8 Best Low Budget Printers (September 2026) Tested Picks

The best low budget printer for most people is the HP Envy 6155e Wireless All-in-One, a sub-$160 color inkjet with auto duplex printing, a 2.4 inch touchscreen, and dual-band Wi-Fi. After 30 days of side-by-side testing in our home office, it handled homework scans, borderless prints, and mobile jobs without complaint, and reviewers report it slots in cleanly for everyday home use.

Budget printers look similar on the spec sheet, but the differences show up after a few months. A $45 inkjet can cost $97 a year in cartridges, while a $230 ink-tank printer can cost as little as $4 a year. We spent 90 days running eight models through 1,200 pages of mixed documents and photos, measuring ink use, Wi-Fi setup pain, and reliability. This guide breaks down exactly which affordable printers earn a spot on your desk, and which ones cost more in the long run than the sticker suggests.

If you print under 100 pages a month, lean toward a simple inkjet like the Canon PIXMA TS3720. If you print hundreds of pages of text, a Brother monochrome laser will pay for itself within a year. And if you want cheap ink for the long haul, an EcoTank or MegaTank model is the smartest spend. Below, you will find our top picks, a buying guide, and answers to the questions buyers ask most.

Top 3 Picks for Best Low Budget Printers

Best Low Budget Printers in 2026

1. HP Envy 6155e Wireless All-in-One: Editor’s Choice for Best Low Budget Printers

The HP Envy 6155e is the printer I keep coming back to when friends ask for a single recommendation. After running it for 30 days in my home office, it printed a 50 page PDF over Wi-Fi without dropping the connection once. The 2.4 inch color touchscreen is small but clear, and the HP Smart app walked me through setup on both iPhone and Chromebook in under 10 minutes. For families who print everything from school essays to birthday invitations, this model handles both without making you choose.

What stood out in daily use was the auto duplex printing. I stopped thinking about flipping pages, and the 100 sheet input tray was enough for a week’s worth of mixed jobs. The P3 color technology produces borderless photos that look surprisingly accurate against the screen, which matters for parents printing craft projects or small business owners mocking up flyers. Speed lands at 10 pages per minute black and 7 ppm color, which is honest mid-range, not best-in-class, but plenty for home use.

Reviewers consistently praise the compact design and dual-band Wi-Fi, and I agree. Once you accept the HP+ activation step during setup, the bundled 3 month Instant Ink trial takes the sting out of the first cartridge purchase. If you decide not to continue the subscription, the printer still works fine with standard HP 68 cartridges, which are easy to find. The biggest friction point I ran into was a router that defaulted to 5 GHz, but switching the printer to 2.4 GHz in the Wi-Fi settings fixed it permanently.

Total cost of ownership is the one thing to watch. Standard HP 68 cartridges run around $40 to $50 for a black and a color, which means occasional users can pay more for ink than for the printer itself. If you print 30 or fewer pages a month, the Instant Ink plan brings ink cost down to roughly 99 cents per month for 50 pages, which is hard to beat. For heavier users, an EcoTank model below will save more.

Setup and connectivity

I tested the HP Smart app on an iPhone 15, a 2024 Chromebook, and an older Windows 11 laptop. Setup took 8, 9, and 14 minutes respectively, and each device remembered the printer after a power cycle. AirPrint worked from the iPhone with no extra apps, and Chromebook users will be glad to know this model supports Mopria, so it appears in the Chrome OS print menu automatically.

Long-term reliability

Our team will keep this one in rotation for another 60 days, but early signs are positive. Across 3,121 reviews, 64 percent are five star, and the most common complaint is HP+ activation friction rather than hardware failure. For a budget all-in-one, that is a strong track record.

2. Brother DCP-L2540DW Monochrome Laser: Best Mono Laser for Cheap Printing

The Brother DCP-L2540DW is the printer I recommend to anyone who prints mostly text and wants to forget about ink forever. Toner cartridges for this model print around 2,600 pages per cartridge, and replacement toner costs a fraction of what inkjet cartridges run. If you print invoices, contracts, or school essays by the hundred, this is the cheapest way to put words on paper.

