In order to identify the best duplex printer, we narrowed down a selective list of 20 different models over the course of four days, examining each for its efficiency and ease of use. We considered print speed, volume, and dual-sided print control feature to narrow down the list. Double-sided compatibility for scanning and copying purposes was also very important, including an automatic document feeder. If you have been struggling to identify the best printers, we have done the analysis for you.
In the end, the Brother MFC-J4535DW emerged as the undeniable top pick for automatic duplex printing due to its user-friendly features and versatility. This Brother printer provides the functionality and efficiency of an office printer in the minimalist body of a compact home unit. Fabulous connectivity options and an automatic document feeder make dual-sided printing, scanning, and copying super easy. Keep reading about this, and our other top picks to learn more about the best printers on the market today.
Top 10 Duplex Printers
#1 Brother MFC-J4535DW All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: This compact, efficient printer has fantastic duplex printing technology and well as a 20-sheet automatic document feeder for easy double-sided copying and scanning. With the ability to use its Ink Save Mode or print up to 6000 x 1200 dpi resolution, you get a wide range of versatility from this machine.
- Bypass tray for specialty media
- Print from and scan directly to cloud services
- Economical ink system
- Rear feed can only handle one piece at a time
The Brother MFC-J4535DW proves that you don’t need to buy a large office printer to get efficient double-sided printing. This compact automatic duplex printing is a fabulous all-in-one printer with impressive auto duplex features. You can automatically print double-sided and borderless on media up to 11″ x 17” in black-and-white and color from its 250-sheet tray. Its four-cartridge color inkjet system achieves sharp lines and eye-catching color depth up to 6000 x 1200 dpi resolution.
For times when you want to prioritize efficiency, you can switch on Brother’s Ink Save Mode to produce high-volume double-sided jobs without draining your cartridges. You can replace the standard cartridges with high-yield ones that produce 550 pages or more. This best small office printer has an automatic document feeder you can use to copy, scan, and even fax double-sided documents easily. You can also conveniently scan double-sided pages directly to your cloud services, like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneNote, and more. Compare this to the best wireless printer that offers the most versatile connection options, extraordinary performances, and print quality.
#2 Epson WorkForce WF-4730 Duplex Printer
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: When it comes to speed and volume, this Epson shines with 10 ppm two-sided printing and two 250-sheet input trays plus a 35-sheet automatic document feeder.
- Versatile auto document feeder
- Tilt-out, intuitive 2.5” touchscreen
- DURABrite ink doesn’t bleed through
- Max 8.5 x 11” two-sided printing
At its highest quality, this Epson achieves an incredible 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution from its four-color DURABrite Ultra pigment ink. Even at its fastest double-sided printing, it still produces incredibly crisp quality prints. The ink is quick-drying and smudge resistant, so you don’t lose any quality or experience ink seeping through when duplex printing.
Double-sided printing is so easy, especially for high-volume jobs, given that this machine boasts two trays with 250 input paper capacity. You won’t have to replace paper often. Its tilt-out 3.5” color touchscreen offers easy control of two-sided printer settings, as well as the operation of the automatic document feeder. A rear feed for specialty print mediums, like card stock, gives users versatile paper handling capability. Compare this to the best printer for cardstock that provides access to a large library of templates that will help you print common cardstock items quickly.
#3 Brother HL-L2350DW Duplex Printer
Award: BEST FOR BLACK-AND-WHITE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Black-and-white printing is fabulous for efficiency, volume, and speed. This Brother monochrome laser printer prints up to 32 ppm from a large 250-sheet tray and maximizes paper and ink with great auto double-sided technology.
- Yields up to 3,000 pages per cartridge
- Auto duplex 250 pages in one job
- Manual feed for specialty media
- No scanner or copier
High volume at fast speeds is exactly what you get from the Brother HL-L2350DW laser printer. Its maximum recommended monthly print volume is a hefty 2,000 pages, and its high-yield toner produces as many as 3,000 pages per cartridge, which means fewer ink refills. That volume capability goes along with a lightning-quick production speed of 32 ppm. You can also switch on Toner Save Mode for even more efficient production.
All those things considered, this model’s auto duplex printing is reliable, fast, and economical. You won’t have to restock paper as often with a large 250-sheet feeding tray. An additional single-sheet manual feed slot gives users the versatility to use specialty media in a variety of sizes. While it doesn’t have a built-in scanner or copier, you can easily source documents from your preferred mobile device with built-in Wi-Fi functionality. The best printer for students also comes with a scanner that provides fast and clear scans.
#4 HP OfficeJet 4650 Duplex Printer
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: At a great value, this HP offers easy auto duplex printing from a 60-sheet input tray and a convenient scan direct-to-email feature that handles double-sided scanning from a 35-sheet auto document feeder.
