The Best Cheap Printers for 2026

While co-workers in a corporate office might share the same high-volume printer, smaller workspaces and even smaller budgets call for diverse, lower-cost desktop printers. How to pick one? Start by relying on our extensive research and testing. I'm PCMag's printer expert, and I've been developing printer test methodology—measuring print speeds, assessing print quality, and evaluating ease of setup—for going on four decades. In this guide, I narrow down the dozens of printers we review each year into a select group of under-$200 favorites. Our current best budget-printer pick is the Canon Pixma G3270 Wireless MegaTank All-In-One. Read on about it and the rest of our vetted selections, and why each one deserves a slice of your tech budget. You'll also find a detailed buying guide to help you choose the best cheap printer for your needs.

Best Budget AIO Printer (Ink Tank-Based)

Canon Pixma G3270 Wireless MegaTank All-In-One Printer

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Prints, scans, and copies

• + Tank-based ink offers low running cost

• + Included ink rated to print thousands of pages

• + Supports mobile printing via Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Direct

• - Prints, scans, and copies

• - Tank-based ink offers low running cost

• - Included ink rated to print thousands of pages

• - Supports mobile printing via Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Direct

Why We Picked It

Most low-priced multifunction inkjets have high running costs. In other words, they're cheap to buy, but you can wind up spending a pretty penny on ink. The Canon Pixma G3270 is an exception: It's reasonably affordable and also cheap to operate. Its ink comes in bottles and is rated for nearly 6,000 mono-text pages and 7,700 color pages for the starter set of cyan, yellow, magenta, and black ink you receive. For any ink you buy beyond that, the cost per page works out to 0.3 cent per mono text page and 0.8 cent per color page. Add impressive-looking output, given the price, plus a flatbed for light-duty copying and scanning, and you get a lot of high-quality output for very little money. Homes and home offices: The G3270's low purchase price and low running costs make it a solid choice for light-to-medium printing homes and home offices that aren't daunted by frequently filling it with paper to reap the savings. Newcomers to ink tank printing: The starter set of ink bottles that comes with the printer includes everything you need to print thousands of pages—no extra purchases or confusing compatibility checks required. People looking for low-cost printing: At less than a penny per page, whether color or monochrome, the cost per page for the ink is clearly the big draw here.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : All-in-one Color or Monochrome : Color Printing Technology : Inkjet Connection Type : USB,Wi-Fi,Wi-Fi Direct Maximum Standard Paper Size : Legal Number of Ink Colors : 4 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 4 Direct Printing From Media Cards : False Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : False Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : 6 ppm Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : 11 ppm Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : Not rated Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : 3,000 pages per month LCD Preview Screen : False Printer Input Capacity : 100 Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : 0.3 cents Cost Per Page (Color) : 0.8 cents Print Duplexing : False Automatic Document Feeder : False Scanner Type : Flatbed Duplexing Scans : None Maximum Scan Area : Letter Scanner Optical Resolution : 600x600 pixels per inch Standalone Copier and Fax : Copier

Best Budget AIO Printer (Cartridge-Based)

Canon Pixma TS7720

Score: 3.5

Pros & Cons

• + Prints, scans, and copies

• + Automatic duplexing for printing

• + Two paper trays

• + Supports mobile printing and scanning

• - Prints, scans, and copies

• - Automatic duplexing for printing

• - Two paper trays

• - Supports mobile printing and scanning

Why We Picked It

If you're on a rock-bottom budget and don't print enough for a bulk-ink or tank-based printer's low running costs to pay off in the long run, Canon's cartridge-based Pixma TS7720 may be the printer you're looking for. This four-function AIO (print, copy, scan, and fax) uses black and tricolor ink cartridges. It offers a 200-sheet paper capacity and connects to mobile devices as well as to PCs via Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, or USB. Unless you're exceptionally picky, its output, while sluggish, is of suitably high quality.  People who print occasionally: The TS7720 is a strong contender for households that print only occasionally. It's a bit slow, but it delivers good output quality (particularly for text and photos), and its two paper trays provide above-average paper handling for a printer in its price class. Budget buyers: The TS7720 can be found for not much more than $100 when it's on sale, making it an exceptionally budget-friendly option.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : All-in-one Color or Monochrome : Color Printing Technology : Inkjet Connection Type : USB,Wi-Fi,Wi-Fi Direct Maximum Standard Paper Size : Legal Number of Ink Colors : 4 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 2 Direct Printing From Media Cards : False Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : False Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : 15 ppm Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : 10 ppm Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : Not rated Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : Not rated LCD Preview Screen : False Printer Input Capacity : 100 + 100 Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : 7.6 cents Cost Per Page (Color) : 19 cents Print Duplexing : True Automatic Document Feeder : False Scanner Type : Flatbed Duplexing Scans : False Maximum Scan Area : Letter Scanner Optical Resolution : 1,200x1,200 pixels per inch Standalone Copier and Fax : Copier

