Best Printers for College Students 2023

College demands papers, and papers need to be printed. These are our top picks for printers that will get you through college.

A personal printer can be a great thing to have around if you're a college student. They can be an invaluable resource for producing paper copies of your assignments, scanning and copying important documents, or providing photo scanning and editing capabilities for your creative and design-based project work. Not only that, but they're also great for printing premium-quality copies of your favorite photos from those legendary nights out to adorn the walls of your college dorm.

You can operate most modern printers remotely from your smartphone or tablet too, allowing you to print, scan, or copy from wherever you are. And with a range of options available to suit all budgets, there's a printer for everyone.

Check out our recommendations for the best printers for college students in 2023.

A great all-rounder for wireless printing

With great all-around functionality and a six-month supply of ink when you activate HP+, the HP Envy Inspire 7955e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer is a great one-stop shop for your printing needs.

The HP Envy Inspire 7955e Wireless Color All-In-One Printer is a great overall choice of printer for students. It comes with a free six-month supply of ink upon activation of an HP+ subscription, handy for eking out those valuable financial resources, and a solid list of features that should comfortably satisfy most people's printing, copying, and scanning needs. It's great for printing photos too, offering borderless full-color printing in square or panoramic formats, as well as more traditional photo sizes.

Its paper tray stores up to 125 sheets of paper, and it has an auto document feeder and a separate photo tray for multi-purpose printing. A 2.7-inch color touchscreen provides the means for manual control, and the HP+ app gives you access to plenty of additional features, such as on-the-go scanning, remote printing from anywhere, and the ability to print directly from your phone's camera roll. There's also a host of additional advanced photo editing and customization options on there, too.

A self-healing Wi-Fi connection means it can detect and repair most connectivity issues, making it reliable to use, and easy to print directly from your smartphone, tablet, or PC. Plus, it is made from 45% recycled plastic, making it an eco-friendlier option for students. Offering fast-printing capabilities with a reliable connection, and a reasonable price point, makes the HP Envy Inspire a great all-rounder for college life.

A portable wireless printer that loves a road trip

The Canon PIXMA TR150 Portable Printer with Battery is the ideal portable wireless printer for students on the go. It can move anywhere, anytime.

Printers don't get much more portable than the Canon PIXMA TR150 Portable Printer (with Battery), and this is ideal for students as it travels well. Small enough to sit on a car dash, this one can be easily transported from your dorm to Mom and Dad's on weekends and holidays, or to a friend in need's place if they have an urgent last-minute assignment to print!

This portable printer offers wireless printing via the Canon Print app, AirPrint, Mopria, and Windows 10, or wired printing via USB Type-C. It can print up to 330 pages on a full charge, with print speeds of 5.5ipm for color and 9ipm for mono. The PIXMA TR150's 1.44-inch OLED screen checks the print status and ink levels and has a built-in quick-fire printing function that lets you store up to five custom templates.

Small enough to stow away in a backpack and without the usual clutter of cables, this one is perfect for taking with you, and its space-saving design means it can be set up just about anywhere. Naturally, available functions are somewhat limited here (no photo editing or scanning capabilities, for instance). However, if portability is on your must-have list of printer features, then this is the one for you.

Make budget price the norm for your college dorm

Get more for your money with the Epson Expression Premium XP-6100 Wireless Color Photo Printer's impressive features, at a budget price.

Anyone who has ever been a college student will appreciate how important it is to manage a budget and make those pennies count. As such, value for money should be an important factor when choosing the right kind of printer for your college life. And in terms of price point versus features offered, the Epson Expression Premium XP-6100 Wireless Color Photo Printer is a very credible best-value option.

This multi-purpose printer can be used with Alexa or Google Home, offers smartphone or tablet printing using the Epson SmartPanel app, offers photo-quality color printing, and has fast print speeds of 15 ppm (mono) and 11 ppm (color). Auto two-sided printing makes it efficient to use, and it can be used with Wi-Fi Direct, for convenient network-free printing.

Memory card and SD card slots make it easy to print stored photos, and there are a variety of photo editing options to play around with too, including format sizing and borderless/non-bordered photo printing. With all this functionality at a bargain price, the Epson Expression Premium XP-6100 is a great value option for budget-conscious students.

A Prince of Prints

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer with Scanner is the ultimate wireless printer for artists, photographers, and designers.

If you’re an art or design student, then something like the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-500 Wireless Color All-In-One Supertank Printer and Scanner will set your world alight. With its six-color Claria ET premium super tank system with photographic dye inks, it offers true photographic print quality in as little as 15 seconds.

This wireless printer has a 4.3-inch full-color touchscreen display, a 4,800 dpi 48-Bit flatbed scanner, built-in USB/SD card slots, and can print on a wide variety of paper types, including 1.3 millimeter thick posterboards. The Epson SmarPanel app lets you print from anywhere using your smart device, and opens up a suite of photo and print editing options for you to explore.

Despite its admittedly high cost, its ink tanks are refillable, meaning there are savings to be had down the road with lower-cost replacement bottles, rather than expensive ink cartridges. It has native support for iPhone and iPad, and for creative students, photographers, designers, and artists, it's the printer that dreams are made of.

