The best printer for you depends on where and how much you print. Home printers focus on ease of use, color, and photos at a low up-front cost. Small office printers add speed, higher page volumes, and features like faxing and document feeders. Enterprise printers are built for heavy shared use, central management, and advanced security.
Printers by Use at a Glance
Home: compact inkjet or ink tank printers for documents, schoolwork, and photos
Home office and small office: faster all-in-ones with automatic two-sided printing and document feeders
Enterprise: high-volume laser printers and MFPs with fleet management and advanced security
Print volume is the single biggest factor in choosing the right printer
Running costs and security matter more as printing volume and users grow
Use | Typical volume | Recommended printer types | Features that matter most |
Home | Light to moderate | Inkjet, ink tank, or compact photo printer | Low up-front cost, color and photo quality, mobile printing |
Home office and small office | Moderate to high | Inkjet or laser all-in-one, ink tank | Speed, two-sided printing, document feeder, fax, low cost per page |
Enterprise | High, shared by many users | Laser printers and multifunction printers (MFPs) | High duty cycle, large trays, fleet management, advanced security |
For a step-by-step buying guide, read what type of printer you need.
Best Printers for Home Use
Home printing covers schoolwork, forms, tickets, recipes, crafts, and family photos. Most households print a modest amount, and several people often share the printer from phones and laptops.
What to look for in a home printer
Easy wireless and mobile printing: Wi-Fi and the HP app let everyone print from their own devices. Learn more about printer connectivity.
Color and photo quality: An inkjet handles color homework, crafts, and photos well. Learn more about photo printers.
Scanning and copying: An all-in-one printer handles permission slips, receipts, and IDs.
Running costs that fit your volume: For light printing, a cartridge inkjet keeps up-front cost low. For frequent color printing, an ink tank or ink subscription can lower cost per page.
Compact size: A small footprint fits on a desk or shelf.
HP printers for home use
Printer family | Best for |
HP DeskJet | Simple, everyday home printing at a low up-front cost |
HP ENVY | Families who print documents and photos |
Households that print often, especially in color | |
Instant snapshots and stickers from a phone |
Best Printers for Home Offices and Small Offices
Home offices and small businesses print contracts, invoices, reports, and marketing materials, often every day. Speed, reliability, and cost per page matter more than they do at home, and a printer may be shared by a small team.
What to look for in a small office printer
Higher print speed: Faster pages per minute and a quick first page keep work moving. Learn more about print speed.
Automatic two-sided printing and scanning: Saves time with long documents and double-sided originals.
Automatic document feeder: Scans and copies multi-page documents without lifting the lid.
Fax: Still useful for some industries, clients, and agencies.
Recommended monthly page volume: Choose a printer rated comfortably above how much your office prints.
Low cost per page: Laser printers suit heavy black-and-white printing, while ink tanks and business inkjets suit color. Learn more about printing costs.
Business security: Built-in protections and admin controls help secure shared printers. Learn more about printer security.
HP printers for home offices and small offices
Printer family | Best for |
Color documents and marketing materials in home offices and small teams | |
HP Smart Tank | Small offices that print a lot of color at a low cost per page |
HP LaserJet Pro and HP Color LaserJet Pro | Fast, high-volume document printing for small and medium businesses |
For a deeper comparison of these technologies, read about laser vs. inkjet printers.
Best Printers for Enterprise Use
Enterprise printing means many users, multiple locations, and high page volumes, often with strict security and compliance requirements. IT teams need printers that are reliable, easy to manage at scale, and protected against attacks.
What to look for in an enterprise printer
High volume and durability: A high duty cycle, large paper trays, and optional extra trays keep busy departments printing. Learn more about print speed and duty cycle.
Multifunction workflows: MFPs with fast scanning, scan-to-email, and document feeders support digital workflows.
Advanced security: Firmware protection, secure print release, encryption, and access control protect documents and the network. Learn more about printer security.
Fleet management: Tools that configure, update, and monitor many printers from one place reduce IT workload. Learn more about device management.
Support and service options: Service plans and managed print services help keep printers running and supplies stocked.
HP printers for enterprise use
HP LaserJet Enterprise and HP Color LaserJet Enterprise printers and MFPs are built for large organizations, with HP Wolf Enterprise Security and support for fleet management. HP LaserJet Managed models are offered through managed print service agreements. Learn more about HP LaserJet Enterprise security, or browse HP laser printers.
How to Match a Printer to Your Needs
Estimate your monthly pages: Count roughly how many pages you print in a typical month, and how many are in color.
List what you print: Mostly text points toward a laser printer, while color documents and photos point toward an inkjet or ink tank.
Decide which functions you need: Choose an all-in-one if you scan, copy, or fax.
Count your users: Shared printers need network connectivity, higher volumes, and stronger security.
Compare total cost: Weigh the printer's price against cost per page over the years you'll use it.
Check the extras: Look at paper sizes, tray capacity, two-sided printing, and mobile printing.
If you mostly print | Consider |
A few pages a month, some in color | A cartridge inkjet printer |
Lots of color at home or in a small office | An ink tank printer or ink subscription |
Photos | An inkjet with photo paper support, or a compact photo printer |
High volumes of black-and-white documents | A monochrome laser printer |
Business documents with color graphics | A color laser or business inkjet all-in-one |
Shared printing for a large organization | An enterprise laser printer or MFP |
When you're ready to compare models, browse current options on the HP Store printer page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Printer by Use
What is the best type of printer for home use?
For most homes, an inkjet all-in-one printer is the best fit, because it prints color documents and photos, scans and copies, and costs little up front. Households that print a lot, especially in color, often save over time with an ink tank printer or an ink subscription.
Is a laser or inkjet printer better for a small office?
A laser printer is usually better for a small office that prints mostly black-and-white documents in high volumes. A business inkjet or ink tank printer is often the better choice for offices that print a lot of color, such as marketing materials and presentations.
What makes an enterprise printer different from an office printer?
An enterprise printer is built for higher page volumes and many users, with larger paper trays, faster speeds, and higher duty cycles. It also includes advanced security and tools that let IT teams manage many printers from one place.
How much should you print before choosing a laser printer?
A laser printer makes the most sense when you print regularly, especially many pages of black-and-white text each week. For occasional or color-heavy printing, an inkjet or ink tank printer is usually a better value.
Related Printer Topics
Printers: the main types of printers and how they work
All-in-one printers: printing, scanning, copying, and faxing in one device
Printing costs: up-front price vs. cost per page
Best all-in-one printers from HP: our top all-in-one picks
