My top-tested 6 back-to-school ink tank printers for college and university students — because you don't need an 8am assignment printing panic
A printer is an absolute staple of the student set-up. The trick is finding one that a) doesn't take years to print a single page and b) offers good value for money. And this is why I always recommend ink tank printers for college and university students.
I've specifically chosen tank printers like the EcoTank, Smart Tank, and MegaTank lines because almost every one you buy comes with a generous amount of bottled ink in the box that can last for your entire time at college or university (and ink is cheaper to buy if you do need to top up). So, you won't need to blow your student loan on expensive inkjet cartridges like I had to!
Our senior printer editor has extensively tested the best home printers and the best ink tank printers - and based on those reviews, I've hand-picked the 6 top cartridge-free printers for students that performed brilliantly for text and phot printing, as well as offering value for money. For each one, click View details to see our review notes and how they fit into student life.
My top back-to-school ink tank printers
Why it's good for students. It's one of the cheapest ink tank printers around, and it's the one I use on a regular basis. It's an all-in-one for printing, scanning, and copying. Print-outs are good across both text and photos, it's compact, and it's quick enough for most. For me, it ticks all the boxes for general use.
Why it's good for students. We found this HP printer printed quickly, efficiently, with good results across black-and-white and color text documents, while photos feel fresh and vibrant. It features HP's Self-Heal Wi-Fi and automatic two-sided printing.
Pros
- Neat design
- Bluetooth simplifies setup
- HP Smart for desktop
- Plentiful inbox ink
Cons
- Flimsy build quality
- Small display
- Feeble paper handling
- No NFC or USB Host
Why it's good for students. A superb budget ink tank printer from Canon here for those that just want a reliable, compact all-in-one without worrying about unnecessary features like automatic two-sided printing, front-loading, and other terribly exciting extras like that.
Pros
- Cheap for a MegaTank
- Affordable ink
- Broad paper compatibility
- Lots of inbox ink
Cons
- Manual duplex only
- No front paper drawer
- Limited paper capacity
- No ADF, or USB Host port
Why it's good for students. Brother's ink tank printer delivered excellent results during our tests. It really shines when it comes to color documents and photographs, where colors popped off the page, and it showed exceptionally detailed resolution.
Pros
- Low running cost
- Versatile paper handling
- Detailed print quality
- Lots of inbox ink
Cons
- Small tanks and bottles
- Bottles do not re-seal
- Only 4 paper presets
- No touchscreen or fax
Why it's good for students. Arguably the best of the best right now for the price, we struggled to think of a similarly priced ink tank printer that offered so much ink and so many features. As you'd expect from an EcoTank, it delivered a strong performance across the board.
Pros
- Auto-duplex scan
- Low running cost
- 3 years' ink in the box
- User-friendly design
Cons
- No USB Host port or NFC
- No multi-purpose tray
- No Bluetooth
- Cannot scan heavy paper
Why it's good for students. It might not be packed with features and it's certainly not the fastest, but for photo printing, this model from Canon excels thanks to six ink tanks offering bright, vibrant results.
Pros
- Six-ink color printing
- Cheap to run
- Lots of inbox ink
- Wide paper compatibility
Cons
- No auto duplex
- No main paper drawer
- Small 2-line display
- Low paper capacity
How we test printers for student life
All our printers are put through our unique standardized test, which lets us compare the speed, quality, and functionality against the others. This test covers every aspect of a student's printing needs.
To check performance, we use a uniform stack of test cards, text documents, and photos, and a range of paper sizes and types. If the manual says you can print on envelopes, labels, or t-shirts, we put that claim to the test, too. We're looking for crisp fonts and vibrant colors without smudging, smearing, or feathering.
We use a ten-page mixed text and color document to measure print speeds. We never take the manufacturer's word for this, and while they are usually accurate to be fair, we always time it ourselves. So, if you've got a deadline looming, you'll have a pretty good idea if your printer can get the print-outs in time.
Total cost and overall value are a core part of our review process. And this is specifically why we recommend ink tank printers for students. While they're a little more expensive than traditional, cartridge-based inkjets, they deliver better performance and they're cheaper to run for the duration of your course. Bottled ink is a lot more affordable than an inkjet cartridge, and with the amount you get in the box, it can last most of your time at college or university anyway.
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