More ink to make you think

The Brother MFC-J4335DW INKvestment Tank All-in-One Printer with Duplex and Wireless Printing uses high-capacity ink cartridges to provide you with a more efficient option for your printing needs.

If you’re on the lookout for an ink-efficient printer option, then for you, the buck may stop with the Brother MFC-J4335DW INKvestment Tank All-In-One Printer with Duplex and Wireless Printing. It comes with an estimated one-year supply of ink thanks to its four high-capacity front-loading cartridges which contain more ink than other traditional cartridges. Good news if you don't want to be caught short or worry about running out of ink anytime soon.

This wireless printer also works with Alexa and can be used with Wi-Fi Direct for added convenience. The Brother Mobile Connect app offers easy and intuitive mobile device management, letting you print, scan, or copy from your phone. A 1.8-inch LCD screen also enables you to check current print status, ink levels, and so on, at a glance.

The MFC-J4335DW's paper tray holds 150 sheets, and you can expect a maximum print speed of 20 pages per minute. With auto two-sided printing and borderless printing for photos, there are plenty of practical built-in functions here, too. But for the economy of ink use, this one's hard to beat, with an estimated 3,000 pages from a single load.

Perfect for all your voice-activated and hands-free printing needs

With voice assistant compatibility and a host of app-led features, the HP Tango Smart Wireless Printer is ideal for students who love hands-free printing.

For students who love to use their phones (and let's face it, you could probably count the ones that don't on one hand), and want a printer that works well with their smartphone, the HP Tango Smart Wireless Printer is an excellent choice. This printer is compatible with Alexa and Google Home and is a great way to enjoy voice-activated, hands-free printing.

By using the HP Smart app, you can print, scan, and copy from anywhere. Its handy app-led guides direct you with ambient lighting where to load paper and how to insert new ink, and you can connect your printer to multiple smart devices. You can also use the app to monitor current ink levels and automatically reorder for you when supplies are running low.

Reliable dual-band Wi-Fi means you shouldn't experience any issues with connectivity, and the ability to connect via Bluetooth as well gives this printer extra points for versatility. Print photos direct from the cloud or your social media, and scan images directly from your smartphone. If you’re the type of student whose phone is surgically attached to their hand, this is the smart printer for you.

Super simple, streamlined wireless printing

With the Brother MFC-J1205W INKvestment Tank Wireless Multi-Function Color Inkjet Printer, you'll be up and running in no time thanks to its simple setup and intuitive companion app features.

If you’re someone who values their time and doesn't want to waste any of it pouring over an endless list of features and options that you’ll likely not ever need, you might appreciate something a bit more streamlined like the Brother MFC-J1205W INKvestment Tank Wireless Multi-Function Color Inkjet Printer. It works with the Brother Mobile Connect app and is refreshingly simple to set up.

Simple on-screen navigation makes it a breeze to print, scan, or copy from anywhere. And if all that sounds too long-winded, you can just use Alexa or Google Home to tell it what to do instead. Offering Wireless, Wireless Direct, and USB connectivity, this printer is versatile enough for anybody to use. The App and LCD screen displays keep tabs on your ink supplies too, removing any guesswork on your part.

Simple and intuitive to use, this wireless printer and flatbed scanner won't bog you down with an abundance of features or cluttered in-app navigation. It has a 150-page capacity, can print up to 16 pages per minute, and comes with a year's supply of ink to boot. Super quick to set up right out of the box, theBrother MFC-J1205W is a great go-to option for fast and reliable photo and page printing, at an affordable price.

Naturally, no two printers are exactly the same, just as no two people are the same. And what's right for you may not be what's right for some of your student peers. For instance, you may be looking for something with more basic print functionality like the Canon PIXMA TR150, which takes up less room and is happy to be moved back and forth across the country with you when you're feeling homesick but still need to work.

Creative students such as artists, photographers, and designers will no doubt love the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 Wireless Printer for its stunning lab-quality photograph reproduction, but many students might find the price point of this (admittedly) impressive piece of kit somewhat prohibitive. Maybe you're the kind of student who loves printing while on the go. If you're planning on spending most of your time away from your printer, you might want one that works well with its companion app, like the HP Tango Smart Wireless Printer.

However, for a good blend of form and function, with a price that's not too outrageous for student budgets, we love the HP Envy Inspire 7955e Wireless Color All-In-One Printer. It's easy to set up and has a solid app to make using it simple and convenient. It's great for photographic reproduction and has a reasonably fast print speed. Dual-band Wi-Fi means it provides a strong connection, and it's well-designed too, with separate paper and photo trays, and a touchscreen control panel. It's made using recycled plastic and comes with six months of ink to help you get started on your college projects.

A great all-rounder for wireless printing

With great all-around functionality and a six-month supply of ink when you activate HP+, the HP Envy Inspire 7955e Wireless Color All-in-One Printer is a great one-stop shop for your printing needs.

Rob is a freelance writer with a BA Hons Degree in English and Media Studies and a Diploma in Proofreading and Editing. After several years working in the financial sector, Rob decided to pursue his passion for writing and joined MUO as a Buyer's Guide writer in 2022. Rob is passionate about music, movies, gaming, martial arts, and of course... tech.