The Top All-in-One Printers for Your Printing Needs - Summer 2023
The Top All-in-One Printers for Your Printing Needs
If you don't require an all-in-one printer for your printing needs, you can use a scanning app and a low-cost laser printer for occasional printing tasks. However, investing in an all-in-one printer might be practical if you have a school-age child or perform tasks that involve regular copying and scanning.
Consider the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e as your top choice. It offers a straightforward setup, affordable maintenance costs, compatibility with various devices, excellent print and scan quality, and a reassuring two-year warranty.
HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e
Type: Inkjet
Size: 17.3 inches by 13.48 inches by 10.94 inches
Features:
- Copy
- Fax
- Scan
Color Print: Yes
Wireless: Yes
Cost Per Page: 2.4 cents for black, 8.8 cents for color
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e is known for its easy setup process. It prints both text documents and glossy photos swiftly at an affordable cost. With its high-yield cartridges, the printing cost comes to 2.4¢ per page in black and 8.8¢ per page in color.
One way to reduce printing expenses is to sign up for HP's Instant Ink program. When you buy this printer, you'll get a six-month trial to print color pages, even glossy ones, for just 3.5 cents per page. Plus, if you enroll in the program, you'll extend the warranty to two years.
In addition to its cost-saving features, this inkjet printer is excellent at scanning documents and has a sleek, space-saving design. It's a smart choice for any office.
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw
Type: Laser
Size: 16.5 by 16.6 by 13.2 inches
Features:
- Scan
- Copy
- Fax
Color Print: Yes
Wireless: Yes
Cost per Page: 3.3 cents for black, 16.3 cents for color
Among all the models that have been tested, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw is exceptional. It has a touch interface similar to a smartphone and a contemporary mobile application that reflects the true nature of the 21st century. Additionally, it is user-friendly. This printer offers a less frustrating daily usage experience and produces sharp black text, vibrant full-color graphics, and sufficiently good photos for a school assignment. Although our recommended inkjet printer produces marginally better photos, this laser printer is less likely to clog when used infrequently. Furthermore, it is fast, with a maximum output of approximately 22 pages per minute, and features a bypass slot that enables printing on envelopes, labels, and other non-standard media.
Brother MFC-J4335DW
Type: Inkjet
Size: 17.1 by 14.2 by 7.1 inches
Features:
- scan
- Copy
- fax
Color print: Yes
Wireless: Yes
Cost per page: 1 cent for black, 4.7 cents for color.
If you don't have high productivity demands and are looking for an affordable multifunction printer, the Brother MFC-J4335DW is the way to go. It includes a one-year supply of ink, and upgrading to high-yield cartridges results in printing costs as low as 1¢ per page for monochrome and 4.7¢ for color, which is significantly cheaper than other models.
This printer produces crisp text down to a font size of 3 points and sharp, glossy images, but it may have slower scan speeds, and photo prints on copy paper can smudge easily.
Setting up the MFC-J4335DW can be challenging because of its unintuitive website installers and outdated display screen and navigation buttons, but once set up, it performs well. It takes up to 25 minutes to get up and running, which is longer than our main pick's 10-minute install.
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw
Type: Laser printer
Size: 16.4 inches (width) x 18.6 inches (depth) x 15.7 inches (height)
Features:
- Scan
- Copy
- Fax
Color print: Yes
Wireless: Yes
Cost per page: Black ink is 2.5¢, while the cost per page for color ink is 15¢.
Consider upgrading to the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw, a business-oriented color laser all-in-one (AIO), if you frequently print and scan documents throughout the day. This printer offers faster, sharper, and more reliable printing and scanning capabilities than inkjet alternatives.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw also provides robust admin and security settings specifically designed for handling sensitive data. For example, if you must fax legal documents or email a scanned driver's license over Wi-Fi, the printer ensures the necessary security measures are in place.
While most home offices may not require this upgrade level, the M479fdw is perfect for businesses with moderate printing and paper-handling needs. Additionally, if you have grown frustrated with the shortcomings of your inkjet all-in-one printer, this laser printer will address
those concerns.
Everything we recommend
Our selection
HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e
The inkjet all-in-one printer that stands out as the best.
Our selection
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw
The ultimate all-in-one printer with cutting-edge laser technology.
Top Budget Selection
Brother MFC-J4335DW
An affordable all-in-one printer.
Top Upgraded Selection
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw
We offer a range of features and fast speed for small businesses and home offices.
