The best all-in-one printers (AIO Printers) are the bee’s knees of peripherals because they’re practically a one-stop shop for everything you need. Well, maybe not everything, but they serve several input and output functions. They can not only print and copy documents but also scan them as well as send and receive faxes and send documents via email, which makes them an essential investment whether you have a household with multiple demands or are running a business.
A printer that can meet all your printing, scanning, and document-sending needs is also more cost-effective. Even if you think you might save by getting one of the best cheap printers, an all-in-one printer might have a better return on investment, depending on your daily needs. And, since it’s a single device that can do a little bit of everything, you’re also saving space.
Also, check out our reviews of the best small business printers and the best UPS.
- Also check out our roundup of the best small business printers and our best printer buying guide
The best all-in-one printers of 2023 in full
This three-in-one inkjet printer can print, scan and copy and has a 30-sheet ADF (automatic document feed) for scheduled copying tasks. There's no touchscreen or front USB port, but it can print very well at high resolution making it great for photos and text documents.
It also has four refillable ink tanks, which means savings of up to 90 percent on an equivalent cartridge-based model. And there's a generous amount of bottled ink in the box -- enough for 14,000 black and white pages, or 5,200 colors. The Epson EcoTank ET-3850's running cost is meager, and despite being compact, it can hold 250 sheets of A4 paper and 337ml of ink.
Read the full review: Epson EcoTank ET-3850
The crisp design of the Canon i-SENSYS MF742Cdw would not look out of place in the office or the home office, and it comes with all of the features you could need for either situation. There is duplex printing, a fifty-sheet ADF, and a front USB port for walk-up printing from a thumb drive.
The print speed and quality are good enough for any small to medium-sized business, and the running cost is competitive. If required, you can load 250 sheets of A4 paper in the main tray and add additional paper trays. Thanks to the excellent touchscreen interface and built-in Wi-Fi functionality, it is also straightforward.
But if your work requires fax, you should look at the almost identical i-SENSYS MF744Cdw model.
Read the full review: Canon i-SENSYS MF742Cdw
This all-singing all-in-one comes with a long list of features and equally impressive specifications. The Brother MFC-J5330DW's paper tray can hold 250 sheets, and the automatic document feeder has another 50. Its maximum print speed can rival laser printers, and the cost per page is only a little higher if you buy the high-capacity inkjet carts. Color prints look bold and bright, but this machine's party trick is its ability to print on A3-size paper.
The Brother MFC-J5330DW is aimed at busy small to medium-business users and doesn't have some consumer-friendly features on home printers, like an SD card slot or NFC for connecting to a mobile device. But there is Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity so that users won't miss out on fast connectivity and convenience.
Read the full review: Brother MFC-J5330DW
If you have the space, the multifunction HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdw will serve a small business well thanks to its consistently crisp print quality, functional 35-sheet automatic document feeder, and mechanical photocopying skills. This is a mono machine, and it's not the fastest laser on the block, but it's quicker than any inkjet and offers an attractive blend of features and performance.
The printer's 250-sheet paper capacity and 30ppm print speed make it productive. Its features, like scanning to email, duplex printing, and wireless connectivity for up to five users, make it simple and convenient. The HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdw's static display is a touchscreen, making it easier to use than the mono LCD panels on regular printers.
Read the full review: HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdw
This inexpensive inkjet is an all-rounder and ideal for a home office with relatively low print demands. It’s a three-in-one with print, scans, and copy capability, and the US model comes with a 20-sheet ADF (automatic document feed).
The nearest equivalent UK model (Brother DCP-J1140DW) has no ADF, but it prints reliably, quickly (16.5 ppm color and 17 ppm black and white), and with an all-around performance that belies the low price. There’s no front USB port and no Ethernet port at the rear, but there is a touchscreen interface, and we think this basic Brother printer is a bargain.
The printer has various connectivity options, like built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and NFC for swift mobile device printing. The Brother MFC-J1170DW is suitable for homes and small offices with its compact design and flexible connectivity options.
Read the full review: Brother DCP-J1140DW.
This compact and affordable all-in-one can print, scan and photocopy, but its real strength is printing photos on photo paper. To meet the price point, the HP Envy 5055 is pretty light on features, so there's no Ethernet or front USB port, for example, and it prints very slowly, but the results are rather good when it comes to full-color photos. The supplied starter cartridges are relatively light on ink, but the running cost is also fairly competitive if you replace them with high-capacity carts.
The printer has no automatic document feeder, but its photo prints are excellent. If you pair it with HP's Instant Ink subscription program, the running costs decrease relatively. Connectivity options on the printer include Wi-Fi, Wireless Direct, and USB connectivity (single device).
Brother's broad range of business-like all-in-ones includes laser and inkjet models; sometimes, the line between them is blurred. This feature-packed four-in-one device prints as quickly as a laser and has a high capacity for ink and paper, but being an inkjet, it's also very good at printing photos. The Brother MFC-J5945DW is also a little smaller than an equivalent laser model, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a laser at this price that can handle A3 paper.
It comes with standard-sized ink cartridges, but the printer's running costs can be lower than some laser printers if you use high-yield cartridges to deliver 6000 pages. There's a companion app for smartphones (Brother iPrint&Scan), and once you install it, it'll immediately find and join the printer so that you can print, scan, and monitor the printer's status from your phone.
