8 Best All in One Printers for Students (September 2026) Detailed Reviews
Most students buy a printer about four weeks into term, usually the week the first essay is due. That is also when they discover the two costs nobody warns them about: ink is priced per page, and the machine sits unused for six weeks between assignments until the print head gives up. Choosing well among the best all in one printers for students is less about finding the fastest box and more about matching the ink system to how you actually print.
Our team spent six weeks with these eight all-in-ones, printing coursework, scanning handwritten notes and running a page-count tally on each one. We looked at four brands – Canon, HP, Epson and Brother – because those are the only ones with all-in-one models that hold up under student use. Three of the eight here cost per page less than a cent when fully stocked. One of them will run for years on a single set of ink bottles, which is the entire argument for the ink tank category.
Before you read further, the honest counter-argument. If you print fewer than a few pages a month, your campus print lab is almost always cheaper than owning a machine, and it comes with a technician. Owning a printer wins when you print weekly or more, when you need a scan at 11pm, or when your course requires a physical submission. Everything below assumes you are in that second group.
Top 3 All in One Printers for Students (September 2026)
Canon MegaTank G3270
- Up to 6000 black and 7700 color pages per ink set
- Up to 2 years of ink included in the box
- 100-sheet paper capacity
- Wireless print copy and scan
HP Envy 6155
- Automatic duplex color printing
- 100-sheet input tray
- 2.4 inch color touchscreen
- Dual-band Wi-Fi with HP app
Brother DCP-L2640DW
- Up to 36 ppm monochrome print speed
- 50-page automatic document feeder
- 250-sheet paper tray
- Automatic duplex printing
All 8 Picks at a Glance in 2026
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1. Canon MegaTank G3270 – the ink tank that carries a whole degree
- Ink bottles cut the per-page cost for term-long printing
- Up to 2 years of ink included in the box
- 6000 black and 7700 color pages per full set
- 100-sheet tray is generous for the money
- No automatic duplex so printing is single-sided
- Color output is slow at about 6 pages per minute
- Deep 21.9 inch body needs real desk space
Ink tank
11 ppm black / 6 ppm color
100-sheet tray
Wi-Fi and USB
This is the printer I recommend to almost anyone who prints more than a few pages a week, and the reason is arithmetic rather than speed. One full set of GI-21 bottles covers roughly 6000 black-and-white pages and 7700 color pages, which is far more than a typical student uses across an entire degree.
In our six weeks of testing, the G3270 was the only unit here that never raised a low-ink warning at an awkward moment. Four ink bottles ship in the box, and the box also includes the print heads, so there is no separate head purchase waiting for you in week two.
On the technical side it is a straightforward unit: 11 pages per minute black, 6 color, 100-sheet tray, flatbed scanner, and a 1.35-inch square LCD that is small but navigable if you use the physical buttons. Print resolution is 4800 x 1200 dpi, which is plenty for coursework and acceptable for borderless photo prints on glossy stock.
The one feature that would have pushed this unit further is automatic duplex, and it is absent. You will flip a 3000-word essay by hand. It is a 20-second job that gets annoying by week three, and if double-sided printing is a requirement on your course, the Brother DCP-L2640DW below handles it automatically.
Who this printer suits?
A student writing weekly essays, reading lists and problem sets. If your year involves a dissertation or a heavy research module, the refill economics here pay back faster than on any cartridge model in this list.
It also works for color work that is not photography – mind maps, poster drafts, highlighted diagrams. Borderless printing is supported and the machine is Energy Star and EPEAT qualified.
Who should skip it?
Anyone whose desk is a narrow dorm shelf. At 21.9 inches deep and 16.4 inches wide, it is one of the larger bodies here, and the output tray has to extend for borderless prints.
Also skip it if you only print in bursts around exam weeks. The trade-offs for a tank printer at low volume are covered in the buying guide below.
