The Best Printers in 2026
For most homes, Wirecutter’s pick is the Brother MFC-J4355DW inkjet all-in-one ($180 to $209), which comes with a year of ink. If you mostly print black-and-white text, a cheap mono laser such as the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($210) costs less to run and rarely clogs.
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Quick answer
For most homes, Wirecutter’s pick is the Brother MFC-J4355DW inkjet all-in-one ($180 to $209), which comes with a year of ink. If you mostly print black-and-white text, a cheap mono laser such as the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($210) costs less to run and rarely clogs. Best for most homes: Brother MFC-J4355DW, $180. Best ink tank: Brother MFC-T780DW, $380.
Last updated Prices checked Oct 2026
Key facts at a glance
| Pick | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for most homes | Brother MFC-J4355DW | most homes | $180 to $209 |
| Best ink tank | Brother MFC-T780DW | printing lots of color for years | $380 |
| Best mono laser | Brother DCP-L2640DW | black-and-white documents | $210 |
| Best color laser | Brother MFC-L3780CDW | color documents in a home office | $570 |
| Best budget ink tank | Epson EcoTank ET-2980 | a cheaper ink tank | $269.99 |
| Cheapest basic laser | HP LaserJet M209d | occasional printing from one computer | $158.90 |
The sticker price matters less than the cost of ink or toner over a few years, so we list the per-page costs our sources report wherever they give them.
Which should you buy? Our quick picks
How do they compare?
| Printer | Price seen | Type | Color | Scan/copy | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother MFC-J4355DW | $180 to $209 | Inkjet all-in-one | Yes | Yes, plus fax | Most homes |
| Brother MFC-T780DW | $380 | Ink tank all-in-one | Yes | Yes, no fax | Printing lots of color for years |
| Brother MFC-L3780CDW | $570 | Color laser all-in-one | Yes | Yes, plus fax | Color documents in a home office |
| Brother DCP-L2640DW | $210 | Mono laser all-in-one | No | Yes, no fax | Black-and-white documents |
| Brother MFC-L2900DW | $330 | Mono laser all-in-one | No | Yes, plus fax | A small office that faxes |
| Epson EcoTank ET-2980 | $269.99 | Ink tank all-in-one | Yes | Yes (flatbed only) | A cheaper ink tank |
| Epson EcoTank ET-3950 | $377.99 | Ink tank all-in-one | Yes | Yes, duplex scanning | A busy home office |
| HP LaserJet M209d | $158.90 | Mono laser, print only | No | No | Occasional printing from one computer |
The picks in detail
1. Brother MFC-J4355DW
Best for: most homesWirecutter’s[1][2] top all-in-one pick. It prints, scans, copies and faxes, and Wirecutter puts its running costs at about 1.5¢ per black page and 8.2¢ per color page. It comes with roughly a year’s worth of ink. Wirecutter’s complaints: it’s noisy, uses archaic push-button navigation, and its scans aren’t as bright or detailed as rivals’. Wirecutter lists it at $209 at Amazon and $180 at Best Buy.
Price (Oct 2026): $180 to $209 Source
Pros
- Low ink costs for an inkjet
- About a year of ink included
- Fax and scanner
Cons
- Noisy
- Middling scan quality
2. Brother MFC-T780DW
Best for: printing lots of color for yearsWirecutter’s[1][2] ink tank pick. You refill it from bottles instead of buying cartridges, it ships with about three years of ink, and it has a three-year warranty. Wirecutter found it the slowest ink-tank model it tested, and it has no fax. $380 at Amazon.
Price (Oct 2026): $380 Source
Pros
- About three years of ink included
- Three-year warranty
Cons
- Slow
- No fax
- Costs more up front
3. Brother DCP-L2640DW
Best for: black-and-white documentsWirecutter’s[1][2] mono laser pick. It prints, scans and copies, and Wirecutter estimates about 2.9¢ per page. Wirecutter says it stays on Wi-Fi reliably, and laser toner won’t clog if the printer sits unused for weeks. Its two-line monochrome screen makes setup frustrating. It has no fax and can’t print color. $210.