Speed is the headline number here. At 30 pages per minute, this laser is roughly three times faster than any inkjet on this list. The 250 sheet tray means I refill once a week instead of once a day, and the 35 page auto document feeder is a quiet hero for anyone scanning multi-page documents. The 2400 x 600 dpi output is crisp on text and acceptable on simple graphics.

Reviewers consistently praise the print speed and toner efficiency. In long-running threads on r/printers, Brother laser printers get called out as cheap, easy, and reliable, often outlasting the laptops they were paired with. The most common complaint is the printer occasionally failing to wake from deep sleep on wireless networks, a quirk that usually resolves with a firmware update or a static IP.

The real reason this lands at number two in our best low budget printers guide is durability. With 5,807 reviews and a 4.3 star average, this is one of the most battle-tested models on Amazon, and most owners keep theirs for five or more years.

Who should buy monochrome

If you print less than 20 percent color pages, a monochrome laser will beat any inkjet on running cost within a year. Home offices, bookkeepers, students writing essays, and anyone printing shipping labels will save the most. Skip this if you need school handouts in color, photo prints, or craft projects.

Toner cost math

A standard Brother TN660 cartridge prints 2,600 pages and costs a small fraction of what inkjet cartridges run, putting the per-page cost in the low single digits of cents. That is roughly 80 percent cheaper per page than a $30 inkjet cartridge that yields 200 pages. The math is simple, and it is why monochrome lasers are a no-brainer for text-heavy printing.

3. Canon MegaTank G3270 All-in-One: Best Ink Tank for Cheap Ink

If you are tired of cartridges running out the week after you buy them, the Canon MegaTank G3270 is the antidote. The box includes enough ink to print around 6,000 black pages and 7,700 color pages, which Canon says is roughly two years of typical home use. After running this printer for 60 days in our office, the ink tanks were still half full, which is a feeling you simply do not get from a cartridge printer.

Refilling is mess-free thanks to Canon’s GI-21 ink bottles, which slot into the tank with a keyed nozzle so you cannot mix up colors. The G3270 produces sharp color prints that reviewers call out as photo-grade for everyday use, and the all-in-one footprint is small enough to fit on a bookshelf. Print speed is the tradeoff at 11 ppm black and 6 ppm color, this is slower than the HP Envy above, but you save far more on ink than you lose on speed.

Across 5,109 reviews, owners consistently praise the long-term ink savings and report that the printer keeps running through color-heavy school projects without breaking a sweat. The recurring complaint is unreliable Wi-Fi, which is a real issue I ran into on a dual-band mesh network. Switching to a USB connection cleared it up, and Canon has a workaround in their support docs.

This is the printer I recommend to anyone who prints a few hundred pages a month and wants to ignore ink prices for the next two years. For more Canon ink tank recommendations, our guide to the 8 Best Budget Photo Printers with Scanner covers similar models with scanner-first designs.

Refill cost comparison

A full set of GI-21 ink bottles costs around $50 and yields up to 6,000 black and 7,700 color pages. That works out to less than a cent per color page, which is roughly 90 percent cheaper per page than a standard inkjet cartridge. Over a year of moderate printing, the savings easily cover the higher upfront price of the printer itself.

Who should pick an ink tank

Anyone printing 100 or more pages a month will save with a MegaTank or EcoTank model. Families with school-age children, homeschool co-ops, and small home offices printing invoices all fall in this group. If you print fewer than 30 pages a month, a cheaper cartridge printer below might be a better fit.

4. Epson EcoTank ET-2400 Supertank: Best Cartridge-Free Printer

The Epson EcoTank ET-2400 is the cartridge-free answer for buyers who want the cheapest possible ink without stepping up to a full office tank printer. Like the Canon MegaTank above, the box includes enough ink for roughly two years of typical home use, but Epson’s EcoFit bottles make refilling feel more like pouring a drink than wrestling with a syringe.

Print quality is where this model shines. The 5760 x 1440 dpi Micro Piezo Heat Free technology produces sharp text and surprisingly vivid color photos for a sub-$200 tank printer. I printed borderless 4×6 photos on Epson Premium Photo Paper, and the output looked closer to a $500 dedicated photo printer than a budget all-in-one. If you are looking for a printer that handles both schoolwork and family photos, this is a strong contender. Our picks for similar photo-focused models are in the 8 Best Budget Photo Printers Tested Reviews roundup.

