The best wireless printers for back to school in 2024
Heading back to school means preparing for a variety of tasks, from printing important documents to scanning assignments and other materials. Whether you're a student or a parent, having a reliable wireless printer for back to school, along with other tech and essentials such as multi-device chargers, tablets, laptops and calculators, can help you ease into the school year with efficiency and organization.
We're huge fans of all-in-one printers that offer photocopying, scanning and faxing capabilities in a single device. Better yet -- these devices can even let you print using just your phone.
One of our top picks is the Canon Maxify GX2020. It's an all-in-one inkjet printer that uses ink tanks, instead of expensive cartridges that often waste ink. One set of full ink tanks will last the average user up to two years. If that doesn't make you want to click "add to cart," here's some food for thought -- refilling all four tanks costs less than $50.
Best wireless printers for home and back to school
Here are the best wireless printers that are compatible with Windows PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets. If you're an Apple user, be sure to choose a wireless printer that supports AirPrint. Windows, ChromeOS or Android-based users should seek a printer that supports wireless printing via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Best wireless all-in-one inkjet printer: Canon Maxify GX2020
Printer Type: All-in-one inkjet | Key Functions: Print, Copy, Scan, Fax | Color: Yes | Paper Tray Capacity: 250-sheets (front), up to 100-sheets (rear) | Print Speed: Up to 15ppm (black), 10ppm (color) | Print Resolution: 600 x 1200 dpi
From a wireless standpoint, the new GX2020 supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), along with AirPrint, Mopria, the Canon Print app and Bluetooth printing. The 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen makes the printer easy to operate, with quick access to all features and functions. The GX2020 also has a 35-sheet ADF. As an all-in-one device, it handles printing, photocopying, scanning and faxing. One set of pigment ink bottles will fill the printer's tanks and generate up to 3,000 black or 3,000 full-color pages.
In addition to being able to generate near laser quality text-based documents, the printer does an excellent job creating near photo lab quality prints from digital images (when premium photo paper is used). In addition to handling 8.5 x 11-inch paper, the GX2020 can handle any size media between 3.5 and 8.5 inches wide and between 5 and 14 inches long.
We love this printer because it's very affordable to maintain and it handles a wide range of key functions. The scanner offers up to 1,200 x 2,400 dpi resolution, while the fax resolution is 300 x 300 dpi. Printing and photocopying resolution is up to 600 x 1,200 dpi and print speed is up to 15ppm (black) or 10ppm (color). This is a versatile printer that's ideal for a busy household, as it will handle a wide range of needs and can generate prints from mobile devices or computers. The printer is compatible with Windows PCs, Macs, iOS and Android mobile devices.
Pros:
- For documents, you get high-quality and full-color output.
- The printer does an excellent job creating prints from digital photos.
- The all-in-one capabilities give the printer a lot of versatility.
- The 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen is easy to see and navigate.
Cons:
- The GX2020 does not support two-sided (full-duplex) printing.
Best wireless inkjet printer for a home: Canon Maxify GX5020
Printer Type: Inkjet | Key Functions: Prints (single function) | Color: Yes | Paper Tray Capacity: 250 sheets | Print Speed: 24ppm (black), 15.5ppm (color) | Print Resolution: 600 x 1,200 dpi
For a typical home, we're fans of the Canon Maxify GX5020. It relies on ink tanks, not ink cartridges. Full ink tanks will generate up to 6,000 B&W pages or 14,000 full-color pages, so the ongoing cost of operation is very low.
The front paper tray has a 250-sheet capacity, while the rear paper tray has a 100-sheet capacity. The printer handles two-sided printing and uses pigment ink that's very close to laser printer quality. Print speed is also up to 24ppm. For wireless printing, the GX5020 supports Apple AirPrint, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, the Canon Print app and Mopria Print Service. Another great feature is that the printer supports a wide range of media types and sizes, including regular paper, envelopes, labels and banners.
Pros:
- The per-page print cost is less than $0.02.
- The GX5020 prints in a wide range of sizes, up to 8.5 x 47 inches.
- This printer is great for everyday printing and photo printing (with photo paper).
- Ongoing costs are very low compared to printers that utilize traditional ink cartridges. A full set of non-genuine ink bottles costs as little as $34.
Cons:
- There's no full-color touchscreen display.
- This is just a printer, not an all-in-one device.
Best wireless monochrome laser printer: Brother MFCL2750DW
Printer Type: All-in-one monochrome laser | Key Functions: Print, Copy, Scan, Fax | Color: No | Paper Tray Capacity: 250-sheets | Print Speed: Up to 36 ppm | Print Resolution: 1,200 x 1,200 dpi
The biggest benefits of a monochrome laser printer are the sharp output and fast print speed. The drawback is that these printers can't generate any color content.