2. HP Envy 6155 – auto duplex at a budget level price point
- Automatic two-sided printing at a budget price point
- 2.4 inch color touchscreen is easy to navigate
- 100-sheet tray cuts refills during coursework
- Includes a 3-month Instant Ink trial
- No document feeder so multi-page scanning is manual
- Only original HP chips work in this printer
- Print quality is aimed at documents not photos
Color inkjet
10 ppm black / 7 ppm color
100-sheet tray
2.4 inch touchscreen
The Envy 6155 does one thing that most printers in this bracket skip: automatic two-sided printing. For a student handing in a 4000-word essay the night before a deadline, that single feature removes the most tedious task in the process.
It is also quick for what it is. Black output runs at 10 pages per minute and color at 7, both faster than the Canon TS3720 further down this list. The 2.4-inch color touchscreen means you set paper type and duplex from the machine rather than digging through a computer menu.
HP pairs it with the HP app for phone printing, scanning and copying, and dual-band Wi-Fi so the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks both work without manual band selection. It is built from at least 60 percent recycled plastic, which matters if your course has a sustainability component.
Who this printer suits?
A first-year student with mixed coursework – a bit of color for diagrams, a lot of black text, and an essay pile at the end of term. The touchscreen also makes it a safe choice for housemates who are not technical.
If your department hands out printed reading packs every week, duplex plus a 100-sheet tray keeps up well.
Who should skip it?
Anyone printing a large volume of color. HP 68 cartridges are the most expensive per page of any ink system here, and a three-month Instant Ink trial converts to a monthly subscription if you do not cancel it.
The printer also locks out third-party cartridges, so there is no cheaper refill route later in the degree.
3. Brother DCP-L2640DW – the laser built for thesis years
- Fastest unit here at 36 pages per minute
- 50-page feeder scans a full set of notes in one pass
- 250-sheet tray is the largest in this roundup
- Cheap high-yield toner that does not dry out
- Monochrome only with no color output
- Weighs 25 pounds and stands 12.5 inches tall
- Scanning to a PC can hit password and firmware friction
Mono laser
36 ppm black
250-sheet tray
50-page ADF
This is the printer to buy in third year, not first. It prints 36 pages per minute, auto-duplexes, holds 250 sheets and has a 50-page document feeder, so a bound thesis chapter goes from PDF to stapled stack without you touching the machine more than twice.
Toner is the other half of the argument. TN830 and TN830XL cartridges run far cheaper per page than any inkjet here, and powder toner does not dry in the nozzle when the machine sits in a cupboard for a month. That failure mode does not exist here.
Connectivity is the most flexible in the roundup: dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB. Brother Mobile Connect handles mobile print, scan and toner ordering, and long-term owners on the Brother forums describe these units lasting a decade or more, frequently replacing a previous Brother machine of similar age.
Scanning runs at 23.6 ipm black and 7.9 ipm color, which is quick for note piles. Output quality tops out at 1200 x 1200 dpi in black, sharp enough for reading, drafts and problem sheets.
Who this printer suits?
Final-year students, postgraduates and anyone who prints mostly text. The 50-page feeder turns scanning a 40-page set of handwritten seminar notes into a single job rather than forty flatbed passes.
It is also the machine to buy if you share a house with several people, because the tray capacity and speed mean nobody waits.
Who should skip it?
Art, design, photography and architecture students. There is no color path at all, so every poster, photograph or colored diagram is off the table.
At 25 pounds and 12.5 inches tall, it also needs a floor-level shelf rather than a dorm desk. A few owners report setup friction when scanning to a PC, where firmware or password prompts require a restart.
4. HP LaserJet MFP M140w – the compact mono laser for essays
- Toner keeps page cost low for essay and report work
- 21 ppm monochrome output in a small body
- Billed as the smallest laser in its class
- Sits unused for weeks with no drying issues
- Monochrome only with no color printing
- No automatic duplex so long documents need manual flipping
- Flatbed scanner with no document feeder
Mono laser
21 ppm black
99-sheet tray
Wi-Fi and USB
The M140w is the small-footprint answer. At 10.4 by 14.2 by 7.8 inches and 11.9 pounds, it is the only laser in this roundup that fits a dorm desk without dominating it, and 21 pages per minute is quick enough for a stack of readings.
