Print, scan, copy

All-in-one printers

One machine that prints, scans and copies, and sometimes faxes. Inkjet or laser inside.

Upfront cost: Medium
Running cost: Medium
Speed: Medium
Color: Yes

Independent guide — not affiliated with any manufacturer. For warranty or official support, contact the maker of your printer.

Overview

All-in-one describes what a printer does, not how it prints. It combines a printer with a flatbed scanner, so it can also copy, and some models add a document feeder or fax. The printing part can be inkjet, ink-tank or laser.

For most homes an all-in-one is the default choice, because scanning a form or copying an ID often matters as much as printing. The trade-off is a bigger footprint and a few more things that can need attention.

How it works

Diagram is illustrative, not to scale.

Lift the lid and scan

A bright light bar moves under the glass, and a sensor records the light reflected from your page.
The image is digitized

The scanner turns that light into a digital image, which can be saved, emailed or sent straight to print.
The printer engine prints

To copy, the image goes to the built-in inkjet or laser engine, which prints it like any other page.
A feeder handles stacks

Models with an automatic document feeder pull multi-page originals through one at a time.

Pros and cons

Advantages and drawbacks of all-in-one printers
Pros	Cons
Prints, scans and copies in one device	Larger and heavier than print-only models
Saves desk space compared with separate machines	More parts that can jam or need cleaning
Document feeders speed up multi-page scans	Scanner quality varies widely between models
Available with inkjet, ink-tank or laser engines	Running cost depends entirely on the print engine inside

Best for

Most households

Printing plus the occasional scan of a form, receipt or ID.
Remote workers

Signing, scanning and returning documents without a trip out.
Students

Scanning notes and copying reading material.

What it costs to run

An all-in-one costs as much to run as the print engine inside it. An all-in-one inkjet behaves like an inkjet, an all-in-one laser like a laser.

Scanning uses no ink or toner, so if you mainly scan, the running cost is very low.

Copying counts as printing. Large copy jobs use consumables exactly like printed pages.

Prices and page yields vary by model and change over time, so we do not quote figures here. Our guide to calculating cost per page shows how to compare any two printers yourself.