HP sells a complete line up of printers for the home and office, all with a range of different features and operating costs. With new printers coming out every year, it can be hard to know which machine makes sense for your needs. Here, we’ve put together a list of the most reliable and efficient HP printers around so you can keep your printer longer.
Before we jump into our favorite printers, we offer a few tips on how to choose the best HP printer, including the pros and cons of owning an inkjet versus a laser and we show you how to save on printer ink too.
Read on to find out more!
Best Printers at a Glance
- Best Home Printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 8025
- Best Budget-Friendly Laser Printer: HP LaserJet Pro M15W
- Best Small Business Monochrome Laser Printer: HP LaserJet Pro M428fdw
- Best Small Business Color Laser Printer: HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw
- Best InkTank Printer: HP SmartTank Plus 651
Buying tips
HP inkjet printers vs. HP laser printers
HP inkjet printers
HP inkjet printers are best for casual home users that occasionally need to print in color or enjoy printing photos. Most include all-in-one printer features like printing, copying and scanning. A fax option is also available on certain models but it’s not as common. Printing costs can add up if you choose an inkjet printer with inefficient cartridges. We suggest buying a slightly more expensive inkjet printer to get the best value. By paying more upfront, you are getting a printer that uses more economical cartridges, which translates to a bigger long term ink savings and less frequent cartridge replacements. It’s also worth noting that ink cartridges can dry out if they aren’t used regularly, so if you are someone that goes weeks without printing, consider a laser printer instead. Laser printers use toner powder instead of ink and they won’t dry out if they are rarely used!
Pros
- Great at printing text, color and photos
- Cheap printer options are available
- Works with a range of paper types and sizes including photo paper
Cons
- Ink cartridges can be expensive
- Ink cartridges will dry out over time
- Most ink cartridges don’t print as much as toner cartridge so you’ll need to replace your ink frequently
HP laser printers
Many assume all HP laser printers are expensive because they are often seen in big corporate offices and its true, higher end models can be expensive to run. However, a lot of smaller, affordable laser printers have become equally popular with home offices. No matter what size your workspace is, laser printers are a reliable printing solution for users with high volume printing needs. Monochrome laser printers are generally cheaper because they only print in black. Color laser printers are a much bigger investment because they use four separate toner cartridges, which can get expensive, but they make sense if you print a lot of color documents.
Pros
- Great at printing text and color documents
- Toner cartridges can print for thousands of pages
- Toner cartridges don’t dry out! You can go months without printing and still have a working cartridge
Cons
- The printers and cartridge replacements can be expensive
- Photo printing is doable but colors can be dull and muted. If you want photos, you are better of with an inkjet!
If you want to learn more about HP printer ink, check out our ultimate guide to HP ink cartridges here. Curious about HP toner cartridges? We have a guide for that too! You can find our ultimate guide to HP toner here.
What printer has the longest lasting ink cartridges?
HP printer cartridge yield can vary greatly from printer to printer, so when you are comparing printer models, pay close attention to what cartridges the printers use. With most HP printers, the cheaper the printer, the less efficient the printer cartridges will be. Bottom line, if you are looking for a printer that uses long lasting cartridges, you need to pay more up front for the printer. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8025 we feature in this article is a decent entry level option and is still our favorite for overall affordability, but if you are willing to pay a bit more for a printer, go with an HP SmartTank printer. These printers use ink bottles instead of ink cartridges and can print for thousands of pages at a super low cost per page. We review our favorite SmartTank printer, the HP SmartTank Plus 651 further down the page. If your top priority is long lasting ink, this is one of the best options out there – the high yield black ink bottle prints 6,000 pages and the color ink bottles printing 2,655 pages each!
How to save even more on printer ink
There’s no question that HP printer cartridges can be expensive. The best way to save on ink is by owning an HP printer that uses ink efficient cartridges that offer a high page yield. Luckily the printers mentioned here are some of the most efficient machines that HP has to offer, so you are already on the right track! If you are looking for an even more affordable way to print with your HP printer, LD-brand cartridges from LD Products are a great way to save on printing costs. LD has been selling low cost compatible alternative HP ink cartridges for over twenty years, providing millions of happy customers with an economical and reliable printing solution for almost every HP printer on the market. Check out our complete line up of low cost compatible HP ink and toner cartridges on LDProducts.com and see how much you can save!
Best Home Printer
HP OfficeJet Pro 8025 All-in-One – Buy on Amazon
The HP OfficeJet 8025 is the perfect printing companion for home offices that need all-in-one functionality and black and color prints. Print, copy, scan and fax features are all included, making it easy to tackle any project whether it’s for work or school. A two-sided document feeder helps reduce paper waste and fast prints speeds of 20 ppm / black and 10 ppm / color boosts productivity. This printer is super affordable too, providing you with quality printing results at a budget-friendly price. Four separate HP 910 black, cyan, magenta and yellow ink cartridges are available in a standard yield and high yield cartridge size. Each standard cartridge prints up to 300 pages and each XL cartridge prints up to 825 pages. If you print a lot of text, a 916XXL extra high yield black cartridge option is also available that prints 5x more pages than the standard yield black cartridge. Low cost compatible 910XL cartridges from LD Products are available now for only $17.99!
