The 8 Best Printers for College Students to Make Copies on Demand

The 8 Best Printers for College Students to Make Copies on Demand

Heading back to school? Check out our guide for the best printers for college students, featuring Bluetooth connectivity and Amazon Alexa.

Choosing the perfect laptop isn't the only accessory students will need when heading back to school for the Fall 2019 semester.

The right printer makes the perfect companion to the ultimate laptop for fast-paced student life on a budget.

We've researched and rated the top products available to bring you our picks for the best printers for college students.

Whether buying a printer on a student budget or in search of premium photo resolution for your freshman art student, we've rounded up the best products available to select from.

Check out our guide for the latest in:

• Wifi and Bluetooth enabled printers
• Compact all-in-one printers that fit into cramped dorm rooms
• Smart printers enabled with Amazon Alexa and Amazon Dash
• High-speed laser printers
• Affordable feature-packed multipurpose options

Read on to discover the eight best printers for college students of 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do Students Need to Bring Their Own Printer to College?

While owning a printer may not be a necessity for every college student, it is a convenience that benefits most students completing various degree programs that's required by some universities.

Printer requirements vary by college and university, and printing privileges are often dotted with policies and regulations that make using school printers highly inconvenient.

In addition to the inconvenience of abiding by school printer regulations, colleges and universities may also require students to supply their own paper, making printing from their dorm room a more economical option in the long run.

Students living off-campus or attending universities with limited library and computer lab hours should also consider purchasing their own devices to print from home or the privacy of their dorm room.

2. What Kind of Printer is Ideal for College and Dorm Life?

First and foremost, printers that students take along on their college journey should be compact, lightweight, and multifunctional.

Fortunately, that description applies to most new printers on the market, with bulky, outdated alternatives reserved mainly for office use.

Today's lightweight printers easily fit into cramped dorm rooms, and some models are entirely portable for maximum convenience on the go.

In addition to portability, ideal printers for today's college students feature wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, voice commands, mobile printing, cloud connectivity, and optional digital assistant technology with Siri or Amazon Alexa.

3. Should Students Opt for Inkjet or Laser Printers?

The choice between an inkjet and laser printer will largely depend on the volume of coursework students must print and the speed of printing they require.

Students with minimal printing requirements should consider an inkjet printer, while students with higher printing demands should opt for a laser printer for speed and long-lasting toner cartridges.

4. Should Students Opt for Wifi Enabled or USB Supported Printers?

Students should opt for printers that enable both wifi connectivity and USB connection.

While wireless and Bluetooth enabled smart printers may seem like the obvious choice for tech-savvy coursework, some colleges and universities ban the use of wireless printing from dorm rooms due to privacy concerns, so access to an optional USB connection is ideal.

Many smart printers on the market today feature an optional USB 3.0 connection in addition to full wireless and Bluetooth connectivity.

For maximum convenience, look for printers that include USB cables in the box, as purchasing one on a deadline can be a hassle that students may not anticipate.

Comparison Data

How We Reviewed

Accuracy is essential to us, that's why products featured on our Best Of guides earn a spot on our list through a rigorous research process.

Products featured on our Best Of guides are sourced only from top-rated choices in their respective categories, put to the test by our team of consumer specialists, then reviewed by a panel of experts before earning a spot on our list.

The Top Eight Printers

HP Envy 5055 Wireless Printer

HP's Envy 5055 Wireless Printer ranks number one in all-around performance, featuring specifications one might expect from high-end options at a modest price point.

The Envy 5055 is truly an all in one device that comfortably meets the needs of most college students, and features digital assistant technology with Amazon Alexa.

Students can print seamlessly from any device, as the Envy 5055 is wifi and Bluetooth enabled.

To save on paper, the Envy 5055 features automatic two-sided printing.

Along with several ultra-convenient features like two-sided printing, the Envy 5055 includes an optional ink cartridge subscription service, ideal for busy college students who don't have time to worry about refills.

