Whether you are going to school in a classroom setting or you are being homeschooled, there are certain tools that you will need. One of the most basic tools that you will need for homeschooling is a printer. Students always need to have good printers because teachers always want to have paper copies of those assignments.
Whether we are talking about teachers in a school setting or your parents as teachers, they want to grade those paper copies of your assignments. Therefore, you need to have a decent printer. With that being said, there are literally hundreds of printers out there to choose from.
This can make choosing one specific model fairly difficult. There are many different factors to consider, and this can make your head spin. However, we are here to help make your life a little easier.
We want to take a look at the top six contenders for the best homeschool printer. Let’s take a look at some of the best printers you can purchase for your homeschooling needs; ones that won’t cost you a fortune.
- Best Homeschool Printers: Reviews
- 1. Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer
- 2. HP ENVY 5055 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer
- 3. HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer
- 4. Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer
- 5. Epson Workforce WF-2930 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- 6. Canon Pixma TS3320 Printer
- Buyers Guide
- FAQ
- Conclusion
Comparison Chart
HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer, HP Instant Ink, Works with Alexa – Stone Accent (J9V91A)
Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer with Scanner and Copier
Epson Workforce WF-2930 Wireless All-in-One Printer with Scan, Copy, Fax, Auto Document Feeder, Automatic 2-Sided Printing and 1.4″ Color Display
Best Homeschool Printers: Reviews
1. Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer
If you are looking for a fairly basic printer that won’t cost you a fortune, this is a good one to consider. It doesn’t cost all that much money, yet still does everything that a basic printer is supposed to do.
Review
Here we have a printer that features a fairly compact design. This is ideal for homeschooling because it doesn’t take up too much space. You don’t need a huge desk or shelf to house this unit, which is of course quite convenient. The space saving design is something that many people are going to like.
This printer features a 250-sheet capacity paper tray, which is fairly high. It means that you shouldn’t have to reload the paper tray too often. What is pretty cool is that this unit can print up to 27 pages per minute. It’s not the fastest printer in the world, although also far from the slowest. In terms of the speed, there is nothing to complain about, especially seeing as this printer comes in at such a low price.
What you might also appreciate is that this printer features a manual feed slot so you can easily insert and print letter heads and envelopes. Going back to printing capacity, keep in mind that this allows for duplex or double-sided printing. If it is printing standard, it can print up to 26 or 27 pages per minute. If you are doing double sided printing, it can print up to 13 pages per minute.
This printer is a black and white printer, not a color printer, which is one of the reasons why it’s not overly expensive. Moreover, it features a resolution of 2400 by 600 DPI, which is pretty good. It’s not the highest resolution in the world, although once again, nothing to complain about for the low price.
Keep in mind that although the USB cable is not included, it does feature USB connectivity. Moreover, this unit does not have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capabilities. It requires the USB cable for connection. This printer should also work with most operating systems. All in all, for the low price that it comes in at, we think that this is a fantastic printer to consider.
Pros
- Space efficient
- Cost effective
- Reliable connection
- Decent printing speed
- Good resolution for the price
- Duplex printing
Cons
- Not very long lasting
2. HP ENVY 5055 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer
If you happen to be an art or media student, then you might have use for a photo printer. What is quite surprising is that although this is a high-quality photo printer, it doesn’t actually cost that much. Keep in mind that you can also use it as a normal printer.
Review
This is a very convenient printer because it is an all-in-one printer that can print letter, legal, 4 by 6 inch, 5 by 7 inch, 8 by 10 inch, and #10 envelopes. In this sense, it is definitely very versatile. Of course, one of the main features here is that this is a photo printer. If you get the right type of ink and paper, you can easily print high quality photos, just like from a photo lab.
Now, something to keep in mind here is that the ink is going to be rather expensive to replace. However, you do get the first two months free when you enroll in HP Instant Ink, with there being subscriptions for ink replacement. Although the ink may not be cheap, the quality of the prints and photos is very high.
This unit features both Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth connectivity. It is a state-of-the-art unit, so the connection quality is very reliable and fast. The fact that you can choose from Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is pretty convenient too.
Although this is a very versatile type of printer, it is also quite compact and lightweight. We like this because it doesn’t take up all that much space. It is therefore more than ideal for any home office. What is also really cool is that you can print from any tablet or smartphone using the integrated application. In fact, you can also use your tablet or phone to take pictures of or scan documents.
