10 Best Printers For College Students 2026 in the United States

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is a solid choice for college students looking for an all-in-one printer that combines functionality and cost savings. One of its biggest strengths is the cartridge-free printing system, which uses high-capacity ink tanks. This feature greatly reduces costs, allowing students to save up to 90% on ink expenses compared to traditional cartridge systems. With enough ink included to print thousands of pages, it minimizes the frequent need to purchase replacement supplies, which is ideal for busy students.

Print quality is impressive as well, thanks to Epson's Micro Piezo technology that ensures sharp text and vibrant color photos, making it suitable for both documents and creative projects. The built-in scanner and copier add further value, allowing students to handle various tasks without needing separate devices.

The print speed is relatively slow, at 10 pages per minute for black and 5 for color, which might be a drawback for those who need to print large volumes quickly. The EcoTank ET-2800 also lacks automatic duplex printing, meaning users have to manually flip pages for double-sided prints, which could be inconvenient for extensive printing tasks. In terms of connectivity, the printer offers both wired and wireless options, making it easy to print from laptops or mobile devices, which is a plus for students who are often on the go. The printer's size is manageable and can fit into most small dorm rooms or study spaces. The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is notable for its cost efficiency and versatile functionality, though it may not be the best fit for those needing fast print speeds or automatic duplexing.

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8125e is a solid all-in-one printer for college students who need to print reports, presentations, and flyers with decent quality and speed. It offers color printing at up to 10 pages per minute and faster black-and-white prints at 20 ppm, which is good enough for typical study materials. The print resolution is sharp, especially for color documents, making your assignments look professional. With wireless connectivity, including Wi-Fi and AirPrint, it’s easy to print directly from your laptop or smartphone, which is handy for busy students on the go. It also has a 2.7-inch touchscreen for simple navigation and supports automatic double-sided printing and an automatic document feeder, saving time on multi-page tasks. The 225-sheet tray reduces frequent paper refills, useful during busy semesters.

The printer is somewhat heavy (around 17.6 pounds), so it’s less portable if you plan to move it between dorm and home frequently. The Instant Ink subscription might help lower ink costs initially with six months included, but after that, ink could become a notable ongoing expense, especially if you print a lot. Additionally, it uses only HP cartridges due to firmware restrictions, which limits third-party ink options. The design is eco-friendly, using recycled plastics, which is a nice bonus. This printer suits students wanting reliable, good-quality color printing and scanning in a home or dorm setup, but consider the weight and ink costs if your budget is tight or you need something very portable.

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw is a feature-rich all-in-one printer that offers fast and professional-quality color printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. With print speeds up to 33 color pages per minute and sharp 600x600 dpi resolution, it can handle busy workloads efficiently, which is great if you need to print multiple assignments or projects quickly. It supports wireless printing from smartphones, tablets, and laptops, plus Ethernet and Bluetooth, giving you flexible connectivity options to fit different setups. Automatic two-sided printing and a 300-sheet paper capacity help reduce paper use and frequent refills, useful for heavier printing needs.

This printer is quite large and heavy (45 pounds, about 30" wide), so it might take up significant desk or dorm space and is not very portable. The cost of consumables could also be higher than inkjets since it uses original HP laser toner cartridges, which tend to be more expensive, and the printer restricts use to genuine HP cartridges only. Its security features and robust performance make it ideal for small teams or offices, but for most college students who print less often or need something compact and budget-friendly, this might be more printer than necessary.

If you want fast color printing combined with scanning and copying in one reliable machine and don’t mind the size or cost, this model can serve well throughout college and beyond.