Best Home Printer Scanners for Documents, Photos, and Home Offices
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The best home printer scanner should make everyday printing and scanning easier without creating unnecessary maintenance or supply costs. Some households need efficient document handling, while others care more about photos, creative projects, or fast black-and-white office output.
These five picks cover those different priorities, from refillable ink-tank printers to color and monochrome laser models.
Top Picks
1. Canon MAXIFY GX2020 — Best for Most Homes
- Wireless Print/Copy/Scan/Fax (2)
- Print up to 3,000 black & white / 3,000 color pages using a single set of inks! (1)
- 2.7” LCD Color Touchscreen
The Canon MAXIFY GX2020 combines refillable ink tanks with the print, scan, and copy functions most households need.
Why it wins: The MegaTank system avoids conventional cartridges, while automatic two-sided printing makes it practical for schoolwork, forms, household documents, and home-office use.
Its relatively compact desktop design also makes more sense at home than a large business-class multifunction printer.
Pros
- Refillable MegaTank ink system
- Print, scan, and copy
- Automatic duplex printing
- Wireless connectivity
- Compact desktop design
- Good fit for frequent home printing
Cons
- Higher upfront price than entry-level inkjets
- Not designed primarily as a photo printer
- More printer than very occasional users need
Trade-offs / Who should skip
The GX2020 makes the most sense if you print frequently enough to benefit from refillable tanks.
If you only print a handful of pages each month, a less expensive cartridge printer may make more sense. For photos and creative projects, the Epson ET-2980 is the better fit.
Scores: Performance 4.6/5 | Document Workflow 4.5/5 | Ease of Use 4.5/5 | Value 4.6/5
2. Brother MFC-J4555DW — Best for a Busy Shared Household
- BEST FOR SMALL OFFICE AND SMALL BUSINESS: This multifunction printer makes it easy to print, copy, scan, and fax —all in one compact printer. Includes one 1,800-page yield black cartridge and 750-page yield cartridges each cyan, yellow, and magenta(2).
- INNOVATIVE CONNECTIVITY TECHNOLOGY: Connect your way via ethernet, wireless network, or USB connection. Wi-Fi Direct enables convenient wireless printing, even without an external network connection. Front USB Port provides plug-and-print convenience(3).
- CLOUD APP CONNECTIONS: Print from and scan to popular Cloud apps(4), including Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, and more with an impressive 2.7” color touchscreen that enhances clarity and ensures effortless operation.
The Brother MFC-J4555DW is designed for households where several people regularly print homework, forms, work documents, and other everyday material.
Why it wins: Its two paper trays provide a combined 400-sheet capacity, making it easier to keep different paper types available without constant swapping.
It also includes a 20-sheet automatic document feeder, automatic duplex printing, Ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct, a front USB port, and a 2.7-inch color touchscreen.
Pros
- Two paper trays
- 400-sheet combined capacity
- Automatic document feeder
- Automatic two-sided printing
- Ethernet and Wi-Fi Direct
- Front USB port
Cons
- ADF does not automatically scan both sides
- 20-sheet feeder is relatively small
- Photo printing is not its main strength
Trade-offs / Who should skip
This is a strong choice for a family or shared home office where paper handling matters more than high-end photo quality.
Skip it if you regularly scan large stacks of two-sided paperwork and want automatic duplex scanning.
Scores: Performance 4.3/5 | Document Workflow 4.4/5 | Ease of Use 4.5/5 | Value 4.4/5
3. Epson EcoTank ET-2980 — Best for Photos and Everyday Color
- LESS FREQUENT INK REPLACEMENT — Each replacement ink bottle set for this Epson color printer is equivalent to about 90 individual cartridges
- UP TO 3 YEARS OF INK INCLUDED IN THE BOX - Cartridge-free printer comes with enough ink to print up to 6,600 pages black/5,500 color for worry-free printing and fewer out-of-ink frustrations
- SIMPLE INK REFILLING — Supersized ink tanks and unique EcoFit bottles make refilling your printer's ink simple without the worry of drying out
The EcoTank ET-2980 is a good fit for households that want refillable ink, everyday document printing, and occasional photo or creative output from the same machine.
Why it wins: It combines printing, scanning, and copying with cartridge-free EcoTank ink, automatic two-sided printing, and borderless photo capability.
Epson rates it at up to 15 pages per minute, making it useful for everyday documents without giving up the flexibility of an inkjet.
Pros
- Cartridge-free EcoTank system
- Print, scan, and copy
- Borderless photo printing
- Automatic duplex printing
- Wireless connectivity
- Suitable for documents and creative projects
Cons
- No automatic document feeder
- Less specialized for photos than dedicated six-color photo printers
- Not the best option for large scanning jobs
Trade-offs / Who should skip
The ET-2980 is best for a home that prints a mixture of documents, color projects, and occasional photos.
Skip it if you regularly scan multi-page contracts or forms. The Canon color laser or Brother models provide better document-feeding workflows.
Scores: Performance 4.4/5 | Document Workflow 3.7/5 | Photo & Creative Use 4.4/5 | Value 4.4/5
4. Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw — Best Color Laser
- Color, Wireless, Duplex 4-in-1: Print, scan, copy, fax.
- Fast Print Speeds: Print up to 26 ppm in both color and monochrome and spend less time waiting with a quick first print time of approximately 10.3 seconds.
- Easy Wireless Setup: Setup your wireless connection and get up and running in just a few steps.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw is the strongest choice for a document-heavy household or home office that still needs color.
