Teaching is one of the professions that involve a lot of document-writing, notes, assignments, and projects. Printers have made it easier for teachers and students alike by facilitating the printing and copying process.
Teachers nowadays use printers for all kinds of functions, copying papers that will help their students, printing out assignments or notes, or printing out illustrations for art projects.
As a teacher, you don’t need to have a high-end printer or even a printer with every function available. You will just have to identify what your needs are, like the print volume, the running costs, whether you print colorful shapes or just text, and some other functions that might save time like auto-duplexing.
In the list below are the best printers for teachers to help them deliver their material optimally. If you want to learn more, head to the help section at the end of the article.
Table of Contents
List of the Best Printers for Teachers
- Canon PIXMA TS9520 – Best Overall
- HP ENVY 5055 – Best Budget Choice
- Epson EcoTank ET-2720 – Lowest Running Costs
- Canon Office Products PIXMA TS5020 – Best Value for price
- Brother HL-L2370DW – Highest Printing Speed
Comparison Table:
Printer | Memory card | Print speed | Resolution | Duplexing | ADF |
Canon PIXMA TS9520 | Yes | 15 PPM black10 PPM color | 4800 x 1200 DPI | Yes | Yes |
HP ENVY 5055 | No | 10 PPM black7 PPM color | 1200 x 1200 DPI | Yes | No |
Epson EcoTank ET-2720 | No | 10 PPM5 PPM color | 720 x 720 DPI | No | No |
Canon Office Products PIXMA TS5020 | Yes | 12.6 PPM black9 PPM color | 4800 x 1200 DPI | No | No |
Brother HL-L2370DW | Yes | 36 PPM | 2400 x 600 DPI | Yes | No |
The 5 Best Printers for Teachers in 2024
1. Canon PIXMA TS9520 – Best Overall
The Canon PIXMA TS9520 comes with the ability to print, copy, and scan as it is an all-in-one device. It is a great choice for printing designs and photos, which is why it suits arts and crafts teachers.
It comes with an automatic document feeder (ADF) and auto-duplexing ability, so it saves both time and money. At 15 PPM, this printer has the highest printing speed for colored pages on this list; while monochrome speed is 15 PPM.
The printing quality of this printer is crystal clear, with sharp images and crisp text. The running costs are high, however, at about 10 cents per monochrome page, and 20 cents per colored page printed.
On the upside, it prints at a high quality of 4800 x 1200 DPI thanks to the five-color individual ink system that provides a higher contrast on the sharp and colorful prints.
You can navigate the printer using the 4.3-inch LCD screen. Coupled with the intuitive user interface, the process is a walk in the park.
Finally, there is a memory card reader where you can insert your camera’s SD card and directly print from it. And you can even print from any device you wish as it supports AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet. What’s more, you can use ITFFF to connect all your devices with your printer.
Pros:
- Smart home ITFFF enabled
- Superb output quality
- Decent connectivity features
- Higher printing speeds
- Prints borderless media of different sizes
- Memory card reader
- Automatic document feeder and auto-duplexing
Cons:
- High running costs
- No NFC or Wi-Fi Direct
- Lacks automatic two-sided scanning
Bottom Line
The Canon PIXMA TS9520 is an all-in-one printer, with a five-color individual ink system that gives your photos and graphics a higher contrast, making the printer perfect for projects with high color details.
2. HP ENVY 5055 – Best Budget Choice
The HP ENVY 5055 is a budget-friendly device that provides you with the ability to print, copy, and scan any document you want. It has both a low upfront cost and running costs.
With the 2.2-inch monochrome touchscreen display, you’ll be able to control all the functions it has to offer.
This printer uses two ink cartridges, one black and one tricolor (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow). There are two sizes available for the cartridges, a standard one and an XL one. However, the print yield of the XL cartridge is nearly 300 pages per cartridge, which means that this printer is not suitable for high yield printing.
But to bring down the printing costs, you can use the HP Instant Ink subscription program that helps you save on replacement inks depending on the program you choose. You can save up to 50% on ink supplies using the HP Instant Ink subscription.
Moreover, the printer offers an auto-duplex option as well, saving time and reducing printing costs.
