The 5 Best Printers for Families, Tested by Kids and Parents

Whether you’re printing permission slips or photos

Author image: rachel bowie christine han photography 100

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Published Jun 5, 2024

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Canon

In my life, the need for a printer didn’t really crop up until I became a parent. After all, it’s not the 2010s anymore—nobody needs to sit around printing their resume or insurance forms.

These days, everything’s gone virtual…that is everything except elementary school. When it comes to my six-year-old son, I still need to print permission slips, homework assignments, even the odd handwriting practice sheet (“start at the plane line…”) And of course, an at-home printer comes in handy for broader family-related needs, too, ranging from bill paying to simply printing pics to post to the fridge.

But for some reason, when it came time to make a printer purchase, I found it tough to narrow the search. After all, a printer is an investment, and I wanted to make sure I’d get what I needed—from crisp images to accurate colors to a set-up that was easy enough that I could do it without calling in reinforcements. That’s why I got to work, polling top printer brands and regular parents who rely on printers for their everyday family needs. Now, the results are in—and just in time for back to school. Our top five printer picks for family use in 2024, below.

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The Best Printers for Families At a Glance

Best Overall

Canon G7020 All-in-One Printer

$229 at Amazon

Best Budget

HP Deskjet 2855e

$85 at Amazon

Best Ink Efficiency

Epson EcoTank ET-2850

$259 at amazon

Best Photo Printer

Canon Pixma-Pro 200

$499 at amazon

Best Mini Portable Photo Printer

HP Sprocket Studio Plus 4x6 Photo Printer

$150 at amazon

How I Chose the Best Printers for Families

In order to select the best printers, I first reached out to the major printer brands (ranging from HP to Epson) to find out their selects for families going into 2024. I also chatted with over 50 parents about their top picks (whether brand new or a recent model) for home printing use. This helped me narrow my search and informed me about the range of needs and complaints. For example, an affordable printer that runs out of ink quickly or is costly to refill isn’t worth it, end of subject.

For the purposes of this printer test, I looked primarily at inkjet printers, which are ideal for home use, since they’re more affordable and take up less space than most laserjet styles. They also come with an easily refillable ink supply (either a cartridge format or an ink tank, which is typically refillable and more affordable than cartridges).

I then called in the top five printers for our team of parents to test and asked them to review per the following guidelines:

Printing Quality: Does the printer offer both black-and-white and color? (For the purposes of this test we only looked at ones that did both.) How sharp is the detail when printing in each?
Ink Supply: How fast does the ink run out and how costly is it to replace? Are there available discounts on ink?
Printing Speed: A slow printer can be maddening when you’re on deadline for a school project. How quickly do pages print?
Ease of Setup and the Size: This is a biggie since a confusing printer setup or difficulties connecting to the internet or Bluetooth can defeat the purpose of even having one. Additionally, I wanted to know how large a profile the printer takes up. Does it require a separate table or can it sit neatly on your desk next to a computer?
Unique Features: Basically, what are the other bells and whistles? Can the printer scan? Can it copy? Can it fax?
Finally, value: Is the upfront cost affordable? What about the cost of ink? Does the price reflect the quality?

The 5 Best Printers for Families, According to Parents

Canon

Best Overall

1. Best Overall: Canon G7020 All-in-One Printer

What We Like

Does it all (print, copy, fax, etc.)
Photo quality is crisp and detailed
Wireless connectivity
Refillable and affordable ink supply

What We Don’t Like

LCD screen is small and tough to read
Landline required to send faxes
Scanning can appear grainy

Canon

For a printer that is easy to set up (took about 15 minutes), prints speedily (about 5 seconds a page) and delivers high-quality results, the Canon G7020 checks every family-related box. Our tester remarked first on its size—given all the services it provides, it’s still quite compact (the dimensions are about 15 x 15 inches) and sits easily on a desk without taking up too much space. It prints in both color and black-and-white and the ink supply is tank based, which means it’s affordable to refill (it should cost you about $22 to replace annually, assuming you print about 6,000 pages a year). There’s also an impressive range of features, from copying, to scanning to faxing, although when our tester scanned a black-and-white document, it came out a touch grainy, though was still much better than anything you can do on a phone. Overall, this printer nailed the job for both black-and-white text documents and colorful photo print-outs.

Fast Facts

Inkjet printer
Ink supply: 1 full set of ink comes included with the printer, then it costs about $22 to replace

$229 at Amazon

Best Budget

2. HP Deskjet 2855e

What We Like

Low-profile dimensions
What you get for the price
Wireless printing
Great for home office needs

What We Don't Like

Color printing is possible, but comes out a bit dull

HP

A printer that gets the job done on a budget is just the kind of workhorse a parent wants to rely on for daily use (say, homework assignments), but also for more ad hoc needs like printing a permission slip…or a list of the PTA’s pot-luck dinner assignments. After reviewing—and testing—the HP Deskjet 2855e, this printer checks all the boxes, but goes beyond: It’s easy to set up (expect to spend no more than 15 minutes), is compact (the dimensions are just 12 x 17 inches) and operates wirelessly, which means you can just as easily print from your computer as you can from your phone (the HP app, plus a wifi connection is required). As for the printer’s actual output, it printed in both black and white and color in under 10 seconds and also includes the ability to scan and copy. Our tester noted that this is a printer that’s best for documents vs. a ton of high-quality photo printing. In other words, color printing is possible, but don’t expect it to be the crispest output you’ve ever seen. Still, for the price, it’s quite functional for school projects and all your basic needs to get through the school year.