What are The Reasons for Placing Trust in Us
We have earned your trust because PrinterDash has thoroughly tested all-in-one printers (also known as multifunction printers). Our team has invested extensive time researching models, examining test documents, timing operations, and navigating menus. Besides our evaluations, we have also sought input from our readers and gathered feedback from comments. We have conducted comprehensive research to understand people's desired printer features and qualities.
Who is This Suitable For
All-in-one (AIO) inkjet printers offer a comprehensive solution for home document production requirements. However, they may only be suitable for some. Inkjets can dry out and clog if left unused for extended periods. To get them working again, you must run cleaning cycles, which waste ink and increase operating costs.
On the other hand, all-in-one laser printers can remain unused for weeks or even months without negatively impacting printing quality. However, they tend to be more expensive than inkjets, sometimes costing twice as much, and their larger toner cartridges require more desk space.
To determine whether an all-in-one printer is the right choice for you, consider asking yourself the following questions:
- Do you need to print frequently, but only sometimes throughout the day?
Is your monthly printing volume between 100 to 500 pages or in that range? If so, the inkjet all-in-one printers mentioned in this guide are ideal for meeting your needs. However, if you need a printer that can handle continuous printing, I recommend checking out our recommended upgrade pick. A monochrome laser printer and a reliable scanning app would be better if you don't print frequently. Another option is to use printers available at your workplace, library, or the nearest FedEx store.
- How often do you need to scan documents?
Investing in an all-in-one printer would be worthwhile if you need to print and scan multiple times a month or frequently need to scan double-sided pages. On the other hand, if scanning is not a regular requirement, consider purchasing an affordable printer solely focusing on printing and using a reliable scanning app.
- Do you often print in color or occasionally need to print glossy photos?
One of the recommended options below would work best for you. However, if color printing is not a priority, opting for a black-and-white laser all-in-one printer could save you money.
- Is the quality of photos and scans crucially important to you?
An all-in-one printer might not meet your expectations in terms of performance. We have specific recommendations for more specialized tasks involving photo printing or document scanning that will provide better results.
How We Choose and Test AIOs
We have reviewed MANY all-in-one printers and our selection criteria have remained consistent. We consider both inkjet and laser printers, including monochrome and color models, with a preference for excellent print and scan quality. Additionally, we look for models with automatic document feeders, fast operating speeds, duplex printing, scanning, and copying capabilities, low printing and operating costs, and good reviews from third-party sources.
So far, we have reviewed more than 20 AIOs. We test our contenders on both Windows and Mac computers and iOS and Android devices in various homes and offices with different Wi-Fi strengths and reliability.
During our testing, we note which machines have complex installation procedures, connectivity issues, and complicated mobile apps. We evaluate print quality and speed by handling a range of text- and graphics-heavy documents. With inkjet printers, we print several colorful and glossy photos to assess their photo quality. We also scan the documents we print to test each machine's ability to capture fine details.
Additionally, we conduct extensive print and scan tasks to identify potential issues, such as jams and slowdowns resulting from excessive use of the onboard memory. Furthermore, we assess each printer's cost of replacement ink or toner cartridges to evaluate their overall worth.
A Top-Notch Multifunction Printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e stands out for its effortless setup, user-friendly interface, and exceptional print quality, speed, and reliability. Unlike other printers, it perfectly blends these features. Additionally, its sleek design sets it apart from dull-looking competitors, although the small touchscreen and fragile output tray are minor drawbacks that can be overlooked.
It provides a smooth and effortless setup experience. Connecting the 9015e to Wi-Fi for installation becomes a breeze with the help of an on-screen keyboard. Our testing showed that we could get up and running, including installing the ink cartridge, in less than 10 minutes. The installation process is so seamless and modern that it shames other printer makers' installers, which can feel outdated.
If you have a smartphone, you can easily download the HP Smart app (available for Android and iOS) and add the printer to your device within a few simple steps.
Maintenance levels should not be questioned or doubted. The HP Smart software suite offers multiple features, such as checking ink levels, ordering replacement ink, remote settings adjustment, and accessing the printer's Embedded Web Server. This server is designed for power users and serves as a control panel. With HP's all-in-one approach, you can easily access these functions with a click.
One cost-effective option for printing at home is available. The 9015e printer has ink, allowing it to print approximately 850 black-and-white or 420-color pages. If you buy a complete set of high-yield cartridges for around $160, these cartridges will last for about 2,000 monochrome pages or 1,600 color pages. With this information, we can calculate the cost per page for black printing, which is 2.4¢, and for color printing, which is 8.8¢. These costs are considered reasonable.
