Best Printers for Chromebook 2026: 7 Driverless Picks

The best printer for a Chromebook in 2026 is a Wi-Fi model that prints without a driver, because ChromeOS talks to modern printers over the standard IPP and Mopria protocols and has no way to install a Windows-style driver package. For most households a Brother monochrome laser such as the DCP-L2640DW is the safest everyday choice, an Epson EcoTank covers color and photos with the cheapest ink per page, and the Canon imageCLASS MF665Cdw suits anyone who needs sharp color laser documents. The sections below explain how Chromebook printing works, compare seven real models by speed, yield and features, and show how to choose by your own print volume.

Specifications in this guide come from the manufacturers’ product pages (Brother, Epson, Canon and HP) and from the printer-for-Chromebook rankings published by RTINGS, which names Canon’s color laser multifunction as the model it rated highest for Chrome OS. Prices are described only as budget, mid-range or premium tiers, because street prices move weekly.

Our top picks

Top pickHP DeskJet 2923 Color Inkjet Printer

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Also greatHP OfficeJet Pro 8125 Wireless All-in-One Color

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Also greatHP DeskJet 2955 Color Inkjet Printer

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Also greatHP Envy 6155 Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet

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Quick Comparison of the Best Printers for Chromebook

How Chromebook Printing Actually Works

A Chromebook cannot run the installer disc or download that ships with most printers. Instead, ChromeOS sends print jobs over the network using the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), and it understands the same driverless standards that phones use: Mopria on the Android side and AirPrint on the Apple side. Any printer that advertises Mopria, IPP Everywhere or the “Works with Chromebook” badge will normally appear in the print dialog within a few seconds of joining the same Wi-Fi network as the laptop. This is why a ten-year-old printer that only offers a Windows driver is a poor match, while a new entry-level laser is an excellent one.

There are three practical consequences. First, the printer’s feature list on the box matters more than the brand name: look for Mopria and AirPrint, not just “Wi-Fi”. Second, features that need a vendor driver on a PC, such as custom color profiles or some scan-to-computer buttons, may not work from a Chromebook, so scanning is usually done through the printer’s own web page, a mobile app, or Chrome’s built-in scan tool. Third, some manufacturers push account-based ink subscriptions; HP in particular activates certain home models through an “HP+” program, so read the setup flow before committing to a model if you want to use third-party supplies.

Setup steps, with the reason for each

1. Connect the printer to the same Wi-Fi network as the Chromebook. Local discovery works by broadcasting on the network, so a printer on a guest network or a band that isolates devices will not show up. Dual-band printers such as the Brother lasers below handle 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which avoids most pairing problems.
2. Open Settings, then Printers (under Advanced or Device depending on the ChromeOS version), and look under Saved printers or Nearby printers. Chromebooks list detected printers automatically. Selecting Add or Save stores the printer so it appears in every app.
3. If the printer does not appear, add it by IP address. Print the printer’s network page, enter the address with the IPP protocol, and ChromeOS will negotiate capabilities itself. This skips discovery entirely and is the fix for most office networks.
4. Print a sample page from Chrome (Ctrl+P). The print preview lets you check duplex, color and paper size before wasting paper.
5. Set a reserved IP address in the router. A printer that changes address after a power cut is the single most common reason a previously working printer suddenly vanishes from the list.

A USB cable also works on many models: connect the printer to the Chromebook directly and ChromeOS will detect it as a USB printer. It is a good fallback in a dorm or a shared network where Wi-Fi printing is blocked.

Best Overall: Brother DCP-L2640DW

The Brother DCP-L2640DW is a monochrome laser all-in-one that prints, copies and scans, and it is the model most often recommended for Chromebook households because it combines driverless printing with a low running cost. Brother lists up to 36 pages per minute, automatic two-sided printing, a 250-sheet paper tray with a 100-sheet output capacity and a 50-page automatic document feeder. Resolution is 1200 x 1200 dpi, and the printer supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct, AirPrint and Mopria, so a Chromebook finds it without any setup software.