Why it wins: It combines printing, scanning, copying, and faxing with automatic duplex printing and a 50-sheet single-pass duplex document feeder.
Canon rates it at up to 26 pages per minute in both color and monochrome.
Pros
- Fast color and black-and-white printing
- Single-pass duplex scanning
- 50-sheet automatic document feeder
- Automatic duplex printing
- Five-inch color touchscreen
- Three-year limited warranty
Cons
- Large and heavy
- Poor fit for serious photo printing
- Requires four toner cartridges
- Higher upfront cost
Trade-offs / Who should skip
Choose the MF665Cdw if quickly processing documents and two-sided originals is more important than glossy photo quality.
Skip it for borderless photos, crafts, or creative image printing.
Scores: Performance 4.8/5 | Document Workflow 4.9/5 | Ease of Use 4.5/5 | Value 4.0/5
5. Brother MFC-L2820DW — Best for Black-and-White Documents
- BEST FOR SMALL OFFICES – Combining space-saving efficiency and premium monochrome (black & white) print quality with affordability, the Brother MFC-L2820DW delivers dynamic laser print, copy, scan, and fax multi-functionality in a compact footprint
- EFFICIENT PRINTING & SCANNING – Produces black & white documents quickly with print speeds up to 36 ppm(2) and scan speeds up to 23.6/7.9 ipm(3) (bk/cl). A 50-page auto document feeder(4) allows for convenient, time saving multi-page copy, scan, and fax
- FLEXIBLE CONNECTION OPTIONS – Securely connect to multiple devices with built-in dual-band wireless (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Ethernet, or connect locally to a single computer via USB interface
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is the straightforward choice for homes and small offices that primarily print forms, shipping documents, schoolwork, labels, and text.
Why it wins: It combines monochrome laser printing with scanning, copying, faxing, a 250-sheet paper tray, a 50-sheet document feeder, automatic duplex printing, Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, and USB.
If color is unnecessary, there is little reason to pay for four-color toner.
Pros
- Fast black-and-white printing
- Sharp text output
- 50-sheet automatic document feeder
- 250-sheet paper tray
- Automatic duplex printing
- Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi
- Low-maintenance laser design
Cons
- No color printing
- No automatic duplex scanning
- Separate drum eventually needs replacement
Trade-offs / Who should skip
The MFC-L2820DW is excellent for text-heavy home-office workloads.
Skip it if you regularly print photos, colorful school projects, charts, or marketing materials.
Scores: Performance 4.5/5 | Document Workflow 4.2/5 | Ease of Use 4.4/5 | Value 4.6/5
Quick Compare
- Best overall: Canon MAXIFY GX2020
- Best for a busy shared household: Brother MFC-J4555DW
- Best for photos and everyday color: Epson EcoTank ET-2980
- Best color laser: Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw
- Best monochrome printer scanner: Brother MFC-L2820DW
- Best refillable ink option: Canon MAXIFY GX2020
- Best for automatic duplex scanning: Canon imageCLASS MF665Cdw
- Best for high-volume black-and-white documents: Brother MFC-L2820DW
- Best for borderless photo printing: Epson EcoTank ET-2980
Ink Tank vs Cartridge Inkjet
Refillable ink-tank printers generally cost more upfront than entry-level cartridge models but can make much more sense for frequent printing.
Instead of replacing small cartridges, you refill larger ink reservoirs.
Both the Canon MAXIFY GX2020 and Epson EcoTank ET-2980 use refillable tank systems, but they target slightly different users. The Canon leans toward document-heavy home-office work, while the Epson is a better fit for mixed home printing and occasional photos.
Inkjet vs Laser
Inkjet printers are generally the more flexible choice when photographs, crafts, and colorful creative output matter.
Laser printers are particularly attractive for text-heavy workloads. They print documents quickly and toner avoids the dried-nozzle concerns that can affect inkjets after long periods without use.
For mixed color office documents, the Canon MF665Cdw is the laser pick. For primarily black-and-white paperwork, the Brother MFC-L2820DW is more economical.
Why an Automatic Document Feeder Matters
A flatbed scanner is perfectly adequate for an occasional photograph or one-page document.
Scanning a large school packet or contract one page at a time is much less convenient.
An automatic document feeder lets you load several pages and process them as a batch. If scanning is a major part of your workload, feeder capacity should be one of the first specifications you compare.
Automatic Duplex Printing vs Duplex Scanning
These two features are often confused.
Automatic duplex printing means the printer can print on both sides of a sheet without requiring you to manually flip it.
Automatic duplex scanning means the scanner can capture both sides of an original without requiring manual intervention.
A printer can support automatic two-sided printing while still requiring you to flip documents manually during scanning.
Paper Capacity
Paper capacity becomes surprisingly important in a shared household.
A small tray is fine for occasional printing, but frequent users quickly become tired of constantly refilling it.
The Brother MFC-J4555DW stands out here because its two trays provide a combined 400-sheet capacity, while the Brother monochrome laser provides a 250-sheet tray.
Final Verdict
The Canon MAXIFY GX2020 is the strongest overall option for households that want refillable ink, wireless operation, automatic duplex printing, and everyday scanning.
The Brother MFC-J4555DW is better for busy shared households because its dual trays and connectivity make frequent document printing easier.
For a mixture of photos, creative projects, and ordinary home documents, the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 offers a useful balance of refillable ink and borderless photo printing.
Document-heavy users should choose the Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw when color and automatic duplex scanning matter, while the Brother MFC-L2820DW remains the practical choice for fast black-and-white office printing.
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