Quick quiz – what are some must-haves for a homeschool? From the top of my head, first, you need the right textbooks and teaching material, to say nothing of the actual students, of course! But there’s one thing that’s often overlooked, especially in the initial stages of setting up a homeschool. Can you guess what?
It’s stationery! Yes, lots and lots of stationery. Oh boy, you won’t believe the sheer amount of pencils and erasers and sharpeners you burn through running a homeschool. And if you’re dealing with small kids (I pity you), you also need crayons and markers and the rest of the fun stuff.
But there’s one piece of equipment that can make or break a homeschool: an all-purpose printer that’s worth its salt. Having the best printer for homeschools eases so much of your troubles. You can print educational material and sections from books as needed. So you can cut down on the mess kids create when left with books. You can also print fun and exciting material from online, things that’d be otherwise difficult to show your class. For example, science diagrams and charts!
Now, before you panic about what printer to get, here’s good news. I’ve reviewed and compared the best printers for homeschools in this article. Give this piece a read, and you’ll be an expert yourself in no time!
Table of Contents
Best Printers for Homeschool – Reviews
1. Canon Pixma MG3620
You’ll love this one if you’re looking for a scanner, copier, and printer in one premium wireless package. Canon Pixma MG3620 occupies a printer’s place in a significant number of houses. Now I know why: it literally saves money, pages, space, and time. And it prints flawlessly!
It doesn’t matter if you’re teaching preschoolers or you’re a PhD candidate yourself. This color printer from Canon prints with exuberance and incredible detail! To provide long-lasting prints, it has a hybrid ink system.
Essentially, this item drew me in with its auto duplex printing (both-sided print) and flatbread scanning features. You can scan thicker items since it comes with hinges. It gives you super photos of 800 x 1200 dpi resolutions. How fast is it? 9.9 images per minute (ipm) in color and 5.7 ipm in black and white. It has space for documents of up to 8.5 x 14” in size, and you can have borderless printing up to 8.5 x 11”.
It has multiple powerful printing options such as Airprint, Canon Print, Google Cloud Print, Mopria, and NFC. This machine is compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 32-bit, Mac OS X v10.7.5 – 10.10 & Mobile, iOS, Android.
You can even keep printing with the black ink cartridge if the color one runs out.
What we liked:
- Duplex printing system
- Vibrant and first-rate prints
- Flatbread scanner with hinges
- Hybrid ink for long-lasting printing output
What we didn’t like:
- No automatic document feeder
2. Canon PIXMA TR4520
Here is another chance of saving papers with auto two-sided printing! Besides, getting Alexa to do my dirty work is a mood I didn’t know I had until I used this printer. Yes, even though there’s no WiFi, you have Alexa to let you do some hands-free painting with this compact machine!
This PIXMA TR4520 can be connected with USB 2.0 and WI-fi; there are drivers for Android, Windows 10 mobile, Fire OS, and iOS. Copying, scanning, faxing, and photo manipulation system is another valuable service. If you are an artist, photographer, or if you need to present multiple types of lecture materials, this one is for you. You can use apps from your Android or iOS device’s app for photo editing and printing with this printer.
This printer is made for light home use while churning out outstanding printing quality. If you need to print out a bulk of papers daily, I am afraid you might want to opt for another sturdy one. This TR4520 has a tray that holds 100-sheet paper while the ADF (automatic document feeder) is manual-duplexing, able to clasp 20 letter-size sheets.
Absolutely this compact inkjet color printer will always stand out for its vibrant and detail-oriented printing capacity. Its hybrid ink keeps the printed items last longer, and the upgraded tech-support does the job unless you need a speedy Gonzales.
What we liked:
- Automatic Document Feeder
- Duplex printing
- Photo manipulation system
- Alexa support
What we didn’t like:
- Not very fast printing
- No auto-duplexing system
3. HP OfficeJet 5255
Here is another inkjet color printer that supplants the HP OfficeJet 4650. If you are on a budget and looking for a speedy printer for high-volume printing, you can’t go wrong with this. It prints on paper (plain), labels, envelopes, glossy photo paper, and high-resolution paper.
This wireless printer has a scanner, copier, and fax in it. My favorite two-sided printing option is available in this machine too. There is an auto feeder that carries 35 pages. With the HP smart app, it is easy to set the printer. Scanning from cloud (Drive or Dropbox) is a nifty feature of this printer. With a dual-band WiFi system, it is one of the most reliable wireless printers I must mention. If we talk about your printing materials’ size, you can go for letter, legal, 4 x 6 inches, 5 x 7 inches, 8 x 10 inches, and No ten envelopes.
