Our readers keep the lights on and the charging cables organized. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
Buying an all-in-one color printer used to mean choosing between fast prints that look decent or slow prints that look great. That trade-off is mostly gone now. The real decision today depends on how much you print each month and if you want to pay for ink every few weeks or buy toner that lasts for years. This guide breaks down the best models on Amazon by their real-world strengths—speed, running costs, and print quality—so you can pick the one that actually fits your home or office without throwing money at expensive cartridges every month.
I’m Mo Maruf — the founder and writer behind The Tools Trunk. This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
if you need a budget-friendly inkjet for occasional homework and photos or a workhorse color laser for a busy small office, the best all in one color printer is the one that matches your print volume without surprise running costs.
Quick Picks
- Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw — Top Performer
- Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw — Best Overall
- Brother MFC-L3780CDW — Best Value
- Brother MFC-L3720CDW — Compact Performer
- Epson EcoTank ET-4950 — Ink Saver
- Xerox C235dni — Budget Laser
- HP Envy Photo 7975 — Photo Pro
- Canon PIXMA TR7120 — Budget Champion
How To Choose The Best All In One Color Printer
Your ideal color printer hinges on your monthly print volume. For light weekly home use, a budget inkjet keeps upfront costs low. For daily business printing, a color laser delivers speed and low per-page costs. These three specs separate a smart buy from a regret.
Print Technology: Inkjet vs. Laser vs. Ink Tank
Inkjet printers are cheap to buy, but you pay the price on every refill—standard cartridges run out fast and cost a lot per page. Ink tank printers like the Epson EcoTank fix that by letting you pour in bottles of ink that last for thousands of pages, so your cost per print slides way down. Color laser printers use toner powder instead of liquid ink. They print faster, the toner never dries out, and the per-page cost is lower than standard inkjets. The trade-off is that laser printers cost more upfront and are bigger and heavier.
Speed: Pages Per Minute (ppm)
Pages per minute (ppm) is the most straightforward spec to compare. A slow inkjet prints around 9 to 10 pages per minute in color. A mid-range color laser hits 19 to 26 ppm. The fastest office laser pushes 35 ppm. For occasional printing, speed is less critical. For regular multi-page documents, a 26 ppm laser finishes a 10-page report in under 30 seconds, while a 9 ppm inkjet takes over a minute.
Paper Handling and Feeding
Look at the paper tray capacity and whether the printer has an auto document feeder (ADF). A 250-sheet tray is standard and fine for most homes. If you copy or scan stacks of pages, an ADF lets you load up a pile and walk away instead of feeding each page by hand. Duplex printing (automatic two-sided printing) also matters—it cuts paper use in half and keeps your desk from piling up with one-sided pages you do not need.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Color ppm | Paper Tray | Auto Document Feeder | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw | High-volume office | 35 ppm | 250 + 50 multipurpose | 50-sheet | Amazon |
| Brother MFC-L3780CDW | Small business teams | 31 ppm | 250-sheet | 50-sheet single-pass duplex | Amazon |
| Canon MF665Cdw | Balanced speed and reliability | 26 ppm | 250 + 1 multipurpose | 50-sheet duplex | Amazon |
| Xerox C235dni | Budget color laser | 24 ppm | 250-sheet | 50-sheet | Amazon |
| Brother MFC-L3720CDW | Reliable color laser for home office | 19 ppm | 250-sheet | 50-sheet | Amazon |
| Epson EcoTank ET-4950 | Low-cost per page ink tank | 9 ppm | 250-sheet | 50-sheet | Amazon |
| HP Envy Photo 7975 | Photo-focused home inkjet | 10 ppm | 100-sheet | 35-sheet | Amazon |
| Canon PIXMA TR7120 | Budget-friendly home inkjet | 9 ppm | 50-100 sheets | Auto Document Feeder | Amazon |
In‑Depth Reviews
1. Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw
The fastest color laser here, built for offices that print all day without slowing down.
This printer saves you minutes every day by printing at 35 ppm (pages per minute — the number of pages it can print in 60 seconds) for both color and black and white on letter-size paper. So a 20-page report finishes in about 35 seconds. The first page comes out in just a few seconds even from sleep, so you are not standing around. It uses Canon Genuine Toner 069 cartridges—the starter ones give you 1,100 pages in color and 2,100 in black—so you can print hundreds of pages before even thinking about a replacement.
