An under $100 printer can be a wonderful choice if you need to meet your DIY requirements and small tasks. These economy printers are cost-effective and still highly productive with quality printing and speed.
But what if we tell you that buying a laser printer can make your process slow, although cheaper in the budget? Yes, if your aim is speed and quality at the same time, we recommend using inkjet printers. For occasional use, laser printers are the best.
Being a printer geek, I have tested and used any printer that you can find on the market. From high price tags to budget picks, you can ask for any printer I can recommend.
Top 6 best wireless printers under $100 Reviewed
Here is a list of the top 6 best printers under $100 that you can use either for your family, home, small business or for occasional work.
What I like the most about these printers is the economy of operating costs, which does not make your printing bill high.
Let’s see and find more in-depth details about these picks.
1. Brother Mfc-J1010dw-Best Printer Under 100 dollars For Value
The best option is the Brother MFC-J1010DW, an all-in-one printer with great value. Even on a budget, we love that it can provide two-sided prints automatically. Talking about automatic features, the 20-sheet ADF is great for productivity without stacking documents.
Furthermore, it has a small display screen and button interface for control and settings. The design looks bulky, but this allows the input tray to hold over 150 sheets easily. Plus, the output tray holds 50 paper prints, and the weight is heavy at 18 pounds.
Moving onto the print quality, the monochrome prints looked great, but we noticed some extra lines. Just use the high-quality mode on the printer to have the best-looking prints. We liked the colour prints, and they were clear and crisp.
According to the manufacturers, the speed of black prints is 17 ppm, and colour prints are 9.5 ppm. We noticed that ten black prints were printed in under a minute, whereas ten coloured prints took over five minutes. It uses a four-cartridge system to give vibrant and high-quality prints.
You can print photos of varying sizes as well, but they looked washed out slightly. Aside from that, it can be connected via wireless, Wi-Fi Direct, and USB 2.0 cable. The cartridge needs to be filled often, but the app brother Mobile Connect allows you to see the remaining ink activity.
Although the quality of scans and copies is average, it’s better than nothing. Also, you need to maintain it regularly so that the print head doesn’t clog.
2. Hp Envy Pro 6458-Best Printer Under 100 For Small Business
For a small business, one needs a printer that can do scanning and copying along with printing at a low cost. Originally it comes with a high price tag for professional uses, but for under $100, you can get it in a refurbished condition.
The best part about these printers is high-quality printing within the economy. The HP Envy Pro 6458 is the ideal option with all this packed. The speed is slow for colour prints of only seven ppm, but black prints have a 10 ppm speed.
Aside from that, the print quality does not look cheap, and it requires only two cartridges. It has 1200×1200 dpi for black prints and 4800×1200 dpi for colour ones. So, it’s good if you want a printer for selling purposes as the quality looks crisp and clear. You can also utilise the 35-sheet automatic document feeder for fast printing. It supports a variety of media types and sizes.
Keep in mind that this is a wireless printer that connects through self-healing wifi direct or Bluetooth and has no ethernet connection. The HP Smart app can print from Android, iPhone, and Windows. All wireless features like Cloud printing, Mopria, Airprint, and transferring documents to print online are all facilities you can use.
Furthermore, the input tray has a capacity of 100 sheets, whereas the output tray has a capacity of 25 sheets. I found the tray capacity quite disappointing as you would need to maintain it while printing. Using the automatic two-sided printing feature is also a plus if slow speeded printing is the issue.
The cost-per-print is expensive, but as cartridges are cheap it’s not of bad value. Lastly, it weighs 15.27 pounds, and you get no display screen, but the UI button lights up when in use and features touch-sensitive buttons for using the printer directly.
3. Canon PIXMA MG3620-Best Printer For Speed
To get fast prints, the Canon PIXMA MG3620 is a great choice for both monochrome and colour prints. If you are a busy person who needs instant printing even through your smartphones, iPhones and mobiles, it can be a wonderful option for you.