Best Budget Laser Printer

HP LaserJet M209d

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Better print quality than most lasers in its price range

• + Front-loading tray for easy refills and paper-type changes

• + 150-sheet capacity

• + Automatic duplex (two-sided) printing

• - Better print quality than most lasers in its price range

• - Front-loading tray for easy refills and paper-type changes

• - 150-sheet capacity

• - Automatic duplex (two-sided) printing

Why We Picked It

The HP LaserJet M209d lacks Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, so it's best suited to single-user duty, but its price, output quality, and solid performance are enough to earn it our Editors' Choice award for a budget laser for light duty. Physical setup for the M209d is notably easy, and paper handling is robust, with a 150-sheet input tray and automatic duplexing. Plus, the M209d offers better print quality than most lasers in its price range. Users who connect their printer directly using USB: If you don't need a Wi-Fi connection, don't print a lot, and never print in color, the HP LaserJet M209d is the reasonably priced printer for you. People who need automatic duplexing: The 150-sheet tray can handle up to legal-size paper, and the printer supports automatic two-sided printing. People who want laser-quality output on a budget:  The M209d is one of the most affordable laser printers we've reviewed, yet its text quality is comparable to the best we expect from mono lasers that cost significantly more.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : Printer Only Color or Monochrome : Monochrome Printing Technology : Laser Connection Type : USB Maximum Standard Paper Size : Legal Number of Ink Colors : 1 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 1 Direct Printing From Media Cards : False Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : False Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : NA Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : 30 ppm Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : 200 - 2000 Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : 20,000 pages per month LCD Preview Screen : False Printer Input Capacity : 150 Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : 3.7 cents Cost Per Page (Color) : NA Print Duplexing : True Automatic Document Feeder : None Scanner Type : N/A Duplexing Scans : None Maximum Scan Area : N/A Scanner Optical Resolution : N/A Standalone Copier and Fax : N/A

Best Budget Laser Printer With Wi-Fi

HP LaserJet M209dw

Score: 3.5

Pros & Cons

• + Automatic duplexing

• + Front-loading paper tray allows easy refills and switching between paper types

• + 150-sheet capacity

• + Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity

• + Supports mobile and remote printing

• - Automatic duplexing

• - Front-loading paper tray allows easy refills and switching between paper types

• - 150-sheet capacity

• - Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity

• - Supports mobile and remote printing

Why We Picked It

The HP LaserJet M209dw is essentially the same printer as the HP LaserJet M209d, but with a slight price increase and the addition of Wi-Fi support (denoted by the "w" in the name). It also adds Ethernet and both mobile and remote printing. Paper handling is suitable for light to moderate-duty use in homes and small offices. The M209dw's text quality is close to the top tier for a mono laser. Most fonts we tested, including those suitable for business documents, were easily legible at small font sizes. Users who plan to connect their printers via Wi-Fi or Ethernet: If you need a network connection or its other extras, the M209dw is worth considering, especially since it's sometimes discounted to the same price as, or a lower price than, its M209d sibling. Shoppers on a tight budget: At less than $200, the M209dw is an exceptional value for a laser printer that delivers this level of text quality.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : Printer Only Color or Monochrome : Monochrome Printing Technology : Laser Connection Type : Ethernet,USB,Wi-Fi,Wi-Fi Direct Maximum Standard Paper Size : Legal Number of Ink Colors : 1 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 1 Direct Printing From Media Cards : False Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : False Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : NA Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : 30 ppm Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : 200 - 2000 Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : 20,000 pages per month LCD Preview Screen : False Printer Input Capacity : 150 Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : 3.8 cents Cost Per Page (Color) : NA Print Duplexing : True Automatic Document Feeder : None Scanner Type : N/A Duplexing Scans : None Maximum Scan Area : N/A Scanner Optical Resolution : N/A Standalone Copier and Fax : N/A

Best Budget Snapshot Printer (4-by-6-Inch Output)

Canon Selphy CP1500 Wireless Compact Photo Printer

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Solid photo print quality

• + Low running costs (for 4-by-6-inch media)