This printer features a 100-sheet paper tray, which is not huge, but should be good enough for most basic purposes. Moreover, it can print up to 25 sheets of paper per minute. It’s not overly fast, although fast enough for basic needs. The main feature here is of course that this is a photo printer.
Pros
- High quality photos
- Easy to use
- Dual connectivity options
- Affordable
- Compact
- Prints many sizes
Cons
- No duplex printing
- Expensive ink and photo paper
3. HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer
If you are looking for a fairly high-quality printer that won’t cost you a fortune, this is a great option to look into. Let’s take a closer look at all of the different features you get for a fairly low price.
Review
Something that you might appreciate about this particular printer is that it is designed to be quite compact. Yes, of course it is big enough to perform all of its functions as it should. However, it’s also small enough so that it doesn’t take up too much space. It’s the kind of object that you can easily have in your home office without eating through valuable real estate.
What’s really cool is that this is a wireless printer. This means that you can wirelessly connect to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Yes, that is right, there is a smartphone application here. You can use the smartphone application to control the printer. You can print right from your smartphone. You can also scan images using your smartphone and then print them with the printer. It’s definitely quite convenient.
Furthermore, this is an all-in-one unit on its own. Not only is it a wireless printer, but it’s also a scanner and a copier machine. This is definitely very convenient. It’s certainly something that students can make good use of. Keep in mind that it also comes with fully functional onboard controls.
You might also appreciate how the DPI or resolution of the prints here is quite high. You definitely don’t have to worry about low quality prints. At the same time, this unit also features a quiet mode, so it won’t make too much noise when you are printing a lot of sheets.
This printer features a 60-sheet input capacity, and a 25-sheet output capacity. 60 sheets may not be all that much so it does mean that you will have to refill this printer fairly often. However, being able to print up to 25 sheets per minute is fairly speedy, so that’s nothing to complain about.
Now, this is a color printer, which automatically means that the ink is going to be relatively expensive. However, when you join the HP Instant Ink program, you’ll get your first four months of ink totally free. There are then subscriptions that start at $0.99 per month for ink refill requirements. However, in the grand scheme of things, the ink here isn’t going to be cheap.
Pros
- High quality prints
- Print, copy, scan, and more
- Color prints
- Easy to control
- Compact and space efficient
- Good price
Cons
- Expensive ink
- Doesn’t automatically print double sided
4. Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer
Here we have what has to be one of the most advanced and innovative types of printers in the world. No, it’s certainly not the cheapest printer on the list today, but we do think it is well worth the investment. You’re about to see why we think exactly that.
Review
What really stands out about this printer is the fact that it does not use any cartridges. Virtually every other printer out there uses ink cartridges. These are extremely wasteful and expensive. However, what you get here are these so-called eco tanks. These are ink tanks that you can refill with ink bottles. Instead of having to purchase expensive refill cartridges, you just purchase small bottles of ink.
You open the bottles and refill the ink reservoirs yourself. This means that you can save up to 90% of the cost of replacement ink cartridges. Yes, that is right, the ink used here costs only 10% of what you are used to. Now that is a whole lot of money that you can save.
Moreover, the printer itself actually comes complete with enough ink for about two years or enough for roughly 7500 pages. Not having to buy any ink for at least a year after purchasing the printer is a pretty big deal.
Not only do you save a lot of money but you’re also saving the environment. Those ink cartridges are very harmful to the environment. Therefore, not having to constantly buy new ones is something that helps preserve our environment. The only downside is that refilling the ink can be a little bit messy, although it just takes a bit of practice.
Other than that, this is a fairly basic printer with all of the usual capabilities. For instance, this is a wireless printer, so you don’t need a physical connection. You can easily connect it to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone for easy printing. It also comes complete with a memory card slot, so you can print from a memory card.
It features a 150-sheet paper tray, which is pretty decent. It means that you shouldn’t have to refill the paper tray all too often. Moreover, this printer can put out almost 30 pages per minute, which is a fairly impressive speed.
You might also like how it comes complete with a touch screen display, a scanner function, and a copier function. Yes, this is an all-in-one printer that can perform many jobs. It even comes complete with a 2.4-inch color display for easy control. What is worth saying is that the quality of the prints themselves is quite high as well.
