Best All-In-One Printer In 2019 (Speed, Quality, Budget) (2024)

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What do we mean when we talk about thebest all-in-one printer, exactly? Asprintertechnology becomes ever more advanced, their functionality has increased correspondingly. It’s commonplace now to find printers packed with versatile productivity options so that your home and office don’t need the expenditure of separate devices for printing, scanning or copying. But too much choice can be a bad thing, and it can be easy to pick up the wrong printer for your needs.

So to help you pick the right printer, we’ve compiled a buyer’s guide with some of the top all-in-one printer choices on the market, across an array of budgets and specialist needs. Whether it’s for a more productive office space or simply a more useful home printer, our choices today span a number of use cases and are sure to improve your printing experience.

How We Picked the Best All-in-One Printer

Naturally, all-in-one printers need to be stellar all-rounder printers, whilst also featuringdocument scannerand copier functionality housed in the same unit. But in addition to additional functions, we also prioritized printers with additional print functionality: capable of printing specialist media such ascardstockor photo paper. These printers generally have higher print resolution than standard document printers, but we also factored in the scanning quality and general print speeds for a comprehensive assessment of their productivity. Connectivity was also an important consideration, for all-in-one printers are only as useful as their accessibility. We gave preferential treatment to printers that come with an array of connection options, from standard USB through to Apple’sAirPrintsystem to allow multiple devices to easily print.

We settled on five products, across different budget allocations, so that any prospective buyer can find the best all-in-one printer for small business or home use – or any other application. Though each is a worthwhile investment, some of our choices may be better suited than others to your specific use case, so we’ve highlighted the various merits of each.

Best All-in-One Printer

As mentioned in ourEpson EcoTank ET-2850review, we quickly fell in love with this printer’s superb balance of functionality, quality and affordability. All these traits, and more, earn it the top spot as our best all-in-one printer, with sterling features and tremendous value in its purchase.

Anink tank printer, the ET-2850 is capable of stellar value for money, coming with an estimated 2 years’ worth of ink in the box (though this will vary with mileage). For your standard suite of documents, the printer boasts an impressive 33 pages-per-minute print speed – along with the requisite scanner and copier functions. For more specialist prints, you can create lifelike images with 5,760 x 1,440 dpi resolution up to 8.5″ x 14″ in size. Connectability is high too, with everything from wired USB connections through toiPad printingvia Apple AirPrint. ThisEpson printeris a terrific all-in-one purchase for home use, small business, and even more intensivegraphic design.

The one limiting factor that stands in the way of this all-in-one printer is the overall color gamut: without a dedicated ICC color profile, we found lighter colors lacked vibrancy – which may be an issue for dedicated photo printing. It’s a small issue, however, and it doesn’t stop us from claiming the ET-2850 as our top all-in-one printer purchase!

Best Productive All-in-One Printer

If you want to invest in a reliable all-in-one printer without having to worry about constant resupplying, consider theBrother MFC-J4535DW.Brother printersare some of our favorites for their efficiency and quality, and this unit is no exception to the rule.

The MFC-J4535 allows for high-yield cartridges as part of itsInkJetsystem, meaning that it can go for long periods without requiring replenishment. It also comes with a 400-sheet paper tray, for equally long-lasting printing. Standard documents are printed at around 20 pages per minute – a little slower than average, but compensated by the efficiency of this all-in-one printer. And of course, scanning and copying are included as standard, and work just as well as you’d expect. Setup and connection are almost as fast as one another, with this printer being ready nearly as soon as it is unboxed.

However, whilst the MFC-J4535 is capable of highly productive printing, jamming can become more frequent with intensive duty cycles. It’s a common issue with heavy print use, but more pronounced in this Brother printer – which is the only thing preventing it from our top spot as the best all-in-one printer. For productive office or household printing, this is still an ideal choice.

Best All-in-One Printer Under $200

For a more barebones print solution, theCanon Pixma TR4720is an ideal all-in-one print solution. ThisCanon printeris ideal for all your printing, scanning and copying needs without going over-budget; and provides simple, high-quality results.

Acolor laser printer, the TR4720 is capable of high-quality color documents, and even photos. With a 100-sheet capacity, this printer excels at document printing: with automatic duplexing for double-sided prints. The flatbed scanner, whilst not double-sided, still provides high-resolution scans with ease. Setup is quick and easy, and the printer is compatible with a range of wireless connection options including Canon’s own print app for smartphones. All of this comes in a compact package and a low price point for added value.