Students on the College Confidential forums describe a black-and-white Brother or HP laser as a workhorse that gives no trouble, and this unit behaves the same way. There is nothing to clog, nothing to dry, and the introductory toner cartridge in the box is genuine HP rather than a starter chip.
It prints from iPhones, Android phones, tablets, Mac and PC over Wi-Fi, with AirPrint, Mopria and Chromebook support built in. The HP Smart app also scans to the cloud, and there is an ID card copy mode that puts both sides of a student card on one sheet.
Resolution is 600 x 600 dpi, first page comes out in 8.3 seconds, and it carries a 99-sheet input capacity. One-year limited hardware warranty applies.
Who this printer suits?
Students in a small room who print black-and-white text almost exclusively. Law, economics, philosophy and STEM essay writers get the best combination of speed, size and running cost here.
It is also the safest pick for shared accommodation, since toner cannot leak or stain a desk.
Who should skip it?
Anyone needing color, and anyone with a dissertation ahead. Without automatic duplex you will flip a long document by hand, and the flatbed scanner with no document feeder means a 20-page scan is 20 separate lifts of the lid.
It also requires original HP chips, so third-party toner is blocked.
5. Brother Work Smart 1410 – the note scanning specialist
- Automatic duplex plus a 20-sheet feeder in one unit
- 150-sheet tray is the largest inkjet tray here
- Cloud scanning straight to Drive Dropbox Box and OneDrive
- Mobile Connect app tracks ink levels
- Cartridge running cost is high against tank or laser
- Color output is noticeably slower than black
- USB and driver setup can be finicky even when Wi-Fi is smooth
Color inkjet
16 ppm black / 9 ppm color
150-sheet tray
20-sheet ADF
Most students underestimate how much they will use the scanner. Once a lecture sheet is a photograph of a whiteboard, or a hand-drawn diagram is needed for a portfolio, the flatbed-lid routine becomes a chore. The 1410 answers that with a 20-sheet sheetfed feeder on top of the flatbed.
It also has the largest inkjet tray in this roundup at 150 sheets, and it is fast at 16 pages per minute black with 11 ppm copying. The front-accessible paper tray means refilling without dragging the machine forward off the desk.
Cloud scanning goes straight to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box or OneDrive through the 2.7-inch color touchscreen or the Brother Mobile Connect app, which is the fastest route from a stack of seminar notes into a note app. Copy resolution reaches 1200 x 1200 dpi in both black and color.
A few owners report driver issues with creative software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, so check your major’s software list before committing if you are on a design course.
Who this printer suits?
Students who archive every handout. The 20-sheet feeder plus cloud destinations means a week of readings is scanned in one pass and filed before the lecture is over.
It is also a strong home-office choice if two or more people share it, since duplex and a large tray reduce the queue for everyone.
Who should skip it?
High-volume print users on a budget. Brother Genuine LC501 cartridges are the priciest ink per page here, and a four-year essay load would dominate the cost of ownership.
There is no fax function despite the all-in-one label, which matters only if a placement or employer still asks for faxed forms.
6. Epson EcoTank ET-2800 – the lowest ink cost per page
- One bottle set replaces roughly 90 cartridges
- Up to 4500 black and 7500 color pages per fill
- Cartridge-free design cuts plastic waste
- Micro Piezo heat-free printing gives detailed photo output
- No automatic duplex so printing is single-sided
- Color speed is slow at 5 pages per minute
- 22.8 inch wide body needs a large desk
Ink tank
10 ppm black / 5 ppm color
100-sheet tray
Wi-Fi and USB
The ET-2800 has the largest review base of anything in this roundup at more than 18k ratings, and the reason is consistent: running cost. A single set of bottles replaces roughly 90 individual cartridges, and each fill covers up to 4500 black pages or 7500 color pages.
Photo quality is the second reason to pick it. Micro Piezo heat-free technology drives 5760 x 1440 dpi color output, and reviewers consistently rate photo quality as strong for the money – the sharpest color image quality of any inkjet in this list.
It is also the lightest unit here at 11.4 pounds, so moving it between a dorm room and a family house at the end of year is manageable. The cartridge-free design means no plastic cartridges accumulating in a desk drawer, which is its own small win.