As for performance, it can print with a speed up to 10 PPM for black prints and 7 PPM for colored ones at a resolution of 1200 x 1200 DPI, so it’s capable of printing vivid photos and crisp text prints of decent quality.
Finally, you can even use the HP Smart app to set up your photo printer, use your smartphone camera to scan documents on the go, and print from the cloud, such as Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox
Pros:
- Low running cost with the HP Instant Ink
- Supports multiple media types and sizes
- Compatible with multiple wireless devices
- Attractive design and durable build
- Great photo print quality
- Low upfront cost
Cons:
- No memory card support or Ethernet connectivity
- Printing cost is higher if you don’t use HP Instant Ink
- The touchscreen is not very responsive
Bottom Line
The HP ENVY 5055 is a perfect choice for teachers who have low volume printing needs and want a budget-friendly device that can print, copy, and scan. It is efficient for colorful designs and projects and has low upfront and running costs if you opt to use the HP Instant Ink.
Read also: The 5 Best Printers for Stickers in 2024
3. Epson EcoTank ET-2720 – Lowest Running Costs
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is a great printer for classroom printing, as it presents teachers with many conveniences. It’s an all-in-one device, with equal efficiency in printing, copying, and scanning.
The main advantage of this printer is the very low printing cost, as it is able to print monochrome for 0.3 cents per print and 0.9 cents for colored prints.
One of the EcoTank main selling points is the Supertank ink that delivers high printing yield. It is a cartridge-free printer, meaning that when the ink runs out, you just have to refill the supersized ink tanks. So, if you are printing in high volume, it cuts costs down a lot and gets rid of the constant cartridge replacement needs.
Moreover, a 1.44-inch display makes navigating and setting up the printer very easy, as you can easily choose the functions and setting of your print, scan, or copy.
The print speed can reach 10 pages per minute, which is a good speed considering the reasonable price tag of the printer. However, it has a 720 x 720 DPI resolution, which is the lowest on the list.
In terms of connectivity, the EcoTank ET-2720 supports Wi-Fi Direct mobile connectivity meaning that you can print straight from your smartphone easily. It also comes with USB Type-A, Wi-Fi interfaces.
Pros:
- Very low running costs
- Excellent print quality
- Lightweight and compact
- Supports Wi-Fi Direct mobile connectivity
- Supersized ink tanks
- All-in-one unit
Cons:
- No automatic document feeder or auto-duplexing
- Low paper capacity
- No memory card support or Ethernet connectivity
Bottom Line
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is a low running costs all-in-one printer, with high printing yield and a refillable ink tank. That’s why it’s the best option you can get if you really want to cut down those running costs for which printers are known. Its high yield makes it a great choice for teachers who require high-volume printing.
4. Canon Office Products PIXMA TS5020 – Best Value for price
The Canon Office Products PIXMA TS5020 is a great all-in-one wireless printer, it is capable of printing both documents and photographs with high quality and detail with a resolution of 4800 x 1200 DPI.
Its printing speed for monochrome prints is 12.6 PPM and 9 PPM for colored prints. Unfortunately, though it does not come with an automatic document feeder or auto-duplexing ability.
You can navigate it easily using the 3-inch LCD display and the simple directional pad to make it even easier to interact with your printer. What’s more, it even comes with a card reader so you can directly print photos from your camera’s SD card.
The printer uses five individual inks to give you higher quality photos and documents, and they are separated, so you don’t have to change the whole pack if only one runs out.
As PIXMA TS5020 is a wireless printer, you can easily use your smartphone to print or scan any document or photo on your device or on the cloud. It supports AirPrint2, The Canon Print app5, Morpia10, Google Cloud Print3, and more. There’s also a USB 2.0 port if you prefer a wired connection.
Pros:
- Great print quality, especially for photos
- SD card slot
- Lightweight and compact
- Uses five inks for higher quality prints
- Supports 5×5 inch photo size
Cons:
- High running costs
- No automatic document feeder or auto-duplexing
- Lacks Ethernet connectivity
Bottom Line
The Canon PIXMA TS5020 is great for printing high-quality photos and crisp texts. With wireless connectivity features, and memory card reader, making it even easier to scan or print anything you want. However, the running costs are high but are reasonable for the quality the printer produces.
