Top 10 Best Printers For College Students (Most Efficient Ink Usage)

A good printer is vital for the college student since it’s a tool that will make life easier and one that will get a lot of use.

After extensive research and testing, We selected the top 10 printers that are ideal for college students in 2019.

Epson Expression ECOTank – Up to 80% Ink economy, ships ready to print 6500 pages

The ink isn’t the only thing about this printer that is ultra-convenient. It has built-in wireless plus Wi-Fi Direct, allowing you to easily print your studies from your computer, iPad, iPhone, and Android tablets or smartphones.

You can print wirelessly without a state university wifi network as well. This 3-in-1 printer-scanner-copier is relatively compact so it won’t take up all that much space, even in a cramped dorm room.

HP Envy 5055 – All in one wireless photo printing for your college memories

Are you an Alexa user? Alexa can add a lot of convenience to your academic life, especially when it works with other devices. This printer is Alexa-friendly, a prime choice for allowing you to print wirelessly from a voice prompt.

Even if you’re not an Alexa user, this printer offers a number of super convenient features. One of them is the optional HP Instant Ink.

The HP Envy 5055 is also Dual-Band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Smart, allowing you to easily print wirelessly from a number of devices. With the HP Smart app, you can even print straight from a social media account or a cloud service like Dropbox, iCloud, or Google Drive.

For the low price, it’s surprising how good the quality is, especially for printing photos. The printer is Energy Star certified and has a 1-year limited warranty with 24/7 free web support.

Canon Pixma IP110 – Most Portable Printer

For Apple users, this printer also offers the convenience of AirPrintM. This lets you wirelessly print from iOS devices. You can also print wirelessly from some cloud services using the Canon PRINT app.

You do have the option of buying a bundle with extra ink and/or a battery which ultimately adds to the value. This printer will help churn out papers but it’s also great for printing beautiful photos. Borderless printing and a simple photo printing system make this particularly easy.

Canon MG6820 – Google Cloud compatible Scanner, Copier & Fax

All in all, this printer goes out of its way to make it easier and more convenient to print what you need from just about anywhere. You can even print photos directly from Instagram or Facebook. You can also print in the more traditional ways, through either a wired or wireless connection to a laptop or desktop computer.

In addition to giving you lots of options for how to print, the MG6820 offers scanning and copying functions. You have the option of 2-sided printing but the scanning is only 1-sided.

Brother HL-L5200DW – Laser Printing with automated replenishment

This laser printer is a serious machine. It’s fast with a print speed of up to 42ppm.

It can hold a lot of paper, 300 sheets expandable to 1,340 sheets with optional add-on trays. There is automatic 2-sided printing technology.

It’s easy to print using either the Ethernet port or a wireless connection. It is also compatible with most mobile devices and cloud services.

The overall print quality isn’t quite as high but this black-ink-only printer isn’t designed for crisp visuals. It’s a printer for business and for schoolwork rather than for printing photos and for this purpose, it works extremely well.

Brother WorkSmart MFC-J880DW – Compact All-in-One Inkjet Printer

This is yet another printer that is Amazon Dash enabled, providing convenience and eliminating the worry that you will run out of ink right when your education demands it.

Printing right from your tablet or smartphone is easy, using your choice of AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Brother iPrint&Scan, or NFC “touch to connect.” Another peace of mind factor with this printer is the 2-year limited warranty and free lifetime phone support.

Lexmark 35SC060 – Monochrome for high page volumes

When printing pages with complex graphics, the print speed slows down to 6.5 seconds but for image printing that is pretty fast. The high volume capacity might make this printer a good choice for roommates or a group of college friends to go in on together.

This monochrome printer is not a good choice for anyone hoping to print out photos as well as those term papers, as it will only print with black ink.

It can handle 2-sided printing, allowing you to save a bit on paper. You can print by connecting via Ethernet cable or you can use WiFi. Unfortunately, to print wirelessly, you will need to buy a separate wireless network card. Printing right from mobile devices is an option as well.

