Best Inkjet Printer 2023: turning your snaps into reality
Inkjet printers are compact, affordable, and convenient. Whether you’re a college student, running a business from your garage, or just need a printer to take care of your occasional printing needs, an inkjet printer will definitely save you time and money.
There are hundreds of inkjet printer models on the market from different manufacturers, which can make it harder for you to decide on a unit that suits your requirements. The fact that many of the best inkjet printer models have a reputation for being unreliable isn’t helping either.
In this guide, we’ll make it easier for you to choose the best printer for your needs. From budget models to photo-ready units and all-in-ones, the scope of this round-up will help you make a quick and informed decision.
Products at a Glance
How we choose the best Inkjet printer
We believe that a reliable inkjet printer should produce a great print quality, without sacrificing other criteria like functionality, running costs, and ease of use.
In this round-up, we’ve taken these factors into consideration, while also ensuring that the guide meets different needs, priorities, and budgets.
Best Inkjet Printer 2023: turning your snaps into reality
- Great print quality
- Low running costs
- Fast print speed
- Can scan and copy documents
- Supports auto duplexing and document feeding
- Expensive
- Large footprint
From our experience, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is the best inkjet printer out there.
There’s so much to love here, starting from the refillable ink tank system that saves you on ink costs in the long run, all the way up to generous connectivity choices.
Instead of wasting money on cartridge replacements, you just need to refill the ink tank with fresh new ink, and voilà! You’ve got yourself thousands of printable pages. Not to mention, it comes with up to two years’ worth of ink.
The pigment-based ink system delivers crisp text documents and vibrant photos and graphics. We’re also big fans of the dual paper tray setup that the EcoTank offers. They can take up to 500 sheets combined, ensuring that you don’t need to feed the tray frequently.
What’s more, the EcoTank Pro flaunts a large flatbed scanner that can scan and copy your documents without breaking a sweat, thanks to the built-in auto document feeder. It also supports automatic duplexing so you can print on both sides of the paper and save on paper costs.
In terms of connectivity, the EcoTank supports Wi-Fi and Ethernet printing. You can also use voice-activated print commands as this model works with Alexa voice assistant. Plus, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is super fast, with print speeds that reach up to 25 pages per minute.
Our only concern with the ET-5850 is the price point. It costs up to 4x the price of other inkjet printers on the market, but we definitely believe that the ink economics make up for that. It’s also quite bulky, so make sure you have enough space for it on your desk.
- Low price tag
- Fast speed
- Can scan, copy, and fax documents
- Supports auto-duplexing
- Efficient smartphone app with wireless and cloud printing
- Unimpressive touchscreen panel
- No specialty paper tray
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e is an all-in-one unit that can scan, copy, and fax documents and photos with a built-in flatbed scanner.
This is one of the best wireless printers and features an auto document feeder that eliminates manual work when copying and scanning documents. It also supports auto-duplexing for quick double-sided document printing.
As for connectivity, the 9015e supports USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. If you rely on cloud services for storing documents and photos, you can print them directly off the cloud via supported services or using the HP Smart App. On top of that, you can create custom jobs in the app to save time by combining different printing and scanning jobs in one push of a button.
It’s also worth pointing out that the Pro 9015e is pretty fast, with a nominal print speed of 22 pages per minute. This makes it one of the fastest inkjet printers out there. Photos do take slightly longer to come out, but overall, we were pretty impressed with how fast this little print is.
HP’s Instant Ink subscription is available for this model, which is basically an ink fulfillment service that sends you ink cartridges automatically when you’re about to run out of ink, at a discounted price, of course. The icing on top is that it already comes with up to 6 months’ worth of ink right out of the box.
While the HP 9015e has proved to be a worthy purchase, it does have a couple of flaws. First, the control panel is pretty small and offers little functionality. The model also lacks a dedicated tray for specialty media. We wouldn’t say these downsides are deal breakers, though.