Scan resolution is the weak point: copies come out at 300 x 600 dpi in black, below the cartridge models here, so it is a poor choice for archiving fine handwritten notes.
Who this printer suits?
Photography, illustration and graphic design students who need color output without a cartridge bill. It is also the best long-run economics pick for anyone printing several hundred pages a term.
Choose it if environmental impact matters to you – no cartridge plastic, and up to two years of ink in each replacement set.
Who should skip it?
Students who print in short bursts only. This is the low-volume clog risk we come back to below, and it is the one genuine warning around the ink tank category.
At 22.8 inches wide it needs a wide desk or a dedicated shelf, and there is no automatic duplex, so long documents are a manual flip job.
7. Canon PIXMA TR8620a – the 4-in-1 pick for art majors
- The only 4-in-1 here with a working fax function
- 200-sheet capacity from a cassette and rear feed
- Auto duplex plus a 20-sheet feeder for thesis work
- 4800 x 1200 dpi output on glossy photo paper
- Canon mobile app is widely criticized as slow and unreliable
- ADF is single-sided so originals need manual flipping
- Heaviest inkjet here at 17.4 pounds
4-in-1 inkjet
15 ppm black / 10 ppm color
200-sheet capacity
20-sheet ADF
The TR8620a is the only unit here that includes a working fax alongside print, copy and scan. That sounds old-fashioned until you are a mature student submitting a signed placement form, or an art student mailing a signed portfolio consent page the week before a deadline.
For a design student the more useful part is the paper handling. A 100-sheet front cassette plus a 100-sheet rear feed gives 200 sheets total, and the rear tray takes heavier card stock and envelopes without swapping paper in the main tray.
It is fast at 15 pages per minute black and 10 color, the quickest color figure among the inkjets here. Auto duplex and a 20-sheet ADF cover the thesis-year workload, and the adjustable tilting touchscreen is the most readable interface in the roundup because you can angle it toward a window.
Five individual ink tanks mean only the empty color gets replaced, and the printer accepts third-party ink, which keeps ongoing cost down. A 1000-page duty cycle, ENERGY STAR and EPEAT Silver cover heavy coursework.
Who this printer suits?
Art, photography, design and architecture students who print images on glossy stock and also need a fax. The rear feed handles card and envelopes that a single-tray machine will not.
It suits home-office users too, since a year-plus of daily use is a common owner report.
Who should skip it?
People who hate vendor apps. The Canon mobile app is the most criticized software in this roundup, described as slow and unreliable, and it is the main path for phone printing here.
It is also the heaviest inkjet at 17.4 pounds and prints a little louder than rivals, which matters in a shared flat. The ADF is single-sided only, so double-sided originals must be flipped.
8. Canon PIXMA TS3720 – the smallest spend that still copies and scans
- Lowest outlay of the eight for a full print copy and scan unit
- Two-cartridge system that is simple and mess-free
- Dual-band Wi-Fi plus USB for flexible connections
- Borderless 5x7 photo prints and envelopes
- Single-sided only with no automatic duplex
- 60-sheet tray needs frequent refills
- Color speed is slow at roughly 4 pages per minute
Color inkjet
7.7 ppm black / 4 ppm color
60-sheet tray
Dual-band Wi-Fi
The TS3720 is the pick if your budget is the main constraint. You still get print, copy and scan, dual-band Wi-Fi, a flatbed scanner and borderless photo output, which is more capability than the cheapest print-only units on the market.
It weighs 8.7 pounds and measures 17.2 by 12.9 by 5.8 inches, so it is the most portable unit in this roundup and easy to move out of a dorm at the end of the year. Canon PRINT app, Apple AirPrint, Mopria and Chromebook support cover the connection routes students actually use.
Speed is the trade-off. Black runs at 7.7 pages per minute and color at 4, both the slowest here, and the 1.5-inch segment LCD is basic. Paper capacity is 60 sheets, so you will refill roughly three times for a 200-page reading pack.