If you are looking for a touchscreen, HP’s famous Smart App serves remarkably well! You can scan and print from wherever is convenient. You can fax too with the rear phone port.
What we liked:
- Instant ink
- Alexa support
- High-quality printing
- Smart HP app
- Dual-band WiFi
What we didn’t like:
- Manual ADF
- The small paper input tray
4. Canon Pixma iX6820
Even if you aren’t looking to spend much, Canon never disappoints. It always gives you incredible value. Due to its full photolithography inkjet nozzle engineering, it guarantees some fine printing. It has five individual ink tank systems, and there is also an auto sheet feeder for 150 sheets.
If being old-school doesn’t bother you and you do not need everything updated like a display screen or noise-free printing, you can look at this one. This printer makes a clicking sound while loading pages. It has no display screen but three buttons: power, cancel, and resume.
Remember that you cannot connect this printer with your device’s external storage and USB thumb drives directly. While you buy it, I strongly recommend you to test the connectivity with the device you want to use, mainly with this printer.
Surprisingly, this black and white machine has an LED light system in the ink cartridge. The red light flashes to signal you to change the ink cartridge. Yes, you have to change the ink cartridge. Don’t worry, simply lifting the top cover will work.
Your homeschooling needs a printer with a large input tray that can house papers of different sizes. It also removed my frown when I realized the cost-per-print was nothing compared to the vibrant print quality. Finally, to boost your content and projects with creative templates and patterns, it has My Image Garden.
What we liked:
- Fine printing with photolithography inkjet nozzle engineering
- Five individual ink tanks
- Creative templates and patterns
What we didn’t like:
- No duplex printing
- Clicking noise
5. Brother MFCJ995DW
Investing in such an all-rounder is legit because it’s a top printer for homeschools. Buying one inkjet printer that saves your money for the rest of the year is precious. Yes, this Brother printer is fantastic with an Internal ink storage tank! It has reengineered ink cartridges. Not needing ink change for the rest of the year is just calming. On top of it, you can keep track of your remaining ink as it has the visual and numerical way of knowing the amount of used and remaining ink. This system is called Brother intelligent Page Gauge.
Its maximum Print Speed is Black 12 ppm and Color 10 ppm. The maximum sheet holding capacity of the tray is 150 sheets. The display is a 2.7” color touchscreen.
The impressive bypass tray, auto feeder system, and auto duplex printing enhance its credibility.
You can print from your pc or mobile devices using AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Brother, and WiFi direct. According to my printing experience with this brother printer, you can rely on this one for your homeschooling or little business pretty well.
If you are looking for a printer scanner, this one is one step ahead. It provides you the scanner as well as document sharing via Brother Cloud Apps.
What we liked:
- Brother intelligent Page Gauge for alerting about remaining ink
- Auto feeder system
- Auto duplex printing
- Amazing ink cartridges
What we didn’t like:
- Small display
6. Canon Color Image CLASS MF644Cdw
This color laser printer can take a heavy load, prints fast, and provides pretty good quality materials. It is the best for its ink efficiency. You will be pleasantly surprised by its fantastic color cartridge system. Each cartridge comes with an integrated drum. It keeps you tension-free about replacing the units until you buy another toner and swap. I was a little skeptical about the cartridges, considering how expensive they can get. But you know durability and quality above everything else!
This MF644Cdw can send multi-page documents to the scanner. It has an auto document feeder with 50 pages of capacity, and a single-pass auto-duplex captures both sides of the page at a time. It can print 150-2500 pages monthly with a 22 ppm printing speed. It prints up to 14 x 8.5 inches of plain paper.
The 5-inch display offers task-specific shortcuts for your printing, scanning, copying, or faxing. One can do their individual or group tasks from the cloud site. You can scan and convert your files into digital files that can then be searched with the one-pass scan and duplex document feeder.
If you are concerned about confidential data breaching, no worries. This printer stores documents only in short-term memory! Better than your chatty neighbor!
This high-capacity printer is, in a word, cost-effective and worth it. Five words, okay. If you’re concerned only with homeschooling and small-office duty, this one’s impressive!
What we liked:
- Single-pass auto-duplex
- Reliable UI portal and security
- Excellent printing quality
What we didn’t like:
- Low paper input capacity
7. HP LaserJet Pro M281fdw
Using this HP laser printer makes you feel like a million bucks. I must say it understands its duty very well, apart from its relatively slow printing speed. However, its running cost is on the lower side so yes, it is splendid for personal or light tasks.
