Key Factors When Choosing a Wireless Printer
When shopping for the best wireless printer for your needs, there are several key factors to keep in mind:
- Print Speed – This measures how fast the printer can produce pages per minute. Faster speeds are better for high volume printing.
- Connectivity – Most printers offer WiFi, Bluetooth and in some cases WiFi Direct. Consider which options you need.
- Print Quality – Important if you plan to print high quality photos or graphics. Inkjet typically offers better quality than laser.
- Cost – Upfront printer cost plus long term cost of replacement ink or toner cartridges.
- Features – Such as scanning, copying, faxing capabilities. Mobile printing and cloud storage integration are also useful.
Keep these factors in mind as we review the top wireless printer picks across different categories and price points.
Best Wireless Printers – By Category
Best Overall: Canon PIXMA TS6320/TS6350
Key Specs:
- Print Speed: 15ppm Monochrome, 10ppm Color
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, USB
- Print Quality: 4800 x 1200 dpi
- Cost: $179.99
- Features: Print, Copy, Scan, Cloud Print & Scan, Ethernet, Auto-Duplex
The Canon PIXMA TS6320 (and nearly identical TS6350 model) is feature-packed yet easy to use. It offers excellent print quality and fast speeds. The five individual ink tanks allow you to only replace the color that runs out. Built-in Bluetooth and wifi make wireless printing a breeze from computers and mobile devices. It also has handy cloud connectivity and document scanning capabilities. An adjustable touchscreen makes operation straightforward. For the balance of quality, performance and features it offers, the Canon PIXMA TS6320/6350 is our pick for best wireless printer overall.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best for Photos: Canon PIXMA TR8620
Key Specs:
- Print Speed: 15ppm Black/White, 10ppm Color
- Connectivity: WiFi, Ethernet, USB
- Print Quality: Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi
- Cost: $199.99
- Features: Print, Copy, Scan, Cloud Print & Scan, Auto Duplex, 6-Color Individual Ink System
For photography enthusiasts, the Canon PIXMA TR8620 delivers gorgeous photo prints. It utilizes a 6-color ink system with gray ink for enhanced depth and red ink for vibrant colors. An integrated scanner lets you digitize old prints too. Easy wifi connectivity makes wireless printing a breeze. While speed could be faster, the focus here is outstanding photo image quality. If photos are a priority, the Canon PIXMA TR8620 won‘t disappoint.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Budget: HP Deskjet 3755
Key Specs:
- Print Speed: 8ppm Black/White, 5.5ppm Color
- Connectivity: WiFi, WiFi Direct
- Print Quality: Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
- Cost: $69.89
- Features: Print, Scan, Copy, Mobile Printing, Instant Ink eligible
If you‘re looking for the basics on a budget, the HP Deskjet 3755 delivers. While print speeds could be faster, it churns out decent quality for documents and web pages. HP Instant Ink eligibility means you can save money on ink costs over time too. The HP Smart app offers versatile printing options from smartphones and tablets. While the 3755 lacks an ADF for scanning and auto-duplexing, it‘s a solid budget buy for light use.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best High Volume: Epson EcoTank ET-4700
Key Specs:
- Print Speed: 15 ISO ppm Black/White, 8 ISO ppm Color
- Connectivity: WiFi, WiFi Direct, Ethernet
- Print Quality: 5760 x 1440 dpi
- Cost: $399.99
- Features: Print, Scan, Copy, Auto 2-Sided Printing, ADF, Voice-Activated
For high volume printing, Epson EcoTank delivers in terms of speed and extremely low ink costs. Unlike standard cartridges, ink bottles are poured into built-in reservoirs providing thousands more pages before needing a refill. The integrated scanner makes it easy to digitize piles of documents. It prints black text briskly and graphics/photos at decent speeds – perfect for busy home offices. The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 is built to handle printing demands with huge savings on operational costs over time.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Most Versatile: Brother MFC-J4540DW
Key Specs:
- Print Speed: 22ppm Monochrome, 20ppm Color
- Connectivity: WiFi, Ethernet, USB
- Print Quality: Up to 6000 x 1200 dpi
- Cost: $299.99
- Features: Print, Scan, Copy, Fax, Auto 2-Sided Printing, 50-page ADF
The Brother MFC-J4540DW brings excellent connectivity with WiFi, Ethernet, USB and wireless networking capabilities. It tackles every job quickly with fast duplex printing, scanning, copying and faxing. A large color touchscreen and built-in document feeder boost efficiency. Plus, it has versatile paper handling from letter and legal to envelopes. For the price, you‘d be hard pressed to find another wireless printer that can print, scan, copy, fax and handle so many tasks with ease.