Although the Envy 5055 is a multifunction all in one device, it doesn't slack on photo printing—a common pitfall where many all in one printers are concerned.

We find photos printed with the Envy 5055 crisp and luminous.

We recommend the HP Envy 5055 Wireless Printer to the college student in search of quality craftsmanship, convenience, and digital assistant capability at a budget price point.

Samsung Xpress C430W Wireless Laser Printer

The Samsung Xpress C430W offers various accessibility features, along with fast installation that rank it among our top choices for on the go students.

The Xpress C430W is both Android and iPhone friendly, featuring Print on Tap technology for Android users that allows students to print with one tap of their mobile device through NFC technology.

For iPhone users, the Xpress C430W offers on-demand printing through the Samsung Mobile Print app and full wifi connectivity that enables busy students to print quickly on the go.

Students can share documents with other printers in a flash using Samsung Mobile Print, Samsung Cloud Print, or various other cloud printing services.

Although the Xpress C430W is feature-packed, its modest size fits easily into even the most cramped dorm rooms or student apartments.

We recommend the Samsung Xpress C430W Wireless Laser Printer to busy college students in search of a feature-packed laser printer with professional image quality.

HP Tango Wireless Smart Printer

HP's official smart printer, the Tango Wireless Smart Printer, performs all functions directly from students phones or tablets without the use of a wifi or USB connection.

The Tango handles printing, scanning, and copying with a sleek, lightweight design.

While the Tango does not include a hardware scanner, the device performs scanning wirelessly through the cloud or HP Smart app, reducing the size of the machine while enabling seamless copies and scanning.

The Tango's voice commands and compact design make the device extremely user-friendly, foolproof, and compatible with students fast-paced lifestyles.

Equipped with smart sensors throughout, the Tango works in conjunction with the HP Smart app to monitor paper levels, ink cartridge refills, and alert users to device maintenance status and updates.

While ink cartridges for the Tango run on the pricey side, students can save significantly by subscribing to HP's cartridge refill service or enabling ink cartridge replenishment through Amazon Dash.

We recommend the HP Tango Wireless Smart Printer for students in need of an all-in-one smart device and convenient ink cartridge replenishment.

Brother Monochrome Compact Laser Printer

The Brother Monochrome Compact Laser Printer features high-speed laser printing and maximum efficiency, at a size ideal for the average dorm room.

Fully wi-fi enabled, students can easily print from most devices, including PC, iOS, and Android operating systems.

Known for high-quality electronics and exceptional customer support, Brother is an industry leader in laser printing technology, and the Monochrome Compact Laser Printer is no exception.

As its name implies, the Monochrome Compact Laser Printer does not print in color, and won't be suitable for students in need of color printers like the Canon Pixma or Kodak Verite 65 Plus.

While the Monochrome Compact Laser Printer produces only black and white images and text, we find it suitable for the average student, as it can produce most legal and letter-sized documents at a high-speed rate of thirty-two pages per minute.

In addition to its laser speed and efficiency, the Monochrome Compact Laser Printer features maximum convenience with automatic ink cartridge replacement through Amazon Dash.

We recommend the Brother Monochrome Compact Laser Printer to students with heavy printing demands and legal coursework.

Canon Selphy Compact Wireless Photo Printer

With its ultra-lightweight, portable design, the Canon Selphy Compact Wireless Photo Printer is the perfect Instagram companion for students on the go.

In addition to producing luminous color copies, the Selphy includes several creative print options to personalize students rooms and devices with photos from Instagram, a portable photo booth feature, and a party shuffle mode to print friends pictures from the cloud.

The Selphy's portable design and lightweight are ideal for printing on the go, and it includes an optional battery pack for maximum convenience.

We recommend the Canon Selphy Compact Wireless Photo Printer to art and photography students, or the Instagram user in your life.

Canon Pixma Wireless All-in-One Printer

In step with its colorful design, the Canon Pixma Wireless All-in-One Printer delivers brilliant color copies with six ink cartridges to produce the perfect photograph, art project, or any other document where vibrant color is a necessity.

