As popular as the Chromebook is, it sadly has one major setback – it’s not compatible with USB-only printers.
This means that if you have a Chromebook, unlike owning a Windows computer or a macOS laptop, you simply can’t buy any printer that you like.
For you to print through your Chromebook, you have to connect your machine to Google Cloud Print and share the printer, which makes this a rather specific market.
Thankfully, however, since Chromebooks have become so popular, Chromebook compatible printers have also increased in availability. Here are some of the best Chromebook printers in the market today.
PRODUCT | TITLE | DETAILS | |
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Epson Expression Premium XP-6000 |
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Brother Compact HL-L2350DW |
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Samsung Xpress M2020W |
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Canon PIXMA TR4520 |
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Canon PIXMA TS6220 |
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HP Envy 5055 |
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Canon TS9120 |
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HP Envy 4520 |
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Canon MX492 |
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Epson Workforce WF-2860 |
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Epson Expression Premium XP-6000 – Best Chromebook Photo Printer
As far as all in one printers go, the Epson Expression Premium XP-6000 is by far one of the most versatile options in the market today. Not only does it offer you multiple connectivity options, including iPhone, iPad, and smartphone printing, but it also supports Wi-Fi Direct for excellent network-free printing.
With a print speed of 15.8 ppm and 11.3 ppm for black and white and color printing respectively, this printer can print on a variety of media sizes that go up to 8×10 inches. You can, however, print on the standard 4×6 size. In terms of functionality, this printer is quite capable as it is equipped with five-color inks, which gives you exceptionally vibrant colors.
To enhance your printing even further, the printer comes with software that allows you to improve print quality by making use of such tools as red-eye removal, auto photo correction, and so on.
Couple all this with duplex printing which saves you time as well as the capability to connect with Chromebook wirelessly, iPad and other smartphones in general, the 2.7-inch LCD touch screen controlled printer is both easy to navigate and use.
This is an excellent printer for anyone looking to do some light printing, scanning, and copying jobs. With multiple connectivity options, this printer is easy to use in both home and small office settings.
PROs
- Photo enhancing software
- Time-saving duplex printing
- Capability to print on various media sizes
- Excellent printing speeds
Cons
- It doesn’t have an automatic scan feeder
- It has a lengthy setup process
Brother Compact HL-L2350DW – Best Chromebook Laser Printer
The Brother Compact HL-L2350DW is a one-color laser printer that is miles ahead of the competition in terms of economic value coupled with functionality. As one of the most affordable printers on this list, this entry offers you a wide variety of high-value features such as duplex printing and excellent printing speeds.
With a tray capacity of 250-sheets, this printer can print up to 32 pages per minute, giving you an impressive volume of 2000 pages per month. It also offers duplex printing, which saves you a great deal of time. It does all this without compromising the print quality as the texts will all appear razor-sharp.
In terms of connectivity, the printer supports a wide variety of options, including Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, Google Chrome Print, and you can also connect to it wirelessly through your smartphone and laptops and other devices.
While it is only a printer that prints in one color, this Brother Compact HL-L2350DW is by far one of the best Chromebook laser printers in the market. It is affordable and has an incredible printing speed as well as capacity, which makes it perfect for a small office setting.
PROs
- Extremely affordable
- Supports duplex printing
- It offers excellent printing quality
- Fast printing speed
Cons
- Only prints in one color
- It has a higher running cost than most printers
Samsung Xpress M2020W – Affordable Low-Duty Chrome Printer
As Chrome laser printers go, this Samsung Xpress M2020W would be an excellent addition to any home or office setting. With the ability to connect and work with almost every operating system, including Linux, Windows, and macOS, this option is as versatile as it is good-looking.
Designed for somewhat light duty, this printer can take on 150-sheet capacity and has the reputation of delivering excellent print quality for the price. With a print speed of 21 pages per minute and the capacity to produce up to 1,500 prints per month, this is a printer for home use or small offices.
Furthermore, it supports a wide range of paper sizes, including 3×5 inches to 8.5×14 inches. It also comes with a one-year hardware warranty from Samsung as well as 24/7 web support.
If you are someone who enjoys light-duty printing and you want a monochrome laser printer that won’t cost you an arm and a leg but still offers you reasonably good features, then this is the printer for you.
PROs
- Adequately fast printing speeds
- Excellent connectivity options
- Lightweight and compact in design
Cons
- It doesn’t support duplex printing
- High running costs
Canon PIXMA TR4520 – All-in-One Chromebook Printer
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is one of the best Chromebook printers for both home and business use. It’s perfect for when you want an all-in-one printer that can scan, print, copy as well as fax documents. Another feature that makes it stand out is the automatic document feeder that allows you to scan or copy several documents at a go without requiring manual effort on your part.