All in all, for the fairly decent price that this unit comes in at, we think that it is absolutely excellent. No, once again, it is not the cheapest printer on the list today. However, the fact that you will save up to 90% of ink replacement costs in the long run is a really big deal. In the grand scheme of things, although the upfront cost is quite high, you’re going to end up saving a whole lot of money in the long run.
Pros
- Cost effective ink
- Eco-friendly
- Scan, copy, print
- High quality color prints
- Space friendly
- Easy to use
Cons
- Higher up-front cost
- Refilling the ink takes practice
5. Epson Workforce WF-2930 Wireless All-in-One Printer
Here we have yet another fairly basic yet high performance printer that works well for homeschooling and student needs. It does everything that you would ever expect a printer to do, plus more, all for a reasonable price. It also happens to be the perfect size for any home office.
Review
First and foremost, this is a wireless printer. This means that you can easily connect to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone using a wireless connection. Yes, you can print from your Android or iOS devices. Even better is the fact that there is a dedicated application for your tablets and smartphones.
You can use this like a remote control for the printer. You can print from your phone, control the printer, and do so much more. You can even take pictures from your phone and print them right off of the printer. The wireless connection is very reliable and fast, so that’s not something you should have to worry about.
The fact that it has a paper tray that can fit 100 sheets is pretty nice. This means that you shouldn’t have to refill the paper tray too often. At the same time, it should also be able to print well over 25 pages per minute, which is quite speedy.
Something you might also appreciate here is that the quality of the prints is quite high. Although it’s not the number one highest quality printer in the world, the resolution is still quite high. The high DPI resolution allows this unit to print pictures and images with great clarity. It’s not a printer that’s just designed for printing text documents because it can handle pictures quite well too.
Not only does it excel at printing, but it also performs many other jobs. In fact, this is an all-in-one unit. It also has the ability to copy documents, scan documents, and it even works as a fax machine. If you aren’t using your phone, no worries, because it still has a nice 1.4-inch color LCD display for easy control. Using this printer is very easy and intuitive.
You might also like how this unit comes complete with voice activated printing, a feature that only the newest of printers come with. Furthermore, it also comes with automatic duplex printing. This means that when you have it set, the printer will automatically print onto both sides. This allows you to save paper and therefore money. It’s also good for the environment.
Keep in mind that this is a color printer. Usually, colored ink is very expensive, which is also the case here. However, you don’t have to buy all-in-one ink cartridges. You can actually just buy individual ink cartridges. So, if you just want to print black and white, you can totally do that without having to buy color ink.
Pros
- Affordable
- Good size
- Print, scan, copy, and fax
- High quality prints
- User friendly controls
- Decent input and output capacity
Cons
- Limited durability
- Color ink replacement is costly
6. Canon Pixma TS3320 Printer
If you’re looking for a streamlined, modern, and convenient printer, this might just be it. It has many awesome features yet won’t cost you a fortune.
Review
Here we have a really nice wireless printer. This means that you can easily connect any laptop, tablet, or smartphone using a wireless connection. You therefore don’t have to be physically connected to print. You can even use your smartphone to print from another room.
What is cool is that there is a dedicated application that allows you to use your smartphone as a control panel. You can print from your phone, take pictures, and so much more. It really doesn’t get much easier than that. On that note, the Wi-Fi connection used here is actually quite reliable.
What you might also appreciate about this unit is that it has really simple ink cartridge replacements. You only need two cartridges to print anything at all. Yes, this is a color printer, which many people are going to like. However, if you want, you only need to replace the black and white ink for normal text printing.
We personally really like this because it helps you save a lot of money. Colored ink is very expensive, whereas black ink is a lot cheaper. Therefore, being able to choose which cartridges to replace is a big money saver.
Keep in mind that this is an all-in-one unit. Sure, it works as a normal printer, but it is also a copier and a scanner. It’s just a really convenient unit. At the same time, the quality here is also very high. All of your prints look like they have been professionally done. You also get a very easy to load paper tray that has a high capacity, so you don’t need to refill it very often.
Perhaps one of the coolest features is that if you purchase Canon square photo paper, you can print photographs using this printer. This is something that not many other printers can do. We do also like how this printer is just fairly compact in general. It’s not something that takes up a whole lot of space. It’s more than good enough to fit into small home offices and bedrooms alike.
Pros
- Many functions
- Can print photos
- Compact
- Smartphone control
- Wireless connectivity
- Decent price
Cons
- Connection quality is not always great
Buyers Guide
Before we call it a day, let’s provide you with some tips on how to choose the best printer for homeschooling.