5. Brother HL-L2370DW – Highest Printing Speed
Unlike other printers on this list, the Brother HL-L2370DW is a laser printing rather than an inkjet. That said, it naturally surpasses all the others when it comes to printing speed.
The HL-L2370DW can print with speeds up to 36 PPM, saving a lot of time by running through a stack of documents in a third of the time required by other options. It is a monochrome laser printer though, so it will only print in black and white.
The running costs of this printer are low, which makes it ideal for those who are targeting low-cost and high-volume printing needs. And the auto-duplexing option helps you save even more money and time.
Moreover, it has a plethora of connectivity features, as you can print through a wireless connection, Wi-Fi Direct, or standard USB. And for users working with LAN settings, an Ethernet connection is available on the printer as well.
Finally, being a laser printer gives you the advantage of fewer replacement toners as their toners don’t dry out as frequently as ink.
Pros:
- Durable
- Low price
- Big Sheet capacity
- High printing speed
- Great connectivity features
Cons:
- Print only, no scan or copy
- Monochrome only
Bottom Line
The Brother HL-L2370DW is a laser printer that delivers high-quality monochromatic prints and saves you a lot of time and money thanks to its auto-duplexing option, low running costs, and high printing speed. It is ideal for teachers who need to print long notes or lengthy assignments for students.
Check also: The 5 Best Printers for Chromebooks 2024
Shopping for a Printer
When you’re shopping for a printer, you’ll be faced with a couple of tradeoffs. Some of these include whether you should choose the speed of a laser printer or the versatility of an inkjet one, or whether to prioritize resolution over-speed or vice versa. Here are all the differences and point s of comparison to consider:
1. Inkjet vs. Laser Printers
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are preferred over their laser counterparts because they’re more versatile. They’re capable of printing on a plethora of paper types; from pie charts and glossy photos to coupons and essays.
However, they’re not as fast as laser ones and require a more frequent replacement of cartridges.
Yet, for a teacher, I’d recommend an inkjet printer as their color printing is more budget-friendly, and they come as AOI (all-in-one) units with scanning, copying, and sometimes faxing.
Laser Printers
A laser printer would be an ideal choice if you’re only going to print text documents. In other words, just black and white printing.
If that’s the case, they’re highly affordable as monochrome laser printers have low running costs. And that’s only an advantage besides being really fast and suitable for high-volume printing.
2. Cost of Consumables
Consumables consist of two things: paper and replacement cartridges, be it ink or toner.
If you get a printer with duplexing capabilities, you’ll be able to save a lot on paper.
As for the ink or cartridge, you should definitely do your research on the cost of printing of the unit you’re considering.
Consider things like how often you’ll need a replacement cartridge, the yield of each one, and how much it would be to print per page.
3. Duplexing
Duplexing refers to the ability of a printer to either print on both sides of a paper at once or scanning it in a single pass.
The latter saves you time, while the latter saves both time and money.
4. Connectivity Features
How you’re able to connect to your printer is a very important aspect to consider.
Look for USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct capabilities. Not only that, but make sure you can use online printing solutions like Mopria, AirPrint, and Google Cloud Print.
5. Print Speed and Resolution
It’s natural to want the highest speed and resolution from your printer, but unfortunately, there’s usually a tradeoff between both.
If you print in large volumes, you might want to sacrifice some resolution for high-speed printing to save time and get the job done more efficiently.
But if you’re an art teacher, you might want to opt for the resolution, which is measured in DPI or dots per inch.
The higher the number of the DPI on your printer, the better the quality of your photos and images. This is especially important if you’re going to print illustrations like pie charts and graphs.
Final Thoughts
All the printers listed above have great qualities that qualify them to be the best printers for teachers. And while they all have a lot in common, here are the ones we thought really stood out in some areas:
The Canon PIXMA TS9520 is the best overall, having high printing speeds, both for monochrome and colored prints, and with all its extra features that help you save time and money, it’s a superb choice.
The Brother HL-L2370DW has the fastest printing speed, printing up to 36 monochrome pages per minute, so it’s an excellent choice for those who don’t have time to waste. However, it’s a monochrome printer, which means that you won’t be able to print except in black and white.
If you want to save money you can either get the HP ENVY 5055 with its low upfront costs and opt for an HP Instant Ink subscription, or get the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 for its low running costs.