Best InkJet Printer: Our Top Efficient Picks for Home or Office 2024

As a terrific all-round craft printing solution, we highly recommend investing in one of the best InkJet printer models on the market. Utilizing multiple printheads to carefully place droplets onto a print surface, these top printers are well-suited to an array of applications: from standard documents to specialist print materials like cardstock. They are one of the most popular print formats on the market, which comes with its own issues – after all, it’s harder to find the best InkJet printer when there are dozens, if not hundreds, on the market.

We’ve compiled a buyer’s guide of our top recommendations, accounting for different budgets and specialist needs. Whether you need a top printer for crafting a range of different materials or a budget-friendly unit for basic document printing, we’ve got you covered with a diverse array of top InkJet printers.

How We Picked the Best InkJet Printer

InkJet printers are great resources for crafting, as they are able to provide better color quality and resolution than traditional laser printers. We prioritized printers that offered the best print resolutions for their price points, both ongoing and upfront. A major draw of InkJet printers is their ability to print specialist media, and we gave preferential treatment to printers with the most versatile compatibility: from greeting cards to edible ink. We also factored in the overall compatibility and compactness of the printers, so avoid printers that inadvertently took over their workspaces.

We settled on five products, each with their own respective merits, that are all top choices for InkJet printers in 2024. We’ve made sure to detail what makes each printer necessarily better or worse for different use cases, in order to help you make an informed purchase.

What is an InkJet Printer?

An InkJet printer utilizes dedicated printheads to place quick-drying color ink onto a surface. Though they can be more expensive to buy and run than laser printers, they are able to provide better color clarity, resolution, and versatility in terms of print materials. Despite the “InkJet umbrella”, these printers can vary in a number of key factors. More advanced InkJet printers utilize more varied ink colors, with as many as ten different ink cartridges required to run the printer, or alternatively utilize Ink Tank reservoirs for higher ink efficiency. They are generally all capable of high-resolution prints on an array of specialist media, allowing you to print borderless photos, greeting cards, and even cricut templates from the comfort of home. The best InkJet printers are particularly sought after by artists and designers, as a terrific way to turn their digital works into physical prints.

Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850

Specifications

• Printer Output: Color
• Printer Type: InkJet
• Connectivity Technology: USB, Ethernet, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth
• Duplex Printing: Yes

What We Think

For the ultimate medley of price and performance, the ET-5850 is nigh-on unbeatable.

Reasons to Buy

• Highly versatile – the ET-5850 can print on a wide range of materials with a generous print size.
• Efficient Ink Tank – the large ink reservoirs mean that the cost-per-print is far lower on this printer.

Reasons to Avoid

• Bulky design – heavy and large, the ET-5850 may not be suited to all households or studio spaces.

• Shop on Amazon

With quality that rivals even higher-end professional printers, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is easily the best InkJet printer on the market today. Able to print pristine photo-quality images with ease, this InkJet printer from Epson is an ideal solution for crafting incredible high-quality works.

With a dual-paper tray setup, the ET-5850 is capable of taking over 500 sheets at a time, ideal for those who hate constantly replenishing their print supply. Similarly, the ink tank system means that the ink bottles you purchase last longer – making for a tremendously low cost-per-print. You can print on a variety of materials up to 8.5″ x 14″ in size. With an integrated flatbed scanner and intuitive touchscreen, the unit is a very versatile addition to any designer’s arsenal – along with boasting the ability to connect to a range of devices. As a top printer for graphic design, there’s a lot to love about the ET-5850.

However, there are some things to dislike: the printer is especially heavy and bulkily designed, which can make it cumbersome to store. If you can find a convenient spot to house it, then the ET-5850 is definitely the best InkJet printer with a tremendous median of price, quality and versatility.

A large-format printer capable of stunning photos, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is a tremendous InkJet printer offering from Canon. Employing a proprietary LUCIA PRO 12-ink system, this photo printer gives you a wide range of colors and superb dark details on large-scale prints.

With this 12-color ink system, the PRO-1000 is a superb print solution for those needing color depth and vibrance in their prints. It features anti-clogging technology and a tubular ink delivery system that makes your working time more efficient. These two features minimize the chance of clogging and give you faster printing speeds, increasing your overall productivity. Additionally, it has an air-feeding system that keeps your paper aligned inside, making for more accurate ink placement.

