11 Printers, Vetted 11 Ways

This small black-and-white Wi-Fi-enabled printer is good for printing basic things like shipping labels and documents, and it can print up to about 30 pages at a time (more than that will overwhelm the paper feed). More than 300 of the five-star reviews call it “little” or small, and even more users mention its “very small footprint.” One reviewer, who has “used HP LaserJets for over 30 years and never had a bad experience,” says, “This is by far the most compact HP (or any other brand) laser printer I’ve come across, yet it does everything I need, and produces excellent print quality, which to the naked eye is undistinguishable from any other quality laser printer.” The one issue people mention is a challenging setup process (it’s done through the app), with one particularly disappointed customer saying, “I rate the Instructions as ZERO. Lots of You Tube and Googling to figure out downloading the correct software, procedure to running the software for connecting to wifi.”

Although some reviewers report issues with the printer’s compatibility with their Wi-Fi, others point out that if you run into the same problems, you can use the printer’s USB connection as a backup. One woman calls it “nice for the price.” Another, who’s had this printer for over a year, reports, “I have had no problems with it at all except for one paper jam which I easily fixed. It notifies me when my ink is low and I’ve changed both color and black no problem. It connects to my wifi and the canon app with no issues. It prints photos in color or b/w but you’ll have to order the 4’x6’ canon photo paper. Its inexpensive and gets the job done. I’ve printed/scanned/copied countless of documents and photos with no issues. It does everything I need it to do and I hope it lasts me for a long time!!”

In an episode of the ScriptNotes podcast, hosted by two Hollywood screenwriters — John August (Big Fish and Frankenweenie) and Craig Mazin (Cherynoybl and Hangover Part II) — Mazin talks about his new favorite printer: “I came across this Epson brand called EcoTank and honestly they had me at EcoTank. The brilliance of this thing is it doesn’t use the freaking toner cartridges,” he says. “Oh, what a joy. You just — they give you ink like it’s a bottle of ink. And you just go glug-glug-glug into the little ink holder and that’s it. That alone is so — because the cost of those toner cartridges, it’s like they’re made of plutonium or something. And they’re terribly wasteful to the environment. And lo and behold I said, Hey Epson, print. And it went, Okay, no problem man. Here you go. That’s what I’m here for. So, so far so good. Very pleased with the Epson EcoTank ET-4760.”

For a cheaper version of Mazin’s printer, Michael M at B&H Photo Video recommends the Epson EcoTank ET-2760, which uses the same EcoTank technology for ink refills. It’s “an ideal, versatile choice for any small or medium office use case,” he says. Although it lacks the auto document feeder, touchscreen display, and fax capabilities of Mazin’s 4760, it can handle two-sided printing, has an SD memory card slot for easy photo prints, and it comes with nearly two years worth of ink (for most people).

Amid the (heated) debate on Reddit, the one printer to find any sort of consensus was the Brother MFC-L2700DW, which was recently updated to this version. Fans liked its “high-yield toner,” which allows the printer to print numerous pages without depleting the cartridge. One redditor, who “chose this printer for it’s reliability,” says “it seems like a well built machine, and it’s always got toner because it’s so damn cheap.”

The Office Jet Pro 8025e has over 800 reviews that mention how easy and seamless the setup process can be — “about as painless as it gets these days,” says one reviewer. Another echoes its ease of use: “It’s like the iOS Apple iPhone operating system in its simplicity.” The printer has a wide range of features that are great for any home office including mobile printing, a flatbed scanner, and easy syncing with Alexa or Google smart-speakers. One reviewer says this printer was really helpful during homeschooling because they were able to print out multiple copies of worksheets for their kids.

Matt Workman has worked from home for about six years as a director and cinematographer. “I bought this printer to scan legal documents and you can put the paper on top and it can auto feed and auto scan and put them all into one PDF,” he says. You can also use your phone to scan and print documents wirelessly, scan documents to your email, print from a USB thumb drive, and print two-sided documents to save paper.

A search for the best low-cost printer for small spaces led Strategist managing editor Maxine Builder to the Brother L2350, which has since been updated and replaced by this model. Along with a built-in scanner and copier, this black-and-white printer has built in Wi-Fi, freeing you up to print wirelessly from your smartphone or computer. It can print double-sided pages and has an equal or smaller footprint than most other printers.

In a post on her site about the ten office essentials all writers need at home, Paulette Perhach, a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Vice, Slate, and the New York Times, recommends everything from Post-it Notes to staplers. She also talks about how important it can be for writers to print out their words in order to edit them. She uses the Brother HLL2300D and likes that it allows double-sided printing — a feature that helps keep supply cost (and environmental impact) down.