Despite a world that has increasingly gone digital, there’s been a renewed interest in printers. With the global health pandemic changing the way we live and work, multifunction, or all-in-one, printers are once again finding their place as an important tool in the home. These printers not only allow you to print on demand, but also come with faxing and scanning capabilities.
In essence, multifunction printers are the smaller cousins of the bulkier office copiers, and their compact size makes them a convenient tool for your filing needs. Here are some of the best multifunction printers on the market today.
Best printers at a glance
- Best all-around MFP: Canon Color ImageClass MF746Cdw
- Best inkjet all-in-one printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e
- Best laser MFP: HP Color LasetJet Pro MFP M479fdw
- Best tank MFP: Epson EcoTank Pro ET-16650
- Best MFP for photo prints: Canon PIXMA G7020
- Best budget all-in-one printer: Brother MFC-J895DW
- Best portable MFP: HP OfficeJet 250
Best all-around multifunction printer
Canon Color ImageClass MF746Cdw
If you’re looking for a solid all-in-one printer that can print fast and delivers affordable prints, then Canon’s Color ImageClass MF746Cdw should be on top of the list. Strong connectivity options, support for NFC printing, and excellent image quality make Canon’s laser all-in-one printer our top pick for the best all-around multifunction. Given that you can find the printer for around $300 these days, it feels like a downright bargain, especially when compared with Canon’s MSRP of $1,595 at launch.
A 5-inch color touchscreen gives access to the printer’s controls, and as an enterprise-focused offering, the MF746Cdw comes with some more advanced features — like support for scripts and workflow profiles — that may be useful for small businesses. With a 300-sheet split paper cassette and the ability to stack in an additional tray for more sheets, the MF746Cdw comes with a rated maximum monthly duty of 50,000 print pages. This printer can output at speeds of 28 pages per minute and can also handle duplex scanning and printing. Print quality is excellent, and costs are about $0.03 per page in black-and-white and $0.14 for color jobs.
Best inkjet all-in-one printer
HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e
Known for their solid performance when printing photos and graphics, inkjets have been a staple for many homes and home offices. And when you combine the stellar print performance of an inkjet with USB ports to print directly from a memory stick, an automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning, a fax modem, and the ability to do double-sided copies, you’ll end up with a robust and versatile office tool for your filing needs.
HP’s OfficeJet Pro 9015e is an excellent pick in this category. It delivers print speeds of up to 18 pages per minute (PPM) and can handle double-sided prints and scans. For home offices with moderate print needs, the OfficeJet Pro 9015e comes with six months of free ink through HP’s subscription HP Plus cartridge delivery program. Here, you’re looking at an affordable $0.03 per page for black-and-white prints and about $0.12 per page for color. For detailed photo printing, the cost nearly triples to $0.30 per page, which still makes it a very affordable printer for your daily needs. And thanks to the printer’s robust connectivity options, you can print over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, and Apple’s AirPrint protocols.
Best laser multifunction printer
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw
Historically, laser printers were known for delivering crisp texts and are great for printing documents. Modern color laser printers, however, are more versatile machines that can go toe-to-toe with some inkjets for printing graphics, and the benefit of going with a laser is faster print speeds and lower long-term costs if you’re looking for a machine that can handle heavier volumes.
If you don’t find yourself printing photographs, HP’s Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw is a compact option that delivers many of the features found in much larger office copiers. Despite its compact size, this LaserJet is still larger than many smaller home printers, but it’s still small enough to fit into home office spaces, making it a solid option for those hunting for a laser all-in-one. A sturdy build quality and the ability to print 30 PPM and make double-sided copies are some of the key highlights of this printer. Here, black-and-white prints cost $0.04 per page, while color prints come in at about $0.16 with great color accuracy. Like many modern HP printers, you can connect the printer to a USB port on your computer and print via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, an external storage drive, or Apple’s AirPrint. For scanning, copying, and faxing, you have a flatbed scanner that’s cable of 1200 DPI scans and an automatic document feeder that can handle duplex scanning.
Best tank multifunction printer
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-16650
Tank printers combine the best qualities from the inkjet and laser printer worlds. With ink stored in large tanks, these printers deliver the pristine image quality you’ve come to expect for photo printing while cutting down on costs, making them just as efficient as laser options.
Epson’s EcoTank Pro ET-16650 is a wide-format all-in-one printer that promises to save you up to 80% when compared with standard cartridges thanks to the eco-friendly tank technology. With the tank, Epson states that you can print up to 7,500 monochrome pages or 6,000 color pages, which not only saves you money but also helps the environment with less waste. The company advertises heat-free printing technology, ensuring your pages won’t curl up, and wide-format support means you can scan and print to larger formats. The EcoTank Pro can print to 13 x 19-inch paper and can scan 11 x 17-inch pages with ease. The automatic document feeder can also handle duplex scanning.
Print speeds are modest at 25 pages per minute, but you’re getting terrific detail, accurate colors, and crisp texts. This makes the printer feel like the best of both worlds, combining the strengths of inkjet technology with the precision of laser printing. Epson also makes other tank printers that are more modestly priced if you don’t need wide-format support.
Best MFP for photo prints
Canon PIXMA G7020
For photographers who need solid-quality photo printing along with duplex scanning, the Canon PIXMA G7020 delivers. Strong photo printing capability alongside more economic per-page costs thanks to a tank cartridge system helps make the PIXMA a workhorse for photo-heavy workflows.
The PIXMA isn’t the fastest printer on our list — and rightfully so, as it focuses heavily on excellent photo quality prints — outputting pages at a more modest 13 pages per minute. However, what you lack in speed, you’ll make up for in quality with this printer. The best part is that you don’t need to sacrifice on price to get solid image quality. Prints average under $0.01 per page for color.
The only major downside with the PIXMA is that you’re dealing with a more dated interface. Traditional buttons, rather than a touchscreen, adorn the printer’s front side.
Best budget MFP
Brother MFC-J895DW
Home users who may not want to splurge for all the bells and whistles of an office multifunction printer will do well with Brother’s MFC-J895DW. This all-in-one printer still comes with a flatbed scanner, automatic document feeder, and the ability to print from your smartphone thanks to NFC and wireless connectivity all for just $129. While there’s still plenty to love in this affordable option, the MFC-J895DW will not win any speed contests, printing at just 12 pages per minute in black-and-white. And compared to its predecessors, Brother has updated the controls of MFC-J895DW with a small touchscreen for ease of use.
Print costs average upward of $0.05 per page, but given that this is a home printer, you’ll likely only be turning on the MFC-J895DW a few times a month rather than use it for volume printing. When you do need it, though, this printer delivers good-quality prints in both black-and-white and color, and home users who need to print more frequently can opt for the XL cartridges to get a lower per-page cost.
Best portable MFP
HP OfficeJet 250
Designed for mobility and portability, the HP OfficeJet 250 is one of the most compact multifunction printers on the market. It’s the perfect tool for traveling salespeople or anyone who needs to make a quick print on the go thanks to the built-in rechargeable battery. Unlike other compact printers, HP’s OfficeJet 250 can also scan and copy, but it does lose faxing functionality.
The OfficeJet 250 comes with a built-in automatic document feeder, making scanning easy — even while you’re mobile — but you are still limited to simplex scans. Print speeds are on the slower side at around 10 pages per minute, but the upside is that despite its versatility as a travel tool, print costs aren’t that high, averaging around $0.07 per page. The OfficeJet 250 can connect wirelessly to your laptop or smartphone for a cable-free print experience, allowing you to turn any coffee shop into your mobile office.