Best Cheap Printer

Finding a reliable printer that won't drain your wallet is harder than it sounds. The market in 2026 is flooded with options — inkjet, laser, all-in-one, cartridge-based, tank-based — and it can be genuinely difficult to separate the budget gems from the disposable junk. Whether you're printing school assignments, work-from-home documents, occasional photos, or stacks of spreadsheets, the right cheap printer can deliver years of dependable performance without the constant frustration of sky-high ink costs or paper jams every third page.

The real cost of a printer isn't just the sticker price. Ink and toner cartridges can easily outpace the original purchase price within a few months of regular use. That's why our 2026 roundup pays close attention to total cost of ownership — not just what you pay at checkout, but what you'll spend over the lifetime of the device. We've evaluated inkjet all-in-ones, supertank systems, monochrome lasers, and color laser printers to give you a complete picture of what's available at the affordable end of the spectrum.

From the compact and Wi-Fi-ready HP DeskJet 2755 to the ink-efficient Epson EcoTank ET-2800 and the speed-focused Brother HL-L8360CDW color laser, this guide covers six of the best cheap printers you can buy right now. We break down the features, pros, cons, and ideal use cases for each — then wrap up with a buying guide and FAQ to help you make the smartest choice for your specific needs.

Editor's Recommendation: Top Picks of 2026

• #
  Preview
  Product
  Rating
• Bestseller No. 1
  
  HP DeskJet 2755 All-in-One Wireless Printer Scanner Copier Instant Ink Ready Mobile Print Black 7.5ppm Color 5.5ppm Wifi Inkjet Computer Printers for Home Use and Office, Grey (Renewed)
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• Bestseller No. 2
  
  Canon PIXMA TS3720 Wireless All-in-One Printer for Basic Home Printing, White
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• Bestseller No. 3
  
  Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank with Scan and Copy, The Ideal Basic Home Printer - Black
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• Bestseller No. 4
  
  Brother HL-L8360CDW Business Color Laser Printer with Low-Cost Printing, Wireless Networking, and Duplex Printing
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• Bestseller No. 5
  
  imageCLASS MF445dw - All-in-One, Wireless, Mobile-Ready Laser Printer with 3 Year Warranty
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• Bestseller No. 6
  
  Brother HL-L2350DW Series Compact Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer - Mobile Printing - Auto Duplex Printing - Up to 32 Pages/min - Up to 250 Sheet Paper - 1-line LCD Display + HDMI Cable
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Detailed Product Reviews

1. HP DeskJet 2755 All-in-One Wireless Printer — Best Budget All-in-One

The HP DeskJet 2755 is one of the most recognizable budget printers on the market, and it's easy to see why it keeps appearing on best-value lists heading into 2026. This compact all-in-one handles printing, copying, and scanning in a footprint small enough for a cramped home office corner or dorm room desk. The icon-based LCD display and seven control buttons keep the interface approachable for anyone who just needs to hit print and walk away — no tech savvy required. The renewed version available on Amazon delivers the same solid functionality at an even lower price point, making it an attractive entry-level option for light users.

Connectivity is a highlight here. The DeskJet 2755 supports Wi-Fi, USB, Apple AirPrint, Chrome OS, and Mopria, meaning you can print wirelessly from virtually any device — iPhone, Android, Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook. The HP Smart app makes mobile printing surprisingly smooth, and the printer's compatibility with Windows 11, Windows 10, and macOS 10.15 Catalina ensures it works with most modern hardware setups. Print speeds of 7.5 pages per minute in black and 5.5 ppm in color are modest but perfectly adequate for occasional document printing, homework, and basic home office use.

Where the DeskJet 2755 really earns its spot is in the Instant Ink ecosystem. HP's subscription service automatically ships ink before you run out, and at low monthly page counts the savings can be meaningful. The trade-off is that ink costs can climb if you print heavily using standard cartridges rather than the subscription plan. Build quality is plastic and lightweight — this is not a machine built for abuse — but for casual users printing a few dozen pages a week, it delivers dependable results at a price point that's hard to argue with in 2026.

