Printers · Students

Best Printer for Students

Updated 2026-08-011 min read

The short answer

The HP Smart Tank 5000 and the Epson EcoTank ET-2803 are the answer for most students — they're within $10 of each other and both ship with roughly two years of included ink per their manufacturers; HP is the cheapest of the four. If you almost never need color and value surviving months switched off between semesters, the Brother HL-L2465DW is the more neglect-proof alternative.

The same catalog as our main comparison, reordered around a student's actual usage pattern: a tight budget, mostly text, and weeks or months without being turned on between semesters. That changes which machine wins compared to the main ranking.

Picksights may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. This never affects which products we rank higher — our Picksights Score is calculated from published specs before any affiliate relationship is considered.

As an Amazon Associate, Picksights earns from qualifying purchases.

Top pick

HP Smart Tank 5000

PS8.7/10$169.99

Best value

Brother HL-L2465DW

PS8.2/10$169.99

Premium pick

Epson EcoTank ET-4800

PS8.7/10$219.99

Top pick

Number 1: HP Smart Tank 5000

PS8.7/10

Best from the most popular printer brand

The largest printer brand by market share turns out to be a genuinely close call on our own numbers, not a given. The Smart Tank 5000 undercuts the Epson ET-4800 on price while matching its document feeder, and Consumer Reports' own testing puts its running cost in the same tank-printer tier as the Epson machines here. It edges out the ET-4800 by a hair on our formula — call it a statistical tie between the two rather than a clear winner. If brand-name support and ink availability matter to you, this is the one; if you specifically want fax and Ethernet, the ET-4800 still has them and this doesn't.

Pros

From the single largest printer brand by market share, with the widest third-party ink and support ecosystem of any printer here
35-sheet automatic document feeder at a lower price than the Epson ET-4800, which is the only other machine in this ranking that has one
Consumer Reports measures cost per page at roughly 0.4 cents black-and-white — genuine cartridge-free tank economics, not a marketing claim

Cons

No fax or Ethernet, unlike the ET-4800 — wireless only
Consumer Reports rates text quality "very good" but not quite class-leading, the same tier as the ET-4800 rather than a step up
HP's history with third-party ink cartridge restrictions on other printer lines makes some buyers wary of the brand generally, even though this specific tank model doesn't use cartridges

From $169.99Approximate — prices change

See current price

Sources: Consumer Reports (HP Smart Tank 5000 lab review) (2026) · HP official cost-per-page breakdown (Smart Tank vs cartridge) (2026)Last checked by Picksights 2026-08-01

Epson

Number 2: Epson EcoTank ET-2803

PS8.4/10

Best for most homes

The default recommendation for a house rather than an office. It does the three things households actually need — print, scan, copy — and it does them with the ink economics that make tank printers worth the higher sticker. You give up the document feeder, which matters only if you regularly scan stacks of paper. If you do, spend the extra $40; if you do not, this is the one.

Pros

Around two years of ink in the box, so the first refill is a long way off
The cheapest genuine tank printer here, and the running-cost advantage is identical to the pricier model
Simple enough that it is the sensible default for a household

Cons

No document feeder — scanning multiple pages means feeding them one at a time
No fax or Ethernet
Colour output is adequate rather than good

From $179Approximate — prices change

See current price

Sources: RTINGS printer testing (2026) · TechRadar (standardised test across 200+ printers) (2026-07) · Epson official support documentation (ET-4800) (2026)Last checked by Picksights 2026-07-29

Brother

Number 3: Brother HL-L2465DW

PS8.2/10

Best if you never print in colour

The honest answer for a large number of people who buy colour printers and never print in colour. Consumer Reports' position is blunt: if you do not need colour, buy a mono laser, because they are far more reliable. And the reason matters — toner does not dry out, so this survives being ignored for three months, which is exactly what kills an inkjet. Print one photo a year at a shop and you will still be ahead.

Pros

Consumer Reports' testing finds lasers markedly more reliable than inkjets, which is the complaint most printer owners actually have
Toner does not dry out, so it survives months of not being used — the failure mode that kills inkjets
Crisp text at speed, with automatic two-sided printing

Cons

No colour whatsoever, which rules it out for anyone printing photos or school projects
Per-page cost is higher than bottled tank ink, though far below cartridges
No fax or document feeder

From $169.99Approximate — prices change

Sources: Consumer Reports (laboratory testing and cost-of-ownership modelling) (2026-06-24) · TechRadar (standardised test across 200+ printers) (2026-07)Last checked by Picksights 2026-07-29

Epson

Number 4: Epson EcoTank ET-4800

PS8.7/10

Best for a home office

The one to buy if the printer has a job rather than a corner. The document feeder alone changes what you can do with it — scanning a stack instead of a page at a time — and it is the only machine here with Ethernet. It also costs the most up front, which is exactly the number you should be ignoring: on Consumer Reports' own modelling, a $128 cartridge printer overtakes this on total cost inside the first year and keeps going.

Pros

Bottled ink costs a fraction of cartridge ink per page — the whole argument for buying a tank printer
Automatic document feeder and Ethernet, which the cheaper tanks here leave out
Fax and copy included, so it replaces an office multifunction outright

Cons

The highest purchase price of the three, which is the number most shoppers compare
Photo output is competent rather than a reason to buy it
Tank printers need occasional use or the print head can clog

From $219.99Approximate — prices change

See current price

Sources: Consumer Reports (laboratory testing and cost-of-ownership modelling) (2026-06-24) · TechRadar (standardised test across 200+ printers) (2026-07) · Epson official support documentation (ET-4800) (2026)Last checked by Picksights 2026-07-29

Frequently asked questions

Why do the HP Smart Tank 5000 and ET-2803 lead this list when the ET-4800 scores higher in the main ranking?

Both cost $40-50 less than the ET-4800, ship with roughly two years of ink from the factory per their manufacturers, and don't charge for fax or Ethernet that most students won't use. For a student's usage pattern, that price gap matters more than those office features — HP throws in a document feeder the ET-2803 doesn't have, at no extra cost.

Why does a mono laser make sense for a student who sometimes needs color?

Because the real failure mode of an inkjet in a student's hands isn't lack of color — it's the print head drying out over summer or winter break. The Brother HL-L2465DW's toner doesn't degrade over time, so it still works perfectly after months switched off. If you need color with some regularity for assignments or posters, the ET-2803 remains the more balanced choice.

Is the ET-4800 worth the extra money in a dorm?

The HP Smart Tank 5000 already covers the document-feeder need for less money, so the ET-4800 only earns its extra cost if you also need fax or Ethernet — specific paperwork requirements, or a wired connection in a dorm with unreliable Wi-Fi. For individual use, it's office capacity most students won't use.

Need home-office features instead of a student-specific criterion? See the best printer for home office → or the full printer ranking →

Guide: Printer Buying Guide →

Tool: 5-Year Cost Calculator →

Also worth a look

Ranking

Best Controller for PS5 and Xbox Series X

Ranking

Best Gaming TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X

Ranking

Best Air Purifier