Paper handling is generous. The standard setup is a 250-sheet cassette and a 50-sheet multipurpose tray, and you can add an optional cassette to reach 850 sheets total. The 50-sheet ADF (auto document feeder — a tray that feeds pages through the scanner automatically) does one-pass duplex scanning, meaning it flips and scans both sides of a page in a single pass instead of feeding it through twice. Buyers report that it is reliable for everyday use and that setup was smoother than they expected. One reviewer noted that the wireless printing works consistently and the duplex scanning is “incredible.”
The trade-off: the software and setup menus can be frustrating. One experienced IT user said the configuration pages are “absolutely terrible” and that setting up scan-to-email required digging through separate settings menus with no clear links between them. Another reviewer received a gray-market unit that could not be registered with Canon USA for warranty, so it is worth checking the serial number with Canon if warranty support is important to you. For anyone ready to work through the setup, this printer delivers the fastest color output in the list and a 3-year limited warranty for confidence.
Fast color printing: Small offices, busy home offices, and anyone who prints 500+ pages a month and needs speed above all else.
High running costs: The user interface and setup menus are clunky—if you are not comfortable with networking settings, plan for extra setup time or consider a model with simpler controls.
Speed seekers: speed is your top priority and you print enough volume to justify the higher upfront cost.
Budget buyers: you want a quick, frustration-free unboxing and do not need 35 ppm—the Canon MF665Cdw is easier to set up.
2. Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw
the just-right color laser that is fast enough for a team and affordable enough for a home office.
The first page comes out in about 10.3 seconds, so you are not waiting around for warmup. It uses Canon Genuine Toner 075 cartridges. The starter toners give you 500 pages in color and 700 in black, which is enough to get through a couple of months of regular use before you need high-yield replacements. Owners mention that the color reproduction is good and that it is noticeably faster than their old HP inkjets—one buyer mentioned it is “the nicest printer I’ve ever had.”
Paper handling is solid. The 250-sheet standard cassette plus a 1-sheet multipurpose tray covers most daily needs. The 50-sheet duplex ADF (auto document feeder that flips pages automatically) scans both sides in one pass, so you do not have to flip stacks manually. The 5-inch color touchscreen makes navigating the Application Library easy, though some customers note the interface feels a bit slow and clunky compared to more modern touchscreens. Several reviewers mentioned that Canon customer support was helpful when they got stuck during setup—one even said they “actually had a human help me” after lots of circular QR code scans.
The biggest complaint from the reviews is the software experience. One Mac user reported random disconnections and error messages after installing the Canon drivers. Linux users may need to dig into driver installation, though some say it works well once configured. If you are on Windows or a recent Mac, the setup works fine; just be prepared to restart your router if the printer does not connect right away. For the combination of speed, price, and a 3-year limited warranty, this is the best all-rounder on the list.
Good color quality
- 26 ppm color speed versus 9 ppm for the Canon PIXMA TR7120
- 3-year limited warranty gives long-term confidence, unlike most inkjets that offer just one year
- Heavy, well-built construction feels durable for office use
Slow duplex
- Canon’s setup software and user interface are not intuitive—expect a learning curve with the touchscreen menus
- Some Mac users report random connectivity drops after installing drivers
- The default 250-sheet tray feels small for busy offices; you may wish it held more paper
Home offices: you need fast color laser output and a 3-year warranty at a mid-range price, and you are comfortable with a slightly clunky software setup.
High volume: you want the absolute fastest speed (35 ppm from the MF753Cdw) or need a simpler, out-of-box experience with no software fuss.
3. Brother MFC-L3780CDW
A fast, feature-packed color laser that saves time on every scan and copy.
This Brother printer pushes 31 pages per minute in color, which puts it just behind the Canon MF753Cdw (35 ppm) but ahead of most rivals at this price tier. What really separates it is the single-pass duplex scan and copy—it feeds both sides of a page in one pass at speeds up to 29 black-and-white images per minute and 22 color images per minute. If you scan or copy piles of two-sided documents, this feature alone will save you minutes every day. It comes with a 250-sheet adjustable paper tray and a 50-sheet ADF that also handles duplex automatically.
