The 5 Best Photo, Business, and Laser Printers for Under $100

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The Rundown

Best Overall:

HP DeskJet Plus 4155 at Amazon

"Perfect for sticking into your car, setting up at a hotel or coffee shop and printing before that big meeting."

Best Mini:

HP DeskJet 3755 at Amazon

"Wirelessly print, scan and copy in tight spaces."

Best Mono Laser:

Dell E310DW at Amazon

"Delivers crisp black-and-white prints, and it churns out text pages at a speed of 27 pages per minute."

Best for Photos:

Canon Pixma MG6820 at Amazon

"Photos are highly detailed and brightly and accurately colored."

Best Budget:

Epson Expression Home XP-430 at Amazon

"Churns out attractive-looking pages and even prints nice-looking photos."

If you need a compact, budget-friendly printer for your business or home office, look no further than our roundup of the best photo business and laser printers under $100. Having a solid printer on-hand is the last thing you think about until you really need one, but being able to generate hard copies of documents, photos, worksheets, and other tree-bound media can be incredibly handy. Depending on the kind of work your printer needs to do or what kind of documents you need to print. If you're printing photos primarily, the HP DeskJet Plus 4155 at the HP Store is an excellent option with exceptional color clarity and a compact form factor.

However, if you're mostly printing black and white documents, or have a substantial amount of space to devote to a printer, then the Dell E310DW Laser Printer at Amazon would be a better choice, with its substantial sheet capacity and whip-smart print speed.

If you're looking for more ways to get clever with your printer, make sure to read our collection of printer and scanner how-tos and tips before taking a look at our collection of the best photo, business, and laser printers under $100.

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Far smaller than most traditional desktop printers, the HP won’t fit comfortably into a backpack, but if you’re on a road trip and want something powerful without compromise, the 4155 is perfect for sticking into your car, setting up at a hotel or coffee shop and printing before that big meeting. Additionally, printing using a smartphone or tablet is offered through a variety of methods, including Wi-Fi, HP’s Smart app, Apple Airprint, or via USB.

Using the device's 2.7-inch color display (with touch input), you can view/edit photos stored on external SD cards before printing them. As it's an "all-in-one" device, HP Envy Photo 7155 incorporates the ability to scan and copy documents (and photos) too. Scanning to many digital file formats (e.g. RAW, JPG, and PDF) is supported, while up to 50 copies can be produced at a resolution of up to 600dpi. It's also rated for print speeds of up to 14ppm (black) and 9ppm(color), and sports a monthly duty cycle of up to 1,000 pages. For connectivity, everything from Wi-Fi 802.11bgn and USB 2.0, to Bluetooth LE and SD card slot is included in the mix.

HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Photo Printer

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Short of mobile printers, including HP's own OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One, the company's DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Photo Printer is the next smallest AIO printer we know of. Wirelessly print, scan and copy in tight spaces, such as your crowded dorm room, your postage-stamp-size desk, or your studio apartment-office.

In fact, the HP DeskJet 3755 prints from mobile devices via HP's all-in-one remote print app. Scan resolution is 600 dpi, and a variety of paper sizes are supported, up to 8.5 x 14 inches, as well as the letter, No. 10 envelopes. Cramped for space? Check out the DeskJet 3755.

Dell E310dw single-function monochrome laser-class (LED) printer.

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The Dell E310DW Laser Printer - Monochrome Printer delivers crisp black-and-white prints, and it churns out text pages at a speed of 27 pages per minute. Furthermore, you can print wirelessly from any Wi-Fi Direct-enabled mobile device, and you can also connect wirelessly via Wi-Fi or wired via Ethernet and USB.

The E310dw comes with a 250-page input cassette that slides into the bottom of the chassis. Above that, is a multipurpose tray for printing one-up envelopes or other specialty pages without having to take the printer out of service.

You can print on media up to 59 pounds, allowing you to print high-quality labels, business cards, and envelopes, as well as exceptional quality documents suitable for business presentations.

Canon PIXMA MG6820 Wireless Photo All-in-One

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Aside from dedicated photo printers, also known as professional photo printers, such as Canon's own Pixma Pro-1, few printers can churn out photos better than Canon's six-ink "MG" (the company's photo family distinction) Pixmas. Photos are highly detailed and brightly and accurately colored, whether printed on standalone on premium photo paper as part of a larger layout.

The MG6820 also churns out great-looking business documents, with near-laser quality text and well-detailed business charts and graphs. In addition to printing, this AIO also scans and copies, and like most Pixmas, as long as you start with quality originals, the MG6820 should do a fine job of reproducing them. In addition, the MG6800 series comes in several colors, including black, white, gold, and red.

Epson Expression Home XP-430 Small-in-One Printer

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If you include street prices and sales, nowadays there are a lot of under-$100 printers in the world, and while that sounds pretty cheap, you have to wonder about its speed, print quality, and reliability. Now wonder about the same functions from an AIO that costs less than $50.

Granted, the Expression Home XP-430 Small-in-One Printer is small, and it doesn't have an ADF. Even so, it churns out attractive-looking pages and even prints nice-looking photos. What it lacks in volume and capacity it makes up for in quality. You get loads of cloud and other mobility options, including Wi-Fi Direct for peer-to-peer routerless connections, and you can print from and scan to SD Card type memory cards for compatibility with most digital cameras.

Final Verdict

The best photo printer is for you is going to be entirely based on what your needs are. However, our favorite printer that can handle most jobs is the HP OfficeJet 4650 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer. This printer can do it all and can be placed in a central location thanks to its wireless connectivity.

What to Look for in a Photo, Business, and Laser Printer Under $100

InkJet or laser - Deciding between an inkjet or a laser printer can be tricky. Laser printers typically use much less ink, contain longer lasting cartridges, and can usually print at a faster speed. However, inkjet printers are more affordable in the short-term and are fine for those looking to print the occasional school essay or photograph.

Color or monochrome - Looking for color or is a monochrome printer alright for the job? If you don’t need to print colorful photographs or graphics, considering a black and white printer means you might be able to afford a more efficient laser printer without breaking the bank.

Wireless connectivity - The world is wireless, and you’ll want to be able to print from your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Seek out a printer that offers wireless connectivity for mobile devices. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself needing to plug in with a wire every time you want to print.

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The 5 Best Photo, Business, and Laser Printers for Under $100

Occasional-use, entry-level printers for less than a C-note

Best Overall: HP DeskJet Plus 4155 All-in-One Printer

Best Mini: HP DeskJet 3755

Best Mono Laser: Dell E310DW Laser Printer - Monochrome

Best for Photos: Canon Pixma MG6820 Wireless All-In-One Printer

Best Budget: Epson Expression Home XP-430 Small-in-One Printer