Pros:

• Very compact footprint — ideal for small desks and tight spaces
• Broad wireless compatibility: AirPrint, HP Smart app, Mopria, Wi-Fi
• Instant Ink ready — potential subscription savings for light users

Cons:

• Print speeds are on the slower side for anything beyond occasional use
• Standard cartridge running costs can add up quickly without a subscription plan

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2. Canon PIXMA TS3720 Wireless All-in-One Printer — Best for Simple Home Printing

Canon's PIXMA line has long been a staple of the affordable home printer segment, and the TS3720 upholds that tradition with a clean white design, straightforward setup, and reliable print quality. This all-in-one covers print, copy, and scan functions, which is everything most home users actually need. The setup process is notably painless — Canon has worked hard to get this printer from box to first print in just a few minutes, with a streamlined out-of-the-box experience that doesn't require calling tech support or watching half a dozen tutorial videos.

Print speed comes in at approximately 7.7 pages per minute in black and 4 pages per minute in color, which places it solidly in the budget tier but well within acceptable range for personal use. The TS3720 is a single-sided printing machine — there's no automatic duplex here — so if you regularly need to print double-sided documents you'll either be flipping paper manually or looking at a different model. That said, for printing essays, recipes, photos, and basic office documents, the TS3720 handles the job cleanly and without fuss.

Wireless connectivity works through Canon's PRINT app as well as Apple AirPrint, allowing you to send jobs from smartphones and tablets with minimal setup. The image quality on color prints is solid for a device at this price point — Canon's FINE print head technology produces sharp text and reasonably vivid photos. In 2026, the PIXMA TS3720 remains one of the best starter printers for households that want a reliable, low-hassle machine without complicated features they'll never use.

Pros:

• Extremely quick and easy setup — ready to print in minutes
• Good print quality for text and photos at the price point
• Clean, minimalist design fits any home environment

Cons:

• Single-sided printing only — no automatic duplex
• Color print speed of 4 ppm is slower than some competing models

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3. Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color All-in-One — Best for Long-Term Savings

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 takes a fundamentally different approach to ink economics, and in 2026 it remains one of the smartest long-term investments in the budget printer category. Instead of proprietary cartridges that need frequent and expensive replacement, the ET-2800 uses refillable ink tanks — large reservoirs that you top off with ink bottles. A single set of ink bottles is equivalent to approximately 80 individual cartridges and can deliver up to 4,500 pages in black or a staggering 7,500 pages in color. For anyone who prints regularly, the math becomes very compelling very quickly.

Epson's Micro Piezo Heat-Free Technology is the engine behind the ET-2800's print quality, producing vivid, detailed output without the thermal stress that can affect inkjet longevity over time. Speeds reach up to 10 pages per minute, which is genuinely fast for this class of printer and puts it ahead of both the HP DeskJet 2755 and the Canon PIXMA TS3720 in throughput. The printer covers print, scan, and copy functions and connects wirelessly via Wi-Fi, with support for the Epson Smart Panel app for mobile printing from iOS and Android devices.

The upfront cost of the EcoTank is higher than cartridge-based alternatives, which is the primary obstacle for budget-focused buyers. However, Epson claims savings of up to 90% on replacement ink compared to traditional cartridges, and for anyone printing more than 100 pages a month that investment pays off within the first year. The ET-2800 is compact, well-built for its price class, and reliable enough for consistent daily use. If you're tired of cartridge sticker shock and you're willing to pay a bit more upfront, this is arguably the smartest cheap printer purchase you can make in 2026.

Pros:

• Cartridge-free supertank delivers up to 7,500 color pages per ink set
• Up to 90% savings on replacement ink vs. traditional cartridges
• Fast 10 ppm speeds for a budget all-in-one

Cons:

• Higher upfront purchase price compared to basic inkjet models
• Ink tanks can be messy to refill if you're not careful

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4. Brother HL-L8360CDW Business Color Laser Printer — Best Color Laser for Business

If you need professional-grade color printing at a price that doesn't require a corporate budget, the Brother HL-L8360CDW is in a different league from the inkjet models in this roundup. This color laser printer cranks out up to 33 pages per minute — making it more than four times faster than most of the competition here — and produces crisp, vibrant color documents that hold up well for presentations, marketing materials, and client-facing work. In 2026, it remains one of the best-value color laser printers available, particularly for small businesses and serious home offices.