• + Supports multiple paper sizes with inexpensive tray option

• + Easy-to-use control panel

• + Prints from USB and SD card memory devices

• + Optional battery

• - Solid photo print quality

• - Low running costs (for 4-by-6-inch media)

• - Supports multiple paper sizes with inexpensive tray option

• - Easy-to-use control panel

• - Prints from USB and SD card memory devices

• - Optional battery

Why We Picked It

Most fully portable photo printers today offer wallet-size or slightly larger prints, so if you want a 4-by-6-inch picture size, which the Canon Selphy CP1500 offers, you have limited choices. But that doesn't mean you have to make compromises. The latest in the long-running Selphy line of portables, the CP1500 in particular delivers a solid feature set, drugstore-grade photo quality (courtesy of its dye-sub technology), and a reasonably low running cost, at a bit above or below 30 cents per 4-by-6-inch photo. (The cost covers both the paper and required dye rolls.) The CP1500 weighs 2.5 pounds with the paper cassette and its dye roll inserted, but not the optional battery, which can print up to 54 photos per charge. This model can print from an SD or microSD card, a USB thumb drive (you get a Type-C, not Type-A, port for that), an iOS or Android phone or tablet, or a macOS or Windows PC, and it can connect via USB cable or Wi-Fi. In our tests, the CP1500 printed each sample photo in just under a minute, complete with a protective coating. And the dye-sub picture comes out fully waterproof, without needing drying time, and with a long promised lifetime, rated at 100 years. Scrapbookers and photo album organizers: The CP1500's 4-by-6-inch picture size and long rated life for its prints make it suitable for photos likely to be displayed in a frame or saved in an album. The image quality is easily suitable for that. People who don't mind cutting photos to size: If you're looking for a low-cost printer exclusively for wallet-size photos or sticking to various objects, you can use the CP1500 for those as well, but you'll have to cut the photos down to size after printing, and depend on refrigerator magnets, glue, and push pins to make them stick.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : Printer Only Color or Monochrome : Color Printing Technology : Dye Sub Connection Type : Wi-Fi,USB-C Maximum Standard Paper Size : 4" x 6" Number of Ink Colors : 4 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 1 Direct Printing From Media Cards : True Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : True Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : 41 seconds per print Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : Not rated Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : Not rated Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : Not rated LCD Preview Screen : False Printer Input Capacity : 20 Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : NA Cost Per Page (Color) : 29 cents Print Duplexing : False Automatic Document Feeder : False Scanner Type : N/A Duplexing Scans : False Maximum Scan Area : N/A Scanner Optical Resolution : N/A Standalone Copier and Fax : N/A

Best Budget Snapshot Printer (3-by-3-Inch Output)

Kodak Mini 3 Retro (3x3) Portable Printer

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Fine photo quality in 3-inch square print format

• + Prints both borderless and bordered photos

• + Comes with enough consumables for 68 photos

• - Fine photo quality in 3-inch square print format

• - Prints both borderless and bordered photos

• - Comes with enough consumables for 68 photos

Why We Picked It

The "Retro" part of the name of Kodak's Mini 3 Retro pocket-size photo printer refers to its ability to print 3-inch-square images that are either borderless or have narrow white borders, similar to old-time drugstore prints. We think the former option looks sharper, but both kinds look great thanks to Kodak's four-pass dye-sublimation technology, which delivers far better output quality than the zero-ink (Zink) output of many compact photo printers. The Mini 3 Retro is available in three colors (white, yellow, and black) and two prices: a $141.99 version that comes with a dye roll and enough media for 8 prints, and a $156.99 version that comes with enough media for 68 prints. Refills are available in 30-, 60-, and 90-print packs that you load by simply sliding them into the printer. Android and iOS users: The Retro connects via Bluetooth and prints from both Android and Apple phones and tablets (but not from PCs or Macs). People who want smaller snapshots: It's not the only dye-sub game in town—HP and Canon offer bulkier models that print larger pictures—but if you're content with 3-by-3-inch snapshots instead of 4-by-6-inch ones, it's a fun, nifty smartphone companion.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : Printer Only Color or Monochrome : Color Printing Technology : Dye Sub Connection Type : Bluetooth Maximum Standard Paper Size : 3" x 3" Number of Ink Colors : 4 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 1 Direct Printing From Media Cards : False Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : False Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : 1 ppm Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : 1 ppm Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : Not rated Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : Not rated LCD Preview Screen : False Printer Input Capacity : 90 Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : 30 cents Cost Per Page (Color) : 30 cents Print Duplexing : False Automatic Document Feeder : False Scanner Type : N/A Duplexing Scans : False Maximum Scan Area : N/A Scanner Optical Resolution : N/A Standalone Copier and Fax : N/A