This printer also has a flatbed scanner and can copy but let’s talk about its printing features. Firstly, it can print 4×6 inches of photos in under a minute which is a great speed for its price. The black prints get printed in a few seconds, whereas colour prints take slightly extra time.
Aside from speed, the print quality is also superior, 4800×1200 dpi in colour. By using dye and pigment ink, the coloured print pages have vibrant quality, and you can even make copies of colour documents. We noticed that black prints had slightly dispersed text but not in a noticeable manner. Another good thing is that it allows users to do two-sided printing automatically.
Plus, it can support various media sizes and types. We also like its sleek design, but it’s quite heavy to move around due to its weight of 14 pounds. It is easy to set up and can be connected wirelessly or through a USB cable. The compatibility of this printer is wide, and it can run on all Windows, OS, Mac OS, and smartphones.
Furthermore, the input and the output tray can hold 100 sheets without blocking prints. For more features, you can use the Canon app. People who want to use printer settings should know that it has no touchscreen system. There are integrated buttons set on the printer that can be used. Lastly, you get a one-year warranty, so it’s not a bad deal.
4. Canon Pixma Ts Series-Best High-Quality Printer
Printers being easy to use is one of the things we look for when getting printers. The canon wireless inkjet printer offers a simple button panel for controlling the printer directly. It has a 1.5 inches display that shows a display of settings that anyone can understand. We were surprised that it’s lightweight and weighs about 11 pounds only.
The quality is unmatched with up to 4800×1200 dpi resolutions, but it’s not as fast as others. You can print up to 8.5×11 inches media sizes and only 5×7 inches borderless photos. We did not like the input and output tray, which had a capacity of only 100 sheets and 50 sheets, respectively. Even in the input sheet, ensure you do not overload the papers, or else they won’t be printed properly.
Use it for a variety of applications like scanning, copying, or faxing. But, we don’t recommend using this for fax if possible. The two-sided automatic printing comes in handy, but it stops sometimes. We like its overall quality. Even with two cartridges, the colours were crisp and detailed.
Canon also offers two print apps; one for printing and the other for designing and editing. Both are free with the printer, so users can get high-quality prints without any complications. You can connect it by using a high-speed USB connection or wireless, but it has no Bluetooth or ethernet connectivity.
Other features include Mopria print and Air print. In case you want to try printing with voice, you can try Google Assistant or Alexa.
The most backhanded feature is its speed which is seven black pages in a minute and 4 colour prints. Gradually, the speed of prints slows down with the use, and photos take extra time. Lastly, it’s a great buy-for-buck deal and has a low running cost.
5. Hp Deskjet Plus 4155-Best Printer Under 100 For Home Use
People who are looking for an ideal printer for families under 100 should go for HP DeskJet Plus 4155. It can print photos, black prints, and colour prints on numerous media types and weighs only 10.6 pounds. Plus, you can scan and copy as well with ease.
The printing speed for black prints is fast, almost taking a minute to print seven pages. Plus, the photos take almost two minutes per print which is frustrating. And five colour prints take only a minute.
Just like HP Envy Pro 6458, the HP DeskJet Plus 4155 also doesn’t have any touchscreen display. It features UI touch sensor buttons with icons that light up when in use. You get only 60 sheet capacity input tray, 25-sheet output tray, and 35-sheet ADF. But it doesn’t feature automatic two-sided printing.
Moving onto the print quality, it has the same high quality as HP Envy Pro 6458. The cartridges are only two; black and tri-colour. The manufacturer claims that you get 100 pages per one ink carriage, but we hardly got 50 pages, so keep that in mind.
For family use, we recommend getting an XXL cartridge, and if you just want to print black, then the printer can run alone on a black cartridge as well.
People who have tech issues can use the HP Smart app to get the job done from a smartphone, MAC, Computer, or Laptop wirelessly or with a USB cable. You can print wirelessly by connecting to wifi directly or Bluetooth. For low running cost and best performance, use HP instant ink and HP papers.