Fast Facts

Inkjet printer
Ink supply: 2 color and 2 black and white cartridges come included with a page yield of about 200 to 250 per cartridge (to replace, you can expect to spend about $50 total on black and color ink cartridges, but a new HP+ account gets you three months of free ink, and after that up to 50 percent savings on overall costs; a subscription fee applies)

$85 at Amazon

Epson

Best Ink Efficiency

3. Epson EcoTank ET-2850

What We Like

Long-lasting ink supply
High quality printing
Wireless printing

What We Don't Like

LCD screen, but it’s not a touch screen

Epson

For parents who need to print a lot, the Epson Eco-Tank ET-2850 is a top performer—especially when it comes to ink use. This printer, which comes with four refillable bottles of ink (black, cyan, yellow and magenta) can print up to 7,500 black-and-white pages and 6,000 color pages before you need to replenish. Our tester, a self-proclaimed luddite, found this printer straightforward to set up and loved the connectivity of the app, which meant they could print from anywhere in the house. They also appreciated the size of the printer; at 15 x 22 x 10 inches, it didn’t take up a ton of desk space. As for the output, both color and black-and-white pages print in seconds and this printer can handle luxe printing needs; a one-sheet designed in Photoshop for a presentation came out vibrant and crisp. There’s also the option to copy and scan.

Fast Facts

Inkjet printer
Ink supply: 1 black, cyan, yellow and magenta refillable ink bottle comes included and is projected to last up to two years (to refill, you can expect to spend about $25 for a replacement set)

$259 at amazon

Canon

Best Photo Printer

4. Canon Pixma-Pro 200

What We Like

Frame-worthy photo quality
Easy set-up
LCD touchscreen
Wireless printing capability

What We Don't Like

Larger profile means it takes up a ton of space
Ink is easy to accidentally throw out during set up

Canon

I spoke to many parents with nothing but rave reviews for this printer, which is particularly great for printing print-shop caliber images directly from one’s camera roll. Indeed, the Canon Pixma-Pro 200 prints in vibrant colors, perfect contrast and crisp detail, thanks to the 8-color dye-based ink system. The setup is easy to manage—it took about 30 minutes—and once you’re ready, a photo prints in a couple of minutes or less, depending on the size. (It can take the printer a minute to warm up with each printing request.) Keep in mind, you’ll likely need a separate and quite sturdy table on which to place this guy given its size and weight (25 by 15 inches and weighs 32 pounds). A word of warning: our tester also nearly tossed the included cartridges saying they looked like filler in the box. But if you care about printing photos that are high-quality at home, this printer can’t be beat.

Fast Facts

Inkjet printer
Ink supply: 1 of each ink color comes included (there are 8 in total) and it will cost about $104 to replace the full set (the page yield is up to 600)

$499 at amazon

Best Mini Portable Photo Printer

5. HP Sprocket Studio Plus 4x6 Photo Printer

What We Like

Plug and play photo printing
Wireless printing capability
Features fun frames and effects

What We Don't Like

Only one photo size available
Occasional connectivity issues

HP

School-aged kids love having access to a mini portable photo printer that they can use at home, all on their own. This option from HP—which prints exclusively in 4 x 6 inch sizes—is an affordable and kid-friendly option that is easy to use. Our tester loved how portable it truly is—the printer itself is about the size of a small book and weighs less than 3 pounds, which means you can carry it around the house or take it with you on vacation or to a school event. (School dance photo booth anyone?) Setup is simple: All you need is an outlet and the app, which allows you to print pics straight from your phone. Better yet, the quality of the prints rivals Walgreens, delivering nice contrast that’s not overly saturated, according to our tester. It’s worth noting that it prints in color stages, so don’t be alarmed when your first photo comes out of the machine and only shows yellow—the printer will quickly ingest it back in and add the blues and reds to give you the finished result. (Black-and-white photos also turn out clear and crisp.) You can expect a speed of approximately 90 seconds per photo, but note that connectivity issues can crop up between the app and the printer from time to time, per our tester. Kids will love the ability to customize prints—say, by adding text, a fun border or filters—and parents will love the convenience.

Fast Facts

Dye sublimation printer
Ink supply: One cartridge is included and should get you about 40 prints, plus a starter pack of paper (to replace, you’ll pay about $50, which gets you two more cartridges and 108 sheets of photo paper)

$150 at amazon

Rachel Bowie

Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College

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