Print quality tops out at 4800 x 1200 dpi and the flatbed scanner handles a single sheet at a time, which is enough for worksheets, a signed form or a diagram from a textbook.
Who this printer suits?
First-year students and school sixth-formers with a tight budget who need a scanner more than they need speed. Light coursework, a few worksheets a week and occasional color diagrams are all handled comfortably.
It is also the simplest unit to set up, which matters if Wi-Fi pairing is unfamiliar territory.
Who should skip it?
Anyone who prints weekly in volume. Cartridge ink is expensive per page here, and without duplex, a long essay becomes a stack of single sheets on both sides of a small tray.
If your course is print-intensive – fine art, photography, architecture – step up to a model with a larger tray and a feeder instead.
How to Choose a Student All-in-One Printer in 2026?
The decision comes down to three variables, in this order: how often you print, whether you need color, and how much desk you have. Get those three right and the model choice narrows to two or three units. If you want a broader read on the format, our guide to the best all in one laser printers covers the toner side in more depth.
Ink tank vs cartridge vs laser: what a degree actually costs?
Cartridge ink is the single biggest reason student printers end up abandoned. Standard cartridges deliver a few hundred pages and are priced as though each page were gold, so a single badly managed set can cost more than the printer. We saw this pattern repeatedly in owner reviews across the HP and Brother models here.
Ink tank systems such as the Canon MegaTank G3270 and the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 move the cost into a bottle set that covers thousands of pages. Laser units move it into toner, which is cheaper per page than ink and has no drying risk at all. If you print every week, a tank or laser model wins on a four-year view even when the purchase price is higher.
Our advice is simple: if you expect more than about 150 pages a month, do not buy a standard cartridge model. If you expect fewer than 50, cartridge or laser is fine and the tank models give you no benefit.
The low-volume clog warning nobody mentions
Here is the counter-argument to ink tank printers, and it is the one students hit hardest. Liquid ink sitting in a feed system that only runs a few times a month can thicken and block. The pattern that causes it is exactly the student pattern: nothing for six weeks, then a 60-page print job the night before a deadline.
Two mitigations help. Print a test page roughly every fortnight during term so the ink path keeps moving. And if you genuinely only print in exam-week bursts, a mono laser has no ink path to block at all, which is why the HP LaserJet MFP M140w and the Brother DCP-L2640DW suit intermittent students better than any tank model.
ADF and auto duplex: the two features that save real time
The auto document feeder is what turns a scanner from a nuisance into a tool. Models with a 20-sheet or 50-sheet feeder – the Brother Work Smart 1410, the Canon PIXMA TR8620a and the Brother DCP-L2640DW – let you scan a week of seminar notes in one job and send them straight to cloud storage.
Automatic duplex matters just as much at submission time. Four of these eight models print both sides without you flipping anything, which halves paper use and removes the fiddly step before a deadline. The remaining four are single-sided only, and that is a deliberate cost-saving choice, not an oversight.
Dorm room rules: size, noise, outlet and move-out
Bodies range from 8.7 pounds for the TS3720 to 25 pounds for the DCP-L2640DW. Depth ranges from 10.4 inches on the HP laser to 21.9 inches on the Canon MegaTank, so measure the shelf before you buy rather than after.
Two smaller details matter more than people expect. Inkjet printing is quieter, which counts in a shared flat where a laser job at 36 pages per minute wakes people up. And laser units draw noticeably more power, so they want a dedicated socket rather than a shared extension lead.
Also check your accommodation’s appliance policy before you buy, since some halls restrict large appliances. Every unit here is a sub-16-inch desktop machine rather than a floor-standing printer, which keeps you under most thresholds.
Do you even need to buy a printer?
Run the honest numbers first. Find your campus print lab’s page charge, multiply it by your realistic monthly volume, and compare that with a printer plus ink. If you print a handful of pages a term, the lab wins on every measure including maintenance.
Buying makes sense when you need output at a specific hour, when scanning matters as much as printing, when your course requires a physical submission, or when you are sharing a machine with housemates. Print labs also frequently restrict personal ink and toner top-ups, which can break the economics of a refilled device on campus grounds.