Best Budget Label Printer (Plastic Labels)

Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Affordable, industrial-style labeling Easy-to-use handheld design with QWERTY keyboard Tape choices include plastic, vinyl, magnetic, and fluorescent up to 18mm Saves up to 50 labels in memory for easy reprinting Lifetime warranty

• - Affordable, industrial-style labeling Easy-to-use handheld design with QWERTY keyboard Tape choices include plastic, vinyl, magnetic, and fluorescent up to 18mm Saves up to 50 labels in memory for easy reprinting Lifetime warranty

Why We Picked It

This isn't your grandfather's Dymo Label Maker. The Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300 ($59 alone, though the $89 kit with accessories is a better deal) can produce everything from standard plastic stick-on labels to promotional refrigerator magnets to heat-shrink tube tapes for electrical, phone, or data cables. It's an easy-to-use handheld gadget with a small QWERTY keyboard (it doesn't connect to a PC or phone) that works on either battery or AC power. Even better, it prints on clear or colored plastic tapes up to 0.71 inch wide as well as several specialty tapes, including silver-matte, strong adhesive tape, fluorescent tape, and the aforementioned heat-shrink and magnetic tapes. Most come in a variety of colors and widths, giving you more than 80 tapes to choose from. People who need text-only labels: The LW-PX300 can't print graphics (though it has a library of bar codes and symbols for industrial and professional use), and it prints pretty slowly. But its labels look great and work fine. Data centers: It's ideal for light-duty industrial-style labeling for, say, switches or cables, whether for business use (like data centers) or hobbies. People who plan to keep it for a long time: Epson throws in the ultimate sweetener: a lifetime warranty that even covers accidental breakage.

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Type : Printer Only Color or Monochrome : Monochrome Printing Technology : Thermal (Plastic Labels) Connection Type : None Maximum Standard Paper Size : 18mm roll Number of Ink Colors : 1 Number of Ink Cartridges/Tanks : 0 Direct Printing From Media Cards : False Direct Printing From USB Thumb Drives : False Rated Speed at Default Settings (Color) : N/A Rated Speed at Default Settings (Mono) : 6 mm / 0.24 inches per second Monthly Duty Cycle (Recommended) : Not rated Monthly Duty Cycle (Maximum) : Not rated LCD Preview Screen : True Printer Input Capacity : 1 cartridge roll; sizes up to 30 feet Cost Per Page (Monochrome) : varies with width and label length Cost Per Page (Color) : N/A Print Duplexing : False Automatic Document Feeder : False Scanner Type : N/A Duplexing Scans : False Maximum Scan Area : N/A Scanner Optical Resolution : N/A Standalone Copier and Fax : N/A

Best Budget Label Printer (Paper Labels)

Brother QL-800

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Fast output. Good print quality. Excellent label design, print software, and mobile apps. Prints two-color, black/red labels. Good selection of label types. Good value for the price.

• - Fast output. Good print quality. Excellent label design, print software, and mobile apps. Prints two-color, black/red labels. Good selection of label types. Good value for the price.

Why We Picked It

For those whose labeling needs fall on the paper side of the paper-or-plastic divide—i.e., they need address labels, folder labels, and the like—it's hard to beat Brother's QL-800. This gadget can churn out labels in types and sizes ranging from one-line barcodes to address labels and everything in between. It can print labels on rolls up to 2.4 inches wide, but that doesn't mean it can't print a 1.25-by-3-inch address label. The trick is to orient the labels on the roll the right way. Brother offers both continuous-tape and die-cut labels, including one type that lets you print in red instead of (or in addition to) the usual black. Whether you need to design and print labels from Windows, Mac, or Android devices, the QL-800 can handle the job nicely.  Users willing to direct-connect a label printer via USB: The one notable limitation of the QL-800 is that it connects only via its USB port, whether to your computer or an Android device. People who want high-quality labels, fast: Once connected, the Brother can print professional-quality labels in multiple shapes and sizes at a speedy clip.

Who It's For

Getting quality hard copy shouldn't be hard—or expensive. A low-priced printer won't be as fast as an enterprise machine designed for even a medium-size workgroup, nor will it be able to handle as high a volume of pages per month. But you don't have to compromise on output quality or convenience. Today's printer and scanner technology lets you focus on productivity features, handy control panels, and saving money by comparing running costs.