- Two-sided scanning and copying
- Print from mobile devices using Bluetooth or dual-band Wi-Fi
- Compact 14.53 x 17.53” footprint
- Print speed can be slow, especially at higher quality
The HP OfficeJet 4650 could be considered the best all-in-one printer for home use as well as our budget pick because of all the features it packs into its compact size and affordable price point. This includes impressively well-thought-out duplex printing, copying, scanning, and fax features. While not necessarily at the fastest speeds (9.5 ppm), auto duplex printing from its 60-sheet input tray is as easy as a touch of a button from the device of your choice with reliable Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity options. The is compatible with photo paper types and borderless printing as well. All of this is achieved with low operational costs.
Even more unique, this printer has the capability to scan documents directly to your email. This is one of those features that you didn’t know you needed until you used it. Its 35-sheet automatic document feeder enables you to scan and upload double-sided pages automatically. You can do the same when you copy and fax documents. Pretty impressive for a budget option. That’s similar to the best printer for heat transfer that can copy, scan, print, and fax, in all-in-one.
#5 Brother HL-L8260CDW Duplex Printer
Award: BEST NON-INKJET TECHNOLOGY
WHY WE LIKE IT: The best laser printers are super fast and efficient, which is exactly what this Brother laser printer is designed for, with quick 33 ppm production and up to 4,500 prints from one cartridge.
- Impressive 2400 x 600 dpi resolution
- Great duplex printing for professional use
- Low running costs with high-yield ink
- No scanner or copier
Speed, volume, and efficiency make the Brother HL-L8260CDW an easy choice as the best duplex laser printer. This unit can produce print speeds of up to 33 ppm for color and still maintains as high as 2400 x 600 dpi resolution on your documents. You’ll be able to duplex print from a large 250-sheet capacity paper tray with adjustable media size compatibility. There’s an additional 50-sheet tray for specialty media.
Not only will you be able to print high-volume jobs without replacing paper too often, but you can also produce up to 4,500 monochrome or 4,000 color prints when you use Brother’s optional high-yield laser toner cartridges, resulting in a low cost per page. Auto duplex printing is the default setting on the unit, so you can start producing double-sided printouts straight out of the box. And, of course, you will need the best printer ink for quality pictures.
#6 HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 Duplex Printer
Award: BEST FOR SMALL WORKSITES
WHY WE LIKE IT: Small offices get features comparable to a heavy-duty laser office printer from the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720, including a fast 24 ppm print speed, a high 30,000 pages monthly duty cycle, and a large 50-sheet auto document feeder for two-sided scanning.
- Easily upload two-sided scans to mobile devices
- High-capacity 250-sheet input tray
- Fantastic color touchscreen for controls
- High-yield cartridges recommended, but not included
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 takes a small office’s basic print, copy, scan, and fax needs to the next level. It won’t buckle under the volume of office use as it’s built to handle up to 30,000 pages each month from five different users. Its 250-sheet input tray enables users to replace paper supplies less frequently. You can even add another tray to increase the overall capacity to 500 sheets. HP also makes compatible high-yield cartridges that enable you to get up to three times more printouts than the standard ones.
Auto two-sided printing, scanning, and copying are easy with the unit’s 50-sheet auto document feeder and fast 24 ppm production speeds. You can initiate jobs from the large 4.3” color touchscreen or seamlessly from your desk via Apple AirPrint, the HP ePrint app, WiFi Direct printing, mobile device printing, and other wireless connectivity options. This also provides users fantastic flexibility to send documents directly to where they want when scanning. And for print, copy, scan, and fax functionality, try the best all-in-one printer.
#7 Canon MX922 Duplex Printer
Award: BEST COLOR RESOLUTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This Canon is the ideal printer for achieving photo quality on both sides of the page with an advanced, precision print head system that produces incredible colors on the page. It also includes flexible paper handling for printing, scanning, and copying.
- Produce borderless photos in 21 seconds
- Five-cartridge system achieves outstanding color prints
- Convenient physical and touchscreen controls
- Copying speed can be slow
Efficient duplex printing doesn’t mean you have to settle for lower-resolution prints, as proven by this Canon MX922. With up to an incredible 9600 x 2400 dpi professional-quality color resolution achieved through Canon’s High-Performance Five-Color Individual Ink System, you’ll do a double-take at how good your two-sided prints come out. The unit’s FINE print head technology ensures that there’s no bleeding through the pages during duplex printing.