Buyers consistently report that it is easy to set up, quiet during operation, and that the wireless printing (dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz and Wi-Fi Direct) works reliably right from the start. One reviewer who bought three of them for different offices said they were a “great, well-priced Color Laser Printer” with no customer complaints. Another mentioned that the web interface is not as good as Xerox or Kyocera, but it still beats HP. The printer uses Brother Genuine TN229 toner cartridges with standard, high-yield (XL), and super-high-yield (XXL) options, so you can choose the cartridge capacity that matches your print volume.
The catch: like many Brother printers, the “Refresh” ink subscription service has caused frustration for some. One owner reported that their printer was disabled over a weekend when a credit card payment failed, and they could not access support to fix it. If you stick with buying cartridges outright (which is easy to do), this is a non-issue. Also, the print quality is excellent for documents and graphics, but it is not a photo printer—the colors come out better when you use the correct paper type. For a small business that prints reports, invoices, and marketing materials daily, this is a top-tier workhorse.
Text heavy: small business teams that need fast color output and scanning, plus the flexibility of high-yield toner cartridges.
Photo prints: you mostly print photos—inkjets or dedicated photo printers produce richer color on glossy paper.
4. Brother MFC-L3720CDW
A no-nonsense color laser that punches above its weight for home office needs.
This Brother printer delivers 19 pages per minute in color—slower than the MFC-L3780CDW (31 ppm) but still faster than the 9 ppm found in many inkjets. What you get for stepping down in speed is a lower upfront cost and a very similar feature set. It has the same 250-sheet paper tray, a 50-sheet auto document feeder, automatic duplex printing, and a 3.5-inch color touchscreen with 48 customizable shortcuts. You also get dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz) and Wi-Fi Direct for smooth wireless printing from laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The compatible cartridge list is huge—standard, high-yield, and super-high-yield options in the TN229 series—so you have plenty of choices for your print budget.
Buyers are generally happy with the print quality and reliability. One caller mentioned that it is “great for school work, office tasks, and everyday use” and that connecting to Wi-Fi from a phone was easy. Another pointed out that photos look inferior to inkjet, which is true for all color lasers—if you print photos regularly, an inkjet or dedicated photo printer is better. The setup process is straightforward, and the printer menu lets you configure Wi-Fi without needing an app. Reviewers point out that the printer is quiet during operation, though the paper feed occasionally double-feeds and some pages come out with a slight curl.
The main risk reported by buyers is the waste toner error. One customer observed that after about 1,000 pages, the printer displayed a persistent waste toner error even after installing a genuine replacement part, and Brother support was not helpful, effectively “bricking” the printer. This seems to be an issue for a small number of units, but it is note if you plan to print high volumes and want absolute durability. For a home office that prints a few hundred pages a month, this is among the most balanced color laser values on the market.
Tight budgets: you want a reliable color laser for your home office without paying extra for speed you will not use.
Advanced users: you print more than 1,000 pages a month and need the highest durability—step up to the MFC-L3780CDW or a Canon imageCLASS.
5. Epson EcoTank ET-4950
The ink tank that eliminates cartridge swapping for thousands of pages.
The ET-4950 is not the fastest printer here at 9 pages per minute in color, but that is not the point. What this printer does is change how you think about buying ink. It comes with enough ink in the box to print up to 6,600 black pages and 5,500 color pages, according to Epson. Each replacement bottle set (one black bottle at 127 mL and three color bottles at 70 mL each) is equivalent to about 80 cartridges. That means you refill maybe once or twice a year instead of every few weeks. The EcoFit bottles are keyed so you cannot accidentally pour the wrong color into a tank—each bottle only fits its matching tank.
Buyers love the low running cost. One reviewer switched from a previous EcoTank and said setup took under 10 minutes via the iPhone app, and they were “very satisfied” with the quality and wireless range. Another called it the “BEST printer for home office” and noted that the Wi-Fi stays connected even after a power outage. The printer has a 250-sheet paper tray, a 50-sheet auto document feeder, automatic duplex printing, a 2.4-inch color display, and support for fax. The print speed is fast enough for single-sided documents, though double-sided printing is slower because the printer pauses to flip the page.