Where to Buy: Amazon
Best Smart Home Integration: HP Tango X
Key Specs:
- Print Speed: 11ppm Black/White, 8ppm Color
- Connectivity: WiFi, WiFi Direct, Works with Alexa
- Print Quality: Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
- Cost: $149.89
- Features: Voice-activated printing, Mobile Printing, Copy & Scan, Instant Ink eligible
For the ultimate smart home printer, the HP Tango X gets top marks. It has special integration with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home for voice commands like "Alexa, ask HP Tango to print document xyz". The HP Smart app offers versatile mobile printing too like using your phone camera to scan and print. While print quality and speed could improve, smart home enthusiasts will love the high-tech hands-free functionality. It truly makes wireless printing smarter than ever.
Where to Buy: Amazon
How To Choose The Best Wireless Printer
Choosing the right wireless printer needn‘t be complicated if you focus on a few key decision points:
1. Speed & Volume – Will you mainly print long documents, simple text pages or perhaps photographic images? This impacts the print technology that‘s best suited. For regular text documents, a standard laser or inkjet can often handle quicker speeds of 15-30ppm. But for finely detailed graphics and photos, the 4-10ppm range of photo printers ensure quality.
2. Connectivity – Most printers today offer dual band WiFi and wireless direct connections allowing cable-free printing from mobile devices and laptops on the same network. But having ethernet, Bluetooth or WiFi direct options provide more flexibility. Consider which one(s) you need.
3. Print Quality – Laser printers excel for black text but inkjets (especially newer models with 5/6 color systems) achieve better graphics and photos. The dpi print resolution directly impacts quality too – with 1200 or higher being ideal.
4. Cost Considerations – What‘s your budget for the printer itself? Also consider long term costs like replacement cartridges. Newer ink tank printers can hugely lower operational expenses over years of use.
Once your needs and priorities are defined in the above areas, the best wireless printer for you should readily stand out! Let‘s look at what the wireless printing experience is like.
Experiencing Wireless Printing
Once you get your new wireless printer setup, you‘ll immediately notice the freedom and flexibility it brings compared to older wired models.
You can print effortlessly from any room in the house thanks to WiFi connectivity. No more dealing with tangly USB cables every time you want to launch a print job! Whether printing from your smartphone, tablet or laptop – connecting wirelessly is a breeze.
Many wireless printers also integrate tightly with cloud storage platforms. Want to print straight from your Google Drive or Dropbox account? No problem – it‘s just a few clicks away without having to transfer files to your local desktop first.
Scanning directly to the cloud to digitize documents is also simpler than ever with modern wireless all-in-one printers. And innovations like voice controlled printing via Amazon Alexa keep getting more futuristic!
While wireless printers used to be considered a luxury, prices have dropped sharply while functionality continues to climb. The investment pays for itself quickly in terms of increased convenience and productivity.
FAQs About Wireless Printers
What‘s better – laser or inkjet printer?
Inkjet printers deliver better photo quality while laser excels for crisp black text. Inkjets also tend to be cheaper for lower volume home use. But laser printing is quicker and output won‘t smear.
Do wireless printers require WiFi?
Many can connect directly to devices via Bluetooth. However, to print from anywhere in your home WiFi capability allows greater range and connectivity.
Can wireless printers connect to older computers?
Printers with WiFi Direct allow a direct wireless connection without the older device itself needing WiFi capability – so they will generally work.
What mobile OS platforms support wireless printing?
Nowadays both Android and iOS offer native options for wireless printing, usually via mobile OS settings or proprietary printer apps.
Do wireless printers allow scanning to the cloud?
Many all-in-one wireless printers support scanning directly to popular cloud platforms like Google Drive, Evernote and more. Just link your accounts through software provided.
In Closing
I hope this guide has helped demystify shopping for the perfect wireless printer to meet your everyday needs. We‘ve covered all the essential factors from print speed to connectivity, price points and features. The printer models highlighted excel in their respective categories – whether that‘s blazing fast document handling, photo printing finesse or smart home integration.
Equipped with the right wireless printer, you can kiss hassles goodbye and breeze through print jobs more reliably than ever. Your newfound wireless printing freedom awaits!