HP provides a subscription service called Instant Ink. The program works on a tiered system depending on the amount of monthly printing you anticipate, ranging from 10 to 700 pages. The printer purchase comes with a six-month trial of the program. The cost per page with Instant Ink ranges from 9.9¢ to 3.5¢, with the added benefit that printing color pages costs the same as black and white. You don't have to worry about running out of ink because the service automatically delivers new cartridges when needed. Any unused pages can be saved up to three times your plan amount, and if you exceed your allotted pages, extra sets can be purchased for a fee of $1 for 10-15 pages. Additionally, signing up for Instant Ink extends the printer's two-year warranty.
The printing capabilities of the 9015e are exceptional. During our tests, we found that text appeared dark and remained sharp and legible even at font sizes as small as 4 points in most fonts. Graphics were clear and vibrant when using the default settings, and we noticed minimal banding when printing full-page graphics on regular copy paper.
For glossy prints, we highly recommend using the best quality setting. This optional print setting enhanced the appearance of borderless 8.5-by-11-inch glossies, making them look fantastic when displayed on a fridge. However, it's worth noting that the colors may appear slightly bluer and have increased contrast compared to the source photos.
The speed of this printer is satisfactory. According to HP, this printer boasts the title of the fastest inkjet printer on the market, with the capability of printing up to 22 monochrome pages or 18 color pages per minute. We conducted our tests and discovered that the scanning process is also quite speedy, taking an average of only 3-5 seconds when using the automatic document feeder. The Brother MFC-J4335DW, the HP Envy Inspire 7955e, and the Brother MFC-L2750DW completed the scanning process in just 7 seconds. However, please remember that duplex scanning may take longer as both sides of the sheet need to be scanned. If you require advanced scanning capabilities, consider a printer that offers single-pass duplex scanning, available with our laser upgrade pick.
The chances of encountering a malfunction are reduced with this product. During our testing, we found that the paper handling of the 9015e was exceptionally reliable. It could handle both full and almost empty trays without any issues. Even when scanning crumpled paper, it didn't encounter any problems. Additionally, it never mistakenly grabbed two pages when intended to grab just one. Furthermore, the scans produced from the automatic document feeder (ADF) were remarkably straight, a rare occurrence based on our experience with various printers.
A workstation would greatly benefit from the addition of this attractive feature. The OfficeJet Pro 9015e has a clean, sharp, and modern appearance, which we find preferable to the previous bulbous design of OfficeJet machines. While aesthetics may not be a primary concern for office equipment, a visually pleasing printer is worth considering, especially if it will be in your home office for an extended period
.
Flaws but not Deal breakers
- The OfficeJet Pro 9015e has a few flaws that may be worth considering, but they are not severe enough to deter most users.
- The printer's biggest shortcoming is its single 250-sheet paper tray. This means you must manually change the paper whenever you need to print on different types, such as legal, labels, glossy photo stock, or résumé paper.
- The touchscreen on the printer is relatively small, measuring only 2.7 inches. While it functions fine, navigating the smaller on-screen buttons, especially the gear icon for accessing the Settings menu, can be challenging. This may result in some frustrating mis-taps.
- The colors produced by the 9015e are not entirely accurate. In our test prints, glossy photos showed slight blue and magenta undertones and exhibited overaggressive contrast. If you are a photographer, you may want to consider a dedicated photo printer for more precise color reproduction.
- Like many inkjet printers, when printing in duplex mode (double-sided printing), the 9015e pauses between each side to allow the ink on the first side to dry before continuing to the second. However, compared to other printers we have tested, this model has a slightly longer pause, which may be bothersome if you are in a hurry.
- If you enroll in HP+ for discounted printing fees and an extended warranty, remember that this requires you to use only HP ink. While this may limit your options, the printer's reasonable printing costs and reliability can compensate for the need to stick within the HP ecosystem.
Top Multifunction Laser Printer Selection: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw
The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw is perfect for your home office or small business. It has a simple setup, affordable operating costs, and delivers excellent print quality. Unlike inkjet printers, it doesn't experience clogging issues even if not frequently used.
The process of setting up is smooth and without any interruptions. Thanks to its intuitive touchscreen, this laser printer was up and running in no time during our tests. The touchscreen guided us through the process in under 10 minutes.
Despite its high price, the printer offers low per-print costs. The M283fdw, despite its high price tag of over $450, is considered the most dependable multifunction laser printer for small businesses. Opting for high-yield ink toners means printing expenses can be kept low at 3.3¢ per black page and 16.3¢ per color print. However, it's important to note that a complete set of replacement toners will cost $440.