Connectivity is a strong suit: the HL-L8360CDW supports both wireless networking and Gigabit Ethernet, so it integrates cleanly into office networks with wired reliability or wireless flexibility depending on your setup. Mobile printing is fully supported, allowing team members to send jobs from phones and tablets without routing through a PC. The automatic duplex printing feature is a standout addition — two-sided printing reduces paper consumption significantly over time and is a feature often missing from entry-level printers, making it a genuinely useful tool for volume document work.

Laser toner costs are higher per cartridge than inkjet ink, but the page yields are dramatically better, and the per-page cost on high-yield toners is very competitive. The HL-L8360CDW is larger and heavier than the inkjet models reviewed here, so it's better suited to a dedicated workspace than a cramped home desk. But if color speed, network reliability, and two-sided printing matter to you — and you're printing more than a few dozen pages per week — this Brother laser represents exceptional value in the budget-to-midrange color laser category in 2026.

Pros:

• Up to 33 ppm color printing — dramatically faster than inkjet alternatives
• Automatic duplex printing saves paper and time
• Gigabit Ethernet + wireless for flexible office network integration

Cons:

• Larger footprint — not ideal for very small spaces
• Color toner cartridges are a significant upfront cost to replace

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5. Canon imageCLASS MF445dw All-in-One Laser Printer — Best Monochrome Laser All-in-One

The Canon imageCLASS MF445dw stands out in this roundup for combining laser reliability with an all-in-one feature set and one of the most user-friendly interfaces available at this price point. The 5-inch color touchscreen with smartphone-like navigation makes it genuinely easy to use — you can set up Wi-Fi Direct, access the Application Library, and manage jobs directly from the screen without digging through menus or consulting the manual. The three-year warranty included with this model is a confidence booster that's rare in the budget printer space and speaks to Canon's faith in the hardware's durability.

The MF445dw handles print, copy, scan, and fax, making it a true all-in-one for office environments where those functions are all actively used. Wi-Fi Direct allows the printer to create its own wireless hotspot, enabling direct connections from mobile devices without needing an external router — a genuinely useful feature in settings where network access is limited or for printing on the go. Canon's engine technologies help maintain productivity with high uptime and status notifications that alert you before supplies run low, reducing the chance of running dry mid-job.

As a monochrome laser, the MF445dw is not the machine for color photo printing — but for text documents, reports, invoices, and black-and-white graphics, the output quality is excellent, and the toner yield per cartridge keeps running costs very manageable. Intuitive maintenance videos built into the device interface help with tasks like toner replacement, reducing the need for IT support. In 2026, the imageCLASS MF445dw is an outstanding choice for home offices and small businesses that want laser reliability, a premium interface, and a long warranty without paying enterprise prices.

Pros:

• 5-inch color touchscreen with intuitive smartphone-like navigation
• Wi-Fi Direct hotspot — print from mobile devices without a router
• Includes a 3-year warranty — exceptional coverage for this price tier

Cons:

• Monochrome only — no color printing capability
• Larger and heavier than basic inkjet alternatives

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6. Brother HL-L2350DW Compact Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer — Best Compact Monochrome Laser

The Brother HL-L2350DW is the pick for anyone who wants laser-quality black-and-white printing in a genuinely compact package that won't dominate a small desk. At up to 32 pages per minute, it's among the fastest printers in this roundup relative to its size, making it an ideal choice for remote workers and students who regularly print longer documents and can't afford to wait around. The automatic duplex printing feature is a welcome inclusion at this price point — it enables two-sided output automatically without manually flipping paper, cutting paper usage roughly in half for standard documents.

