Drive mode for deeper blacks on glossy paper.  The P700 can print up to a 5,760 x 1,440 resolution using a maximum printable area of 13 x 129 inches. It also prints on a standard 8.5 x 11-inch sheet in 89 seconds, and on a 13 x 19-inch sheet in 143 seconds.

On the front of the SureColor P700, you’ll find a 4.3-inch customizable touchscreen to access settings, manually print, and so on. Support for iOS means you can print directly from an iPhone or iPad.

The best all-in-one inkjet printer: Canon Pixma TR8520

Why we picked the Canon Pixma TR8520:

Despite its size, this Pixma model can handle an amazing amount of tasks. It can fax, scan, copy, print business cards, photos, and on both sides of the paper. Pixma features like a large 4.3-inch touchscreen and memory card slot are also welcome features. You can connect devices wirelessly via Bluetooth or a number of Wi-Fi Direct services, including AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.

The Canon Pixma TR8520offers a five-ink printing system with options for both front and rear loading, plus a 20-sheet ADF.  However, note that you will need to plug in a telephone cable for fax capabilities even while the internet connection is wireless, which may limit where you can put this printer. Fortunately, the compact size helps this Pixma fit in all kinds of places.

If you need a 4-in-1 printer for a home office or similar setup, we highly recommend theCanon Pixma TR8520, especially at this price!

The best office inkjet printer: HP PageWide Pro 577dw

Why we picked the PageWide Pro 577dw:

If speed is what you’re after, then your search ends with the 577dw. Technically, it’s not an inkjet printer in the traditional sense, but it shares certain traits like ink and quality.

Unlike an inkjet printer, which has a print head that travels back and forth across a sheet of paper, HP’s PageWide uses a stationary print head. This allows the machine to print up to 50 pages per minute in either black or color. However, like an inkjet printer, the 577dw uses a four-color ink tank system that’s easy to replace.

Besides Wi-Fi and Ethernet, the machine handles Wi-Fi Direct for peer-to-peer and NFC connections, as well as Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. Security features let you monitor usage as well as ensuring it isn’t breached by unauthorized users.

Overall, the HP PageWide Pro 577dw is a multifunction device designed for office use and carries a price to match. If you don’t need the extras, downgrade to a single-function model like the PageWide Pro 552dw.

The best budget inkjet printer: HP Deskjet 3755

Why we picked the HP Deskjet 3755:

This compact all-in-one printer combines affordability with an impressive feature set, high-resolution printing options, and easy cartridge management (only two cartridges, both fairly affordable). There are both USB 2.0 and Wi-Fi options and a simple set of onboard buttons for manual control. There’s even voice assistant compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant.

It’s not the fastest printer around at 8ppm for black-and-white pages and 5.5ppm for color, but at this low price, the printer has remarkable image quality, plus great versatility with copying and faxing options included. It’s rated for around 1,000 pages per month, which should be no problem at all for a home printer.

If your printing needs are simple, you don’t need to spend a lot on a bulky or powerful printer when something like the HP Deskjet 3755 is already a perfect fit.

Research and buying tips

What is an inkjet printer?

An inkjet printer has one of the simplest printer designs, based on spraying fast-drying, wet inks onto paper. The printer is made of a print head that holds various ink cartridges and sprays that ink in tightly controlled patterns based on the printing job. The ink is directed through very tiny nozzles called jets. This ink is usually ionized, which allows it to be easily manipulated by magnetic plates for more accurate direction and control.

What are its advantages and disadvantages?

The simple design of inkjet printers makes them more affordable than many alternatives, and quite durable. The wet ink is always ready to go, which means start-up times are very quick. With enough ink colors in the printer, it can produce very accurate photo prints. These features all make inkjet printers very popular options for home printers.

However, inkjets have their limitations. Their ink can be expensive and they aren’t very fast printers for large projects. Additionally, inkjet printers depend more on their paper for quality than other kinds of printers, so you need high-quality, heavier paper for the best results. They may also have restrictions of the kind printers are infamous for — such as only working properly with certified ink cartridges or requiring that all ink cartridges be full before working.

Which printer has the cheapest ink?

Printer ink prices can vary based on things like printer efficiency and ink delivery. Inkjet cartridges, for example, may be cheaper to buy one at a time, but they also run out (or dry out) faster than many other options. Laser printers, on the other hand, use bulkier and more expensive toner cartridges, but these cartridges are very efficient. Over the span of several years — assuming the printers are used equally — laser printers will have cheaper ink options.

If you are comparing only inkjet printers, look for recent printer models from brands famous for the quality, and do a side-by-side spec comparison to find out more. Canon and Epson printers usually have some of the most efficient ink cartridges.

There are also “remanufactured” cartridges from third parties, but quality can be unreliable with these. As we mentioned above, these recycled cartridges could cause problems with printer operation.

Which printer brand is the best?

We find that Canon and Epson printers tend to be the most durable and have some great feature sets — HP also has some excellent printers, particularly for small businesses. However, it’s always a good idea to compare printer models one-on-one to see what the specifications are and how they differ.

Which is better, inkjet or laser printers?

It depends entirely on what project you’re doing. If you’re a small business or using a printer for your household, the inkjet printer is an excellent candidate, especially if you don’t mass print. Some advanced inkjet printers feature top-notch DPI and color reproduction, making them perfect for photographers or photography enthusiasts. Laser printers are usually appropriate for offices or places that print mass amounts frequently.

Is it cheaper to buy a new printer than keep buying ink for my old printer?

Unfortunately, we can’t offer a clear answer to this question. You’ll need to consider a few different factors, including how expensive a new printer is, how expensive cartridges are, and how many cartridges you normally use. For example, if in any given month you print around 200 pages in black ink, and if you print them at a rate of about 150 pages per black cartridge, you’d use 16 cartridges each year. If each cartridge costs $15, you’d be spending $240 a year. Buying a new printer with cheaper cartridges or improved ink efficiency might be worth it in this case.

Remember that this scenario only considers common printer use, rather than people who only use their home printer every so often. Ink prices aren’t as important for these cases.

How do I know if my printer is an inkjet?

If you’re looking at our best printer lists, we’ll be sure to tell you! Otherwise, you can usually tell by looking at the cartridges: Inkjet cartridges are typically smaller than your fist, while toner cartridges for laser printers are typically much larger. Likewise, laser printers use heat to bond toner to the paper, so their printed pages tend to come out feeling warm to the touch. Finally — and this is less common these days — newly printed pages from an inkjet printer can sometimes be smudged with a quick touch, while toner-printed pages won’t have that issue.

Can an inkjet printer print on glossy paper?

They certainly can, but the paper needs to be designed for inkjet printer use, and needs to have the proper coatings to allow the ink to adhere and cure. When looking at paper stock, you should be able to find high-gloss options, including photo paper meant to replicate photographs. However, be sure to choose a model that can handle glossy paper, like our Epson Surecolor P700 pick. You can find other excellent photo printers here if that’s your primary goal.

Can you print on cardstock with an inkjet printer?

Yes, as long as the printer is designed for it. Inkjet printers can handle photograph cardstock, business cards, and a variety of other thick stock as long as they are rated for it. The Canon Pixma, for example, comes with a setting specifically made for business cards. However, you will need to insert the stock in the right slot or adjust your feed tray accordingly when using stock of various sizes.

If you’re still confused about purchasing a printer, take a look at our Home Printer Buying Guide.

Editors’ Recommendations