Skip to Content

Best Printer for Homeschool Families

When it comes to picking a printer, it isn’t an easy decision.  No matter what printer you pick, they aren’t exactly known for being the most user friendly things around.  It can also be one of the most important things you purchase during your homeschool journey.

I’ve worked with printers a lot, in the office setting, and now at home.  I’ve learned a thing or two along the way, which I’m going to share with.  We’re going to take a closer look at what makes a good printer so you can pick the best printer for homeschooling.

Why do I need a printer for homeschool?

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see our disclosure.

If you aren’t convinced you need a printer for homeschool, let’s talk.  It has got to be one of the tools I use the most.  There are so many free printables out there that you can just download and print to teach your kids with.

Not to mention lots of arts and crafts you can download too!  Printers are for way more than just worksheets. 

Also, you may want to print material from your online curriculum, and as your kids grow and type out reports, nothing is more satisfying than getting that paper with a nice big red A on it.

I use my printer many different ways, and almost every day.

What to look for in a homeschool printer

There are two things you really need to worry about when picking a homeschool printer:

  • The cost of the printer itself
  • The cost of consumables (Ink cartridges)

What looks like a cheap printer may not be so cheap once you realize how fast you blow through ink cartridges.  Remember, each ink cartridge will tell you how many pages it is rated for!

I’m also going to only recommend “big” household names for printers, since they are generally the easiest to work with.

You should also think about if you are in the market for a printer only, or an “all in one” printer that also scans and copies.

Now, let’s take a look at what you need to know about printers in general.

Types of printers

There are two types of printers, inkjet and laser jet.  Each of these come in two different types, black & white and color.  That means you have four choices when picking a printer, ranked from least expensive to most expensive.

  • Black & White Inkjet Printer
  • Color Inkjet Printer
  • Black & White Laser Printer
  • Color Laser Printer

To me, laser printers are the ultimate when it comes to printers.  One of the main advantages it has over inkjet is that the pages won’t run if you get them wet.  With an inkjet paper, the ink will run if you get it wet which isn’t great in many scenarios.

When it comes to Black and White vs Color Injkets, most injects you buy today will be color.  While it says color, it still has a black and white cartridge in it, as well as a color cartridge, so they can be used for black and white printing only.

The most magnificent printer out there is probably the color laser printer.

Do I need a color laser printer for homeschool?

Here’s the problem with a color laser printer for homeschool, the printer itself is expensive, and so is the color laser ink.  Honestly, we don’t print with color very often, we mostly use black and white.

I have a black & white laser printer, and a color inkjet printer that has a scanner built in that I use mostly to make stickers.  I’ve saved some money by buying cheaper ink cartridges, and they last much longer since we don’t use it very often.

Which should I choose for homeschooling, a laser printer or an inkjet printer?

The biggest thing here is your budget.  If you aren’t concerned with money, then a laser printer is the way to go.  My black and white laser printer is probably one of my single best technology purchases in my home.  They are meant for higher volumes of printing, and are what you would see in most offices.

That’s not to say that ink jet printers are bad, the big problem I have is that the ink will run if it gets wet, since the ink is water based.

Laser jet printers use a special ink called “toner”, which is actually made out of polyester, so it won’t run and is basically indestructible.  This is important if you want to get into crafting with your printer, or you like to print recipes to use in the kitchen.

Picking the Best Printer for Homeschool

Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at several different printers that are great for homeschooling.  These are sorted by price, from least expensive to most expensive.  

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these printers.

The Best Printers for Homeschool Families

A printer can be one of the most essential tools when it comes to homeschooling.

Here are my favorites, sorted by price from low to high.

HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer (Color Inkjet)

HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer
  • Main functions of this HP DeskJet 3755 (3700 series) compact printer: copy, scan, wireless printing, AirPrint, Instant Ink ready so youll never run out of ink
  • The power of your printer in the palm of your hand: The HP Smart app allows you to easily set up your printer, scan from your smartphone, order toner, and print from the cloud—such as iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive
Get It!

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

This is the most cost effective printer on our list, and is a color injket printer. Remember, you can still use it as a black and white printer even though it is capable of color.