That accuracy comes at the cost of speed, however. At 5 prints per minute for color images, the PRO-1000 is a notably slow InkJet printer. If you are willing to make the tradeoff between speed and quality, then this is the best InkJet printer for you.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Epson EcoTank ET-2850

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

• Printer Output: Color
• Printer Type: InkJet
• Connectivity Technology: USB, Bluetooth, WiFi Direct
• Duplex Printing: Yes

• Printer Output: Color
• Printer Type: InkJet
• Connectivity Technology: USB, Wi-Fi Direct
• Duplex Printing: Yes

Show more

What We Think

Our review of the ET-2850 highlighted its exceptional value-for-money, and we think it’s well worth the low price.

Reasons to Buy

• Versatile print options – the ET-2850 can print a variety of specialist media as well as scan and copy to a high standard.
• Cost-effective – an affordable upfront cost makes this InkJet printer a great value purchase for households or offices.

Reasons to Avoid

• Average color quality – whilst not bad, other printers on this list beat the ET-2850 for color reproduction in prints.

• Shop on Amazon

For a more affordable InkJet printing solution, the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is the best in the business. We’ve sung the praises of this printer many times, and recommend it to everyone from teachers to students.

An ink tank printer, the ET-2850 is capable of stellar value for money, coming with an estimated 2 years’ worth of ink in the box (though this will vary with mileage). For your standard suite of documents, the printer boasts an impressive 33 pages-per-minute print speed – along with the requisite scanner and copier functions. For more specialist prints, you can create lifelike images with 5,760 x 1,440 dpi resolution up to 8.5″ x 14″ in size. Connectability is high too, with everything from wired USB connections through to iPad printing via Apple AirPrint. This Epson printer is a terrific all-in-one purchase for home use, small business, and even more intensive graphic design.

The one limiting factor that stands in the way of this all-in-one printer is the overall color gamut: without a dedicated ICC color profile, we found lighter colors lacked vibrancy – which may be an issue for dedicated photo printing. It’s a small issue, however, and it doesn’t stop us from claiming the ET-2850 as our top all-in-one printer purchase!

HP ENVY 6055e Wireless Inkjet Printer

Specifications

• Printer Output: Color
• Printer Type: InkJet
• Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, WiFi Direct
• Duplex Printing: Yes

What We Think

Need a low-price opener into more varied printing? Consider the 6055e, a low-cost, high-value print solution.

Reasons to Buy

• Great starter printer – easy to set up and easier to use, the 6055e comes with a range of top features.
• Versatile print options – with an 8.5″ x 11″ print size across cardstock and other specialist media, you can create high-quality and varied designs with ease.

Reasons to Avoid

• Status light – a bright and irritating blue LED bathes whatever room the InkJet printer is in in light and can’t be disabled.

• Shop on Amazon

As we mentioned in our dedicated guide on the best printer for greeting cards, the HP Envy 6055e is a tremendous low-cost entry-level InkJet printer. The HP printer can provide multimedia results across a range of sizes and use cases, all with low ongoing and upfront costs.

With a versatile multimedia tray, the 6055e is capable of producing deliverables up to 8.5″ x 11″ in size. Setup is quick and easy thanks to a simple setup process and connectivity via WiFi Direct, Bluetooth or USB. All this is kept within a low price tag – lower than even the ET-2800 from Epson.

So why isn’t this the best InkJet printer? One crucial flaw restricts this otherwise tremendous budget-friendly printer: it features an obnoxiously bright status light on the front of the printer doesn’t switch off unless disconnected from power. Though it’s easily solved with a line of tape, it’s an issue that severely hamstrings this InkJet printer’s value.

Brother MFC-J5330DW

Specifications

• Printer Output: Color
• Printer Type: InkJet
• Connectivity Technology: USB, WiFi Direct
• Duplex Printing: Yes

What We Think

For offices needing a versatile InkJet print solution, the MFC-J5330DW is the ultimate blend of price, performance and productivity.

Reasons to Buy

• Fast print speed – at 22 prints per minute, this is ideal for heavy-duty offices.
• Specialist media support – alongside a highly productive print speed, the MFC-J3330DW boasts all the media support of a full-fledged InkJet printer, too.

