“Back to school” has a little less romantic flair, and perhaps a little more wariness than previous years, but students and parents still need the best tech. That’s why top retailers are using this time of year to launch their back-to-school sales. We’re seeing great deals on laptops, TVs, smart gadgets and printers. We’ve scoured Best Buy, Amazon, Dell and others to help you discover the very best back-to-school sales. And when it comes to printers, we have a devoted guide to the best back-to-school printer deals, just for you, with some of the best brands on the market, like HP, Brother, and Canon. From this, we’ve selected our very best deals to outfit you for back to school, no matter what your needs.
Today’s best back-to-school printer deals
- Canon Pixma TR4520 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer — $60, was $70
- HP OfficeJet 3830 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer — $80, was $100
- Epson Expression Home XP-4105 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer — $95, was $100
- Canon Pixma TR8520 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer — $130, was $200
- Xerox B210/DNI Wireless Laser Printer — $140, was $150
- Brother HL-L3210CW Compact Wireless Color Laser Printer — $200, was $300
Canon imageCLASS LBP6230dw Wireless Laser Printer
$160 $170
Expires soon
If you want a compact laser printer with the added convenience of wireless connectivity, the Canon imageClass LBP6230dw is a great pick that offers a lot of value at this hugely discounted price.
Buy at Newegg
Lexmark MB2236ADW Wireless All-In-One Monochrome Laser Printer
$155 $293
Expires soon
If all you need is a solid monochrome (black and white) laser printer for high-volume office printing, this wireless all-in-one unit from Lexmark does the trick for less than 100 bucks.
Buy at Amazon
Xerox B210 Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer with Duplex Printing
$140 $150
Expires soon
The Xerox B210 is a compact yet highly capable monochrome laser printer with duplex capabilities for two-sided documents.
Buy Now
Brother HL-L3210CW Compact Digital Color Laser Printer
$200 $300
Expires soon
If you want a color laser printer but don’t want to shell out hundreds for a large professional-grade unit, the compact Brother HL-L3210CW puts out excellent results for its size and price.
Buy Now
Lexmark MC3224dwe Multifunction Color Duplex Laser Printer
$228 $380
Expires soon
Combine the multi-functionality of an all-in-one printer with two-sided color printing capabilities and you’ve got the extremely versatile and surprisingly affordable Lexmark MC3224dwe.
Buy at Amazon
HP ENVY 5055 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer
$130
Expires soon
Dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connected HP wireless inkjet photo printer is Alexa compatible and connects to the cloud and Dropbox via Wi-Fi.
Buy at Amazon
Brother QL-800 High-Speed Professional Label Printer
$60 $100
Expires soon
You can always use a regular printer for things like shipping labels, but Brother’s dedicated high-speed label printer is a better, faster, more convenient, and more professional option.
Buy at Newegg
Canon Selphy CP1300 Wireless Compact Photo Printer
$100 $130
Expires soon
It won’t replace a home printer, but for running off photos on the go, it doesn’t get much handier than the Canon Selphy, which makes wireless photo printing easy with its LCD control screen.
Buy at Best Buy
Canon Pixma MG3620 Wireless All-In-One Color Inkjet Printer
$45 $80
Expires soon
Our favorite budget all-in-one inkjet printer offers a lot of bang for the buck with its wireless connectivity and multi-functionality, and it’s even more attractive on sale.
Buy at Target
HP LaserJet Pro M15w Monochrome Compact Laser Printer
$110
Expires soon
Black-and-white laser printers are great for businesses that print a lot of non-color documents, and the compact HP LaserJet Pro M15w delivers sharp results without being too bulky for small offices.
Buy at Office Depot
HP OfficeJet 3830 All-in-One Wireless Printer
$80 $100
Expires soon
HP Officejet 3830 All-in-1 multifunction printer prints, scans, faxes, and copies. Wireless connection via Wi-Fi or Amazon Alexa.
Buy at Amazon
HP LaserJet Pro M454dw Wireless Color Laser Printer
$319 $449
Expires soon
Pretty much all of our picks will work with Mac computers (and iPads, where applicable), but the HP LaserJet Pro M454dw is a great color laser printer for Apple users thanks to built-in AirPrint.
Buy at Amazon
WIRELESS PRINTER
Canon Pixma TR4520 All-in-One Inkjet Printer
$60 $100
Expires soon
For well under $100, the Canon Pixma TR4520 is a solid, simple, inkjet printer, scanner, and copier with wireless printing functionality.
Buy at Canon
Epson Expression Home XP-4105 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer
$95 $100
Expires soon
With this printer, you can quickly set up and print straight from your smartphone. Produce high-quality photos and documents with low-priced ink cartridges, and scan and copy with ease.
Buy at Target
What to look for in a back-to-school printer
Functionality is everything with a printer. The first question one needs to ask themselves when investing in such tech (we tend to keep printers for more than just a couple years) is what you’re going to need it for. Is it just printing out papers to hand in? Or will you need it for scanning, for copying and maybe faxing too? A great number of printers come with all these functions built-in, but others are more bare-bones, so it’s an important question to ask yourself. Secondly, you want to think about connectivity. Most printers now come with built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth as a feature, but not all of them do. You don’t want to end up in a situation where you were depending on your printer to be able to print from your smartphone, and then find out you’re missing a connection.
Something else to think about is size. This is really key. If you’re a student heading off to college (even if you’re not leaving the house), you may want something on the smaller side, as a dorm room won’t accommodate anything much larger than the smaller sizes. This goes hand in hand with the volume you’ll need to print. If you’re handing in the occasional paper, you might need only the lowest-end, most compact device. But if you expect a heavier print load and will be producing reams of work every week, you might want to consider something more equipped for an office. Important: If you’re on the heavier-duty side, keep an eye on how much toner and ink replacements will cost you. This adds up!
Some more super functional elements: color versus black and white? Inkjet versus laser? Color tends to be more expensive and demanding, but it can also be necessary if your work requires it, or you’re looking to print images. In terms of inkjet versus laser, think of it in terms of history, in that inkjet printers use ink (laser printers use toner), which will not last as long. It fades. That said, ink tends to be better for photos and documents with color.
One last thing to consider is the fun factor. If you just want a printer for photos (say of friends, but perhaps for presentations, too), there are printers dedicated just to that function. Don’t bite off more than you need to unnecessarily. Get the one that’s right for you!
We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at anytime. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.