Best overall: HP Envy 6055e (~$85) — reliable all-in-one inkjet for everyday home use. Best for low running costs: Brother HL-L2350DW (~$100) — mono laser with genuinely cheap toner. Best for photos: Canon Pixma TS7720 (~$90).
Home printers are one of the few electronics categories where the sticker price genuinely doesn’t tell the whole story. A $70 printer with $40 replacement ink cartridges can easily cost more over two years than a $100 printer with cheap toner or a subscription plan. Before picking a printer, it’s worth deciding what you’ll actually use it for — occasional documents, school projects with photos, or high-volume printing — because that answer changes which “cheap” printer is actually the cheap one.
We’re going to be direct about the ink-cost trap throughout this list, because it’s the single most common regret with budget printer purchases. Below are four picks covering the main home-use categories: a well-rounded inkjet all-in-one, a laser printer built for low running costs, a photo-capable inkjet, and an ink-subscription-friendly option for households that print a lot.
Best Home Printers Under $100 in 2026
1. HP Envy 6055e — ~$85 | Best All-In-One Inkjet
The Envy 6055e covers printing, scanning, and copying with solid document and photo quality, and it connects easily over Wi-Fi with a straightforward mobile app for printing from a phone. It’s a genuinely good all-rounder for the mix of tasks most households actually need — school forms, the occasional color photo, boarding passes, and scanning documents to PDF.
Here’s the honest tradeoff: HP’s standard replacement ink cartridges are expensive, often $35–$50 for a set, and low-page-yield cartridges mean frequent replacement if you print often. HP bundles this printer with a free trial of its Instant Ink subscription, which meaningfully lowers cost-per-page if you keep it — but if you cancel and buy cartridges at retail instead, this becomes one of the pricier printers to run long-term. Great printer, but budget for either the subscription or the real cost of standard cartridges.
2. Brother HL-L2350DW — ~$100 | Best Budget Laser
If your printing is mostly text documents — homework, tax forms, shipping labels, resumes — a mono laser printer like the HL-L2350DW is almost always the cheaper option over time despite the higher upfront cost. Toner cartridges last far longer than inkjet cartridges (the standard cartridge here is rated around 1,200 pages) and don’t dry out if the printer sits unused for weeks, which is a real problem with inkjet cartridges. Print speed is also noticeably faster at up to 32 pages per minute.
The obvious limitation: it’s black-and-white only, with no scanning or copying built in — this is a dedicated document printer, not an all-in-one. For a household that mostly prints text and wants to stop thinking about ink costs entirely, this is the pick.
3. Canon Pixma TS7720 — ~$90 | Best for Photos
Canon’s Pixma line has long been the go-to for home photo printing, and the TS7720 continues that with a 6-ink system (versus the standard 4-ink setups on most budget printers) that produces noticeably better color accuracy and smoother gradients for photo prints. It handles 4×6, 5×7, and even borderless letter-size photo prints well, and doubles as a capable everyday document printer.
The 6-ink system means more cartridges to replace and monitor — a genuine downside versus simpler printers — and per-photo cost adds up if you’re printing photos frequently. This is the right pick specifically if photo quality matters to you; for text-only printing, it’s more printer (and more ongoing cost) than you need.
4. HP OfficeJet 3830 (Instant Ink) — ~$70 | Best Subscription-Friendly Pick
If you print a moderate-to-high volume — regular schoolwork, small business documents, or frequent color printing — the OfficeJet 3830 paired with HP’s Instant Ink subscription can genuinely be the cheapest way to print at volume. Instant Ink charges by pages printed per month rather than by cartridge, starting around $1–$5/month for low page counts, and automatically ships new cartridges before you run out.
This only makes financial sense if you actually stay subscribed and print near your plan’s page allowance — light, occasional printers will pay more per page than buying standard cartridges outright, and canceling the subscription can disable ink cartridges you’ve already received in some HP printer generations. Read the subscription terms carefully before committing, but for genuinely high-volume home printing, it’s worth considering.
Which Home Printer Should You Buy?
| Printer | Price | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP Envy 6055e | ~$85 | Inkjet all-in-one | General home use |
| Brother HL-L2350DW | ~$100 | Mono laser | Lowest running cost |
| Canon Pixma TS7720 | ~$90 | Inkjet, 6-ink photo | Photo printing |
| HP OfficeJet 3830 | ~$70 | Inkjet, Instant Ink | High-volume printers |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an inkjet or laser printer cheaper for home use?
It depends on volume and content. Laser printers cost more upfront but have a much lower cost per page for text documents and don’t have cartridges that dry out from inactivity. Inkjet printers are usually cheaper upfront and necessary for photo printing, but standard (non-subscription) ink cartridges cost more per page, especially if you print infrequently and cartridges dry out between uses.
Is HP Instant Ink or a similar subscription worth it?
Ink subscriptions are worth it if you print a consistent, moderate-to-high volume each month and stay close to your plan’s page allowance. They’re a poor fit for occasional printers, since you’re paying a monthly fee regardless of whether you print, and some plans restrict cartridges to working only while subscribed. Calculate your typical monthly page count before committing.
Why do some cheap printers end up costing more than expensive ones?
Printer manufacturers frequently price the hardware near or below cost and make their margin on replacement ink or toner — the classic “razor and blades” model. A $60 printer with cartridges that cost $40 per set and need replacing every 200 pages can easily cost more over two years than a $100 laser printer with toner lasting 1,200+ pages. Always check replacement cartridge pricing and page yield before buying, not just the printer’s sticker price.
Final Thoughts: The HP Envy 6055e is the best general-purpose pick for most households, but the Brother HL-L2350DW is the smarter long-term buy if you mostly print text and want to avoid the ink-cost trap altogether. Choose the Canon Pixma TS7720 if photo quality matters, or the OfficeJet 3830 with Instant Ink if your household prints heavily and consistently.
Find Today’s Best Printer Deals
Printer prices and cartridge bundles change often — check Amazon for current deals.
Prices shown are approximate as of June 2026. Printer bundle pricing (with or without extra ink) varies by retailer — check current listings before buying.