Who it is for: students who print essays and readings, parents who copy forms, and home offices that print a few hundred pages a month. Brother recommends up to 2,500 pages a month, with a maximum duty cycle of 35,000, which is far above what a family will ever reach. The standard TN830 toner is rated for roughly 700 pages, while the TN830XL high-yield cartridge lasts considerably longer and is the sensible choice if you print weekly. The drum unit (DR830) is rated for 15,000 pages, which means the drum is a separate consumable you replace once in several years.

• Pros: fast output, automatic duplex, 50-sheet feeder for scanning stacks, dual-band Wi-Fi plus Ethernet, no cartridge to dry out during holidays.
• Cons: black and white only, standard starter toner runs out quickly, and at 25 pounds it is heavier than an inkjet.

Best Budget Laser: Brother HL-L2460DW

If you only need to print, the Brother HL-L2460DW removes the scanner and feeder and keeps the same print engine. It is rated at up to 36 ppm with 1200 x 1200 dpi output, automatic duplex on letter and legal paper, a 250-sheet tray, dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0, AirPrint, Mopria, Brother Mobile Connect and Wi-Fi Direct. At about 15.6 pounds and a compact 14.0 by 14.2 by 7.2 inches, it fits on a bookshelf or a dorm desk. Brother again quotes a 35,000-page maximum duty cycle and a recommended volume of up to 2,500 pages a month.

Who it is for: Chromebook users who only print documents, such as students, teachers who print worksheets and remote workers who print shipping labels on plain paper. Because a laser printer fuses toner onto the page, text does not smudge from a damp hand and the toner does not clog if the printer sits idle for a month, which makes it a better fit than an inkjet for occasional use.

• Pros: smallest and lightest laser here, same speed as the pricier all-in-one, reliable wireless discovery on ChromeOS, inexpensive toner per page compared with cartridge inkjets.
• Cons: no scanner or copier, so you will need a phone scanning app for paper documents; monochrome only.

Best for Color on a Budget: Epson EcoTank ET-2800

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 replaces disposable cartridges with refillable ink tanks that you fill from bottles. Epson rates the included replacement bottles at 4,500 pages for black and 7,500 pages for color, figures that are many times higher than any standard cartridge. It is a print, scan and copy machine with a flatbed scanner, a small color display, wireless connectivity, AirPrint and the Epson Smart Panel app, and it supports voice-activated printing on compatible assistants.

Who it is for: families with children who print school projects in color and photos, and anyone whose printer sits unused for long stretches, since ink tanks tolerate low print volume better than tiny cartridges. The trade-offs are speed and convenience: this model has no automatic feeder, so a ten-page color handout means flipping pages by hand when you copy or scan.

• Pros: very low cost per page once you own it, strong color for photos and posters, simple tank refilling with keyed bottles, small footprint.
• Cons: no ADF, slower than a laser, and the print head can clog if you leave it off for months.

Best Family Ink-Tank Printer: Epson EcoTank ET-3850

The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 adds the conveniences the ET-2800 lacks: an auto document feeder, automatic two-sided printing, Ethernet and a 2.4-inch color touchscreen. Epson rates its T502 replacement bottles at 7,500 pages for black and 6,000 pages for each color, based on the ISO/IEC 24712 standard, and the main paper tray holds 250 sheets. As with the other EcoTank models, wireless setup works from the Epson Smart Panel app, and ChromeOS can print to it driverlessly over the network.

Who it is for: households where several people print at the same time, shared apartments, and homeschool setups that print color worksheets and then scan finished pages back in. The Ethernet port is a quiet advantage on a Chromebook, because a wired printer never drops off a congested Wi-Fi network, and you can plug it into the router once and forget it.

• Pros: automatic duplex and ADF at a mid-range tier, high rated yields, wired and wireless options, readable touchscreen.
• Cons: slower than a laser on text documents, and ink-tank printers take more desk depth than basic inkjets.

Best for a Home Office: Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850

The EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is a four-in-one with print, copy, scan and fax, designed for small businesses that still need all four. Epson lists 25 ISO pages per minute for both black and color, 21 ISO ppm for two-sided output, a maximum print resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi and a 4.3-inch touch screen. Paper capacity totals 550 sheets across two 250-sheet front cassettes and a 50-sheet rear feed, and the document feeder holds 50 sheets up to 8.5 by 14 inches. Black bottles yield 7,500 pages and each color bottle 6,000 pages. It connects by Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth LE and 10/100 Ethernet.