Price (Oct 2026): $210 Source
Pros
- Cheap to run
- Toner won’t dry out
Cons
- No color
- No fax
4. Brother MFC-L3780CDW
Best for: color documents in a home officeBoth Wirecutter[1][2] and PCMag[3] pick this color laser all-in-one. PCMag (Editors’ Choice) praises its print, copy and scan quality, its 50-page single-pass duplexing document feeder and competitive toner costs. Wirecutter puts costs at about 2.9¢ per black page and 14.9¢ per color page. PCMag notes the multipurpose tray holds only 30 sheets. $569.98 to $570.
Price (Oct 2026): $570 Source
Pros
- Excellent output quality
- Single-pass duplex scanning
- Fax
Cons
- Expensive
- Small multipurpose tray
5. Brother MFC-L2900DW
Best for: a small office that faxesWirecutter’s[1][2] step-up mono laser, and PCMag’s[3] best mono laser all-in-one (as the MFC-L2900DW XL). It adds fax and single-pass duplex scanning to the DCP-L2640DW’s features. PCMag warns that the separate imaging unit is costly to replace and you can’t add paper trays. About $330.
Price (Oct 2026): $330 Source
Pros
- Fax and duplex scanning
- 250-sheet tray
Cons
- Costly imaging unit
- No extra trays
6. Epson EcoTank ET-2980
Best for: a cheaper ink tankPCMag’s[3] best all-in-one inkjet for homes. It has low running costs, automatic two-sided printing and mobile printing and scanning. It scans from a flatbed only, holds just 100 sheets and has no Ethernet. PCMag saw $269.99 at Staples ($329.99 list).
Price (Oct 2026): $269.99 Source
Pros
- Low running costs
- Auto duplex printing
Cons
- No document feeder
- 100-sheet tray
7. Epson EcoTank ET-3950
Best for: a busy home officePCMag’s[3] best all-in-one inkjet for home offices (Editors’ Choice). It prints fast and scans both sides automatically, with low running costs. It has one paper tray, and its feeder flips pages rather than scanning both sides at once. $377.99 at Amazon ($419.99 list).
Price (Oct 2026): $377.99 Source
Pros
- Automatic duplex scanning
- Low running costs
Cons
- One paper tray
- Slower reversing document feeder
8. HP LaserJet M209d
Best for: occasional printing from one computerA PCMag[3] pick for basic black-and-white printing. PCMag says it prints better than most lasers in its price range, has a 150-sheet front-loading tray and does two-sided printing, but it connects only by USB: no Wi-Fi, no Ethernet and no mobile printing. $158.90 at Amazon.
Price (Oct 2026): $158.90 Source
Pros
- Cheap
- Good print quality
Cons
- USB only
- No scanner
Also considered
Epson EcoTank ET-1910: PCMag’s[3] best basic inkjet for homes ($159.99): a print-only ink tank that comes with enough ink for thousands of pages, at just over a penny per color page; two-sided printing is manual.
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850: PCMag’s best ink tank printer for business ($849.99 at Dell): very low running costs and terrific print quality, but a high purchase price.
Brother QL-800: PCMag’s best label printer ($124.98).
Brother PocketJet PJ883: PCMag’s best portable printer ($534.99); thermal, black only.
Inkjet, ink tank or laser?
Laser printers suit people who mostly print text: toner doesn’t dry out, and the cost per page is low. Inkjets print photos and color better and cost less up front, but cartridges get expensive. Ink tank printers cost more up front and come with years of ink, so they make sense if you print a lot of color.
Ink subscriptions and third-party ink
Some printer makers push ink subscriptions and can block cheaper third-party cartridges with firmware updates. A printer that comes with lots of ink, or a laser that uses inexpensive toner, avoids most of that. If you’re setting up a home office, see our monitors under $300 and mesh Wi-Fi guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best printer for home use?
Is a laser printer better than an inkjet?
Are ink tank printers worth it?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
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