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Best HP Printers

Updated December 2023
Bottom line
Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
HP OfficeJet 9015e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer
HP
OfficeJet 9015e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer
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Most Comprehensive
Bottom Line

A high-quality printer, copier, and scanner that we found to tackle daily tasks with ease during trials.

Pros

We found that print speeds were incredibly fast, making it a great choice if you need to print multiple pages on a regular basis. Allows you to print high-quality pictures directly from your phone. We really loved how easy the touch screen was to navigate for settings. Relatively quiet when compared to other options on the market.

Cons

We wish that there were options to edit color directly on the printer.

Best Bang for the Buck
HP DeskJet 4155e All-in-One Wireless Color Printer
HP
DeskJet 4155e All-in-One Wireless Color Printer
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Simple yet Solid
Bottom Line

We love how well this option performed in daily tasks at an affordable price point.

Pros

Offers printing directly from a phone. Includes a scanner option. We found that the printer's colors were quite vibrant even when printed on a variety of different papers. Has a compact size making it ideal for smaller offices or apartments. Doesn't over-use ink, so you can print a lot before needing to replace.

Cons

We found that setting up the scanner was quite tedious.

HP Tango Printer
HP
Tango Printer
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Value Pick
Bottom Line

A value option for those who want an all-in-one printer, scanner, copier, and wireless printer.

Pros

This is a great option for those who want to print from their mobile phones. Great photo option for your favorite iPhone snapshots. Voice-activation makes things even easier. Includes support for HP's in-house ink service to never run out at the wrong time.

Cons

This prints great quality for the price, but might not be ideal for professional artists and photographers.

HP OfficeJet Pro Premier All-in-One Printer​
HP
OfficeJet Pro Premier All-in-One Printer​
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Best For Productivity
Bottom Line

A powerful printer with a range of capabilities and automated features.

Pros

This premier printer delivers fast copying, faxing, and scanning. The automated Smart Tasks feature can quickly digitize and organize receipts and business documents. Includes two years of ink deliveries. Wears classy aluminum finish and equips voice activation.

Cons

Expensive. LCD could be bigger for the price.

HP ENVY 6055e All-in-One Wireless Color Printer
HP
ENVY 6055e All-in-One Wireless
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Best for Everyday Use
Bottom Line

A compact yet powerful printer that we found to be intuitive to set up and use thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity.

Pros

Printing in both black & white and color is incredibly fast and produces high-quality images. We loved how it showed ink levels in real-time to ensure that you would be able to get more before running out. Has an unobtrusive design that works well in any space. The Bluetooth connectivity allows you to print directly from your phone.

Cons

Doesn't come with instructions so less tech-savvy users may have issue with set up.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

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Buying guide for Best HP printers

Buying any tech product can feel overwhelming; there are so many options. If it’s time for a new printer, there are lots of choices to sift through. HP is a reputable company that makes quality printers, but which HP printer would be right for you?

Below, you’ll find tips on what to look for when choosing an HP printer, what prices to expect when shopping for one, and a section on common issues you might run into.

When you’re done familiarizing yourself with the HP printer world, see our five HP printer picks. We’ve narrowed the choices down so you can focus on finding the best HP printer for your home or workplace.

Most home users would benefit from choosing an all-in-one HP printer over a print-only unit. In general, the cost difference is minimal, and with an all-in-one printer, you have all your potential needs covered.

What to consider when buying a printer

Before narrowing down the type and model of HP printer to buy, here are a few things to think about while you’re browsing for a new device.

Do you want a print-only printer or an all-in-one printer?

A print-only printer is a good option if you’re just looking to print out notes and documents and want something simple. Print-only units don’t have any extra functions. All-in-one models, on the other hand, can multitask. All-in-one printers usually perform two or more of the following.

  • Photocopying

  • Scanning

  • Faxing

  • Printing

Larger all-in-one units, built specifically for office tasks, may also have the ability to bind documents together or create booklets.

The majority of printers sold by HP are all-in-one models. If you do a lot of scanning and photocopying, an HP-brand printer is an excellent choice. HP models outperform other brands when it comes to making color copies. They are also capable of producing high-quality scans.