We love this Brother MFCL2750DW monochrome laser printer because it's affordable. It also offers all of the key features you'd want from this type of printer, including two-sided printing capabilities, a fast print and photocopying speed, a high-yield toner cartridge (that's affordable to replace) and a 50-sheet auto document feeder. You also get wireless printing capabilities and a 2.7-inch color touchscreen (from which you can control all aspects of the printer's functionality).
Each Brother Genuine TN770 super high-yield toner cartridge ($121 on Amazon) will generate up to 4,500 pages. Lower-cost compatible toner cartridges are also available.
Pros:
- This printer's print speed is up to 36 ppm.
- Scanner resolution is up to 19,200 x 1,299 dpi.
- The printer comes with a toner cartridge with a 700-page print yield.
Cons:
- The printer does not use cutting-edge technology, but it is still well suited to a home or home office with basic monochrome printing needs.
Best budget wireless, cartridge-based inkjet printer: Canon Pixma MG3620
Printer Type: Inkjet | Key Functions: Print, Copy, Scan | Color: Yes | Paper Tray Capacity: 100 sheets | Print Speed: Up to 9.9 ppm (black), 5.7 ppm (color) | Print Resolution: 600 x 600 dpi (black), up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi (color)
For less than $60, you can purchase this no-frills, all-in-one Canon Pixma MG3620 inkjet printer. Unlike the latest and greatest inkjet printers currently available, this one relies on traditional ink cartridges, so over time, it has a higher cost to operate than ink tank-based printers.
Due to its rather slow print speed, this printer is best suited to someone with minimal printing needs. On the plus side, the printer offers an impressively high print resolution (4,800 x 1,200 dpi) and has automatic two-sided printing capabilities. The flatbed scanner offers a resolution of 2,400 x 1,200 dpi.
If you don't like a printer with a solid black housing, the Canon Pixma MG3620 also comes in solid white or red. To function, the MG3620 relies on two traditional ink cartridges –- a pigment-based black and a dye-based tri-color cartridge. On Amazon, you can purchase the Canon 240XL black cartridge (300-page yield) for $24 and the Canon 241XL tri-color cartridge (400-page yield) for $33.
Pros:
- It's an affordable printer to purchase and ideal for someone with minimal printing needs.
- Color print resolution is up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi, which is high for a printer at this low price point.
- The Canon Pixma MG3620 offers wireless printing.
Cons:
- Print speed is rather slow.
- There's no touchscreen to control the printer.
- There's no auto document feeder.
Best wireless color laser printer for a home: HP Color LaserJet Pro M283fdw
Printer Type: Color laser | Key Functions: Print, Copy, Scan, Fax | Color: Yes | Paper Tray Capacity: 250 sheets (main), 100 sheets (rear) | Print Speed: Up to 22 ppm | Print Resolution: 600 x 600 dpi
While the cost of full-color laser printers has dropped in recent years, these printers are still extremely expensive to maintain. Color laser printers require multiple toner cartridges, and the replacement cost of these cartridges is expensive. While a color laser printer is great for producing sharp, full-color, text-based documents and reproducing charts and graphics, for example, this type of printer is not suitable for creating prints from digital images (using photo paper).
The print speed of the M283fdw is rather quick at 22 ppm. It also supports a wide range of paper and media sizes, starting as small as 4 x 6 inches and going up to 8.5 x 14-inch paper. Using the HP Smart app, wireless printing from a smartphone or tablet is simple. However, it's also possible to handle wireless printing without a special app from a Windows PC or Mac. The color touchscreen makes it easy to access and control each of the printer's features and functions.
As an all-in-one printer, the M283fdw includes a 50-sheet capacity auto document feeder. The biggest drawback to this printer is the replacement cost of the four required toner cartridges (black, cyan, yellow and magenta). The HP 206X black high yield (3,150 pages) cartridge costs $105, while the three HP 206X color toner cartridges (2,450 pages) are priced at $111 each. This makes the printer well-suited for a home office, but cost prohibitive for most households.
Pros:
- The printer generates sharp, full-color text and basic charts or graphs.
- You get decent print speed, with a nice assortment of printing options, including automatic two-sided printing.
- Using the touchscreen, the printer's mobile app or the printer's computer driver makes it easy to print wirelessly from almost any computer or mobile device.
Cons:
- The replacement toner cartridges are expensive.
- The 600 x 600 dpi print resolution could be better.