 

HP LaserJet Pro M29w Wireless All-in-One Laser Printer (Black & White)

HP LaserJet Pro M29w Wireless All-in-One Laser Printer – Black and White
  • WORLD’S SMALLEST LASER PRINTER IN ITS CLASS – The HP LaserJet Pro M29w all in 1 laser printer, copier, and scanner is 30% smaller than its predecessor and produces professional quality results
  • Fast print speeds – prints up to 19 pages per minute, with the first page out in as few as 7; 9 seconds
Get It!

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Looking for an economical black and white laser printer? This HP LaserJet pro has excellent reviews, and is simple to use. it also features a scanner and copier.

 

HP ENVY Photo 6455e All in One Photo Printer with Wireless Printing (Color Inkjet)

HP ENVY 6455e All-in-One Wireless Color Printer
  • BEST FOR BUSY FAMILIES – Print documents, borderless photos, homework and creative projects
  • KEY FEATURES – Print, copy and scan in color, automatic 2-sided printing, auto document feeder, borderless photos, mobile and wireless printing
Get It!

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

If you do want to do a bit of color printing, consider this photo quality HP printer. While of course it prints black and white as well, the quality of these color prints is amazing, making it a great choice for crafters.

Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-inOne Cartridge Free Supertank Printer

Epson EcoTank ET-2760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer
  • Your home needs a printer that’s fast, affordable, easy to use, and has great features. That’s why we developed the EcoTank ET-2760 – an innovative cartridge-free solution that uses high-capacity, easily refillable ink tanks. So you’ll worry less about running out of ink, and save a lot on replacement ink (1). The ET-2760 features outstanding print quality, auto-duplex printing, a high-resolution flatbed scanner, and convenient color display – making it the perfect family printer.
  • Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― High-capacity ink tanks mean no more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; Epson’s exclusive EcoFit ink bottles make filling easy and worry-free
Get It!

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

If you plan on doing a lot of color printing, consider an Epson EcoTank model. While the printer itself is on the more expensive tank, each ink type can be filled individually.

No more throwing out a color cartridge because you are just out of a single color!  This is a newer, slightly more cost effective model than the original EcoTank line.

Epson EcoTank ET-3760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer

Epson EcoTank ET-3760 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer
  • Your busy office needs a printer that’s fast, affordable, easy to use, and has great features. That’s why we developed the EcoTank ET-3760 – an innovative cartridge-free solution that uses high-capacity, easily refillable ink tanks. So you’ll worry less about running out of ink, and save a lot on replacement ink (1). The ET-3760 features an auto document feeder, fast printing with outstanding print quality, productive paper handling, a high-resolution flatbed scanner, and a large color display – making it the perfect printer for your home office.
  • Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― High-capacity ink tanks mean no more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; Epson’s exclusive EcoFit ink bottles make filling easy and worry-free
Get It!

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Again, ff you plan on doing a lot of color printing, consider an Epson EcoTank model with its individual tanks per color to avoid having to waste a cartridge when you’re out of one color.  Great for when the kids go through a favorite color phase!

This is a slightly higher end EcoTank model.  It prints faster, and with a higher quality.

HP Color LaserJet Pro M454dw Wireless All-in-One Laser Printer

HP Color LaserJet Pro M454dw Wireless Laser Printer, Double-Sided & Mobile Printing, Security Features (W1Y45A)
  • BUILT TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS MOVING FORWARD – Print consistently high-quality documents and vivid graphics with the HP color LaserJet Pro M454dw, A wireless color laser printer designed to let you focus on growing your business
  • HP WOLF PRO SECURITY – Protect company data and safeguard against cyberattacks with protection built into the printer hardware, firmware and OS
Get It!

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

If you are looking for a color laser printer, this is the one for you. This office grade printer is an absolute work horse, and also includes a copier and scanner.

This is also a great option if you are looking for a really solid office grade laser printer, but aren’t sold on color. Remember, any printer can be a black and white printer!

Choosing the Best Family Printer

We’ve taken a look at some of the best printers on the market, and looked at them from the L of features, functionality, and price.

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Be sure to keep in mind how you currently use your printer, or what you’re looking to do with it in the future.  You can’t go wrong with any printer on this list for family use.

Share and join us on social media!