The printer delivers sharp, clear text and vibrant and visually appealing graphics. Based on our tests, the M283fdw printer demonstrated its capability to produce legible and sharp text even with tiny 3-point font sizes. This mainly benefits legal documents with small subscripts and charts with footer text, as readability is maintained.
Furthermore, this printer delivers high-quality, vibrant graphics on copy and glossy paper. It is comparable to the print quality of the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw, although it showed a slightly more pixelated output.
This model provides extensive printing support for various needs. This model allows you to avoid adjusting the main paper tray for varying sizes conveniently. Utilize the bypass slot to effortlessly print labels, envelopes, postcards, and glossy prints.
Additionally, you can easily print without a computer using mobile Wi-Fi printing and the optional HP Smart app.
It occupies a significant amount of space. The M283fdw occupies a substantial amount of space. Compared to our budget all-in-one pick, the Brother MFC-J4335DW, it is more than two times heavier. Its 19-inch depth requires a large desk area and is unsuitable for most bookshelves.
Introducing the Brother MFC-J4335DW: The Top Choice for Budget Printers
The Brother MFC-J4335DW offers affordability and cost-effective operation, featuring low running costs. Despite its slightly slower performance, average scan quality, and button-based interface, its impressive print quality makes up for these drawbacks.
It is best suited for households with low printing needs. The MFC-J4335DW is currently priced at $180, making it one of the most affordable all-in-one printer models we've examined. Moreover, it does not raise printing expenses to compensate for the cost. According to Brother's projections, this model comes bundled with a black ink supply worth 1,080 pages and a color supply worth 720 pages, which should last up to a year.
Even with sudden high printing demands, it will be within your budget. Upgrading to high-yield print cartridges offers the advantage of printing up to 6,000 black-and-white pages and 5,000 color pages at approximately 1¢ per monochrome page and 4.7¢ for color. As a result, it is economical to print documents like book reports or complete manuscript drafts at home instead of going to a local office supply store.
This model surpasses many of its competitors when it comes to print quality. This model impressed us during our tests by consistently printing clear and legible text as small as 3 points. This feature is precious when dealing with intricate legal documents that contain tiny superscripts. On the other hand, our previous affordable choice, the Brother MFC-J805DW, could only produce easily readable text, starting from a font size of 6 points.
While the images produced by the model were impressive, they still needed to catch up to HP's top pick. However, the MFC-J4335DW printed glossy photos with impressive sharpness, realistic saturation, and good contrast. Its photo quality was comparable to printers that cost twice as much. However, when it came to printing images on regular copy paper, it could not produce seamless prints and often resulted in horizontal lines across the page, known as banding. This is a common issue among inkjet printers.
The scans produced by this all-in-one model are slow and lackluster. According to our tests, it is one of the slowest scanners in its class, taking an average of seven seconds to scan a page compared to three to five seconds for other printers in the same group. While this may seem like a minor difference in speed, it can be frustratingly slow when you need to scan many pages under time pressure.
Additionally, be aware that the MFC-J4335DW tends to add too much contrast to scanned images, which can result in loss of detail in darker areas. For this reason, it may not be ideal for scanning photos or other visual content where color accuracy and detail are essential.
The installation process for the Brother MFC-J4335DW is outdated and cumbersome. The website installers provided by Brother are not user-friendly, and navigating through them can be difficult. The small display screen and outdated navigation buttons further contribute to the frustration of setting up the printer. The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e has a much quicker installation process, taking only five minutes in our tests.
It is worth noting that Brother does provide a two-year limited warranty for this printer.
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw: The Best Printer Upgrade with Improved Speed and Enhanced Features
If you frequently print as a small-business owner, consider investing in a high-quality color laser all-in-one printer such as the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw. Although it comes with a higher price point, it remains one of the most cost-effective options among color laser printers, offering the same productive features as our preferred inkjet model. In addition to being fast and reliable, this printer can produce stunning documents in both color and black and white.
This printer delivers exceptional performance. According to the manufacturer, they boast a speed of up to 28 pages per minute compared to the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e's average of 20 pages per minute. Additionally, it excels in producing sharp text at small font sizes, surpassing any inkjet we have tested. This feature can be precious when printing legal documents. The graphics produced by this color laser model are also self-explanatory, although slightly less vibrant than what the 9015e produces.
Furthermore, the M479fdw starts up faster than most inkjets and has a recommended duty cycle of 4,000 pages per month, almost triple that of the 9015e at 1,500 pages. This makes it suitable for busy home offices and many small businesses with multiple employees.
In cases where time is of the essence and using a laptop is not ideal, the printer's USB port comes in handy. It allows for direct printing of JPEGs, PDFs, and Word files and also enables scanning documents in PDF, JPEG, or TIFF formats.