As far as connectivity goes, this printer has a wide variety of options on that front from having the capability to pair with your smartphones and other handheld devices such as tablets through Wi-Fi connection. It is also compatible with both macOS as well as Windows.
Through the 2.1-inch display screen, it is very easy to navigate and use in general. Couple all that with features such as the capability to print over Mopria Print Service, AirPrint as well as an auto power shut off and turn on, it’s easy to see why this all-in-one Chromebook printer should be on your list of home or office equipment.
Do you have a small office or would like to have a versatile all-in-one printer right in your home? If so, then this is one of the best possible options for you out there for the money.
PROs
- Has an automatic document feeder
- Capable of faxing documents
- Several connectivity options
- It has a compact size
Cons
- Somewhat slow print speed
- The running costs can be quite high
Canon PIXMA TS6220 – All-in-One Low Volume Chromebook Printer
The Canon PIXMA TS6220 is a highly versatile, albeit low volume Chromebook printer that packs a lot of punch. The very first thing that stands out when you look at this printer is that it has an incredible printing speed of 15 pages per minute, which for a color printer is quite something. This printer is even more impressive when you realize that it has five individual ink tanks that allow for more versatile color printing at such an incredible speed.
This is a three-in-one printer that offers you the ability to print, scan, and copy a wide variety of documents. It even has automatic duplex printing, which makes your life so much easier as you don’t have to turn the documents manually. There is a good reason why this is one of the most commonly used Chromebook printers for photo printing.
It has a printing resolution of an impressive 4800×1200 dpi, as well as an incredible optical resolution of 1200 dpi. Furthermore, it can print photos of 4×6 inches and documents to 8.50×14 inches in size.
As far as connectivity is concerned, it offers you wireless print technology, which allows you to print via a wide variety of options, including Bluetooth and USB cables. It’s compatible with both Windows and macOS and has a 3-inch LCD screen that makes it very easy to use and navigate.
This is the kind of printer you get when you want a machine that marries quality with speed. At 15 ppm in color, this Chromebook printer is one of the fastest in the market today.
PROs
- Relatively fast printing speed for a color printer
- 200-sheet tray capacity
- Wonderful photo printing capabilities
- Automatic duplex printing
Cons
- It doesn’t have Wi-Fi direct connectivity
- It does have an automatic document feeder
HP Envy 5055 – Best Cloud Ready Chromebook Printer
I must mention that the HP Envy 5055 was designed mainly for those who enjoy photo printing. In that arena, it is almost unmatched and ranks highest with the best of them. With a printing resolution of 4800×1200 dpi for color printing and a 1200×1200 dpi for monochrome printing, the printer all but guarantees you highly vivid pictures that feature excellent quality in both image and text alike.
With that kind of quality, you would be forgiven for thinking that the printer would be slow. However, it isn’t as slow as you would think. It can produce a reasonable seven pages per minute when printing in high-resolution color and ten pages per minute when printing in monochrome.
Furthermore, it accommodates a wide variety of printing paper sizes ranging from 3×5 inches to 8.5×14 inches. It can also accommodate 8.5×11 inches when dealing with borderless media. It does, however, have a relatively low tray capacity of 100-sheets input and an even lower capacity of 25-sheet output.
Fully equipped with automatic duplexing, this printer allows you to save a great deal of time by automating some of the most mundane tasks, such as manually turning the pages. As far as connectivity is concerned, the printer allows for a wide variety of options, including Bluetooth, dual-band Wi-Fi, and USB cable connectivity. The 2.2-inch LCD screen makes it easy to navigate and use this excellent machine.
As far as multifunctionality is concerned, this printer is by far one of the best. Couple that with the high resolution and quality print outs that you get and you have a Chromebook printer worth your hard-earned dollars.
PROs
- Wonderful printing resolution and quality
- Wide variety of connectivity options
- Relatively high printing speed for color printing at such high resolutions
Cons
- It’s a bit complicated to set up at first
- Wi-Fi connectivity tends to have a few issues from time to time
Canon TS9120 – Best Wireless Chromebook Printer
The Canon TS9120 is one of the best wireless Chromebook printers for home use for a few very good reasons. It’s a feature-rich machine that allows for printing, copying, and scanning at excellently high quality. It also has a host of connectivity options that include Wi-Fi capabilities and Bluetooth connectivity. Couple that with its sleek look and you have a wonderful addition to your home office.
It has a printing resolution of 4800×1200 dpi for images and documents, as well as a six-color ink system that allows for excellent quality and color pigmentation. With a print speed of 10 images per minute in color and 15 images per minute, this is a reasonably fast printer for home use. With a 5.2-inch touchscreen, this printer is easy to configure and use.