One of our favorite design features is the Pixma's print from CD ROM/DVD capability, which enables users to print images directly from discs to create memories that last a lifetime.

The Pixma also includes creative filters to personalize and enhance images, photographs, and art projects.

Fully wifi and Bluetooth enabled, the Pixma allows students to print from their devices on the go with Apple Air Print or Google Cloud.

We recommend the Canon Pixma Wireless All-in-One Printer to students majoring in art or photography. You will appreciate getting the most vibrant photographs and business cards available.

Epson Expression EcoTank Wireless Printer

The Epson Expression EcoTank Wireless Printer features a revolutionary cartridge-free design that enables busy students to print an endless supply of term papers and projects without worrying about ink cartridge refills.

While the EcoTank requires a high initial investment when compared to options like the HP Envy 5055, its economic ink tank supplies two years worth of ink—the equivalent of about 4000 pages—to last students long after the semester ends.

Along with its extremely cost-effective design, the EcoTank is fully compatible with PC, iOS, and Android operating systems, and includes an optional memory card to allow students to print or makes copies without connecting to a wireless network.

We recommend the Epson Expression EcoTank Wireless Printer for students on the go who prefer not to worry about the hassle of ink cartridge replenishment.

Kodak Verite 65 Plus Wireless All-in-One Printer

Wrapping up our list is the Kodak Verite 65 Plus Wireless All-in-One printer, the most economical and affordable option to make our list.

The Verite 65 Plus utilizes state of the art design technology to save on ink cartridges by combining six colors into one money-saving ink cartridge.

Where other printers may sacrifice on the cost of ink cartridge refills but require a high-cost initial investment, the Verite 65 Plus is both affordable to purchase and affordable to maintain.

Where the Verite 65 Plus does not sacrifice is in Kodak's superior image quality and resolution, producing brilliant photographs, copies, and business cards.

In addition to its affordability and high-quality image resolution, the Verite 65 Plus is fully wi-fi enabled and offers one-tap NFC printing for Android users.

We recommend the Kodak Verite 65 Plus Wireless All-in-One Printer to students in need of an economical, multifunction printer with crisp image resolution.

The Final Verdict

The best printers for college students will vary based on several factors, so it's wise to research university printing requirements and assess students needs before purchasing.

To simplify the process, we've selected our top pick for the best printer for college students overall: The HP Envy 5055 Wireless Printer.

Why The HP Envy?

As HP's latest addition to the Envy line, the HP 5055 Envy Wireless Printer is an all-in-one, feature-packed device that exceeds the requirements of most students at an attractive price point.

Wifi, Bluetooth, and Amazon Alexa Capability

The Envy 5055's latest upgrades include full wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, virtual assistant capability with Amazon Alexa, and Amazon Dash compatibility for hassle-free ink cartridge replenishment.

Cloud Connectivity

Along with its ultra-convenient Amazon Alexa and Dash capability, the Envy 5055 connects to cloud services including Google Print, Air Pint, and Dropbox to enable on the go students to print seamlessly from any location.

In addition to cloud connectivity, the Envy 5055 works in conjunction with the HP Smart app tor convenient device updates, maintenance, and mobile capability.

All-in-One Printer, Scanner, and Copier

The best printers for college students perform numerous functions, ideally at a compact size that fits easily into most dorm rooms.

The Envy 5055 is no exception, meeting the multipurpose requirements of today's college student with a printer, scanner, and copier functions.

Although the Envy 5055 is a powerful multipurpose printer, it maintains a lightweight, compact size that's ideal for dorm rooms or small student apartments.

The Bottom Line

While the HP Envy 5055 Wireless Printer is our pick for best printers for college students thanks to its feature-packed design and budget price point, the best printer for each student will vary based on individual factors and preferences.

Students majoring in art or photography disciplines might consider options like the Canon Pixma Wireless All-in-One Printer, while students with heavy print demands might opt for the Brother Monochrome Compact Laser Printer for its high speed and superior customer support.