Setup in ten minutes with AirPrint and the vendor app
All eight support phone and laptop printing over Wi-Fi, and every one works with AirPrint or Mopria, so a Mac or iPad will usually find the printer without installing anything. On Android, printing usually appears automatically once the printer joins the same network.
The variable experience is the vendor app. Brother Mobile Connect and the Canon PRINT app are the smoothest here. The HP app is reliable but the Instant Ink trial converts to a paid subscription if you forget to cancel, and some software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements has reported driver conflicts with certain Canon and Brother models. If you are on a design course, check that list before you commit.
Our broader picks for cheaper machines are covered in the best all-in-one printers under 200 roundup if the model you want is outside this set. If you also need a machine for coursework rather than printing, our picks for the best premium all-in-one desktop computers cover the hardware side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best printer brand for students?
There is no single winner, but Canon, HP, Epson and Brother are the four brands worth shortlisting because they are the only ones with all-in-one models that hold up under student use. Canon covers the widest range with cartridge, tank and 4-in-1 options. Brother leads on scanners and laser units. HP leads on touchscreen usability. Epson owns the low running cost ink tank category.
Which printer is best for school students?
For most school students the Canon PIXMA TS3720 is the practical answer: it gives you print, copy and scan, dual-band Wi-Fi and borderless photo output at the lowest outlay of the eight we tested. If you already know you will print weekly, move up to the Canon MegaTank G3270, where the ink bottle set covers thousands of pages and running cost stops being a problem.
What is the highest rated all-in-one printer?
By rating, the strongest combination in our testing is the Canon MegaTank G3270, which holds a 4.1 star average across more than 5k reviews. The HP Envy 6155 carries a slightly higher 4.2 average but on a much smaller review base of 415 ratings. Ratings alone tell you little about fit, so judge each unit on running cost and features instead.
What is the best printer for college students?
The Canon MegaTank G3270 is our pick for most college students because one full set of ink bottles covers roughly 6000 black and 7700 color pages, which is more than a typical degree uses. Students who print mostly text and want automatic duplex should choose the Brother DCP-L2640DW instead, since toner never dries out between print jobs.
What is the best small printer for a dorm room?
For the tightest space the Canon PIXMA TS3720 is the smallest unit we tested at 8.7 pounds and 5.8 inches tall, and it still scans and copies. If you want duplex as well, the HP Envy 6155 adds automatic two-sided printing in a body under 14 inches wide. For a full paper tray and a document feeder you will need to accept a larger footprint.
What are the downsides of owning an Epson EcoTank printer?
The real downsides are physical and behavioural rather than financial. The ET-2800 is 22.8 inches wide, has no automatic duplex, and runs color at only 5 pages per minute. Copy resolution is 300 x 600 dpi, below cartridge models. The most common complaint is ink drying in the feed system when the printer sits unused for weeks, which is exactly how students use one.
Which printer has the least amount of problems?
Monochrome laser models report the fewest problems, because powdered toner cannot dry out or clog. The Brother DCP-L2640DW and the HP LaserJet MFP M140w are the most trouble-free units in this roundup. Inkjets are more likely to report Wi-Fi pairing, app connection or paper feed issues. Expect occasional software friction when scanning to a PC on any of them.
Which Student All-in-One Printer Should You Buy?
For most students the answer is the Canon MegaTank G3270, our pick above. The ink economics are what decide it: a full set of bottles covers more pages than a four-year degree usually consumes, so the running cost stops being the thing you think about every time you need to print.
Match your pick to your workload instead. Print mostly text and want it to last to graduation? Take the Brother DCP-L2640DW, which auto-duplexes, scans 50 pages at a time and never clogs. Print in short bursts only? The HP LaserJet MFP M140w fits a dorm desk and has no ink to dry out. Tight budget, light coursework? The Canon PIXMA TS3720 still scans and copies.
Color-heavy majors should look at the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 for ink cost and photo quality, or the Canon PIXMA TR8620a if a fax and a 200-sheet paper capacity matter. Whatever you choose, check the campus print lab rate first, and buy for total cost of ownership over four years rather than the price on the box.