Some of the questions to ask when printer shopping haven't changed in years; others are new. Let's start with the big ones: print-only or multifunction, and monochrome or color—and indeed whether cheap printers are worth considering at all.

First Question: Is a Cheap Printer Worth It?

Depending on what you do, the answer can be a resounding "yes" or a firm "no." To start figuring out where your print needs stand relative to the cheap models on the market, you first need to decide whether you need a single-function or multifunction printer.

Single-function models do just one thing—print, naturally—while all-in-ones (AIOs, also known as multifunction printers or MFPs) can also copy, scan, and sometimes send and receive faxes. In terms of design, most AIOs are printers with a flatbed scanner sitting on top.

Sometimes all you need is a device that prints, either because you don't need to copy or scan or because your scanning needs are heavy-duty enough that you need a dedicated scanner that can do the job better than any inexpensive AIO. That said, most home offices will benefit from at least occasional copying and scanning, making an AIO the better bet. Even if you don't make a lot of copies, spending a little extra for a part-time copier can reduce the need to run local errands.

An important distinguishing characteristic of an AIO is whether its flatbed scanner is teamed with an automatic document feeder (ADF) for handling multipage documents without user intervention. When copying or scanning a stack of pages, the simplest and cheapest AIOs oblige you to place each page on the scanning glass or platen one at a time. With an ADF, you put the stack in the feeder, press Copy or Scan, and walk away. That's an obvious time-saver if you work with lengthy documents more than occasionally.

Besides having different capacities (30 versus 50 sheets, for instance), automatic document feeders come in two main varieties: strictly simplex (one-sided) and duplex-capable (two-sided scanning, either manually or automatically). You'll ideally want a higher capacity than the longest documents you scan, but most AIOs will pause after scanning a batch to let you add another stack. Duplexing is an absolute must if you need to scan two-sided originals.

Manual duplexing lets you duplex using a simplex ADF: scan one side, flip the stack over to scan the other, and let software or firmware interfile the pages in the right order. Auto duplexing scans both sides automatically; you just load the stack, give the command, and wait for the scanning to finish. There are two types of auto-duplexing ADFs: one is faster and more expensive, while the other is slower and cheaper. Few AIOs that qualify as cheap offer either type, aside from models that are heavily discounted or discontinued. If you find one in the sub-$200 price range, it will almost certainly have the slower, less expensive version of auto duplexing.

Do You Need a Monochrome or a Color Printer?

Without question, color pages are more eye-catching than their black-and-white counterparts and have greater impact. For many purposes, color is all but essential when producing your own brochures, flyers, and other promotional materials. And it is essential for printing almost any photos other than new copies of your grandparents' old black and white prints.

But some kinds of documents don't benefit from color, and sometimes using color ink is an unnecessary expense. Depending on your printer and the pages you print, a color page can easily cost you three to five times as much as a monochrome one or more. Note also that color inkjets will eat through their color inks, and force you to buy more, even if you rarely print in color, just in housekeeping tasks that keep the nozzles from clogging. Many color printers also add color inks to black when printing graphics and photos in monochrome, and we've even seen some that add dots of color ink to monochrome text. So if you don't need color, you're better off getting a monochrome printer.

Paper Handling and Print Volume: What You Need to Know

Some home offices not only print a lot, but also print on different types and sizes of paper. What if you print mostly on plain paper or letterhead, but occasionally need to output a legal-size spreadsheet? Or a sheet of labels or a check? What if you print so many pages that you need a machine with deep paper trays that don't demand frequent refilling?

While most cheap printers lack high-volume trays and multiple input sources, you should still pay attention to a machine's input options. An open, easily accessible tray that lets you simply slip more pages on top of the current stack can make refilling paper or changing to a different paper stock a lot easier than having to pull a drawer out of the printer to load paper. Beyond the main tray, many printers offer a single-sheet override slot or tray for printing one-off envelopes, forms, or labels, or sometimes a 10- or 20-sheet second tray for photo paper or envelopes. Others offer a 50- or 100-sheet second tray on the rear of the printer.

Note that a printer's input capacity tends to scale with its rated print volume, which manufacturers usually express as the peak number of pages the machine is suited to print per month or "duty cycle." There are two kinds of monthly duty cycles, maximum (the absolute most pages a printer is rated to crank out per month without shortening its overall lifespan) and recommended maximum (a much smaller number, based largely on print speed, paper capacity, and how many pages the device is expected to print over its projected life—usually three to five years—before wearing out). Many, if not most, cheap printers don't list rated duty cycles in their specifications, but the info is worth having if you can find it.