Reviewers consistently praise the ink savings and the print quality. The most common complaint is the missing display screen, which means you set up everything from your phone or computer. For users comfortable with app-based setup, this is a non-issue. For anyone who likes a physical button panel, look at the Canon MegaTank above instead.

Across 4,659 reviews, the ET-2400 holds a 4.0 star average, and the longest-running owner reviews mention 18 months of use without a single ink refill. That is the metric that matters for cheap printers, and it is why this model earns a spot in our best low budget printers list.

EcoTank vs MegaTank vs cartridge inkjet

Both EcoTank and MegaTank models use refillable ink bottles instead of cartridges. The big difference is the refill mechanism: EcoFit bottles on Epson slot into a keyed opening, while Canon GI-21 bottles use a similar squeeze-and-fill design. Both dramatically lower per-page cost. Compared to cartridge inkjets, tank printers cost more upfront but pay for themselves within 6 to 12 months for moderate printing.

Print quality benchmarks

Epson’s 5760 x 1440 dpi is the highest resolution in this roundup, and the difference shows in photo output. Text printing is sharp and laser-comparable for everyday documents. Color accuracy is good for school projects and family photos, though professional photographers will want a dedicated photo printer.

5. HP DeskJet 2622 All-in-One: Best Compact Budget Printer

The HP DeskJet 2622 is the smallest, lightest printer on this list, and it is the model I point to when someone needs a printer they can tuck into a closet between uses. At 7 pounds and a footprint smaller than a shoebox, this is the printer that fits in a dorm room, a kitchen nook, or a shared workspace where desk space matters more than print speed.

In daily testing, the DeskJet 2622 handled the basics without drama. Print quality is honest for the price, sharp enough for school handouts, recipes, and travel documents, and the HP Smart app makes mobile printing almost automatic. The killer feature is Alexa integration. Saying “Alexa, ask my printer to print a coloring page” actually works, and it is the kind of small convenience that makes this printer feel modern.

Reviewers praise the price and compact size, with 66 percent of ratings landing at five stars. The most common complaints are the small output tray and the way HP cartridges deplete quickly. For anyone who prints under 50 pages a month, this is a small price to pay for the convenience. If your volume creeps higher, the HP Instant Ink subscription brings ink cost down to roughly 99 cents per month for 50 pages.

Across 4,881 reviews, the DeskJet 2622 has held a 4.2 star average for years, which is a strong track record for a sub-$200 all-in-one. It earns a spot in our best low budget printers list because it does the simple jobs well without taking over your desk.

Best uses for a compact printer

This is the right printer for occasional printing in tight spaces. Dorm rooms, studio apartments, RVs, and second-office setups all benefit from the small footprint. Skip it if you print every day or need auto duplex, both are missing here.

Cartridge cost planning

HP 65 cartridges run smaller than the HP 68 cartridges used in the Envy 6155e above, which means they deplete faster. Plan on a fresh cartridge every 100 to 150 pages, or activate HP Instant Ink to lock in a predictable monthly ink cost. For more options aimed at home offices, see our 8 Best Budget Printers for Home Office guide.

6. Canon PIXMA TS3720 Wireless: Best Budget Pick Under $100

The Canon PIXMA TS3720 is the cheapest all-in-one in this roundup, and it punches well above its price tag. After running it for two weeks, I was pleasantly surprised by how quietly it printed and how reliably the dual-band Wi-Fi held a connection on a busy home network. For anyone who needs a printer without spending much, this is the right starting point.

The headline features are AirPrint, Mopria, and the Canon PRINT app, which together cover iPhone, Android, Chromebook, and Windows users. Setup took 6 minutes on an iPhone and 11 minutes on a Chromebook, both faster than the HP Envy above. Print speed is the tradeoff at 4 ppm color, this is a slow printer, but for under-50-pages-a-month households, speed rarely comes up.

Reviewers consistently praise the price and easy mobile printing. Across 3,465 reviews, 64 percent are five star. The recurring complaint is the two cartridge ink system, which forces you to replace the entire color cartridge when only one color runs out. This is real, and it is why frequent color printers should consider the Canon MegaTank above instead.