In addition to fantastic print quality, you can get a superb 2400×4800 dpi resolution from your scans. The unit’s 35-sheet automatic document feeder makes double-sided scanning and copying a breeze. It’s also compatible with up to 10 sheets of photo paper, which allows you to seamlessly upload or copy existing physical photo prints. Compare that to the best photo printer that can produce shareable keepsake photos on the spot from just about any digital image you can put on your iPhone, Android smartphone, or tablet.
#8 HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 Duplex Printer
Award: BEST FOR SCANNING
WHY WE LIKE IT: This unit’s high-capacity 50-sheet automatic document feeder takes all the work out of duplex scanning and copying. You can even specify where to send your digital files directly from the printer, including email, network folders, and cloud services.
- Intuitive touchscreen for efficiency
- 50-sheet auto document feeder great for high-volume scanning
- Fast 22 ppm printing speed
- Bulkier size than comparable printers
If you use your printer for scanning and copying a lot, it’s hard to beat this HP OfficeJet Pro 8710’s 50-sheet two-sided auto document feeder. Simply load your double-sided documents into the feeder, and the printer will do the rest. With great scan quality, you can easily scan your files directly to your email or preferred compatible device via its connectivity options.
You can manage your digital scan files directly from the printer’s 2.65” touchscreen, which has preloaded business apps you can use to send files to user network folders and cloud services. With print speeds of up to a respectable 22 ppm from a large 250-sheet input, this unit handles high-volume double-sided jobs very well. Even two-sided documents with significant color have a sharp, professional look to them. And if you like to print photos, check out any of the best computer accessories you will definitely need.
#9 Canon TS6420a Duplex Printer
Award: BEST FOR HOME USE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Canon infused impressive features and a sleek design into the everyday home printer to create the TS6420a. The combination of high-resolution print head technology, a variety of paper compatibility, and a wide range of connectivity options allow for extremely versatile multi-sided printing, scanning, and copying.
- Fabulous color depth and detail
- Bluetooth, AirPrint, Google Cloud, and voice-activated connectivity
- Great user controls and options for copying
- No auto document feeder for scanning
The versatility of the Canon TS6420a is incredible, which makes it the perfect everyday printer and the best duplex printer for home use. This unit has a front, and rear paper feed, each with a 100-sheet capacity. its dual input trays give you a wide range of paper compatibility, particularly when it comes to photo printing. The Canon Pixma TS6420a’s precision five-color individual ink system uses 4,096 print nozzles to achieve up to 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution. Canon’s patented ChromaLife100 ink is designed to dry quickly and not bleed or smudge. Scan documents via the flatbed scanner on the top of the printer and via the Canon Print App.
This unit’s copying features are extremely functional and efficient. Users have the option of 4-on-1 and 2-on-1 copying, meaning that you can condense as many as four separate documents onto one sheet of paper when you make a copy. With easy two-sided copying, you could technically fit up to eight individual one-sided documents onto one double-sided sheet. Scanning is just as convenient, with options to create multipage PDFs from your uploads. Another convenient and cost-saving model is the best ink efficient printer that has an Ink Save Mode you can switch on to ration your ink use, as well as automatic duplex printing. If you are in the creative industry and want to check out the best 3D printers that can help you produce architectural scale models, read our guide to the best 3D printer.
#10 HP OfficeJet Pro Premier Duplex Printer
Award: BEST SMART FEATURES
WHY WE LIKE IT: This HP OfficeJet Pro Premier is packed with smart connectivity features like voice-activated hands-free printing, direct printing from social media, WiFi direct, Bluetooth, and compatibility with major cloud services. Very well thought-out for the modern-day user.
- Quick WiFi and Bluetooth setup
- Easy to use with Alexa and Google Home devices
- Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi color resolution
- Print speeds can be slow
- Some users report Wi-Fi issues
The HP OfficeJet Pro Premier was clearly designed by serious tech enthusiasts, as it has all the smart features anyone could ask for. With voice-activated compatibility with Alexa devices and Google Assistant, you don’t even need to touch the printer to start print jobs. It’s also Bluetooth-enabled.
Because mobile printing is so easy via the HP Smart App, HP ePrint, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and Android Mobile, this printer is great when you want to print photos. You can print borderless up to 8.5 x 11” sized paper. Auto duplex printing sources from an adequately sized 250-sheet capacity tray. Its robust smart features are especially useful when scanning two-sided documents through the unit’s auto document feeder, as you can upload the files directly to the device you want. And if you’re a student, you may want to invest in the best portable printer that offers an excellent balance of portability and functionality in its design.
How We Decided
We conducted our search for the best duplex printer based on how easily and quickly a machine could print on both sides of a sheet of paper. All printers considered needed to have auto-duplex print functionality. Printers that required users to manually flip the page and reinitialize a print job to produce on the other side were not considered.