Read the full review: Brother MFC-J5945DW.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2760 (known as the ET-2756 in the UK) costs considerably more than Epson's cartridge-based all-in-one printers, but in the long term, the refillable tanks promise to reduce your consumables cost by up to 90%. This is a well-specified, fully-featured three-in-one device with Wi-Fi, duplex printing, and a rapid monochrome print rate. What sets it apart from the cartridge crowd is the generous amount of ink included in the box — enough for 7,500 black and white pages or 6,000 colors.
The printer has a companion app (Epson Connect services) and Wi-Fi connectivity. With this app, you can print remotely using smartphones and tablets and email your documents to the printer's unique email address for swift printing. The EcoTank ET-2756 is also compatible with Apple AirPrint.
If you can find room for this substantial four-in-one laser device in your office, it will almost certainly meet your printing, scanning, and copying requirements. The Xerox VersaLink C405 has a very high capacity for toner and paper, with room for 550 sheets in the main paper tray and another 150 in its multipurpose tray. It photocopies and prints very quickly, and the large touchscreen interface is the most sophisticated you will find on the front of any printer.
This powerful multifunctional printer likely accommodates all the paper-handling demands of a medium or large office. But it weighs 33kg and has a large footprint, so you'll need enough space to keep it and at least two people to shift it around. Despite looking reasonably comprehensive, the Xerox VersaLink C405 can't accommodate A3 paper.
Read the full review: Xerox VersaLink C405
The Canon PIXMA G7020 marks a significant refinement in Canon’s cartridge-free MegaTank technology, and this model sits at the top of its product tree.
It is very well-featured, with duplex printing and scanning, an automatic document feeder, and a fax facility. Plenty of room for paper in the main tray and ink in the box — enough for 18,000 monochrome pages or 7,700 color pages. That makes this all-in-one printer the most economical and ideal for a small office that needs to print plenty of color documents.
The printer doesn't have touchscreen functionality. Instead, it has a tiny two-line monochrome LCD screen and navigation buttons. Although it's inconvenient using a dated control panel like that, the G7020 has solid connectivity options, like USB 2.0, Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and companion apps for iOS and Android.
The Brother MFC-J6940DW is a big office all-in-one that proves, without a doubt, that inkjet means business. It prints as fast as the average laser, with the advantage of being able to print on coated photo paper. It has all the executive toys with NFC, duplex scanning, and a 50-page ADF (automatic document feeder). The generous 8.8cm color touchscreen makes it exceptionally easy to use, while having two separate paper trays is undeniably convenient. The print quality is strong with monochrome text pages and color photos, making it a flexible workhorse.
As with all cartridge-based inkjets, the catch is the ongoing print cost. It takes Brother’s standard and high-yield Innobella ink cartridges, which are excellent quality but inexpensive. Sadly, this model is not compatible with Brother’s super high-yield INKvestment Tank cartridges, which would have made the running cost much more competitive. Toner cartridges, with their higher yield, ensure laser printers will nearly always have a lower cost-per-page than this. Neither can it compete with refillable inkjet printers, which are far more economical.
Read our full Brother MFC-J6940DW review.
This handsome color inkjet all-in-one is aimed at the working-from-home brigade and comes with all the essential business features. The fact that it also prints a decent photo is a bonus. It can auto-duplex print, scan and copy. There’s no ADF, but with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on board, it is well connected, while the tilting color touchscreen makes it very easy to use. It prints slowly in duplex mode, but the quality is impressive, especially when printing photos onto glossy-coated paper.
A dedicated tray for smaller photo paper can also be duplex printed. It’s an excellent product for the money, but the running cost is a big catch. The tiny 303 ink cartridges are expensive, and by combining the three colors in one tri-color, it’s also wasteful of ink. You can use the free 6-month HP+ subscription and receive cheaper ink in the mail, but we wouldn’t advise signing up unless you print regularly.
Read our full HP ENVY Inspire 7200e/7220e review.
- You might also want to check out our rundown of the best ink tank printers right now
Best all-in-one printer: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an all-in-one printer?
An all-in-one printer has additional functionalities, like scanning, photocopying, and sometimes even faxing. These printers offer centralized and efficient document management solutions for business users with diverse printing requirements.
How to choose the best all-in-one printer for you?
When choosing the best all-in-one printer, consider the printer's pricing. This includes checking the price of the ink and toner and calculating the overall cost of printing each page.
Then you'll want to evaluate whether you want a laser or inkjet printer. Laser printers are ideal for printing text documents swiftly (and inexpensively), while inkjet printers are excellent at printing colors accurately.
Make sure to assess the size and weight of the printer—it'll be a hassle if the printer's too big for your home office or too heavy for a single person to shift around comfortably.
You'll also want to check the print speed, quality, and connectivity options to find the perfect printer for your work.
The best all-in-one printers: How we test
Although there are now many printers for individuals, we wanted to find the best all-in-one printer for this review. This device may not specialize in photographic printing or wireless connectivity, but that can do a bit of everything well. In compiling these nine printers, we looked at countless more, choosing devices that would work in a family home and as part of a small business.
We assessed these printers across several factors: speed, print quality, price, size, and simplicity. A device had to score well across all these metrics to make the cut as one of our best all-in-one printers.
For more on how we test printers at TechRadar Pro, check out How we try: Printers