The clear trade-off is speed and occasional quality issues. One buyer who tried to print photos on Epson Ultra Premium Glossy paper said the results were “garbled trash” and that support did not resolve the issue, wasting over a quarter of the ink tank. Other users said color prints look good but are average compared to more expensive inkjets. If your main need is high-quality photo prints, look elsewhere. But if you just want to print hundreds of documents and school projects without ever running out of ink at an inconvenient moment, this tank system dramatically lowers per-page costs over time..
Eco friendly: high-volume home users and small offices that print mostly documents and want to stop buying cartridges every month.
Fast printing: you need fast print speeds or professional-quality photo output—this is a document workhorse, not an art printer.
6. Xerox C235dni
An entry-level color laser that brings Xerox reliability to budget-conscious offices.
The Xerox C235dni prints at 24 pages per minute in color, which is a solid speed for the price bracket. It includes starter toner with a 500-page yield, which is enough to get started, but you will need to buy high-yield cartridges soon if you print regularly. The printer supports wireless connectivity via built-in Wi-Fi, Apple AirPrint, and Mopria, so you can print directly from a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. The Xerox Easy Assist App is supposed to simplify setup, but several buyers reported that the QR code setup failed and they had to configure it manually through the front panel.
Once set up, the printer works well for its price. One reviewer called it the “Best Laser Printer for Home Office” and mentioned that moving from inkjet to laser was the right choice for reliability. Another buyer who works with different paper types noted that light printing was fixed by switching to Hammermill Premium paper and disabling Eco mode—a helpful tip if you run into the same issue. The scanner, copier, and fax functions are standard for an all-in-one, and the 50-sheet ADF handles multi-page documents without trouble.
There are two real drawbacks. First, one user highlighted that their unit arrived appearing used or refurbished, with weak cartridge access door hinges. The same reviewer also said the “printing speed slower than advertised; ink ran low after less than 15 pages,” which suggests the starter toner is only enough for a very small print job. Second, Xerox has been acquired by Lexmark, and some users had trouble finding drivers on the Lexmark site. If you are comfortable with a manual setup and plan to buy high-yield toner right away, this is a budget-friendly way to get into color laser printing without paying for a premium brand badge.
Small spaces: you want a color laser on a tight budget and are willing to work through a manual setup process.
Large jobs: you want a polished out-of-box experience or plan to print more than a few hundred pages immediately—the starter toner runs out fast.
7. HP Envy Photo 7975
The family-friendly inkjet that handles photos, homework, and office docs in one tidy box.
The HP Envy Photo 7975 prints at up to 10 pages per minute in color and 15 pages per minute in black. That is not fast by laser standards, but it is fast enough for home use where you are printing a few pages at a time. What makes this printer stand out is the built-in HP AI that reformats web pages and emails before printing—it removes unwanted content and awkward page breaks so you do not waste paper or ink on formatting mistakes. It also has a separate photo tray for borderless 4×6 prints and an auto document feeder for scanning or copying multi-page documents.
Buyers who like this printer rave about the print quality. One owner said it is “the best printer I ever had” and noted that the ink does not dry out quickly like cheaper inkjets—occasional head cleaning fixes any clogs. Another praised the easy setup via the HP app, which took under 10 minutes. The printer supports mobile printing through Apple AirPrint and the HP Smart app, and it comes with a 3-month trial of HP Instant Ink, which sends you new cartridges automatically when you run low. Several reviewers said the colors look great on both documents and photos.
The downside is reliability. One shopper added that the printer “died in about four weeks” and was the worst printer they had owned in 50 years. They experienced constant “out of paper” errors, a paper jam rate of 75%, and faint lines in photo prints. If you get a good unit, this printer is fantastic for a family that prints photos and documents. But the reviews suggest that quality control is inconsistent. For a printer at this price, that inconsistency is worth factoring into your decision.
Photo lovers: you want an easy-to-use inkjet that prints great photos and documents for the whole family, and you are okay with the risk of QC issues.
Frequent use: you cannot afford downtime or the hassle of a potential return—consider a Brother laser for reliability.
8. Canon PIXMA TR7120
A cheap all-in-one that does not feel cheap—until you buy the replacement ink.
At 9 pages per minute in color, the PIXMA TR7120 is the slowest printer in this roundup, but it is also the most affordable. The print quality is genuinely impressive for the price, thanks to its 2-cartridge hybrid ink system that delivers sharp text and vivid colors. It has an auto document feeder (ADF) for scanning or copying multi-page documents, automatic duplex (two-sided) printing, a compact white design, and a 1.42-inch monochrome OLED screen for checking ink levels. Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) keeps the connection stable, and you can print from your phone using the Canon PRINT app, Apple AirPrint, or Mopria Print Service.