One good rule of thumb for choosing a printer is to consider how many pages you expect to print per week or per month, then pick one with enough paper capacity so you needn't refill the trays more than once a week on average—or however often you're comfortable doing that chore. Another is that if you expect to print so much that you're concerned about the maximum duty cycle, you shouldn't buy a printer that doesn't include that number in its specs.

What Kind of Printer Connectivity Do You Need?

Most of today's lower-end machines come with Wi-Fi and USB connectivity. Ethernet, if you can find it, is the fastest and most secure option; Wi-Fi, which is more or less today's standard, is highly convenient and plenty fast enough for printing. Most modern printers also offer free downloadable apps for iOS and Android. What you get doesn't always match the printer price, so check the individual details of any model you are looking at carefully.

Most printers come ready to connect wirelessly to most handheld devices (smartphones and tablets), either via Wi-Fi Direct (a peer-to-peer protocol) or ordinary Wi-Fi (with both the printer and mobile device connected to the same network). The printing is handled through manufacturer-specific apps. The standard wired interfaces for desktop and laptop computers are a USB port for connecting to a single PC and an RJ-45 Ethernet jack for joining an office network. The latter is more business-centric and relatively rare on low-cost printers, but well worth using if you have it available. Connecting a printer to a network via Ethernet is usually far easier than via Wi-Fi, often requiring only plugging in a cable.

What Kind of Onboard Printer Controls Should You Look For?

Typically, the cheaper the printer, the fewer the functions and features it offers, and the less need there is for an option-rich control panel. While a few of today's bargain AIOs have roomy color touch screens, most employ simple panels with a few buttons and status LEDs, and many of those with touch screens are so stingy on screen size that it can be hard to hit right spot, so you'd be better off with buttons.

That said, a suitably large touch-screen control panel can be handy, with "suitably large" defined by your finger size. In addition to making walk-up functions (such as making copies or printing from cloud sites) easier, such panels let you specify security and other configuration changes, monitor and order supplies, and generate usage and other reports for printers that offer these features. You can also control, configure, and monitor many printers via an onboard web portal accessible from any browser, whether on a PC or phone. The cheap printers we include here are less likely to offer this capability than printers aimed at offices, however, so if you want this feature, check to make sure the printer has it.

More generally, don't assume any printer has any of these features, regardless of price. Check reviews or the printer's spec sheet for the features you want.

Ready to Buy the Best Cheap Printer for You?

Each family or home office has unique print and copy volume needs. Since we're focusing on cheap single-function and AIO printers here, this roundup assumes you won't be printing or copying more than a couple of hundred pages a month. This is plenty for most families and homebound office workers, but demand is rising as we're seeing more printing from home.

We scrutinized all the printers PC Labs has tested in the last few years that are still on the market, focusing on home-office or business models (both laser and inkjet) and photo-centric models (all of these, inkjets among desktop-size printers). Usually, you'll see significant differences in features between machines tweaked for office use and photo printing. Low-cost office inkjets, for example, often include automatic document feeders, while their photo-centric counterparts don't.

Meanwhile, photo-minded inkjets offer better photo quality, with some higher-priced models employing five or six ink colors instead of the standard four (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, often called CMYK). The extra inks don't guarantee better photo quality, but they make it easier to design a printer with better color accuracy. By contrast, the cheapest inkjets sometimes use old-school dual-cartridge (black and tricolor) designs, which work fine but are more wasteful as you must throw away the color cartridge once one of its three hues runs dry.

We've also included two niche classes of printers widely available for under $200: label printers (both for hobbyists and for folks shipping lots of items from home) and portable photo printers (for quick snapshots from your smartphone). The very smallest of the latter use an inkless technology known as Zero Ink (Zink) that applies heat to specially treated paper. However, their output quality falls short of that of inkjet and dye-sublimation photo printers.

Finally, we can't recommend any color laser printers for less than $200 (or anything close to it). The laser machines in this price class are monochrome.

It's important to note that you can find some very cheap printers nowadays—some under $50—at the bottom of most manufacturers' product lines. But it rarely makes sense to buy a slow, feature-limited printer with replacement cartridges that typically cost as much or more than the printer itself. It's smarter to look for printers that will save you money in the long run and check your possible choices against reviews that assess features and cost of ownership, as ours do.

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