We've spent more than 150 hours on in-depth testing to identify the best all-in-one printers, from top inkjets to laser printers, with scanning, copying and fax capability built in.
We put each all-in-one printer through a battery of home-grown tests to determine the performance and output quality. To test print quality and speed, we print a number of test samples, including a text document, a five-page mixed text/graphics project, and a color photo.
We time every test print to see how quickly the machine handles document printing, and closely examine the finished product to determine how well different printing tasks are handled. We also test the scanning and copying functions of the printer, timing how quickly it captures a page and comparing the results to the original images to determine how well it captures color and detail.
Whether you need a product for basic printing at home or printing professional-looking photos and presentation documents, here are the best all-in-one printers to buy now.
The Canon Pixma TS9120 is the top home and home-office printer we’ve seen, thanks largely to its best-in-class print speeds and excellent print quality for both text and photos. With six individual color inks, you get some of the best color quality available when printing photos, and the ink costs stay reasonable – even with the additional inks.
Scanning and copying are built in, and offer sharp detail reproduction at decent speeds. The entire device is controlled with an adjustable 5-inch color touch-screen. This printer even prints disc labels on CDs and DVDs. Whatever sort of printing you need, the quality and bang for the buck offered by the TS9210 make this the best all-in-one printer to get.
You can find cheaper printers than Epson's Workforce WF-2760, but not many in this price range will give you both an automated document feeder and a duplexer for two-sided printing. More importantly, you won't sacrifice speed or quality for the WF-2760's low price tag.
Epson's all-in-one has speedy printing and quick copying, and delivers excellent quality for text and mixed graphics documents. Prints look great, too, whether they’re documents or glossy photos. Printing is especially affordable for black-ink printing, making the WF-2760 a great choice if you primarily need black-and-white documents. With a price tag less than most, and plenty of value to give in return, the Epson WF-2760 is the best all-in-one printer value we've reviewed among inkjets.
There's much more to the cost of a printer than just the purchase price: Ink costs can eat away the savings you expected from your affordable inkjet device. If you want one of the best all-in-one printers with the most affordable ink, we recommend the Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW. The printer features extra-large ink cartridges, and comes with an estimated years' supply of ink in the box, which adds up to the lowest per-page ink costs we've seen.
On top of that, the Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW offers solid printing, scanning and copying. Print speeds beat the category average and two-sided printing is among the fastest we've seen. And it did all of this while delivering high print quality across the board. That same zippy speed and above-average quality was found in scans and copies, making it a great choice for anyone, even if you aren't buying it for the affordable ink.
We were seriously impressed with the images produced by the Epson Expression XP-640. Whether we used plain or glossy photo paper, this inkjet delivered great prints for photos and graphics – we just wish the XP-640 was better at basic text documents. Photographers will particularly like the warm skin tones that the XP-640 produces, while we found the well-saturated colors of prints pleasing to the eye. Epson’s printer is not just among the best all-in-one printers, it's the best photo printer we've reviewed.
Epson's all-in-one also produces photo prints almost twice as fast as the average inkjet, and a low cost per page makes the XP-640 a compelling buy. Text printing isn't razor-sharp, but it's readable and will be good enough for all but the pickiest users. And the speed the XP-640 offers on photo printing carries over to printing documents, as well as scanning and copying. If you want a quick printer that's great at photos, the Epson Expression XP-640 is the one we recommend.
The Brother MFC-L2750DW XL multifunction laser printer is packed with features like a fast ADF, fast duplex printing and copying, fax capability, and a second paper tray. This device is monochrome laser printer that lends itself well to fast document printing that looks sharp and clear every time. It's the best laser all-in-one printer overall.
The MFC-L2750DW XL turned in great quality, and the fastest speeds to date for text and mixed text/graphics files. The printer even made two-sided prints faster than some models print one-sided documents. Using its high-capacity toner cartridge, the MFC-L2750DW XL offers a cost per page of just 2.7 cents, the lowest we've seen in this category. That's a tough deal to beat.
If you’ve got to print a lot of text documents on a daily basis, look no further than Brother’s MFC-J985DW inkjet all-in-one. The high-yield cartridges used by the MFC-J985DW should appeal to home and small office workers who print a lot of text since it offers the lowest cost per page at higher volumes.
This printer also offers ample features for the home office, with built-in fax capability. Quick to scan and make copies, the MFC-J985DW delivers high image quality overall and offers sharp text on basic documents. The MFC-J985DW all-in-one delivers a lot for the money, but the real draw is its low cost per page, which makes it a great deal over time.
If you want a great all-in-one printer for your small business, the Canon Maxify MB5420 is the modestly priced workhorse for you. This device is aimed at businesses rather than home use, but compared to other business printers, the all-in-one inkjet Maxify can crank through 30,000 pages per month and boasts a pair of paper trays that hold up to 250 pages each. Throw in scan, copy and fax capability, and the Maxify MB5420 should be a great addition to your small business.
In addition to features, the MB5420 has speedy printing that's nearly as good as a laser printer, quick one- and two-sided copying, and high-quality image printing. This printer is a solid bargain and and a reliable performer, making it perfect for the office.
The Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw is an all-in-one color laser printer that offers great performance and plenty of features, but with a monthly page volume of up to 4,000 pages, it's meant for the office rather than the home. Business users will love the built in 50-sheet automatic document feeder, 550-sheet paper cassette, and work-friendly features like two-sided scanning and low printing costs.
The performance is also top notch, with sharp text, clear graphics and faster-than-average printing of mixed text and graphics. Fast scan and copy speeds are a plus, and the color laser printer has one of the easiest setup options available. That's enough for us to declare the Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw our new favorite laser printer for small business users.
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To measure the cost of ownership, we look at the current street price of ink refills and the estimated number of pages that each cartridge can produce, and calculate the cost for printing a single page.
Based on our testing, the best all-in-one printer overall is the Canon Pixma TS9120, a device that offers top print speeds and high-quality output for both text and graphics. For an all-in-one printer that won't break the bank, the best home printer value is the Epson WorkForce WF-2760 inkjet, which packs in features like an automatic document feeder and duplexing, while also turning in fast print and copy times, all for a low price. And don't forget to check out the best laser printers if you're looking to stop buying ink.