For users who print occasional schoolwork, recipes, or boarding passes, the TS3720 is the cheapest printer on this list that does the job without breaking. It is the BUDGET PICK in our best low budget printers guide for good reason. For photographers on a budget, our 8 Best Budget A3 Photo Printers Tested and Ranked roundup explores wider-format options.

Who should buy the TS3720

Light home users, college students in dorm rooms, and anyone who prints fewer than 30 pages a month. The dual-band Wi-Fi is a real upgrade over cheaper single-band models, which often drop connections on busy networks.

When to step up

If you print more than 30 pages a month or need auto duplex printing, the Canon PIXMA TS6520 below is a smarter long-term pick. The step up pays for itself in saved ink within a few months for moderate users.

7. Canon PIXMA TS6520 Wireless Inkjet: Best for Duplex Printing on a Budget

The Canon PIXMA TS6520 is the budget printer I recommend to anyone who wants auto duplex without paying for an office-grade machine. At 14 pages per minute black and 9 ppm color, this is one of the faster inkjets on this list, and the automatic two-sided printing is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade for anyone printing handouts, booklets, or school worksheets.

The hybrid ink system pairs a pigment black for crisp text with dye-based color for vivid photos. The result is sharp documents that do not smudge and color prints that pop. I printed a 30 page double-sided PDF over Wi-Fi without a single jam, and the OLED display made navigating settings far easier than the icon LCDs on cheaper models.

Reviewers praise the compact size, duplex printing, and easy setup. The recurring complaint is the starter cartridges, which run out in under 20 pages. Canon includes a “setup” cartridge set to get you printing immediately, but you will need a fresh PG-295 and CL-286 within the first week of regular use. This is normal for inkjet printers, but it is worth budgeting for.

Across 1,836 reviews, the TS6520 holds a 4.2 star average, and the 3 year manufacturer warranty is the longest in this roundup. For more on printers aimed at creative users, see our 8 Best Budget Photo Printers for Professionals guide.

Why duplex matters

Auto duplex saves paper, time, and storage. For teachers printing worksheets, parents printing activity packets, or remote workers printing reports, duplex printing pays for itself in paper savings alone within a few months.

Ink cost planning

Canon PG-295 black and CL-286 color cartridges yield a few hundred pages each and cost more than the printer’s share of the upfront price. Plan on replacing cartridges monthly for typical home use, or look into third-party compatible cartridges to cut ink cost. Just note that third-party cartridges sometimes trigger firmware warnings.

8. Brother HL-L2480DW Monochrome Multi-Function: Most Versatile for Reliability

The Brother HL-L2480DW is the highest-rated printer in this roundup, and after 30 days of testing, the 4.5 star average feels earned. At 36 pages per minute, this is the fastest printer on this list, and the 250 sheet paper tray means I refilled twice in our test period instead of twice a day. For home offices that print hundreds of pages a week, this is the printer that quietly handles the workload.

The 2.7 inch color touchscreen is a step up from the tiny LCDs on cheaper lasers, and the cloud integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, and OneNote means you can print directly from cloud storage without a computer. The Refresh EZ Print Subscription option brings toner cost down by up to 50 percent, which combined with the Brother toner yield puts per-page cost in the low single digits of cents.

Reviewers consistently praise the speed, quiet operation, and reliable wireless printing. The most common complaints involve a slightly tricky initial setup for first-time laser printer users, and a small number of firmware-related issues that required Brother support. Across 630 reviews, the HL-L2480DW holds a 4.5 star average, with 75 percent of ratings at five stars, the highest share in this roundup.

This is the printer I recommend to anyone who prints hundreds of pages a week and wants to forget about toner for months at a time. It is the TOP RATED in our best low budget printers guide because the review data backs up the marketing. For related options, see our 8 Best Budget Printers for Home Office roundup.

Laser vs inkjet long-term cost

For users printing more than 200 monochrome pages a month, the Brother HL-L2480DW pays back its higher price within a year through toner savings. Inkjet printers look cheaper upfront but cost more per page, and that math flips quickly for high-volume users.

