All-in-one printers allow you to scan, print and fax with just one machine. This saves on desk space. Learn more about the advantage of these devices after the reviews below.
An alternative to a dedicated scanner is an all-in-one printer (also know as a multi-functional printer) which can copy and fax in addition to scanning. If you are tight on space or your scanning is limited primarily to documents, an all-in-one printer is a good option to consider.
Here are some of the Best All-in-One Printers of 2023 (scan,print,copy):
1. Brother Laser All-in-One Multifunction Printer MFCL2710DW
All-in-one products rarely excel at one area while satisfying other needs, but this is not the case with the super affordable monochromatic laser printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine – Brother Laser All-in-one MFCL2710DW.
Ideally suited for a small to medium-sized office with high workload.
What we like about the Brother MFCL2710DW:
- Smaller than bulky copiers, while offering the same functionality, speed, and capacity.
- Superb printing speed at 32 pages per minute, which is less than 2 seconds per page!
- Duplex printing – once you experience automatic two-sided printing you can never go back to one-sided printers. Huge paper and time-saving function.
- High paper tray capacity of 250 pages, and 50 pages for the ADF (Automatic Document Feeder).
- Amazon Dash Replenishment system – you can set it to automatically detect toner status, and when it runs low, order new toner from Amazon. It can be turned off at any time, and it is not subscription-based.
- Toner save mode for an increased operational time.
What we don’t like about the Brother MFCL2710DW:
- Although it supports wireless connection so you can print from your smartphones, tablets, and online cloud services, it is buggy and not easy to set up properly. Hopefully, the future firmware updates will resolve this issue.
- It detects if the Brother toner is not installed, bombarding you with messages to get a genuine Brother toner, which is of course more expensive than the generic ones.
While it does have some quirks, if you use it as intended (including buying Brother-only toners), it will fulfill your office needs admirably.
2. Canon MX492 Wireless All-In-One Small Printer
It is hard to believe that a product is so cheap while offering so much, but there it is – the Canon MX492 – providing color printing, photocopying/scanning, and faxing, all for a week’s worth of groceries.
Naturally, the inkjet technology will cost you more in the long run due to ink refilling, but if you have taken the appropriate workload into account, the Canon MX492 should offer you with just what you need.
The Pros of the Canon MX492:
- Extremely cheap.
- Small for an all-in-one device.
- Wireless functionality and full integration with online storage and sharing services like Airprint and Google Cloud Print.
- Included ink, sufficient for up to 200 pages, depending on the selected quality.
The Cons of the Canon MX492:
- No duplex (two-sided) printing.
- Loud, but expected for an inkjet printer. The quiet mode somewhat helps.
- Non-intuitive software and installation process, especially for the wireless connectivity.
It is almost impossible to find a printer that does so much at this price point. As such, it is a perfect gift for someone who occasionally needs to print documents, postcards, photos, invitations, scan or photocopy something, or simply use it as a fax machine. Just keep in mind that it is not intended for heavy loads.
3. HP Envy 4520 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer
It is rare to see an exceedingly affordable all-in-one inkjet printer with a duplex printing function, but HP managed to make it happen with the Envy 4520. Not only does it offer colored printing and photocopying/scanning, but it does so with a very elegant, monolithic design.
The front and center of the Envy 4520 is a generous 2.2-inch LCD screen, which allows for effortless access and setup of all the functions.
What we like most about the HP Envy 4520:
- More than affordable price for what it offers.
- Sleek, professional design.
- Duplex, two-sided printing, something not easily found at this price range.
- Easy to use with mobile devices, without even having a network setup thank to Wireless Direct printing.
If you sign up for HP Instant Ink subscription, you could end up saving for up to 50% of ink cost. However, you have to decide if your workload makes it worth it, or if it is cheaper to buy a third party ink.
What we like least about the HP Envy 4520:
- No fax feature for an all-in-one device, but if you had to choose between fax and duplex printing, you would choose the convenience of duplex printing every time.
- Modest printing speed of up to 10 pages per minute black, and 7ppm color.
- Annoying ‘HPInstantInk’ popup that reminds you to sign up for their ink subscription service, which cannot be turned off. It pops up every time you initiate printing.
