The reliable, simple-to-operate HP Color LaserJet Pro M283fdw, an all-in-one color inkjet, is a good choice for most people who need to print regularly at home. It’s easy to set up and cheap to run, it works with all kinds of devices, and it produces beautiful prints, from tax forms to glossy photos.
A home office powerhouse: HP Color LaserJet Pro M283fdw
The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw offers an easy setup process, great printing quality, and reasonable operating costs for your home office or small business needs.
This laserjet was up and running in no time thanks to an intuitive touchscreen that walks users through the process in under 10 minutes.
Plus, mobile Wi-Fi is printing and optional HP Smart app make printing sans computer a breeze.
In our tests it printed out clear, crisp text down to a font size of 3 points, so even the tiniest of subscripts in legal documents and footer text in charts remain legible.
It also printed high-quality, vibrant graphics on both copy and glossy paper. Upgrading to the high-yield ink toners ensures printing costs remain low, at just 3.3¢ per black and 16.3¢ per color print—but a full set of replacement toner costs $440.
Only issue: this model weighs more than twice as much as our budget laser pick (the Brother HL-L2350DW), takes up significant space on a desk, and it probably won’t fit on a bookshelf, due to its 19-inch depth.
The all-around home printer: OfficeJet Pro 9015e
The OfficeJet Pro 9015e isn’t HP’s most powerful inkjet all-in-one, but it is the best one for most people. It is remarkably easy to set up and use, hitting a sweet spot of speed, print quality, and reliability that other printers can’t match.
Its running costs are reasonable at 2.4¢ per page for black-and-white pages and 8.8¢ for color, with the option to join HP’s Instant Ink program for set-and-forget refills and cheaper color printing.
Its sleek design helps it stand out from stodgy-looking competitors, which is almost enough to make us forgive its tiny touchscreen and flimsy output tray.
Ultimately, though, our concerns are small. Printers still suck, but this one is a marked improvement over the dinosaurs of yore.
Only issue: The OfficeJet Pro 9015e’s biggest shortcoming is probably its single 250-sheet paper tray. Although that’s a standard size for a home printer, it may be less than what some people want for home and home-business purposes. Since there’s only one tray, you need to manually swap out your plain letter paper whenever you need to print on something else.
Affordable and reliable: Brother HL-L2350DW
The Brother HL-L2350DW is simple, fast, dependable, easy to set up, and affordable to operate. And because it’s a laser printer, it can sit for weeks or months between print jobs and start up again without trouble.
But although it’s a budget model, it’s not short on features. For the $100-ish asking price, you get automatic duplex printing capability, a large 250-sheet paper tray, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity, and the option to use high-yield toner cartridges—which means you don’t have to buy them very often.
This printer works with Windows, MacOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android.
As for print quality, this model is more than good enough for any text-based document, but it might need a few settings tweaks to produce a graphics-heavy document you’d want to hand out to other people.
It’s also extremely compact, which means it can fit in tight spaces (like a bookcase shelf) where other printers can’t go.
Only issue: It’s a little flimsy and the packaging isn’t great, so if you buy one, be sure to check for any plastic parts that might have gotten bumped out of place in transit. We don’t recommend printing via Brother’s iPrint&Scan software, because it results in excessive, detail-destroying contrast.
Photo printer: Epson SureColor P700
The Epson SureColor P700 is capable of delivering gallery-quality prints up to 13 inches wide, and it can print panoramas up to 10 feet long. It can also print on a huge variety of media, including metal and CDs.
Loved the black-and-white output; it’s as close as you can get to traditional darkroom prints at home.
Those prints will last you a long time, too: The P600’s UltraChrome HD pigment ink is one of the longest-lasting consumer inks. The touchscreen interface is a cut above what you’d get from most rivals.
Ink costs are reasonable, and you can get extra-large-capacity tanks, so you’ll need to fill up less often. In addition to Wi-Fi, this printer has USB and Ethernet connections for faster printing.
Only issue: The starter ink cartridges included with the printer are not completely filled, but the machine doesn’t indicate this when you install them. You’ll know they’re almost done only when the printer starts to give the “low ink” warning.
Go for the The reliable, simple-to-operate HP Color LaserJet Pro M283fdw, an all-in-one color inkjet