Compare inkjet, laser, all-in-one, and photo printers on cost per page and features.
Traditional inkjets cost $50–80 up front but $0.15–0.30 per color page. EcoTank and Brother laser flip this — more expensive at purchase but 1–3¢ per page forever.
HP Instant Ink sounds great but locks cartridges via DRM — you physically cannot use 3rd-party ink. Brother does not play those games.
If you print under 500 pages/year, any printer is fine. If you print more, EcoTank or color laser pays for itself inside 18 months.
Each option has a 1–10 score on multiple criteria (drawn from public reviews, benchmarks, and spec sheets). Your importance weights multiply each criterion's score, then we sum and normalize.
The best option depends on your priorities. Weighting lets you see how the answer changes when you care more about, e.g., camera than battery.
No. No affiliate codes, no sponsor bias, no paid rankings. Scores are based on verifiable public data.
Scores reflect current flagship models. We refresh 2–3 times per year as new generations launch.
This tool compares ecosystems. For specific model matchups, use the related comparison tools.
Printer buying hasn't changed much in a decade, but the economics have. Cartridge inkjets are terrible value — HP Instant Ink and Canon's Pixma Print Plan lock cost-per-page into subscription models. Ink tank printers (Epson EcoTank, Canon MegaTank, HP Smart Tank) cost 2-3x more upfront but deliver 1/10 the cost per page. Laser printers are still dominant for text-heavy offices.
| Printer | Type | Color? | Print speed (ppm) | Cost/page (estimated) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother HL-L2460DW | Mono laser | No | 36 ppm | ~2.5¢/page | $229 |
| Brother MFC-L3780CDW | Color laser MFP | Yes | 27 ppm | ~4¢ mono / ~18¢ color | $679 |
| HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw | Color laser | Yes | 22 ppm | ~3.5¢ mono / ~18¢ color | $429 |
| Epson EcoTank ET-2850 | Inkjet tank MFP | Yes | 10 ppm | ~0.5¢/page | $349 |
| Epson EcoTank ET-4850 | Inkjet tank MFP + fax | Yes | 15 ppm | ~0.5¢/page | $499 |
| Canon MegaTank G3270 | Inkjet tank MFP | Yes | 11 ppm | ~0.6¢/page | $279 |
| HP Smart Tank 7301 | Inkjet tank MFP | Yes | 15 ppm | ~0.8¢/page | $399 |
| Canon PIXMA TS6720 | Inkjet cartridge MFP | Yes | 15 ppm | ~9¢ mono / ~22¢ color | $149 |
| Epson SureColor P700 | Pro photo inkjet | Yes (10 inks) | 3-5 ppm photo | ~$2-4 per 8x10 | $799 |
| Brother QL-820NWB | Thermal label printer | No | 110 labels/min | cost of labels only | $179 |
Cartridge inkjet (Canon PIXMA TS6720, HP OfficeJet): $149 upfront, but refills cost $50-80 every 200-400 pages. Print 200 pages/month = $480-$960/year in ink. A used cartridge printer is the single worst tech value in 2026. Ink tank (Epson EcoTank, Canon MegaTank): $279-$499 upfront, refill bottles are $10-15 each and last 4,000-7,500 pages. Print 200 pages/month = ~$20/year in ink. Payback vs cartridge: 6-12 months. Mono laser (Brother HL-L2460DW): $229 upfront, toner ~$40/2,600 pages. Print 200 text pages/month = $37/year. Fastest startup-cost recovery if you print mostly black text.
HP Instant Ink charges $3-12/month based on print volume. Unlimited pages sounds great. The catch: printers ship with "starter" cartridges that expire on a date; after you cancel the subscription, Instant Ink cartridges become inert bricks. There's active class-action litigation. If you commit, it's fine; if you might cancel, avoid HP entirely — buy Brother or Epson.
For casual 4x6 prints, any inkjet is fine. For 8x10+ prints you'll display: dedicated photo printers (Epson SureColor P700, Canon PIXMA Pro-200) with 8-10 ink cartridges and pigment ink. These prints last 100+ years archivally, resist water, and color-match within 1 Delta E of original. Cost per 8x10: ~$2-4 in ink + paper. Compared to a professional lab ($1.50-3 per 8x10 at Nations Photo, $3-5 at a local lab), home printing only makes sense if you print regularly or want same-day turnaround.
All listed printers support AirPrint natively. No driver install needed on Mac or iOS — select from Preview / Files / Photos / any print dialog. Chromebook: most support Mopria (Google's equivalent). Windows 11: adds printers via Wi-Fi auto-discovery. 3D mesh networks (Eero, UniFi) can occasionally break AirPrint discovery — if a newly installed printer isn't findable, check Wi-Fi band (2.4 GHz often needed) and mDNS repeater settings.
If you ship packages (Etsy, eBay, Amazon FBA), a Brother QL-820NWB or Rollo thermal label printer is transformative — $179 upfront, zero ink (thermal paper), 110 labels/min. Prints 4x6 shipping labels directly from UPS/USPS/DHL/ShipStation. One-time pays off in 2-3 months vs sticking labels on a regular printer.