Setup and Wi-Fi tips

First-time laser printer users should plan 20 to 30 minutes for initial setup. The Brother Mobile Connect app walks through Wi-Fi configuration step by step, and connecting to a 2.4 GHz network avoids most wireless quirks. Once set up, the printer remembers devices across power cycles.

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Low Budget Printers

Choosing the best low budget printers comes down to matching your print volume and use case to the right technology. Below, our team breaks down the five decisions that matter most when buying a cheap printer in 2026.

Ink tank vs cartridge vs toner

Budget printers split into three technologies, and each has a clear use case. Cartridge inkjets like the Canon PIXMA TS3720 and HP DeskJet 2622 are cheapest upfront but cost the most per page. Ink tank printers like the Canon MegaTank G3270 and Epson EcoTank ET-2400 cost more upfront but bring per-page cost below one cent. Monochrome laser printers like the Brother DCP-L2540DW and HL-L2480DW use toner that lasts for thousands of pages and is the cheapest option for text-heavy printing.

The crossover point is around 100 pages per month. Print less than that and a cheap cartridge inkjet is fine. Print more, and an ink tank or laser printer will pay back its higher price within 6 to 12 months.

Cost per page and total cost of ownership

Cost per page is the single most important number when comparing budget printers. Standard inkjet cartridges cost around 15 to 25 cents per page. HP Instant Ink and similar subscriptions bring that down to 3 to 5 cents per page. Ink tank printers deliver less than 1 cent per page for color and around 0.3 cents per page for black. Monochrome laser toner works out to roughly 2 to 4 cents per page. Over three years of moderate printing, an ink tank or laser printer can save hundreds of dollars compared to a cartridge inkjet.

Connectivity and Chromebook support

Wi-Fi setup is the most common pain point in budget printer reviews, especially on dual-band routers. Look for dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) like the Canon PIXMA TS3720, TS6520, and Brother HL-L2480DW offer, and you will avoid most connection headaches. For Chromebook users, Mopria Print Service support means the printer appears automatically in the Chrome OS print menu, and AirPrint support covers iPhone and iPad users without extra apps.

Duplex and ADF

Auto duplex (two-sided printing) is the most useful feature on a home printer. The HP Envy 6155e, Brother DCP-L2540DW, Canon PIXMA TS6520, and Brother HL-L2480DW all include it. Manual duplex, found on the Canon MegaTank G3270 and Epson EcoTank ET-2400, works but requires flipping pages by hand. Auto document feeders (ADF) like the 35 page ADF on the Brother DCP-L2540DW are a quiet hero for anyone scanning multi-page documents.

User persona recommendations

Students and dorm rooms: Canon PIXMA TS3720 for the cheapest entry point, or Canon PIXMA TS6520 if you need duplex printing for handouts.

Families with school-age kids: HP Envy 6155e for the best mix of features, or Canon MegaTank G3270 if you print more than 100 pages a month.

Remote workers and home offices: Brother HL-L2480DW for text-heavy printing, or HP Envy 6155e if you need color documents and scanning.

Photo and creative printing: Epson EcoTank ET-2400 for the highest print resolution under $200.

Ultra-low budget (under $60): Canon PIXMA TS3720 or HP DeskJet 2622 for the cheapest printers that still do the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

After 90 days of testing, our team is confident in our picks for the best low budget printers in 2026. The HP Envy 6155e remains our EDITOR’S CHOICE for its balance of features, ease of use, and consistent reliability across thousands of owner reviews. For users who print more than 100 pages a month, the Canon MegaTank G3270 delivers the cheapest ink we measured. For text-heavy homes and home offices, the Brother HL-L2480DW is the fastest and highest-rated option, and the Brother DCP-L2540DW is a budget-friendly alternative if you want to spend less upfront.

Match the printer to your print volume, and you will save money over the life of the machine. Light users should grab the Canon PIXMA TS3720 or HP DeskJet 2622 for the cheapest entry point. Moderate users will save the most with the Canon MegaTank G3270 or Epson EcoTank ET-2400. Heavy text printers should look at the Brother HL-L2480DW. Whichever you choose, the best low budget printers in 2026 deliver real value, and the right pick depends on how much you actually print each month.