Does print speed matter to you?

Printing speed is measured in page per minute, or ppm. If you’re in need of a speedy printer, however, you should take this measurement with a grain of salt unless you plan on printing mostly text documents. Manufacturers calculate printer speed using low-quality print settings in order to shine the best possible light on their products. If you plan to print high-resolution photographs or lots of color pages, expect a significantly slower performance than what’s advertised.

HP printers have an average print speed rating, clocking in at about 8.5 pages per minute for plain text. That said, the plain text print quality of an HP printer tends to be above average.

For photos, HP models print a little slower than other brands. However, they’re not so slow that you shouldn’t consider HP for photo printing. On the contrary, we encountered a number of high-quality printers with photo capabilities during our research.

"Be careful when buying ink or toner online. There is a counterfeit market for this type of product. Not sure how to tell if the ink you bought is legitimate? HP has an app to help you spot fakes that might damage your printer."
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Do you need to print lots of graphics?

Most color printers are suitable for printing photographs. You just need to buy photo paper for the best results. Some photo printers even allow you to directly connect your own digital camera, as long as it’s compatible with the machine.

HP-brand printers are great for printing graphics-heavy PDF documents. For glossy prints, HP models are just as capable as other brands. However, users should expect their photos to print with a slightly warmer tone.

Do you want a printer with wireless connectivity?

While most printers can connect to your computer or laptop via USB, many also have wireless capabilities. Connecting to your printer via WiFi means you don’t need to house it on your desk. In many cases, it also means you can connect various home or work computers to a single printer.

If you have an Apple OS, you may be interested in an AirPrint-enabled printer from HP. You can print from an iPad or other Apple device wirelessly with AirPrint.

Do you want a printer that’s easily portable?

Some printers are made for on-the-go use. Much smaller than their full-size counterparts, portable printers also weigh less. Though compact, they’re pricier than regular printers but are a good option for those who travel for work or don’t have a traditional office space. They’re equally suited to those with limited workspace, such as apartment dwellers or students.HP makes some compact printers. If you’re interested in printing photos, a portable photo printer from HP may be right for you. You simply need to connect your smartphone to print out high-quality images.

A note about paper handling

What’s a printer without paper?

Some printers are top-loading, meaning you insert the paper from the top. Others feature a paper tray on the bottom. Most printers, except some travel ones, allow you to adjust the size of the paper feed to accommodate things like envelopes and unique page sizes. Some printers also allow you to adjust for the thickness of paper used, like heavyweight cardstock.

Students and environmentally minded consumers may want to consider a printer with a duplexing feature. This feature allows the printer to print double-sided documents on its own. There’s no need to remove and flip the paper manually. You'll save both paper and time.

HP printers rank among the fastest for double-sided printing.

Content Image
Did you know?
Some photo printers are designed to be compatible with your smartphone. They connect via Bluetooth so you can print selfies and family vacation pics on the go.
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HP inkjet printers vs. HP laser printers

Should you get an inkjet HP printer or a laser HP printer? Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of each printer type.

Inkjet printers

Inkjet printers are a good option for low-volume, black-and-white printing at home or in the office. Compared to laser, inkjet is the way to go for photography enthusiasts or professionals. HP inkjet printers are capable of printing high-quality plain text pages and feature print speeds comparable to other brands.

Inkjet Pros:

  • Better for color or photo printing

  • Inexpensive upfront cost

  • Compact (compared to laser printers)

Cons:

  • Costly replacement ink

  • Slower than laser printers

  • Low-capacity paper tray

Laser printers

Laser printers are a popular option for office settings where printing is mostly done in monochrome. Businesses or workplaces where high-volume printing is required will find a laser printer more cost-effective than an inkjet model.

Color laser printers exist but cost a pretty penny. For most offices, a color laser printer is not a necessity. A laser printer is best for settings where frequent, large-batch printing jobs are required. HP-brand laser printers work well and are just as fast as other printer brands. Because of higher ink costs, however, they are slightly more expensive to run.

