The 7 Best Budget Printers for a Home Office, Ranked & Reviewed

Our verdict: A cartridge-free tank printer that delivers the lowest two-year ink cost in the ranking.

Epson's ET-2800 swaps cartridges for refillable ink bottles, and still prints, scans and copies in color over Wi-Fi. It lands in the $100 to $200 tier, the top of the budget range.

It wins because ink is where a printer's real cost lives. Refilling a tank from a bottle is far cheaper per page than swapping cartridges, so the higher purchase price is recovered if you print regularly. It is also compact for a tank model. The trade is the up-front cost, which is the highest here, and a cheaper machine can make more sense if you print only a few pages each month.

Buy it if you print weekly or more, or you are tired of cartridge prices. Skip it if you print only occasionally, since ink in a tank can dry out if the printer sits idle for long stretches.

Type

Color inkjet all-in-one

Ink

Refillable ink bottles

Functions

Print, scan, copy

Price bucket

$100 to $200

Our verdict: A low-cost color all-in-one with an auto document feeder for multi-page scanning and copying.

Canon built the TR4720 around an auto document feeder, then added wireless, mobile printing and a legacy fax. Color inkjet, $50 to $100.

It ranks second because the document feeder is the feature that separates a real office printer from a basic one. Scanning a ten-page contract without lifting the lid for each sheet saves a lot of time. The fax is a legacy bonus few offices use. Against the EcoTank it is far cheaper to buy, but it uses cartridges, so running costs are higher if you print a lot.

Buy it if you scan and copy more than you print. Skip it if you print every day, where cartridge costs add up.

Type

Color inkjet all-in-one

Feeder

Auto document feeder

Extras

Wireless, mobile printing, fax

Price bucket

$50 to $100

Our verdict: A compact wireless mono laser that suits text documents and works with Alexa voice commands.

Brother's HL-L2405W is a small black-and-white laser that prints over Wi-Fi and from phones, answers to Alexa commands and comes with a Refresh Subscription trial. There is no scanner or copier, and the price tier is $100 to $200.

It ranks third because laser toner suits text-heavy offices. Toner does not dry out the way inkjet ink can, so the printer survives long idle periods, which matters for a home office that prints in bursts. It loses to the EcoTank on features, since it has no scanner, and to the TR4720 on versatility. Check the subscription terms before enrolling, since subscription plans add recurring cost.

Buy it for invoices, contracts and reports. Skip it if you need color or a scanner.

Type

Monochrome laser, print only

Connectivity

Wireless and mobile

Voice

Alexa commands

Price bucket

$100 to $200

Our verdict: Duplex color inkjet with a 1.42-inch OLED display that guides you through errors.

Look at the control panel first: a 1.42-inch OLED display sits on the TS6520, alongside duplex printing and a built-in copier and scanner. Color inkjet, $50 to $100.

It ranks fourth because the display is a practical edge. Paper jams, low ink and setup prompts show on screen, instead of leaving you hunting for an LED pattern in the manual. Duplex printing halves paper use for double-sided documents. It ranks below the TR4720 because it has no document feeder in its listing, which makes multi-page scanning slower.

Buy it if you value clear on-screen guidance. Skip it if you scan stacks of pages.

Type

Color inkjet all-in-one

Display

1.42-inch OLED

Duplex

Yes

Price bucket

$50 to $100

Our verdict: A simple-to-set-up all-in-one with a 3-month Instant Ink trial.

HP aims the DeskJet 4355 at people unpacking their first office printer: color print, scan and copy, a short wireless setup flow, and a 3-month Instant Ink trial. The $50 to $100 price tier applies, and the listing mentions optional AI-capable printing features.

It ranks fifth because ease of onboarding is its strength, and for a first home office that matters. The tradeoff is Instant Ink: it is a subscription, and subscription plans can lock you into recurring charges and sometimes make the printer depend on the service. Read the terms before you enroll. Against the Canon models it is comparable on features and lacks a document feeder or display to stand out.

Buy it if you want the simplest setup. Skip it if you dislike subscription ink programs.

Type

Color inkjet all-in-one

Functions

Print, scan, copy

Trial

3-month Instant Ink

Price bucket

$50 to $100

Our verdict: A compact duplex color inkjet with scanner and copier at the lowest upfront cost.

At the entry of Canon's inkjet range, the TS4320 packs duplex printing, a scanner and copier, mobile app printing and a 1-year limited warranty into a small body. Expect $50 to $100.

It ranks sixth because the other Canon inkjets add either a document feeder or an OLED display, and the TS4320 has neither. It is a single-tray machine, so paper handling is basic. Still, duplex at this price is a good deal for occasional use.

Buy it if you print occasionally and want the lowest outlay. Skip it if you will print a lot, where cartridge costs will exceed the savings.

Type

Color inkjet all-in-one

Duplex

Yes

Tray

Single tray

Warranty

1-year limited

Our verdict: A 19 PPM mono laser with wireless, no scanner, no copier and no duplex.

Canon rates the LBP6030w at 19 PPM, and it is wireless with a 1-year limited warranty. Scanning, copying and duplex are all absent, and it falls in the $50 to $100 tier.

It ranks last because it does one thing. For a home office that only prints text documents, that can be enough, and the laser approach keeps per-page cost low. But no duplex and no scanner mean extra steps and potentially a second device.

Buy it for plain text printing at the lowest per-page cost. Skip it if you need to scan, copy or print on both sides.

Type

Monochrome laser, print only

Speed

19 PPM rated

Missing

No scan, copy or duplex

Warranty

1-year limited