5 Of The Best Small Printers You Can Buy In 2026

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If you often have to print documents or photos, going to your nearest Staples, CVS Photo, or public library isn't always convenient or efficient. A good small printer can do all this without taking up too much space in your home or office. While they may not have the best print quality or offer the most value for your money, these devices do offer convenience and will certainly 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-friendly smartphone accessory.

However, printers as a product category have a long-standing reputation for not being the most reliable gadgets, and home printers are still a sore spot in 2026. Therefore, it's natural to feel overwhelmed while picking one from the plethora of options on the market. Fortunately, there are a number of positively reviewed and trusted compact printers worth considering for your next purchase. We 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 desk-based unit, measuring roughly 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 document printing. 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. Plus, Brother is considered the most reliable printer brand, according to Consumer Reports. 

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

The lack of built-in scanner functionality and color or photo printing keeps this Brother printer from being versatile enough for all needs. It also has a tiny one-line LCD display, which can make it cumbersome to navigate menus. 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's considered one of the most reliable wireless printers on the market. It's also pretty compact, at about 15x8 inches, and just 3.6 inches tall. The OfficeJet 250 has scanning capability and is suitable for monochrome documents and color photo printing. One highlight of this model that makes it a good choice for on-the-go printing is the built-in battery, which is estimated to last an entire workday. It leverages B&W and tri-color ink cartridges, and you can choose from standard or high-yield replacement options. 

Print quality is said to be good, and you get a 2.65-inch color touchscreen to control it. Although it lacks a flatbed scanner, HP has included an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) system. Connectivity options include USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, along with Apple AirPrint, Mopria, and HP Smart App support. Moreover, you can connect an external device to the OfficeJet 250 and print directly from it. 

Being an inkjet printer, there are some drawbacks, including printhead nozzles that can suffer from clogging if left unused too long. You might see a higher cost of printing, versus laser options, because of the lower page yield from inkjet cartridges. The OfficeJet 250 also lacks 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's very compact for its capabilities, with a footprint of roughly 12x6 inches, and can print in color; however, unlike the HP OfficeJet 250, there are no high-yield replacement cartridge options. The upside is that a replacement combo pack of color and black and white cartridge is only $46. The integrated battery should be good for about 100 B&W prints or 50 color prints on a full charge. 

An available external battery, ideal for on-the-go work, is capable of another 500 prints or so. While print quality is highly rated, the Epson WF-110's print speed is just 6 ppm for black and white or about 3 ppm in color. Connectivity options are similar to competitors with USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, and it supports 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 only a printer and lacks scanning functionality. It also requires regular maintenance box changes, which can fill up quickly with excess ink. That said, maintenance boxes are relatively cheap to replace at $5. The printer carries a list price of $350; however, you can often find it on sale for as low as $250.

The Canon Pixma TR160 has a similar form factor to the Epson WF-110; however, it does a few things differently. For example, the Pixma doesn't come with an integrated battery, instead it's sold as an optional extra that plugs in, meaning you don't need to lug it around if you don't need it. The battery should last for over 300 prints on a full charge and can be recharged via USB or the supplied AC power adapter. It's slightly bigger than the Epson WF-110 at roughly 13x7 inches, and the optional battery increases the depth to just over 8 inches. 

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

A 4x6-inch color photo, on the other hand, requires more than 50 seconds to finish, and owners note a low yield per ink cartridge. Fortunately, they're relatively cheap to replace at $60 for a combo pack of two B&W and one color cartridge.  As for cost, this compact Canon printer will set you back $270, plus $113 for the optional battery pack.

The second-generation Polaroid Hi-Print is a good option for printing small 2x3-inch photos from Android or Apple smartphones. It's a dye-sublimation printer, and as such, requires Polaroid's proprietary cartridges. This requirement does limit versatility of the Hi-Print and translates to a relatively high per-print cost. However, its extremely compact size, which is similar to a large phone at about 6x3 inches, makes it easy to carry around and use on the go. It takes about a minute and a half to print a photo and the integrated rechargeable battery is said to last for around 20 prints. 

While 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 simple way to connect the Hi-Print to a Windows or Mac device. It also lacks any kind of scanning or document 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.

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