Who it is for: freelancers and small teams on Chromebooks who print invoices, contracts and marketing material in color without paying a laser’s toner costs. The second cassette is a genuine time saver, because you can keep plain paper in one tray and letterhead or photo stock in the other.

• Pros: fast for an inkjet, two paper cassettes, large touch screen, fax modem with memory for about 550 pages, very high rated yields.
• Cons: premium tier and large footprint; it is overkill for a student.

Best Color Laser: Canon imageCLASS MF665Cdw

RTINGS names Canon’s Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw as the best printer for Chromebook in its rankings, and the choice makes sense for people who need crisp color documents. It is a color laser all-in-one, so slides, charts and brochures print with sharp edges and without ink smearing, and the page does not curl or get wet. Per Canon’s specification sheet it includes an automatic document feeder, two-sided printing, wireless and Ethernet connectivity and mobile printing support, and ChromeOS adds it as a driverless network printer.

Who it is for: small offices, teachers and consultants who print presentations and need laser durability, plus anyone who wants color without worrying about dried ink. Color toner has a higher cost per page than ink tanks, so it makes sense only when you print color often enough to value the speed and sharpness.

• Pros: sharp text and graphics, consistent color, ADF, duplex, strong wireless discovery on ChromeOS, no clogging.
• Cons: premium tier, four toner cartridges to replace over time, and photo prints are less rich than on an inkjet.

Best HP Option: LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw

The HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw is the HP pick because it supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria natively, which means a Chromebook detects it automatically on the network with no companion software. It is a monochrome laser all-in-one with a document feeder and automatic duplex printing, aimed at offices that print stacks of contracts and reports.

The main caveat is HP’s account ecosystem. Many HP consumer printers require HP+ activation to keep working fully, which ties the printer to supplies and an online account, and some users find that restrictive. Before buying any HP model for a Chromebook, read the setup requirements in the product listing and check whether third-party toner is allowed.

• Pros: native driverless support, ADF and duplex, laser durability for high volumes, HP Smart app for scanning.
• Cons: account and ecosystem requirements, monochrome only, and a higher tier than Brother’s equivalents.

Worked Example: Cost Per Page Without Guessing at Prices

You can compare any printer without knowing what you paid, using one formula: cost per page equals the price of a refill divided by its rated page yield. Because ink tanks are rated at 4,500 to 7,500 pages per refill and a standard starter toner at about 700, a laser’s replacement toner would have to cost around a sixth or less of an ink-tank bottle to match the cost per page for black text. That never happens for color, which is why the EcoTanks dominate color printing and the Brother lasers dominate monochrome documents.

Now apply the formula to your own year. A student printing 20 pages a week produces about 1,000 pages a year, so a 700-page starter toner is gone within nine months, while one ET-2800 black bottle lasts about four and a half years at that rate. A home office printing 150 pages a week reaches 7,800 pages annually, which consumes one full ET-5850 black bottle but more than eleven standard Brother toner cartridges, so the high-yield TN830XL becomes the important accessory. The rule of thumb: under 300 pages a year, buy the cheapest laser; between 300 and 3,000, laser or ink tank depending on color needs; above 3,000 with any color, choose an ink tank or a color laser.

Decision Matrix: Which Printer Fits Your Situation

Ink Tank Versus Laser: Ownership Realities

Lasers fuse powder with heat, so they are largely immune to the dried-nozzle problem and tolerate long idle periods; their wear parts are the toner and the drum. A drum rated for 15,000 pages, like Brother’s DR830, outlasts several toner cartridges and is rarely the first thing to fail. Lasers also warm up quickly and produce water-resistant text, but a color laser has four toners to buy, and photos look flatter.

Ink-tank printers use liquid ink and a print head that must stay wet. Print at least a page or two every few weeks and run the built-in head cleaning only when you see banding, because each cleaning cycle uses ink. Always fill each tank with its matching color bottle, keep the bottles upright, and wipe the tank cap area after filling. In return you get photos with rich color and ink that costs a small fraction of cartridge ink per page.