Buyers are mostly thrilled with it for light home use. One reviewer noted they “printed ~500 pages without jam” and that the print quality was good for the price. Another noted that after four months of use, they were still on the original cartridge and the printer was working “like a dream.” Several people praised the easy setup and small footprint—it fits neatly on a desk without taking over the room. The ADF is a rare find at this price, making it one of the best value all-in-one inkjets if you occasionally need to scan a stack of papers.
The catch is the ink. Multiple reviewers mentioned that “starter ink ran out quickly” and that the replacement cartridges are expensive. Worse, the printer uses a single color cartridge that contains all three colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) in one unit—when one color runs out, you replace the whole cartridge, which wastes ink. There are limited off-brand options, so you are mostly stuck with Canon’s expensive cartridges. As one buyer put it: “Great for light use; not for heavy printing.” If you print only a few pages a week, this printer is a fantastic deal. If you print regularly, the running costs will eat you alive.
Occasional use: occasional home users who want a capable all-in-one for under and print a few pages a week.
Heavy users: you print more than 100 pages a month—the cartridge replacement costs will quickly outweigh the savings on the printer itself.
Understanding the Specs
Pages Per Minute (ppm)
This is the print speed, and it tells you how many pages the printer can produce in one minute. A higher ppm means you wait less. Inkjets typically run at 9 to 10 ppm for color, while color lasers run at 19 to 35 ppm. If you print multi-page documents daily, a 35 ppm laser finishes an 8-page report in about 15 seconds, while a 9 ppm inkjet takes nearly a minute. Speed matters most when you are waiting.
Auto Document Feeder (ADF)
An ADF is a tray on top of the printer that holds a stack of pages and feeds them through the scanner one at a time automatically. It saves you from having to lift the lid and place each page manually. A 50-sheet ADF is standard on most laser all-in-ones. On the Canon MF753Cdw and Brother MFC-L3780CDW, the ADF also scans both sides of a page in a single pass (duplex ADF), which scans both sides in one pass, unlike machines that require two passes.
Print Technology: Laser vs. Inkjet vs. Ink Tank
Laser printers use toner powder and heat to fuse text and images onto paper. They are fast, the toner does not dry out if you stop printing for a month, and the per-page cost is low. Inkjet printers spray liquid ink onto the page. They can produce richer colors and smoother photo prints, but the cartridges are small, expensive, and dry out if unused. Ink tank printers work like inkjets but use large refillable tanks instead of tiny cartridges, so your upfront cost is higher but the cost per page drops to nearly zero over time.
Duplex Printing
Automatic duplex printing means the printer flips the page and prints on the other side without you having to manually reload it. It cuts your paper consumption in half and keeps stacks of one-sided documents from piling up. Every printer in this list has automatic duplex printing, but the speed of duplex varies—lasers generally handle it faster because they do not pause to dry the ink between sides.
FAQ
What is the difference between a color laser and an inkjet all-in-one printer?
How many pages per minute do I need for a home office?
Do all all-in-one color printers support automatic two-sided printing?
Can I print photos on a color laser printer?
What does “starter toner” mean?
How long does the ink last on the Epson EcoTank ET-4950?
Is the Canon PIXMA TR7120 good for heavy printing?
What does the 3-year warranty cover on Canon imageCLASS printers?
Which is better for scanning: a flatbed scanner or an auto document feeder?
Can I use third-party cartridges in these printers?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
Across the board, the all in one color printer winner is the Canon MF665Cdw because it delivers fast 26 ppm color laser output, a 50-sheet duplex ADF, and a 3-year limited warranty at a mid-range price that makes sense for both home offices and small teams. If you want the absolute fastest speed and can handle a complicated setup, grab the Canon MF753Cdw with its 35 ppm output. And for the lowest running cost over time, the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 is the ink tank that saves you hundreds on cartridges over a few years.
How We Picked
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources & Methodology
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of July 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
As an Amazon Associate, The Tools Trunk earns from qualifying purchases. This does not affect which products we feature.