This all-in-one wireless printer can also scan, copy and fax. I like its compact design and the 2.7-inch mini color touchscreen very much. It supports Plain Papers, envelopes, card stock, labels, glossy photo paper, high-resolution papers.
Its quality engineering and color usage take the craft to the next level. The dual-band WiFi and Ethernet never spare a chance of connectivity problems. With the HP Smart App, it is fun to set up the printer, scan from Smartphones, or print from Clouds like iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive.
It prints 22 pages per minute, both b&w and color. It takes 10.3 seconds to print the first page for black ink and 11.7 seconds for color. The paper tray can hold 250 sheets.
This printer also has a double-sided printing function, auto document feeder, and excellent durability.
What we liked:
- Compact
- 5-inch color touch screen
- Dynamic and strong connectivity
What we didn’t like:
- Manual duplex printing
- Slow printing
8. HP LaserJet Pro M402dw
LaserJet Pro M402dw by HP is a monochrome printer that keeps boosting my productivity each day unconditionally.
Those wondering what a monochrome printer is, it is a type of printer with a single color that’s primarily black.
So if you do not need a color printer, this one might be one of the best printers for homeschools. It is a laser printer and speedy. It takes 6.4 seconds to print your document and prints up to 40 pages every minute.
The only gripe I could find was about the photo printing quality, but hey! It works for up to 10 users! Apart from that, it has a 350-sheet paper input capacity and can print up to 4,000-page monthly. My bias is its speed and non-stop printing capacity.
This monochrome printer has a two-line display and a keypad. It’s a shame that it’s from the black and white era, but it is wireless and has a smart reordering system. Once you activate, it can measure toner level and reorders as the toner level runs low.
What we liked:
- Super-fast printing technology, printing 40 pages a minute
- Duplex printing system saves paper
- No threats of a shutdown while working
What we don’t like:
- Low-quality photo printing
9. Brother DCPL2520DW
Here is another monochrome laser printer from Brother that maintains their trend of quality service. This wireless laser printer can be connected via USB or a wireless networking system. On the most positive, this item is a quality product in an affordable package that provides almost everything you need for your home school or office.
This printer handle load With remarkably speedy printing and copying capacity. It can print and copy up to 27 ppm. It comes with an adjustable tray that holds 250 sheets and can print on letter or legal size paper.
Since it can print on both sides of the paper, you can print booklets or any special project documents. That’s not all. There is also a manual feed slot for a single sheet to print thicker media like envelopes, labels, etc.
This monochrome printer has a color scanning capacity of up to 19200×19200 dpi. It can scan images, files, E-mail, Sharepoint, and OCR. It also works with Alexa, but it lacks a backlight on its screen. It is tough to read the black writing on the grey display without a light.
One of the unique features of this product is the straight-through paper road. It ensures the print material remains straight and flawless while coming out of the printer via the rear paper exit. Once you activate the dash replenishment service, it keeps track of toner levels and automatically orders toner for you!
What we liked:
- Auto duplex printing
- High-quality scanning and printing
- Affordable
What we didn’t like:
- No backlight on the display
10. HP Laserjet Pro M118dw
I call it perfection in a budget, an all-in-one monochrome printer to serve the light workload of your home bureau. This latest laser printer is a compact package for handling serious projects professionally. Its advanced printing technology allows you to have 30 paper printed in a minute.
The duplex printing saves you paper and time with its double-sided printing system. It has an input tray of 250 sheets. You can use this climate pledge-friendly laser printer from anywhere you want. It is compatible with or without a network, just connect from your smartphone, and it works with the built-in WiFi! You can also use Ethernet for wired connectivity.
This printer has some fantastic features like an auto on-and-off system: it saves energy when you forget to turn it off. Its voice-activated printing system is also impressive for busy people; just instruct your virtual assistant to print and complete your other task meanwhile! You can use the HP smart app for scanning with your smartphone camera.
This printer comes with plenty of toners to print 1000 pages and a 23,000-page imaging drum. The toner’s tray holds up to 260 sheets and can output 150 papers.
What we liked:
- Auto duplex printing
- HP Auto-On/Auto-Off technology
- Strong smartphone operation
What we didn’t like:
- Poor grayscale output
Final Thoughts
They say, don’t let your printer know you are in a rush because it can smell fear. I almost agree with this statement. Jokes aside, I do show immense respect toward my printer. We have to keep it happy!
Your printer has to print endless study material, curriculums, worksheets, etc. While shopping for the best printers for homeschools, keep in mind your priorities and needs, and get the one that ticks all the boxes. And you’re good to go!