What Not to Buy for a Chromebook

• Printers that rely on a Windows or Mac driver for basic printing. Older GDI or “host-based” laser printers fall in this group and may not work at all.
• Cheap inkjets with tiny cartridges and an ink subscription requirement. They look inexpensive until the first replacement set is due, and some refuse non-original ink after a firmware update.
• Printers sold as USB-only. ChromeOS can print to some, but you lose wireless convenience and often scanning.
• Models that need a dedicated desktop app for scanning. Choose a printer with a built-in web interface or a mobile app, because Chromebook users cannot install desktop utilities.

Scanning From a Chromebook

ChromeOS includes a Scan app that talks to network scanners over the eSCL protocol, which most current Brother, Canon and Epson all-in-ones support. Open the Scan app, choose the scanner, pick the source (flatbed or document feeder), file type and resolution, and save to Files or Google Drive. Scan text pages at 200 to 300 dpi to keep files small and legible, and use 600 dpi only for photographs. If the scan app cannot see the printer, use the manufacturer’s phone app as a fallback and share the file to your Chromebook through Drive.

Troubleshooting: Printer Not Found or Print Job Stuck

1. Restart the printer and the router. Stale network leases are the usual cause of a missing printer.
2. Confirm both devices are on the same network. Mesh systems and guest networks often isolate devices from each other.
3. Remove the printer in Settings and add it again by IP address. This forces ChromeOS to refresh the printer’s capabilities.
4. Update the printer firmware. Manufacturers frequently fix IPP bugs, and newer firmware may restore duplex or color options.
5. Clear the job queue. Open the printer’s job list, and cancel anything stuck before sending a new page.

Paper, Toner and Supplies: Small Choices That Change Results

Paper weight matters more than most buyers expect. Standard office paper of 20 pound weight feeds reliably through every printer above, while heavier card stock should go through the rear or bypass tray, and photo paper belongs in an ink-tank printer rather than a laser. Fluffy, damp paper causes double feeds on automatic duplex units, so store reams flat in their wrapper and away from windows. When a laser printer shows a low-toner warning, taking the cartridge out and rocking it gently side to side often redistributes the powder and squeezes out several dozen more clean pages, which is a useful trick while a replacement ships.

Genuine supplies carry the manufacturer’s rated yields, and the yields quoted throughout this guide assume them, measured under standard methods such as ISO/IEC 24712 for the Epson bottles. Remanufactured or third-party toner can work, but firmware updates on some models block it, so buying a spare genuine cartridge before an important deadline is cheap insurance. For ink tanks, keep the bottles upright in a cool cabinet, and never top up a tank with a color it was not designed for, since mixing can permanently stain the print head.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install a driver to print from a Chromebook?

No. ChromeOS uses driverless printing over IPP, so any printer that supports Mopria, AirPrint or IPP Everywhere works after you add it in Settings. Older printers that only ship Windows drivers are the exception.

Is a laser or an ink-tank printer better for Chromebook users?

Choose a monochrome laser if you mostly print text and want zero maintenance, and choose an ink tank if you print color, photos or school projects. Both categories work driverlessly, so the decision is about running costs and the type of documents.

Can I print from a Chromebook over USB?

Yes, many printers are recognized when connected by USB, and ChromeOS lists them as USB printers. It works as a backup when Wi-Fi printing is blocked, but you lose the ability to print from other rooms and some models disable scanning over USB.

Why does my printer disappear from the list after a few days?

Most often the router has given the printer a new IP address or the printer has gone into a deep sleep that drops the network connection. Reserve a fixed address for it in the router settings and the problem usually stops.

Are HP printers a bad idea for a Chromebook?

Not necessarily, because models like the LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw support Mopria and AirPrint and work without software. The caution is that some HP models require an HP+ account and restrict supply options, so read the setup requirements before you buy.

How many pages per month should I plan for?

For a student, 50 to 100 pages a month is typical, and for a home office 300 to 600. Pick a printer whose recommended monthly volume exceeds your usage by a comfortable margin; the Brother lasers above recommend up to 2,500 pages a month.