Great looking, duplex color printing and scanning, with a nifty LCD screen so you don’t have to strain your eyes on setting it up. For that price, HP Envy 4520 is quite a generous offer on the all-in-one printer market.
4. Canon Pixma MX922 All-In-One Printer
Another budget-friendly all-in-one printer that looks like it costs three times as much thanks to its refined and shiny contours. The Canon MX922 offers high quality (up to 4800 x 1200 dpi) color printing, scanning, photocopying, and faxing. Everything an office requires.
The Pros of the Canon MX922:
- Fast printing speed for an all-in-one inkjet printer – 15 pages per minute (black).
- Duplex printing – can print automatically on both sides of the page, which saves you paper and you don’t have to manually re-insert paper.
- Quiet mode successfully deals with one of the major flaws of inkjet printers – noise.
- Multi-sheet scanning feature – automatically combine all of your document scans into a single PDF file!
- Front area is littered with large buttons and an LCD screen for intuitive control of every function.
The Cons of the Canon MX922:
- WiFi needs some non-intuitive tinkering in order to work with your mobile devices. Specifically, all the devices have to be set on the same 2.4GHz channel for it to work flawlessly. Fortunately, the Ethernet connection has no such issues, it works instantly.
- Longevity is not as robust as you would expect, so don’t expect to extend it much above the basic warranty range.
- Not as compact as some other all-in-one printers.
When used with Cannon Pro Platinum photo paper, this printer churns out gorgeous, professional-grade photographs, which you can also print borderless. The scanner performs on the same level of excellence. The only worry is its longevity, like with all inkjet printers, but you can opt for an extended 3-year warranty for under $20.
5. Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer, HL-L2395DW
The fastest of the HL series, this laser printer boasts an amazing speed of 36 pages per minute, completely out of speed range of even the fastest inkjet printers, and most other monochrome laser printers as well.
In addition to snappy printing it can also scan, which turns it into a powerful photocopier. Surprisingly, it is not as large as you would expect, at least when it comes to a horizontal footprint.
What we like about the Brother HL-L2395DW:
- Price.
- The fastest printer in this price range, but it is hard to imagine why would anyone need an even faster one.
- Like its naming suggests, it is indeed compact, but tall thanks to its considerable 250 paper sheet capacity.
- Duplex printing, a standard for quality laser printers.
- Support for all operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Supports wireless connection for use with mobile devices and cloud services.
What we don’t like about the Brother HL-L2395DW:
- The wireless connection tends to be quite sporadic. After a while it stops working, unable to find your device. Usually this can be solved by resetting it, but sometimes even that doesn’t work.
Worth every dollar if you set it to work via Ethernet instead of WiFi. You can hardly find a faster printer and more cost-effective office printer for the cost. Although, by the time you are reading this, the new firmware update might have resolved the wireless connectivity issues.
Inkjet vs Laser
Inkjet printers are known for many things:
- Noisy
- Cheap
- Prone to breaking over time
- Not as ink efficient as laser printers
- Slow
- Compact
On the other hand, laser printers are known for:
- Super printing speed, 3-4 times that of inkjet printers
- Consistent print quality
- Quiet
- Duplex printing is a standard, while being rarity in inkjet printers
- Toner efficiency, i.e., more page-yield per toner than you would get with ink cartridges
- Bulky
However, inkjet printers are still the king when it comes to color printing to price ratio. For three times the cost you can find the equivalent color laser printer.
Nonetheless, when all factors are put together, it would be best to get an all-in-one laser printer, be it color or monochrome, with extended warranty. It is obviously a superior, more comfortable and efficient technology.
Dedicated Scanner vs Multifunction Printer
An All-in-One printer is a nice alternative for someone who doesn’t need the high quality of a dedicated scanner yet could utilize the added functionality that these printers provide. Anyone who needs high-quality photo scans or bulk, duplex document scanning may not be happy with a multifunctional printer, but for the casual scanner this option is great.
While all all-in-one printer is bulkier than most scanners, replacing your existed printer with one of these may actually save you some desk space if you were considering adding a scanner to your home office. Scanning, copying, faxing and printing can all be done through one machine. The downfall is that you will lose some quality in any one function over a dedicated machine.
The pros and cons of buying and all-in-one printer to use for scanning have been discussed in a separate article. Check out Scanner vs All-in-One Printer for more information.