Reasons to Avoid

• High cost-per-print – along with the initial upfront cost, the ink economy on this printer is notably poor, making for long-term investments in ink replacements.

• Shop on Amazon

Our final selection for the best InkJet printers is the Brother MFC-J5330DW, a tremendous high-end InkJet printer that combines the capabilities of other printers on our list into one model. With an array of top features, this Brother printer proves itself a worthwhile investment for homes or offices of any size.

The MFC-J5330DW has a print speed of 22 prints per minute, with a competitive print size of 11″ x 17″. Though it’s primarily suited for document printing, with a built-in scanner and auto-duplexing for double-sided prints, it still comes with a rear tray for specialist media. With this combination of features, the MFC-J5330DW can make for a highly productive office printer with accommodating graphic design support.

Though it combines a great many benefits of the other printers on our guide, the overall ink economy of this printer loses it points, making for a higher cost-per-print in proportion to use. Given that the upfront cost is also high, this makes the MFC-J5330DW a hefty investment – less suited to households. If you need a versatile all-rounder office printer and are able to swallow the cost, then this is still a highly worthwhile investment.

Features and Considerations

If you’re looking into investing in an InkJet printer outside of today’s ranking, here are some key factors to consider:

Print Quality

For the most aesthetically-perfect designs, you’ll want a printer with a high print resolution. In general, InkJet printers produce more vivid color accuracy without losing sharpness – though this can vary from model to model. Resolution is measured in Dots per Inch (DPI), same as many graphic design applications, so make sure that your printer can match your high-clarity and colorful designs.

Media Compatibility

Making sure that your printer can produce your designs on whatever materials you need it to is essential. There are a variety of available materials that are capable of being run through a printer – from glossy photo paper to specialist sublimation ink. Most of the best printers we’ve listed here are rated for materials such as cardstock, envelopes or stickers as standard – for anything more specific, you’ll need to check with the manufacturer in question.

Ink Economy

If you are looking to run a cost-effective printer, the best way to measure that is via the cost-per-page statistics – the average cost of ink and paper for every sheet printed – listed with the product. This is measured in cents rather than dollars, thankfully, but make sure that you aren’t having to print constantly on an inefficient printer. Ink economy also refers to how efficiently the printer uses the ink that you provide, with minimal waste – another core consideration.

Print Speed

Whilst speed is not essential, it is helpful – especially for business-minded printing. Depending on the size and frequency of prints, make sure you opt for a printer that can supply as quickly as you demand. Be sure to factor in drying time, as some substrates such as art prints can be smudged if immediately retrieved.

Printer Size

Similarly not crucial, but worth considering, is the size of your printer. InkJet printers can range from small desktop units to industrial-sized models for large tableaus. Factor in the space you have at your disposal to avoid overcrowding.

Ink Tank vs InkJet Printers: Which is Better?

Ink tank printers are a variant of InkJet printers that have risen in popularity in recent years – several of the above products are ink tank printers, as they often represent the best-value units on the market. Utilizing large ink vessels that can be easily refilled as and when you run out of each color, ink tank printers offer great value for money on ink.

This doesn’t mean that traditional InkJet printers are by any means worse off, as they effectively utilize the same technology on a smaller scale. Though they have smaller reservoirs, InkJet printers are generally smaller models and can be found at lower prices than their larger counterparts.

As with many facets of technology, it comes down to your own subjective requirements: ink tank printers are great for spacious studios or households that want an efficient ink economy, whilst InkJet printers are more compact and easier to store, suited for those on a budget.

FAQs

Verdict

Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850

Specifications

• Printer Output: Color
• Printer Type: InkJet
• Connectivity Technology: USB, Ethernet, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth
• Duplex Printing: Yes

• Shop on Amazon

If you want a high-quality multimedia printer for an array of craft scenarios, then the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is the best InkJet printer to suit your needs. Though it’s a little more cumbersome than other units, it makes up for it’s weight with great print quality and efficient ink usage – more than paying for itself as a printer for households, offices or small businesses.

Looking to add another dimension to your designs? Check out our guide on the best 3D printers on the market today.