Samsung SL-M2020W/XAA – Amazon Dash Enabled Monochrome Printer

Wireless printing is easy, using NFC technology and/or the Samsung Mobile Print App. It’s easy to print from just about any device or from any of the most popular cloud services like Google Cloud.

For the environmentally conscious or those just looking to save as much money as possible, there is an Eco button that allows you to reduce toner, paper, and energy use. This printer is also Amazon Dash enabled so you don’t have to worry about running out of ink.

Canon PIXMA MG3620 – Space Saving Color Inkjet USB Printer

Despite the compact size, this printer does give you copy and scan functionality. It also does a good job with photo printing, probably not surprising given the Canon brand. Printing is on the slow side and it can be noisy but the overall value is quite high and the print quality is excellent.

Hewlett Packard DeskJet 1112 – Most Affordable Option For College Students

This printer, like HP’s OfficeJet series, is Energy Star certified, meaning that it is an energy-efficient device that isn’t going to waste electricity.

Setting this up on your computer is pretty easy but you do need a CD-drive to install the software, something not all laptops today have.

Of course you can still download the drivers on hp’s website and have your latest work printed in no time.

In addition to this, the biggest downside to this printer is that it cannot print wirelessly. You will need to connect using USB printer cable, and one is unfortunately not included.

Buyer’s Guide & Frequently Asked Questions

Do college students still need to buy their own printer, is it really better than using the university’s xerox machines?

This really comes down to personal preference. Some students will probably get by just fine using their university’s equipment for all of their post-graduate degree printing needs.

Most students, though, will probably prefer the convenience and control of having their own printer. After all, you might not have easy 24/7 access to the school’s equipment.

Having your own printer means you can print at any time, at your own convenience. Most schools also charge students by the page when printing teachings.

If you expect to do a lot of printing (and you probably will), you’ll probably save money in the long run by buying your own printer.

Which brand has the cheapest ink toners?

The Lexmark 35SC060 MS317dn offers the lowest ink cost per page of all the printers on this list. That said, they don’t have a high-yield ink cartridge option like some other printers on this list do, like the Brother HL-L5200DW and the HP DeskJet 1112.

A high-yield cartridge is more expensive up-front but will definitely save you money in the long haul. When it comes to overall value of a printer’s ink, the Epson Expression ECOTank stands out.

Instead of using toner or ink cartridges, it has refillable ink tanks. This might be the highest value ink solution of all the printers on the list.

Of course, the cost of the printer is a bit higher at the start but over time, the ink value will pay off. It also starts you off with two full years of ink, around half of your college career!

With other printers, you’d probably have to buy at least a dozen and probably more ink cartridges during that time period.

Laser vs Inkjet for students?

For the typical american college student who’s done with free handwriting, a laser printer is probably a better fit. Laser printers print faster and excel at printing clear black text.

The toner these printers use is also a bit more affordable than the ink used by inkjet printers. For college students looking for a utilitarian machine that will be used only for printing papers, a laser printer is the best fit.

Inkjet printers excel at printing photos and image-heavy documents.

They are also easy to use and easy to maintain. For the learning college student who wants to be able to print photos and image-rich documents on campus, in addition to black-text papers, an inkjet printer might be better.

Both laser and inkjet printers can be good options for college students. It really comes down to personal needs and preferences.

Should I look at dot matrix printers?

Dot matrix printers are no longer a viable option for most teachers or students.

These forefathers of the modern printer might have the lowest printing costs per page and a cool retro flavor, they also have a slew of problems including frequent and difficult to resolve paper jams.

What is “Amazon Dash Enabled”?

Printers that are Amazon Dash enabled feature an ultra-convenient refill or replacement system to prevent the disaster of running out of ink at an inopportune time.

When the printer is running low on ink or toner, replacement ink is automatically ordered on Amazon and shipped to your door. The system is easy to learn and use.

This feature is optional but it can really minimize stress for students.

Do you have your eye on any of these printers? Let me know in the comments! Do you have any printer questions? Feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

Related Buying Guides