However, this budget printer is notably slower than other all-in-one printers on this list, which can hamstring overall productivity. All budget printers have drawbacks, and the TR4720’s doesn’t stop it from remaining a sterling all-in-oneprinter under $200.

Best Multipurpose All-in-One Printer

TheEpson EcoTank Pro ET-5850is easily one of the best all-in-one printers on the market: offering all-in-one functionality, fast print speeds, and high yields. It checks all the right boxes, and is sure to add value to any home or office!

Alongside standard documents, the ET-5850 can print borderless photos with a maximum print size of 8.5” x 14”. It also features a flatbed scanner that lets you scan and copy easily. Thanks to the automatic document feeder, you don’t have to feed every single piece of paper manually into the scanner, allowing you to save time and effort.What’s more, the ET-5850 supports auto duplexing, enabling you to save drastically on paper costs. The dual paper tray setup can hold up to 500 sheets, making this printer well-suited for volume printing with great efficiency. There’s also a rear feed for specialty media.

The only potential downside of the ET-5850 is its large footprint: you’d do well to clear some space for this bulky printer model. Other than that, the ET-5850 is a top-tier option for an array of home and office applications!

Best All-in-One Printer Under $100

Our final selection for the best all-in-one printer is theBrother MFC-J1010DW, another topprinter under $100. We recommend this printer to anyone on a budget, from sole trader businesses tostudents, as it provides exceptional results at a record-low price.

The MFC-J1010DW is capable of your standard suite of copying, scanning and printing; but boasts the additional ability to print borderlessphotosup to 8.5″ x 11″ in size – a rarity for such an affordable unit. Equally remarkable is the inclusion of auto-duplexing and cloud-based scanning. All of these features are contained within thissmall printer, with a price reflective of its size.

However, for such a small printer, the MFC-J1010DW is quite heavy, and isn’t as portable or maneuverable as we’d like. For a highly budget-friendly all-in-one printer, this is the ideal solution.

Features and Considerations

If you’re looking to invest in one of the best all-in-one printers and are considering a product not on this list, here are some features to consider:

Resolution

For both printing and scanning, resolution is a key factor. Determining the overall quality of your output, resolution is generally measured in dots per inch (DPI), and is especially important forcraftingprojects and specialist media. We recommend a resolution no lower than 600 dpi for most use cases.

Connectivity

Equally important to the printer itself is the device that you send or receive prints or scans from. The best all-in-one printers now come with an array of wireless connectivity options such asBluetoothor Morpia. Alternatively, the simplest option is always a wired connection to a PC or laptop – the most reliable, but cable management can be a cumbersome task.

Compatibility

Though most use cases for all-in-one printers involve documents, having the option of specialist media is always useful. Evenbudget printersare capable now of borderless photos, cardstock and evenedible ink. We always recommend InkJet printers, for the best median of resolution, color quality and versatility. Equally, having a more versatile scanner can be useful: for archival projects such as digitizingfilm slidesor simply scanning more varied sizes, we recommend a flatbed scanner.

Speed

Though it isn’t as critical in more relaxed environments, having a fast speed – both printing and scanning – is a worthwhile consideration. Elements such as automatic duplexing or document feeders can speed up the process, but we still recommend opting for a relatively fast print speed regardless – generally no lower than 10 pages per minute for the best productivity.

What is an All-in-One Printer?

All-in-one printers are a medley of a printer, scanner and photocopier: enabling the user to have a highly productive tool for documents, photos and some specialist media. Though many think that all-in-one printers are the standard in modern times, the declining use of scanners and copiers – and print documents altogether – means that fewer printers come with scanning and copying functions. All-in-one printers remain a touchstone of functionality, though there are benefits to having seperate devices. Investing in a more efficient printer and aportable scanner, for example, can be advantageous for larger businesses or multiple locations – bringing the scanner to the documents rather than the documents to the scanner.

FAQs

Verdict

Verdict

At a median of versatility, quality, and affordability; the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is our top pick for the best all-in-one printer. Capable of highly productive printing, scanning and copying; the ET-2850 gives you top-quality results at a bottom-shelf price.

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