5 of the Best Small Printers You Can Buy in 2026

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you often need to print documents or photos, going to the nearest Staples, CVS Photo, or public library isn’t always convenient or efficient. A good little printer can do all of this without taking up too much space in your home or office. Even though they don’t offer the best print quality or the best value for money, these devices are practical and will definitely come in handy the next time you need a quick print. Small printers come in a variety of form factors, from a compact desktop unit to something that can fit in your backpack to a pocket-sized smartphone accessory.

However, printers as a product category have long had a reputation for not being the most reliable gadgets, and home printers remain a sore spot in 2026. Therefore, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed when it comes to choosing one from the plethora of options available on the market. Fortunately, there are a number of reliable and positively reviewed compact printers that are worth considering for your next purchase. We have selected these models after consulting expert reviews and buyer feedback.

Although the $180 Brother HL-L2460DW isn’t the most compact printer among our recommendations, it has a relatively small profile for a desktop unit, measuring about 14 inches square and 7 inches high. This black and white (B&W) laser printer uses a single toner cartridge, making it well suited for printing documents. It comes with a variety of connectivity options, including Ethernet, USB, and Wi-Fi. It also supports Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, and Brother’s Mobile Connect app, giving you plenty of ways to initiate print jobs. Additionally, Brother is considered the most reliable printer brand, according to Consumer Reports.

You can choose from several toner cartridges, including high-yield options. The biggest advantages of this small Brother printer are the low printing cost, 36 pages per minute (ppm) printing speed and automatic duplexing. The included toner allows you to print around 700 pages before needing to replace it, and being a laser printer you don’t have to worry about clogging, which can be a problem with inkjet options.

The lack of built-in scanner and color or photo printing features prevents this Brother printer from being versatile enough for all needs. It also has a small, single-line LCD screen, which can make menu navigation difficult. Otherwise, the Brother HL-L2460DW is a good compact choice for a cheap printer that doesn’t require spending a fortune on ink.

If you want a small and portable all-in-one printer, the HP OfficeJet 250 is a good option, as it is considered one of the most reliable wireless printers on the market. It’s also quite compact, measuring around 15 x 8 inches and just 3.6 inches tall. The OfficeJet 250 has scanning capability and is suitable for monochrome documents and color photo printing. One of the highlights of this model that makes it a good choice for printing on the go is the built-in battery, which should last an entire work day. It uses black-and-white and tri-color ink cartridges, and you can choose from standard or high-yield replacement options.

Print quality is considered good and you have a 2.65-inch color touchscreen to control it. Although it doesn’t have a flatbed scanner, HP has included an automatic document feeder (ADF). Connectivity options include USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, as well as support for Apple AirPrint, Mopria, and HP Smart App. Additionally, you can connect an external device to the OfficeJet 250 and print directly from it.

Being an inkjet printer, it has some drawbacks, including the print head nozzles which can become clogged if left unused for too long. You may see a higher printing cost than laser options, due to the lower yield of inkjet cartridges. The OfficeJet 250 also doesn’t have automatic duplexing and is a bit expensive at $520.

The Epson Workforce WF-110 is a lightweight inkjet printer that comes with a built-in rechargeable battery. It is very compact for its capabilities, with a footprint of approximately 12 x 6 inches, and can print in color; However, unlike the HP OfficeJet 250, there are no high-yield replacement cartridge options. The good thing is that a combo pack of color and black and white cartridge replacement costs only $46. The built-in battery should provide about 100 B&W prints or 50 color prints on a full charge.

An available external battery, ideal for working on the go, is capable of approximately 500 additional prints. Although the print quality is highly praised, the Epson WF-110’s print speed is only 6 ppm in black and white or around 3 ppm in color. Connectivity options are similar to competitors with USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, and support for Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, and the Epson app. You can also print directly from an SD card or USB storage.

In terms of downsides, the WF-110 is just a printer and doesn’t have scanning features. It also requires regular changes of maintenance boxes, which can quickly fill with excess ink. That said, maintenance boxes are relatively cheap to replace, at $5. The printer costs $350; However, you can often find it on sale for as little as $250.

The Canon Pixma TR160 has a similar form factor to the Epson WF-110; however, it does some things differently. For example, the Pixma doesn’t come with a built-in battery, but is sold as an option that plugs in, meaning you don’t need to carry it around if you don’t need it. The battery should last over 300 prints on a full charge and can be recharged via USB or the included AC adapter. It’s slightly larger than the Epson WF-110, measuring about 13 x 7 inches, and the optional battery increases the depth to just over 8 inches.

This small Canon printer uses a five-color hybrid ink system with two ink tanks and, like most models in this segment, supports USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, AirPrint and Mopria, as well as the Canon PRINT app. There is a 50-sheet input tray, and while automatic duplexing is absent, the printer supports manual duplex prints. You can’t use the Pixma TR160 as a scanner, but the pages per minute speed of nine B&W or 5.5 for color pages does better than Epson’s WF-110.

On the other hand, a 4×6-inch color photo requires more than 50 seconds, and owners note low yield per ink cartridge. Fortunately, replacing them is relatively inexpensive, at $60 for a combo pack of two black and white cartridges and one color cartridge. As for cost, this compact Canon printer will set you back $270, plus $113 for the optional battery.

The second generation Polaroid Hi-Print is a good option for printing small 2 x 3 inch photos from Android or Apple smartphones. This is a dye-sublimation printer and, as such, requires Polaroid’s proprietary cartridges. This requirement limits the versatility of Hi-Print and results in a relatively high cost per print. However, its extremely compact size, similar to a large phone measuring around 6 x 3 inches, makes it easy to carry and use on the go. It takes about a minute and a half to print a photo and the built-in rechargeable battery would last for about 20 prints.

Although the print quality is known for producing sharp details, the lack of a wide color gamut can result in limited accuracy. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to connect the Hi-Print to a Windows or Mac device. It also doesn’t have document scanning or printing capabilities, and jammed photo paper is a common customer complaint. Polaroid’s pocket printer costs $110 for the printer or you can choose the printer and paper combo pack for $140.

Buying a printer can be tricky, especially if you’re looking for a compact unit that will perform reliably. Therefore, when selecting these small printers, we not only focused on expert reviews but also on feedback from verified buyers to get an idea of ​​long-term reliability. We chose compact options for different use cases to meet diverse buyer needs and limited our selection to reputable brands. Whether you need an all-in-one or compact photo printer to carry in your pocket, we have an option for you. All of our recommendations received generally positive feedback, with some major drawbacks noted.