The paper capacity of up to 250 sheets means fewer interruptions to reload the tray during longer print runs, which matters more than it might seem when you're trying to stay focused on work. Wireless connectivity is built in, allowing you to print from Windows, Mac, and mobile devices without a USB cable tethering you to the machine. The 1-line LCD display is simple compared to the touchscreen on the Canon MF445dw, but it handles status updates and basic navigation just fine for a printer that focuses on doing one thing well: fast, crisp monochrome printing.

Brother laser toner in the HL-L2350DW delivers sharp text output with excellent consistency across large batches. The included HDMI cable in this bundle variant adds a convenience bonus, though most users will find the wireless setup more relevant on a daily basis. For anyone whose printing needs are primarily text-heavy documents — reports, contracts, study materials, correspondence — and who values speed and low per-page cost over color output or all-in-one functions, the HL-L2350DW is one of the best cheap printers you can buy heading into 2026.

Pros:

• Up to 32 ppm — very fast for the price and compact size
• Automatic duplex printing standard — saves paper on every double-sided job
• 250-sheet paper capacity reduces tray-refill interruptions

Cons:

• Monochrome only — not suitable for color printing needs
• Basic 1-line LCD display lacks the ease of touchscreen competitors

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Cheap Printer

Inkjet vs. Laser: Which Technology Is Right for You?

The most fundamental decision when buying a cheap printer in 2026 is choosing between inkjet and laser technology. Inkjet printers — like the HP DeskJet 2755, Canon PIXMA TS3720, and Epson EcoTank ET-2800 — use liquid ink sprayed through tiny nozzles. They're typically cheaper upfront, more compact, and capable of printing photos and color graphics with good quality. The downside is that standard ink cartridges can be expensive relative to the number of pages they produce, and inkjet heads can dry out if the printer sits unused for extended periods.

Laser printers — including the Brother HL-L8360CDW, Canon imageCLASS MF445dw, and Brother HL-L2350DW — use toner powder fused to paper by heat. They're generally faster, more reliable for high-volume printing, and produce sharper text output. Toner cartridges last much longer than ink cartridges, making per-page costs lower for regular users. The trade-off is a higher upfront cost and the inability to match inkjet quality for photo printing. If you primarily print text documents and value speed and low running costs, laser is usually the smarter long-term choice.

Understanding Total Cost of Ownership

Sticker price is only one part of the equation when evaluating cheap printers. A printer that costs $50 at purchase but requires $30 ink cartridges every 200 pages will cost you far more over a year of moderate use than a printer that costs $180 upfront with ink bottles that last 4,500 pages. Before buying, research the printer's recommended cartridge or toner yield, the cost of replacement supplies, and how many pages per month you realistically expect to print. For light users printing fewer than 50 pages a month, a standard inkjet like the Canon PIXMA TS3720 may be perfectly economical. For moderate-to-heavy users, a supertank like the Epson EcoTank or a laser printer will almost always deliver better value over time.

Connectivity and Compatibility

In 2026, wireless connectivity is essentially a baseline expectation for any printer worth buying. All six models in this roundup support Wi-Fi, but the range of mobile printing options varies. Look for support for Apple AirPrint if you're heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, and Google's Mopria certification if you're on Android. The HP Smart app, Canon PRINT app, and Epson Smart Panel all offer solid mobile printing experiences with additional features like remote monitoring and ink level alerts. If you're setting up a shared office printer, Gigabit Ethernet support (available on the Brother HL-L8360CDW) adds a reliable wired network option that reduces connectivity headaches in busy environments.

Print Speed, Paper Capacity, and Volume Needs

Print speed in pages per minute (ppm) matters more the more you print. For occasional home printing, even 5-7 ppm is acceptable. But if you're regularly printing 50+ page reports or batching documents for a small business, slower printers will noticeably impact your workflow. The Brother HL-L8360CDW and HL-L2350DW both offer 30+ ppm speeds that make batch printing feel effortless. Paper capacity is a related consideration — a 100-sheet input tray on a budget inkjet means reloading frequently during longer runs, while a 250-sheet capacity like the Brother HL-L2350DW's means you can set a large print job and walk away. Also consider whether automatic duplex (two-sided) printing is important to you: it saves paper, reduces costs, and is increasingly standard even on affordable laser models.

Frequently Asked Questions