The Best Printers Available Now (Reviews)

It may be the future, but we’re far from paperless. Having a reliable printer at home is just as important now than a year or two ago for many families, thanks to the rise in working from home. If your old printer isn’t cutting it anymore (or if you’ve never had one), shopping for the best printers of today can be a little overwhelming.

Below, you’ll find top printer picks in several categories. Whatever your printing needs look like, one of these should meet them.

If you do pick up a new printer for use around the home, make sure to pair it with a top-quality extended warranty from Upsie. Printers have tons of moving parts, and moving parts mean the possibility of failure. Gain added peace of mind with a reliable warranty so you’re not stuck if something goes wrong.

Before getting into specific models, here’s an overview of the main types of printers.

The classic at-home printer, the inkjet uses small tanks of liquid ink to put images and text on paper. Inkjet printers themselves can be very affordable, but the ink is costly and you’ll use it up pretty quickly. Inkjet printers (of sufficient quality) tend to produce more realistic color images, so if you’re planning to print a lot of photos, inkjet is the way to go.

Laser printers prioritize speed, efficiency and reliability. Many are monochrome, though more expensive color models are also an option. The ink is powder-based and longer lasting (called toner), but it's more expensive to replace. If you need to print lots of documents and aren’t as concerned about reproducing vibrant photos, laser printing is the way to go.

Laser toner cartridges also cannot dry out like inkjet cartridges. If you need to print only every once in a while, a laser printer is the better choice.

Do you need to easily print double-sided documents? Do you need scanning and copying capability? What about stapling or hole-punching? Multifunction printers are laser printers and offer some or all these functions.

While you may find an occasional inkjet that has a flatbed scanner attached, most are not designed with multifunction in mind.

One of the top all-around inkjet printers for the year, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e produces quality images and is eligible for HP’s Instant Ink subscription program. If you plan to print in sufficient volume to use up your cartridges before they dry up, Instant Ink is a great call.

The OfficeJetPro also has scanning, copying, faxing, 2-sided prints, and mobile/wireless printing. Reviewers love that this printer is easy to set up and prints quickly.

If you’re especially price conscious, the Canon Pixma TS702a is attractive because it sits at a low price point of $129.99 (and you can often find it on sale). It offers a lot, including wireless printing at fast speeds and the ability to integrate it with your Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The ongoing costs can be steep, though, with expensive cartridges you’ll need fairly often.

If you don’t need color printing at all, you’ll save on long-term costs with a monochrome laser printer. The Brother Compact Personal Laser Printer can print up to 27 pages per minute and can easily print two-sided. In addition, it has a high print resolution for crisp text with great graphics. It also has a convenient toner save mode so you can use less toner and save more money.

Digital Trends named the Brother MFC-L3710CDW the best budget color laser printer for home offices. It comes with many of the same features as more expensive models including wireless printing and decent print speeds. This printer uses the Brother Genuine TN227 High-yield replacement toner for vivid colors and offers an environmentally responsible recycling program for old cartridges.

Whichever printer you choose, don’t forget an Upsie extended accessory warranty to protect it from damage or failure. For a fraction of the purchase price, you’ll get coverage if something fails or malfunctions. If this happens, Upsie has quick 24-7-365 claims to get your printer back up and running quickly.

With a high-performance piece of machinery with plenty of moving parts, an extended warranty is a no-brainer.