Bottom Line: This is the best all-around printer on our list. If you need to print documents in black or color and high quality photos, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025 can do it all for an affordable price.
Best Budget-Friendly Laser Printer
HP LaserJet Pro M15W – Buy on Amazon
HP’s LaserJet Pro M15W is one of the smallest laser printers around, delivering efficient monochrome prints in a sleek and compact design. If you just need to print text and don’t want to pay for the extra all-in-one features that come with bigger HP laser printers, this a charmingly simple laser printing solution that gets the job done. Customizable printing settings and smartphone scanning options are a nice plus with the HP smart app, and print speeds of 19 ppm make it one of the fastest printers in its class. The printer’s HP 48A black toner cartridge prints up to 1,000 pages at a decent cost per page. To save money, consider LD-brand compatible HP toner cartridges from LD Products, available for just $23.99.
Bottom Line: Perfect for printer users with limited space and limited laser printing needs. If you want something simple that just prints in black, this is your printer.
Best Small Business Monochrome Laser Printer
HP LaserJet Pro M428fdw – Buy on Amazon
Home offices and small business looking for a little more laser printing power should look at HP’s LaserJet Pro M428fdw. With easy to use print / copy / scan / fax features and lightning fast print speeds of up to 40 ppm, this printer is designed for a busy workplace. Automatic two-sided printing and a 250-sheet input tray keeps your office running on all cylinders, saving you time and frequent paper replacements. There are two cartridge options for this machine, an HP 58A standard yield toner which prints up to 3,000 pages and the super generous HP 58X high yield toner, which prints 10,000 pages. The high yield cartridge is considerably more expensive but worth it if you print often. You can save money with the LD-brand compatible HP 58X!
Bottom Line: A powerful monochrome workhouse printer that’s suitable for busier home offices and most small-businesses. The high yield HP 58X is worth the extra money if you print a lot.
Best Small Business Color Laser Printer
HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw – Buy on Amazon
Out of all the HP printers we mention here, the color laser printer has the highest operating cost. With four separate toner cartridges that need to be replaced, printing costs add up quickly. However, since each toner prints thousands of pages, they may be worth the investment depending on your printing habits. If you regularly print a lot of color documents, the HP Color LaserJet Pro Multifunction M479fdw is worth considering. Aimed primarily at small or home businesses, this all-in-one printer offers fast prints speeds that keep your office productive, clocking in a 28 ppm for black and color. A 4.3” color touchscreen with customizable shortcuts lets you change printing preferences in just a few taps or you can choose to manage everything from your phone with the HP Smart app. The printer includes a 250-sheet tray that’s good for half a ream of paper but offices with a heavy workload can spring for an optional 550 sheet tray at an added cost. Four HP 414 series toner cartridges come ready to install and replacements are available in both standard and high yield cartridge sizes. A black HP 414A standard yield toner prints 2,400 pages, and each individual color cartridge has a page yield of 2,100 each. The 414X high yield black prints 7,500 pages and each color prints up to 6,000 pages. To keep running costs low for this printer, we suggest using compatible toner cartridges from LD Products priced at only $98.99!
Bottom Line: The ideal laser printer for offices that require black and color printing options. Toner replacement can get expensive but since each cartridge prints thousands of pages, you probably won’t have to replace them often.
Best InkTank Printer
HP SmartTank Plus 651 – Buy on Amazon
If you want a color printer that prints a lot and don’t want to spend a fortune on replacement cartridges, an ink tank printer is a great choice. Ink tanks are a new type of inkjet printer that use ink bottles and a refillable ink tank system to power your printer instead of cartridges. Many people like them because the ink bottles are inexpensive and can print for thousands of pages. HP entered the ink tank printer market in late 2019 with their SmartTank printer series and the SmartTank Plus 651 we feature here is their mid-range option. Print / copy / scan / fax functions handle all of your basic printing needs and the ink bottles contain a ton of ink, with the HP 32XL black bottle printing up to 6,000 pages and each 31XL color ink bottle printing 2,665 pages. You can save even more on ink costs with a four pack of compatible ink bottles from LD Products, available for just $19.96! While the ink bottles are clearly the star of the show, some other basic features in the SmartTank series miss the mark. The printer is not very fast at just 11 ppm in black and a measly 5 ppm in color, a 100 sheet paper tray means you’ll be replacing paper more frequently than ink and it doesn’t include automatic double-sided printing. As this is HP’s first ink tank printer, there is definitely room for improvement, but if you are just looking to save money on ink, the SmartTank Plus 651 is a compelling solution.
Bottom Line: Low printing costs are this printer’s biggest draw and if that’s important to you, it’s hard to pass up. While it clearly excels in ink efficiency, it is lacking in other areas, like print speed and auto duplexing, so you have to be willing to sacrifice a bit to get that savings from the ink bottles.
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Savings based on price comparison between remanufactured/compatible cartridge prices on www.LDProducts.com and OEM cartridge and printer prices from the listed retailers: Amazon and Staples. All products are reviewed independently. As an Amazon associate, LD Products earns from qualifying purchases through links on this page. All prices effective as of June 22, 2023. OEM names are registered trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse LD Products.
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