1. All-in-One or Just Print
One thing to consider is whether you want an all-in-one printer or just a printer. Of course, if you are going for cost-effectiveness, then just a printer is best. You can get just a printer for under $100. However, it does of course depend on what your needs are. If you just need to print pieces of paper, then this is fine.
However, if you are a student, chances are that you might also need to photocopy things and scan documents as well. If this is the case, you might want to go for an all-in-one printer that also has the ability to scan and copy.
Yes, this is going to cost a little more, although it is usually well worth the investment. There are even some models that can still send faxes, just in case that’s something you need.
2. Color or Black & White
Another thing to consider is whether you want a color printer or just a normal black and white printer. If you are a student who just needs to print out essays and other such documents, a black and white printer is probably more than enough.
A black and white printer is going to cost you a lot less in terms of the initial purchase and the ink replacement costs in a color printer.
Therefore, if you are working on a tight budget, a black and white printer is always best. However, if you are a media student or somebody who likes to print out pictures, you might want to go for a color printer.
A color printer is always a whole lot more versatile. Just keep in mind that color ink replacements cost a lot of money.
3. Printing Volume
You then also want to consider what the printing volume of the printer in question is. Some can print 15 pages per minute, some 25 per minute, and some 50 pages per minute or even more. The higher you want the printer volume per minute to be, the more you’ll have to pay for the printer.
That said, somewhere around 25 pages per minute is pretty standard. Keep in mind that you might also want to go for a unit that allows for double sided printing. This is going to help save you a lot of time and money.
When talking about double sided printing, being able to print around 15 to 20 pages per minute is ideal.
4. Connectivity
You do then want to consider the various connectivity options. In other words, how does the printer connect to your laptop, tablet, and computer? If we are talking about a regular old school printer that just has a USB connection, this is ideal for connecting to a computer or laptop. However, in most cases, a wired or USB printer is not going to work with your tablets or smartphones.
If you have a tablet or smartphone that you want to print from, you’re going to want a wireless or Bluetooth printer. Wireless or Bluetooth printers are convenient because not only can they connect to your smartphones and tablets, but they can also connect to modern laptops too.
The bottom line here is that if you want something modern and functional, going for a wireless printer is probably best. This will also allow you to print from any room in your house without being physically connected. It also allows you to use your smartphone as a control panel for the printer.
5. Ink Replacement Cost
You then also want to consider how much it is going to cost you to replace the ink. Keep in mind that color ink is much more expensive than black ink.
Now, you do also want to consider that different brand names have different replacement costs for their ink cartridges. However, as you can see from one of our reviews, there are some printers that have ink tanks that you can refill with bottles of ink. These tend to be far more cost effective.
If you are going for a printer that has cartridges, go from one where the colored ink is separate from the black and white ink. This way, if you just want to print black and white, but not color, you can just replace the black ink.
FAQ
#1 Why do I need a printer for homeschooling?
First and foremost, your parents or whoever is homeschooling you are still going to want to see your assignments. There is just no better way for any kind of teacher or parent to grade an assignment then if it is a physical one.
Being forced to print out assignments really makes it feel like school. Moreover, there are certain assignments that qualified instructors or teachers will have to grade at specified facilities. This means that you still have to print some things out and bring them to qualified professionals.
#2 Why is Choosing the Right Printer Important?
Choosing the right printer is important because it’s going to determine the quality of your final project. For instance, you want a printer that has a high resolution or else all of your prints won’t end up being very clear. At the same time, going for a printer that is convenient is a big deal as well.
If you choose a USB printer but you want to print mainly from your smartphone, that’s going to be a problem. In this case, a wireless printer would be much better. There are many factors to consider. Choosing the right printer in terms of black and white or color printing is important too, especially in terms of the cost.
#3 How Much Do You Really Need to Spend on a Printer?
A decent printer really shouldn’t cost you more than $150 or $200 at the very most.
#4 Are 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 devices worth it?
If you plan on using all of the functions, such as print, scan, copy, and fax, then yes these are worth it. It really depends on whether or not you will be using those functions.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the best printer for homeschooling, the Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer is the option that we would recommend. The reason for this is because it is a high-performance printer that comes in at a very reasonable price. It’s nothing overly special, but it gets the job done and won’t cost you a fortune.