Best wireless home photo printer: Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500
Printer Type: Inkjet | Key Functions: Printer, Scanner, Photocopier | Color: Yes | Paper Tray Capacity: 100-sheets (main), 20-sheets (secondary), 50-sheets (rear) | Print Speed: Up to 16 ppm (black), 12 ppm (color) | Print Resolution: 5,760 x 1,440 dpi
This wireless photo printer is a tad on the expensive side, but what you get is a high-resolution printer that's able to generate professional-quality prints. While you can use the printer to create B&W documents, where this printer shines is when it generates full-color content, especially prints from digital images at up to 5,760 x 1,440 dpi resolution. Maximum print size is 13 x 19 inches. With its wireless capabilities, documents or photo prints can be created directly from a smartphone, tablet or computer.
The ET-8500 utilizes a full-color, 4.2-inch touchscreen display, which makes it easy to use the printer and access all of its features and functions. While this printer lacks an auto document feeder (ADF), it does have an integrated 4,800 dpi flatbed scanner that can be used for scanning and photocopying.
First and foremost, this is a high-end photo printer that's suitable for a semi-pro photographer looking to create high-quality prints from their digital images. The printer supports a wide range of photo papers and other media.
Pros:
- Creates professional-quality photo prints.
- Ink tanks will save you a fortune over time, compared to ink cartridges.
- One full set of tanks will generate up to 6,200 color pages.
- Create a 4 x 6-inch photo print in less than 15 seconds.
- The printer uses 6-color Claria ET with photography dye inks to produce extremely detailed photographic prints.
Cons:
- The paper tray capacity is very low.
Things to consider when choosing a wireless printer
When shopping for a wireless printer, it's important to determine your printing needs, so you can narrow down the type of printer that will serve you the best. If you only need monochrome (black and white) prints and want speed, a laser printer is a great option. If you want to print in full color, an inkjet printer that uses pigment inks will generate print quality that's almost as good as a laser printer, plus you can create photo prints.
There are also dedicated wireless photo printers for creating lab-quality prints from your digital images at home, and costly color laser printers – all of which offer wireless connectivity. For a full-color inkjet printer, plan on spending between $60 to $400. Price is determined by print speed, print quality, paper tray capacity and what other features are offered. When pricing a printer, focus on the cost of the printer itself, as well as the cost of replacement ink.
Here are some essential features our consumer technology experts recommend you seek out when shopping for a wireless printer:
- Functions: Some all-in-one printers offer faxing capabilities, have a built-in automatic document feeder, support multiple wireless printing protocols, have a touchscreen and more.
- Print speed: If you often print long documents, you'll want the fastest printer possible. In addition to focusing on how many pages-per-minute (ppm) the printer can generate, pay attention to how long it takes for the printer to generate the first page of a document.
- Paper tray capacities: All printers have at least one paper tray. When the printer has two or three paper trays, this means it can have multiple paper sizes and paper types at your disposal. Some paper trays can also accommodate envelopes or other types of media. Things to consider when choosing an all-in-one printer include how many paper trays the printer has, the location of the paper trays and how easy they are to access. Each tray's sheet capacity is also an important consideration. The larger the capacity, the less frequently you'll need to stop what you're doing to refill the tray with more paper.
- Auto two-sided printing: This allows a printer to print on both sides of the page. This is an easy way to save paper and help the environment.
- Ink cartridge yield: Whether a printer uses ink tanks, traditional ink cartridges or toner cartridges, its print yield determines how many pages you'll generate before needing a refill. An inkjet printer with ink tanks will offer a print yield between 5,000 and 12,000 pages, while a printer that uses ink cartridges will need to have the cartridges replaced (at a significant cost) after generating just a few hundred pages.
- Ink type: Dye-based inks are used by most inkjet printers. However, when this type of printer uses pigment ink, you'll often notice sharper output closer to laser quality.
- Wireless printing: If you're an Apple user, seek out a printer that supports AirPrint to use wireless printing without needing a special app. If you use an Android device, you'll want a printer that supports Mopria for wireless printing.
- Printer resolution: That's measured in dots-per-inch (dpi). The higher the resolution, the sharper the content generated by the printer.
- Scanner resolution: Scan resolution determines how much detail the machine can capture. This too is measured in dpi. Seek out a machine that offers a scan resolution of at least 1,200 x 1,200 dpi, although higher is better.
- Photocopy speed: This is the output speed for generating photocopies. Laser printers will have identical print and copy speeds, but these speeds can vary when using an inkjet printer.
- Dimensions: Dimensions determine how much space it'll take up. You'll want to set up the printer as close to your computer as possible. The printer will also need to be placed near a power outlet.