While this printer is considered reasonably fast in printing images, it’s considered quite slow as far as printing documents is concerned. That is probably the only trade-off you would have to make as you will get extraordinarily high-quality and high-resolution images.
PROs
- Supports both Windows and macOS
- Lightweight
- It offers high-quality prints
- Supports auto-duplexing
Cons
- It doesn’t have an automatic document feeder
HP Envy 4520 – Best Multifunctional Chromebook Printer
The HP Envy 4520 is a high-tech machine that supports different types of connectivity through wireless printing and even mobile printing. The one thing that needs to be mentioned here is that it’s even compatible with Alexa and can take voice commands through select devices. Its functions include all the crucial ones such as printing, scanning, and copying through AirPrint, HP ePrint App, and Wireless Direct.
Furthermore, it offers you two-sided auto duplex printing that makes your life that much easier and more efficient. It also supports a wide variety of paper sizes, including 4×6 inches, 5×7 inches, and 8×10 inches. The 2.2-inch touchscreen makes it so easy to set up and navigate, plus it comes with a one-year limited hardware warranty as well as 24/7 web support.
This is the kind of printer you get when you want to turn your home office into something futuristic. With its compatibility with Alexa and a wide variety of connectivity options, you are going to be operating hands-free here.
PROs
- Supports auto duplex printing
- Accommodates a wide range of printing paper sizes
- It is HP Instant Ink ready, which saves you a great deal of money in the operational costs
Cons
- It doesn’t have an automatic document feeder
Canon MX492 – Small All-in-One Wireless Chromebook Printer
Do you have a small working space yet would still want to get a robust, wireless Chromebook printer? This Canon MX492 is just right for you. With its space-saving design, this printer has packed plenty of features in such a small and compact package.
Not only is Google Cloud Print compatible, but it also works through AirPrint and is compatible with pretty much any of your handheld devices and, as such, allows you to print wirelessly from anywhere in the room.
Coming to you with an automatic document feeder, this machine is a time saver in all aspects of the term. With a maximum printing speed of 8.8 pages per minute, it isn’t the fastest machine on the list, but it’s adequately fast for a small home office. Compatible with both Windows and macOS, this is a printer that outputs high-quality print outs with minimal effort on your part.
Granted, this might not be the best printer for a busy office, but it’s certainly one for a home office. With excellent quality prints and amazing wireless connectivity options, it just might be what you need.
PROs
- Small and compact
- It has multiple wireless connectivity options
- Offers you automatic document feeder
Cons
- The 8.8 pages per minute printing speed isn’t good enough for a busy office
Epson Workforce WF-2860 – Best Productivity Chromebook Printer
With a name that has the term “Workforce” in it, you just know that this Epson Workforce WF-2860 is designed for maximum productivity. And it shows in the kind of features it has. It is an all-in-one printer that can not only print, scan, and copy your documents, but it can fax them too. It has a 30-page automatic document feeder, which goes a long way in enhancing productivity, and so does the 150-sheet capacity tray.
It has a host of connectivity options that range from Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet as well as NFC. Wireless printing is default enabled, which means that you can print from anywhere in your office.
This printer is easy to set up and operate as wireless printing is the default setting. This is perfect for a small office setting that handles moderate printing loads.
PROs
- 30-page automatic document feeder
- It can help you fax your documents
- Has a host of wireless connectivity options
Cons
- Not the fastest of printers
Chrome OS Printing Guide
The fact that Chromebooks only work with specific printers makes them a bit of an interesting topic for many users. Here are some commonly asked questions about the best printers for Chromebook:
Can I use any printer with my Chromebook?
No, not all printers are compatible with Chromebook.
While almost all printers were produced to be compatible with Windows and macOS, not all of them are compatible with Chromebook because the machines haven’t been around long enough. The only printers that are compatible with Chromebook have to be cloud-ready.
Can I use my Chromebook with any wireless printer?
For the most part, Chromebooks are compatible with wireless printers that operate on Wi-Fi or some kind of wired network.
You do, however, have to make sure that your printer and the Chromebook are connected to the same network.
See the chromebook printer setup guide here.
Can I just use a USB to print from my Chromebook to any printer?
You can use a USB cable to help you print from your Chromebook to your printer. When you do this, you won’t need to connect your Chromebook, and your printer to the same network as the USB cable will essentially act as the relay between your computer and printer as such replacing the often necessary Wi-Fi connection. The instructions on how to achieve this will appear to you on your laptop once you connect the two.
Chromebooks are becoming more and more popular today, and even though future printers will become wireless-enabled and, as such, will probably be compatible with your Chromebook, for now, not all of them are, and that is why you need to find the best Chromebook printer for your needs.
This list gives 10 of the most reliable and best options in the market today for various needs. All you have to do now is take your pick and buy the printer you want to use at either your home or office.