It can efficiently manage printing tasks of non-standard sizes. The foldout bypass paper tray can print letter, legal, executive, and postcard-size media. Furthermore, the automatic document feeder is also capable of handling legal-size documents.
We have found that this printer is more secure than the inkjet and laser printers we have tested. The M479fdw comes with advanced security measures such as secure boot, firmware integrity, and runtime code integrity to significantly minimize the risk of malicious individuals' unauthorized access. (Believe it or not, printer hijacking has occurred in the past.) Additionally, it offers the option to encrypt print jobs with PIN codes, ensuring that your documents remain private and untouched by others. Furthermore, for multiuser environments, it provides role-based access control, allowing you to specify which printer features can be accessed by different individuals. These added security features can be highly beneficial if you handle sensitive materials.
It is cost-effective in the long run. The cost per page for black printing on the M479fdw is around 2.5¢, while color printing costs about 15¢. These prices are higher than the costs for the 9015e but comparable to other laser printers we have tested.
The initial expense for replacing all toner cartridges is $970. However, the overall costs may be relatively high. Laser printers minimize toner waste, whereas inkjet printers can waste a considerable amount of ink depending on the number of cleaning cycles required. Consequently, the advertised cost signifies the maximum you might pay with a laser printer, whereas the stated cost per page for an inkjet is the minimum amount you must pay.
HP's warranty may be relatively short, but it offers excellent coverage. Unlike competitors such as Canon, whose home-office machines come with a three-year guarantee, HP provides a one-year warranty for the M479fdw. However, HP's coverage may be more beneficial. Why? Well, their warranty includes on-site service within one business day. In contrast, other printer manufacturers often require you to ship your printer to a service center, which may incur additional costs.
Ink-Tank Printers: Are They Worth It?
Ink-tank printers are equipped with reservoirs that require injecting ink from bottles. While these printers cost an additional $50 to $100 compared to non-ink-tank models, they offer fewer features.
Regarding the cost per page, ink-tank printers have a significant advantage. The print cost for black-and-white and color pages is only a fraction of a cent, in contrast to the typical 2¢ to 10¢ per page for regular inkjet printers.
Despite the cost savings on ink, we do not recommend these machines. Throughout our testing, we found that ink-tank-style printers were considerably slower than the top-performing HP 9015e in printing and scanning. Moreover, none of the ink-tank models we tested could scan two-sided documents. In terms of build quality, ink-tank printers fell short compared to most other inkjets. Additionally, although ink-tank models may be more economical in the long run, the upfront cost may not be justified for those who won't consume enough of the included ink.
The Contest
This list does not include any printer models that have been discontinued..
All-in-One Inkjet Printers
The print and scan quality of the Brother MFC-J1170DW and MFC-J5855DW did not meet expectations.
Setting up the Canon Maxify MB5120 was difficult, and its scan quality was below average.
While the HP Envy Inspire 7955e produced high-quality photos, it printed images at a slow pace. However, it struggled with printing text-heavy documents sharply and consistently printed clean documents from a computer or mobile device.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e and HP Envy Photo 7855 are costly to maintain and face performance issues during testing.
Comparatively, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e is similar to the OfficeJet Pro 9015e but is priced $100 higher, only providing an extra paper tray as an additional feature.
Inkjet all-in-ones with ink-tank-style configuration.
The Brother MFC-J995DW and Canon Pixma G7020 have all-in-one inkjet printers with ink-tank systems but have encountered problems with slow printing and scanning speeds. Users have also found the interfaces to be challenging to navigate.
Color laser all-in-one printers
The Brother MFC-L3770CDW, Canon Color ImageClass MF743Cdw, and Canon ImageClass MF644Cdw all-in-ones with color laser printing capabilities had interfaces that were not user-friendly, touchscreens that were difficult to use, and software that caused issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the term' all-in-one printer' refer to?
An all-in-one printer is a versatile device that combines multiple functions, including printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. This makes it a perfect choice for those with limited space or a tight budget, as they don't need to purchase separate machines for each task.
Is it true that all-in-one printers are equipped with fax features?
Our recommendations include printers that can perform faxing tasks, and usually, most all-in-one printers have either an inbuilt fax feature or can have a fax kit added to them as an accessory.
Which all-in-one printer is recommended for casual photo printing?
Any of our suggested picks will suffice if you want an all-in-one printer that produces decent-looking photos suitable for sticking on a fridge. However, please note that while the photos will look great, the colors may not be entirely accurate. If photo quality and color accuracy are crucial, you should consider purchasing a dedicated photo printer.