Pros:

  • Cost-efficient for high-volume printing

  • Faster than inkjet units

  • Durable

Cons:

  • More expensive upfront

  • Not good for printing photos

  • Take up lots of space

Content Image
Did you know?
Print speed varies depending on whether you’re printing in color or black-and-white. Color printing will always be slower than monochrome printing.
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HP printer prices

All-in-one printers are very affordable, costing about the same as a print-only options. Unless you want the most basic printer available, we recommend you opt for an all-in-one unit.

Under $100

All-in-one and print-only inkjet color printers are readily available from HP for under $100. Often, however, the more inexpensive models come with higher long-term ink costs.

Under $200

You can get a high-capacity all-in-one HP inkjet printer in this price range. It costs more upfront, but you save money over time because the printer uses less ink. Prints will be high-quality, as well. You can also find photo and print-only laser printers at this price point.

$300 and Up

Printers in this price range use ink more economically, are faster, and produce higher-quality printouts. For over $300, you’ll mostly be looking at HP laser printers. For color laser printing, you can expect to spend well over $500.

Other print-related costs

A printer is an inexpensive piece of office equipment. That said, you must factor in the costs of ink and paper as well.

Many cheap printers use expensive ink cartridges that cost more than what you might pay initially for the device. With laser printers, you also need to consider the price of toner.

HP printer ink falls on the higher end of the price spectrum compared to other ink brands. HP does offer an ink subscription service to help offset the higher price of its printer ink, however.

In addition, there’s the cost of paper to think about. Higher-quality paper is expensive, but if you make the investment, your printed documents and photos will look great.

Common printer issues

For many, having a printer in the office or at home is a necessity. But a printer does come with a unique set of potential problems. Printers make life easier, but they can also cause annoying headaches when they don’t work as they should.

Slow performance

A slow printer performance can be remedied by going into your document’s print settings and selecting a lower-quality printing option. Printing at this setting will be significantly faster. If you just need to print notes or text documents, producing a high-quality page isn’t really necessary.

Lined pages

If your printed documents are not clear or have lines running across the page, it’s time for a cleaning. Go into your printer's settings and run a cleaning cycle. Make sure to print a test page before declaring the problem solved.

Paper jams

Avoid paper jams by using fresh sheets of paper that aren’t torn or crinkled. Don’t overfill your paper tray, either. Store extra printer paper out of the sun to avoid yellowing and dust collection.

Printer maintenance

No matter which printer you choose, we’ve got a few tips to help you keep it running smoothly.

  • Run a cleaning cycle every so often to maintain high print quality.

  • Don’t let your printer collect dust. It can get trapped inside your printer and cause it to malfunction.

  • Don’t use crumpled or torn paper in your printer’s feed. This can cause jams.

  • Don’t yank out the paper if your printer jams; gently pull to remove it.

  • Replace ink cartridges. Printing on low-ink can damage your printing head.

  • Use it or lose it. Letting your printer sit unused can cause the ink to dry up.

Using cheap paper will probably leave you with low-quality print-outs. Want higher-quality results? Buy better paper.

FAQ

Q. Can I refill ink cartridges myself to save money?

A. While it is technically an option, refillable cartridges are often not fully compatible with specific printers. You likely won’t be alerted when the ink is low or has run out, which may cause damage to your device. Third-party ink refills may also be of lower quality than a compatible ink cartridge. If you’re worried about the cost of ink, consider signing up for HP’s ink subscription service.

Q. I went to change my ink cartridge because I received a “low-ink” alert. It still looks like there’s ink inside the cartridge. What’s going on?

A. Often, you’ll get an “ink empty” message on your screen and find out there’s actually some stuff still left in there. Some will tell you it’s a ploy from manufacturers to force people to spend more on ink. More likely it’s a safety mechanism to prevent printer head damage. It’s an annoying situation to find yourself in since some printers won’t allow you to continue print jobs once a low cartridge is detected. However, many HP-brand printers don’t force you to change your cartridges at this point. Just keep an eye on your ink levels, and have some backups on hand when you’re in a pinch.

Q. Does the kind of computer I own matter?

A. Not really. Most printers are compatible with both Windows and Apple systems. A printer’s system requirements will usually be clearly indicated for easy reference.

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