6. Hp Deskjet 3755-Best For Compact Design
The HP DeskJet 3755 is the world’s smallest all-in-one printer that weighs 5 pounds. Even if it’s compact, it’s still packed with features, and it is not as portable as mobile printers. You can set it up easily, and it prints wirelessly through wifi. Or you can opt for a USB cable instead of a wired connection.
We tested its print quality; the black prints looked perfect and were printed at a speed of 8 pages in one minute. However, the colour prints had a dark colour in contrast to other printers’ colour prints. The speed was slower, and we got 5 pages in one minute.
It can print photos and various media types as well but at a slower speed. According to the manufacturers, the resolution is 4800×1200 dpi for colour prints, and the quality we got was the same.
Like the other printers, this one has two cartridge systems, and the cartridges run out quickly. The good thing is that cartridges are inexpensive. It comes with the HP Smart app that makes printing, scanning, and copying simpler. You can use wireless printing options like Airprint and Mopria too.
To control the printer directly, you get an icon LCD that has tightly packed touch buttons. Lastly, let us tell you about its tray capacity; the 60-sheet input tray with different sheet sizes and the 25-sheet output tray is part of the printer.
As it’s compact, the trays are supposed to have low capacity. The design of the input tray is bad as it tends to get stuck occasionally, but it’s not a huge hindrance. In case you want to print in silence, you can turn on quiet mode.
Best All-in-one Printer Under $100 – Complete Buyer’s Guide
If you are a DIYer or need a printer for smaller needs, breaking your bank isn’t ideal at all. However, don’t underestimate $100 printers and make sure to get the hang of it, knowing the best features you must look into.
In this section, we have discussed some key factors that can keep your selection smart and wise.
Cost:
Obviously, the cost is the number one thing when buying any gadget you need. But it is directly proportional to your requirements. For professional use, higher-cost printers can bring you value. But for smaller needs, an under 100 printer is sufficient.
Before making the decision, keep an eye on running costs. If the cost per print is high, that printer is not worth buying. As your main concern is keeping the budget low, so buying a printer with economical printing costs is worthwhile.
Print Quality:
Buying under 100 dollars printers means you need a reasonable quality print and not very professional or crisp prints. But still keep an eye on the print quality and what the manufacturer promises you, as you don’t need smudgy, blurry, foggy prints.
Printing Speed:
After print quality, the main thing one looks for is speed. This price tag may not bring you very efficient and high-speed printing, but still, you can make a choice between the printers that give the highest print speed among all.
Versatility.
You must look for a printer that offers compatibility with as many devices as possible. Also, if it gives versatile connectivity options, ease of use, and working from smartphones, that is quite beneficial and the cherry on top.
Ink Type:
As you know, you can have laser printing or inkjet printers depending on your choice and the cost you want to pay. Laser printers use powdered ink and give vivid and bright print results; however, inkjet printers are quite economical.
Many brands don’t offer inkjet printers like Brother printers. But you can opt for a cannon if an inkjet printer is your priority. Also, choosing a laser printer can get you faster speed with crisp and vivid printers.
Conclusion:
Best printers under 100 can give you quality, quantity and economy at the same time if chosen wisely. Luckily we have tested 20 printers and shortlisted the above 6 of the top printers among all.
All of these printers are not only top-rated, but they also offer the best speed, print quality and cost-effectiveness. My personal favourite is Brother Mfc-J1010dw which gives the best print quality, all-in-one printer with duplex printing. Also, the four-cartridge ink system gives you high-quality printing at a reasonable cost.
But, for a more professional outlook and productivity, you can buy one of the best printers under $200, if you are willing to spend a little high budget.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Is buying a cheap printer worth it?
It really depends upon your requirements; if you need a printer for small needs, you can rely on a low-priced printer.
Can I connect more than one wireless printer to one computer?
Yes, depending on the printer ports your computer has, you can connect as many printers as your laptop or desktop offers.
Is a Canon printer better than an Epson?
Canon printers are famous for their print quality and paper handling, but Epson printers are quite efficient for speedy printing with high economic running costs.