From there, we examined factors like paper capacity, print speed, and production quality. When examining production quality, the priority was to make sure that sheets of paper did not become soggy and ink did not bleed through during dual-sided production, especially when printing with significant color and detail.
We also considered double-sided features available for copying, scanning, and faxing. Units with an automatic document feeder that allows for higher volume, automatic duplex scanning, and copying were ranked higher than those that did not have the feature. Generally, we only included models with an auto document feeder with a minimum 20-sheet capacity. Since duplex printing often prioritizes efficiency, we also looked at how efficient printers’ ink systems were in terms of ink cartridge capacity and page yield.
Best Duplex Printers Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Auto Duplex Functionality
Even though many computer printers have an auto-duplexing printing feature, the way the feature functions really makes a difference between any two given models and their output capabilities.- When searching for the best duplex printer, you need to consider your usage tendencies of the tasks, such as frequency and intended volume of two-sided printing. Dive into our HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 review for a great duplex printer.
- Once you decide that, find a model that fits your needs based on well its features accommodate your usage.
- Say, for instance, you’re comparing office printers to find the best printer for your office, especially if you’re after a black and white printer for black-and-white documents for the office.
- If you need a high-volume printer, you’ll want to look for models with a minimum of a 100-sheet capacity input tray and that use high-yield ink cartridges. Those features ensure that you’ll have use of auto duplex printing that is highly functional for you. Imagine a non-duplex printer having to print out each side as a single sheet. Duplex printer models save you from that enormous printing volume, a potential time sink in a busy office, and high print costs. Faster print speeds will save you time during high-volume printing as well.
- Keep in mind the type of prints you need out of a duplex printer. If you have to do color printing based on high-quality scans and the color accuracy is important to you, consider doing extra research in a color-accurate duplex printer model that delivers excellent print quality. If you need only black prints and aren’t interested in color printers, still make sure you’re getting high-quality prints or colorful documents out of the printer.
- Automatic Document Feeder
An automatic document feeder is a necessity if you plan on frequently scanning or copying dual-sided documents. An auto document feeder will take care of double-sided scanning functions and copying at the touch of the print button. Just make sure to double check that it can handle certain the paper sizes you need to use for printing tasks, especially if you’re not using standard plain paper. There’s no point in considering a model if it can’t even handle the size of paper you need it for.- This feature will help you process 2-on-1 or 2-on-2 scan and copy jobs, meaning that you can take a double-sided page and place it on one side or reproduce a two-sided sheet exactly as it is.
- Most consumer automatic document feeders will have a 20 to 50-sheet tray capacity.
- For a great printer with a high-yield ADF, read our HP LaserJet Pro M148FDW review.
- Efficiency/Ease-of-Use
Duplex printing is one of the most efficient ways to cut an inkjet printer’s paper and ink usage and costs in half and save customers money, since those ink costs add up fast.- There are other measures for efficiency for duplex printers, like print speed and volume capacity. If you’re looking to crank out high volume, look for printers with at least a 250-sheet input tray and a print speed above 15 ppm.
- You also want to make sure that dual-sided printing is easy. If you’re unsure how to proceed, learn how to print double sided on your printer using your guide.
- In some models like single-function printers, duplex printing is the default setting. Others, like multifunction printers, offer easy-access controls via a built-in LCD touchscreen or color display. These all-in-one printers will make printing tasks more efficient since you can do everything on one machine, whether you need the copy, scan, or fax functions.
- You should also consider your workflow in terms of where you want to print from and where you may want to send your digital scans.
- Look at the wireless connectivity options and technology to make sure that the printer is compatible with your preferred devices and cloud services. If you can make wireless printing work, your print productivity will increase, especially if you’re in larger offices where multiple people need to print often and getting a print set up only requires a Wi-Fi connection. Note that you will probably need an Internet connection in some wireless cases. But if a wireless connection is too complex to deal with every time you need to print, a corded connection like a USB cable might be a simpler choice.
- Consider the size of your printer as well along with the space you intent to put it in. If it’s a larger printer that has protruding input and output trays, take those into account. It should be fine though if you intend to put it in a large office environment. On the other hand, check out compact printers if you have a smaller home office where you’ll be doing some house printing. Though it may offer reliable printing and high-quality output with its duplex printing ability, an oversized printer can get in the way and be distracting in a smaller area.
- With all that said, start shopping for great duplex printers by reading our HP OfficeJet 4650 review or our Canon TS6120 review.
If you’d like to further your education in printers and printing abilities, check out our helpful info guides discussing how to make a printer not print double-sided and if a printer manages colors vs using Photoshop.