- Low price tag
- Handy HP app for print configurations and workflows
- Supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi printing
- Compact form factor
- Poor colored photo quality
- No control panel on the printer
- High running costs
The HP Envy 6055 is an affordable printer that can be a great addition to your home office. It features a simple, two-cartridge ink system for printing mono and color documents and photos. In our experience, the Envy does a great job printing black-and-white text documents. It even supports auto double-sided printing, which can be a great way to save on paper costs.
However, as you’d expect from a printer with a single cartridge for color printing, photos and graphics prints are subpar. You might even see some visible ink streaks, especially if you print on glossy paper. With such an ink system setup, the cost per page is relatively high.
In terms of speed, the HP 6055 can print at a maximum speed of 10 pages per minute, which is acceptable for an inkjet printer.
There’s no touchscreen panel, but thankfully, you can just download the HP app on your phone to configure the printer and check things like ink status and errors. The app also lets you set up custom workflows to save time.
Additionally, the Envy 6055 supports USB and Wi-Fi printing. It also has a Bluetooth chip, which is great for quick prints.
- Low cost per page
- Compact form factor
- Great cloud printing integration
- Intuitive control dashboard
- Supports auto duplexing
- Small paper tray
- Slow
The Brother MFC-J805DW boasts a low cost per page, without charging an insane price tag for it, making it a great choice for home use.
This all-in-one printer can copy, scan, and fax documents without breaking a sweat. It can also print high-quality photos on matte and glossy paper. Moreover, it supports auto-duplexing for easy double-sided printing. There’s also an automatic document feeder for quick scanning.
The J895D’s form factor is quite compact, making it easy to fit in most home offices. It also comes with up to one year’s worth of ink out of the box, so you won’t likely think about ink replacement anytime soon.
At the front of the printer, there’s a full dashboard that makes it very easy to use and configure. We definitely appreciate the physical buttons here; they’re much faster than touchscreens.
What’s more, this Brother printer can monitor ink usage accurately and display how much ink is left in each ink cartridge, ensuring that you never end up with low-quality ink.
Connectivity is one of the MFC-J805DW’s strongest points. It supports Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet. It’s also one of the best printers for cloud printing, supporting a wide range of cloud services. There’s even a dedicated button for cloud printing on the dashboard that lets you print directly from your connected cloud service.
Unfortunately, the Brother MFC-J805DW isn’t flawless. Its paper tray is small relative to other printers in this price range as it can only take 150 sheets. It’s also pretty slow.
- Excellent photo print quality
- Can print on large paper and special media
- Supports cloud printing
- Automatic nozzle clog detection
- Intuitive touchscreen display with quick controls
- Slow print speed
- High running costs
- Don’t support paper rolls
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is designed with photo printing in mind. Featuring a 9-cartridge ink system, the PRO-300 can produce photos and graphics with incredible amounts of detail and deep colors. It’s a wide format printer, so you can print on paper sizes up to 13” x 19”.
What’s more, the Canon PRO-300 can automatically detect nozzle clogs, ensuring that your prints come out sound. There’s also a dedicated tray for printing on CDs and other special media types.
The 3” touchscreen panel lets you check ink levels, choose paper type, and other useful functions.
In the connectivity compartment, the Canon PRO-300 doesn’t fail to impress with support for printing via Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet. Cloud printing works great too, allowing you to quickly print photos directly from cloud storage services.
Despite its impressive photo printing capabilities, the PRO-300 has some downsides. Its sophisticated ink system is great, but with 9 cartridges, you’ll find yourself spending a lot of money on ink cartridges. Another concern is print speed; the PRO-300 is super slow, even for an inkjet.
Also, at this price point, it doesn’t make sense for a wide-format photo printer to lack support for paper rolls.
Inkjet printer features and considerations
Some of the factors to keep in mind when shopping for an inkjet printer include:
Ink Costs
Ink cartridges are often costly. You might buy a cheap inkjet printer at a sub-$200 price, and find yourself spending multiples of that amount on ink each year.