Monthly duty cycle is the most-overlooked spec. Brother HL-L2460DW: 50,000 pages/month rated, 2,000 pages/month recommended. Epson EcoTank ET-2850: 3,000 pages/month rated, 250-500 recommended. If you actually print 500 pages/month on the ET-2850 for 3 years, expect print head failure around month 28-34 — the printhead is not user-replaceable on sub-$500 EcoTanks. The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C5890 ($599) uses PrecisionCore piezo heads rated for 75,000 pages and replaceable; it's the EcoTank to buy if you genuinely print 500+/month. Warm-up and first-page-out time (FPOT): Brother HL-L2460DW first page in 7.8 seconds from sleep; HP LaserJet M255dw in 11.5 seconds; Canon MegaTank G3270 in 3-4 seconds (inkjets always win FPOT). For a household that prints one thing at a time, FPOT dominates perceived speed more than the rated PPM.
Scan resolution matters for receipts and business cards, not for sharing. The Brother MFC-L3780CDW ADF scans both sides at 33 ipm at 300 dpi — matches a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 ($499) for pure document work at half the price. Epson ET-4850: 2,400 dpi flatbed, 30-sheet ADF but single-side scan only — annoying for a tax-receipt backlog. For 2026 workflows, scan-to-cloud matters: Brother iPrint&Scan and Epson Smart Panel both push PDFs to Dropbox/Google Drive/OneDrive/iCloud directly; no laptop in the loop. Synology NAS owners: Surveillance Station aside, the NAS's Scan Station add-on ($0) accepts SMB scan-to-folder from any AirScan printer and auto-OCRs incoming PDFs via Document Scanner for searchable archives.
Brother HL-L2460DW: $229 MSRP, $199 at Amazon with regular $30 coupon, $189 B&H during back-to-school. Brother TN830 (2,000-page) toner: $69 OEM; $19 LD Products or InkOwl compatible with 100% print quality on text and the same 2,000-page yield. Epson EcoTank ET-2850: $349 MSRP, $299 Costco, $279 Best Buy open-box. Epson 522 black ink bottle: $12, prints 4,500 pages. Canon MegaTank G3270: $279 at Canon Direct with frequent $40 coupons. HP Color LaserJet M255dw: $429 but HP's Dynamic Security firmware can brick third-party toner; avoid it unless you commit to OEM HP 206X toner ($109/cartridge × 4 colors = $436 for a full set — nearly the price of the printer). Epson SureColor P700: $799 direct, but Epson runs $150-$200 instant rebates every March and September. Best buy window for upgraders: late August back-to-school sales and November Black Friday.
If you print 100+ pages/month, yes — payback is 6-12 months and ongoing ink is negligible. If you print under 50 pages/month, a $150 cartridge printer + occasional ink is fine, or just use a print kiosk at FedEx/Staples.
Laser wins for long sit-idle periods. Inkjet print heads clog after 2-3 months of disuse, requiring a $10 cleaning cartridge or wasting ink on cleaning cycles. If you print once a month, buy laser.
Only if you print color documents weekly AND don't need photo-quality. Color lasers are 3-4x more expensive than mono and print photos that look 'OK but not great.' Mono laser + cheap inkjet for occasional color is often the better combo.
AirPrint is native and works. Manufacturer apps (HP Smart, Epson Smart Panel, Canon PRINT) add features like scanning, ink level checks, and advanced photo printing. Install only if needed.
Inkjets: 3-5 years heavy use. Lasers: 7-10 years. Ink tank: 5-8 years (same inkjet mechanics, more durable construction). Buy based on expected lifespan and your print volume.
Yes. HP pushes firmware updates that brick third-party toner by reading a chip signature. Class actions settled in 2022 and 2024 but HP continues the practice. If you buy an HP LaserJet, budget for OEM toner forever or refuse firmware updates (possible only by never connecting it to internet — which then breaks AirPrint discovery on most networks). Brother does not do this; Epson does not do this. For a home printer in 2026, default away from HP unless a specific MFP feature forces your hand.
Rollo X1040 ($179): USB-only in base form, wireless variant is $229; prints 150mm/sec (about 180 4x6 labels/min). Brother QL-820NWB ($179): USB + Wi-Fi + Bluetooth + Ethernet built-in, prints 110 4x6 labels/min, also prints name tags, barcode labels, and 3-inch address labels without swapping rolls. For pure shipping volume the Rollo X1040 wins on speed; for a mixed small-business workflow (shipping + inventory labels + sign labels), the Brother is more versatile. Both ship labels cost the same at ~$0.045 per 4x6 label from uline.com in bulk.
Brother publishes native Linux drivers (CUPS and LPR) for every printer back to 2010 — the L2460DW and MFC-L3780CDW install via a single bash script on Ubuntu/Fedora/Arch. Epson EcoTanks work via IPP Everywhere / driverless printing at full resolution. Canon Pixma drivers require BuntuDrivers or ArchLinux AUR packages and sometimes lag by 6-12 months. HP HPLIP is the most mature Linux print stack but Dynamic Security firmware undermines the benefit. Default pick for Linux: Brother.
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