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Best Printers for College Students 2026: Cheap Ink, Small Desks

5 min read Home Office

The printer question for a student comes down to one number that nobody looks at: cost per page. An inkjet that costs $60 will burn $80 of ink in a semester of problem sets, and the cartridges dry out over winter break.

Quick picks

Prices change often, so check the current price before buying.

For coursework, a monochrome laser is almost always the right answer. It is cheaper per page by a factor of five, the toner does not dry out, and it prints a 40 page reading pack in under two minutes.

What is in this guide

Quick verdict

  • Best overall: Brother HL-L2350DW, print only, cheap toner
  • Best all-in-one: Brother HL-L2395DW with a scanner for assignments
  • Best for a shared house: Brother MFC-L2820DW XL with a high-yield starter toner

Why laser wins for coursework

Type Cost per page Dries out? Best for
Monochrome laser About 2 to 3 cents No Essays, readings, problem sets
Inkjet (cartridge) About 10 to 15 cents Yes, weeks Occasional colour
Inkjet (tank) About 1 cent Less prone Heavy colour printing
Campus printing 5 to 10 cents plus a walk n/a Rare printing only

The dry-out problem is what makes inkjets a bad fit for student life specifically. A printer that sits unused over a five week winter break will clog, and the cleaning cycle wastes a significant portion of a cartridge.

Best printers for students in 2026

Brother HL-L2350DW Monochrome Laser Printer

Best overall

  • Type: Monochrome laser, print only
  • Speed: About 32 ppm
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi, AirPrint
  • Duplex: Automatic two-sided

If you only print text, this is the correct printer and it is not close. Toner lasts a year or more of normal coursework, automatic duplex halves your paper use, and it prints from a phone without software.

Duplex matters more than students expect. Double-sided printing is often required for submissions and doing it manually is where paper jams come from.

Pros

  • Very low running cost
  • Toner does not dry out over breaks
  • Automatic duplex
  • Prints from phone and laptop without drivers

Cons

  • No scanner or copier
  • Monochrome only

Check Brother HL-L2350DW Monochrome Laser Printer price on Amazon

Brother HL-L2395DW All-in-One Laser Printer

Best all-in-one

  • Functions: Print, scan, copy
  • Type: Monochrome laser
  • Screen: Touch

Scanning is the function students actually need beyond printing: signed forms, handwritten problem sets, and lab notes. A flatbed scanner in the same box removes the phone-photo-of-a-document workflow that professors dislike.

Same toner economics as the print-only model.

Pros

  • Scanner covers forms and handwritten work
  • Laser running costs
  • Copy function useful for group work

Cons

  • Larger footprint on a dorm desk
  • Monochrome scanning only on some models

Check Brother HL-L2395DW All-in-One Laser Printer price on Amazon

Brother MFC-L2820DW XL All-in-One Laser

Best for a shared house

  • Functions: Print, scan, copy, fax
  • Toner: High-yield included
  • Feeder: Automatic document feeder

For four people sharing one printer, the automatic document feeder and the high-yield starter toner are what stop it becoming a chore. The included toner is rated for thousands of pages rather than the token starter cartridge most printers ship with.

Splitting the cost four ways makes this the cheapest per person option in a shared house.

Pros

  • High-yield toner included, not a starter cartridge
  • Document feeder for multi-page scans
  • Handles higher volume without complaints

Cons

  • Too big for a single dorm room
  • More printer than one student needs

Check Brother MFC-L2820DW XL All-in-One Laser price on Amazon

HP LaserJet MFP M234sdwe

Best compact all-in-one

  • Type: Monochrome laser MFP
  • Size: Small footprint

A smaller all-in-one for desks where the Brother units do not fit. Same laser advantages in a tighter package.

Check the toner subscription terms before buying. Some HP models push a service that is expensive if you print rarely.

Pros

  • Compact for small desks
  • Laser economics in an all-in-one

Cons

  • Toner subscription pushed during setup
  • Slower than the Brother units

Check HP LaserJet MFP M234sdwe price on Amazon

Brother P-touch PTD610BT Label Maker

Best dorm extra

  • Type: Label maker
  • Use: Shared kitchens, cables, storage

Not a printer, but the accessory that solves the shared-fridge and shared-charger problems in a house of four.

Cheap, small, and used far more than expected in a shared living situation.

Pros

  • Ends the whose-food-is-this argument
  • Useful for cable and storage labelling

Cons

  • Tape refills add up

Check Brother P-touch PTD610BT Label Maker price on Amazon

Student printer FAQ

Do students still need a printer?

It depends on the programme. Many courses are fully digital, but law, engineering and anything with heavy reading still favour paper. Check with second years before buying.

Laser or inkjet for a dorm?

Laser, unless you need colour photos. Toner survives long breaks, ink does not, and laser is far cheaper per page.

How much does toner cost per page?

Around 2 to 3 cents with standard cartridges and closer to 1.5 cents with high-yield. Inkjet cartridges run 10 cents or more.

Are third-party toner cartridges safe?

Generally yes for Brother lasers, and they cut costs substantially. Quality varies, so buy from a seller with a return policy.

Can I print from my phone?

Any modern Wi-Fi printer supports AirPrint or Mopria, so yes, without installing anything.

Is campus printing cheaper than owning a printer?

Per page it can be, but the printer pays for itself if you print more than about 1,500 pages across a degree, and you never queue at 2am before a deadline.

Which printer should a student buy?

Final verdict

Buy the Brother HL-L2350DW if you only print, and the HL-L2395DW if you need to scan signed forms and handwritten work. Both use the same cheap toner and neither will clog over a winter break.

For the rest of the desk, see our desk lamp guide and the dorm storage guide.