To keep ink costs at a minimum, consider getting a printer with a refillable ink tank system. They’re much more economical as printers than conventional cartridges.
Print Quality
Cheaper inkjet printers that have fewer cartridges tend to produce lower-quality prints. Depending on how much you appreciate a good quality print, you might consider getting a premium inkjet printer with a six or nine-cartridge ink system capable of producing sharp texts and vivid photo prints.
Connectivity
Most inkjet printers support USB and Wi-Fi printers. Some models also have one or more options like Ethernet, Bluetooth, memory card slots, and NFC.
Nevertheless, Wi-Fi should be enough for most users, unless your home or office has an unreliable internet connection or there are too many network-connected devices that could interfere with your printer’s Wi-Fi.
Cloud printing has also gained popularity in the past few years since many individuals and organizations now rely on cloud storage services for storing documents and photos. An inkjet printer that supports cloud printing will save you a few steps by enabling you to print directly from the cloud wherever and whenever you are.
Functionality
Do you need a printer that can scan and copy documents? How important are features like auto document feeding and duplexing to you? Is a dedicated specialty paper tray necessary?
Asking yourself these questions can help you narrow down the functional features that you need in an inkjet printer.
Some inkjet printers have large paper trays, making them suitable for office use. A compact printer with a simple ink system and an all-in-one design might be a great choice for home use.
A few premium inkjet printer models have advanced ink systems that produce high-quality photo and graphic prints. The choice here really depends on how you’ll be using the printer.
Paper Type and Size
Different inkjet printer models support different types and sizes of paper. Most printers can print on paper sizes up to 8.5” x 14”, while wide-format printers can print on paper sizes up to 13” x 19”.
You should also consider the type of paper you need to print on. Some models support printing on thicker paper and special media, like cardstock and CDs.
Is an inkjet printer worth it?
An inkjet printer is definitely worth it if you need a fast and easy way to print your documents and photos. If you need it for light home use, it’ll serve you well.
However, for commercial printing, consider the ongoing costs of maintaining the printer and replacing the cartridges and adjust your business model accordingly.
Are inkjet printers better than laser printers?
This really depends on what you need from a printer. If you’re looking for great color reproduction for printing high-quality photos and graphics, an inkjet printer would be great for you. They also tend to be cheaper than laser printers.
On the other hand, laser printers are faster, and they’ll cost you less money in the long run. However, most laser printers aren’t designed for printing professional-grade photos. They also carry higher initial price tags.
Are pigment-based inkjet printers better than dye ink printers?
Both pigment-based and dye-based inkjet printers have advantages. Pigment-based inks are more durable and water-resistant, making your photo prints last a lot more years without fading. Pigment-based printers also produce deeper blacks.
On the other hand, dye-based inks are cheaper and produce more vivid colors compared to pigment inks.
How much does an inkjet printer cost?
An inkjet printer can cost you anywhere from $60 all the way up to $1500. More premium models have sophisticated ink systems, large paper trays, more connectivity options, and advanced touchscreen control panels.
Are inkjet printers reliable?
Apart from the occasional paper jams and ink smudges, high-quality inkjet printer models are undoubtedly reliable, as long as you take care of the printer and use original OEM cartridges.
Our Verdict
Best Inkjet Printer 2023: turning your snaps into reality
That was an in-depth overview of the best inkjet printers you can buy now.
Out of all the inkjet printers we’ve reviewed, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 remains our favorite. The extremely economical ink tank design is just great and no other inkjet printers come close to what the EcoTank has achieved in this compartment.
If you’re on a tight budget, take a look at the HP Envy 6055. It gets the job done without breaking the bank, but keep in mind that its cost per page is pretty high, so we’d only advise you to buy it if your usage is limited.
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is also a pretty solid choice if photo print quality is your primary concern. It can produce photo prints with a wide color gamut and sharp details.