5 Best Envelope Printers – [Top Reviews & Rankings]

The email has changed the way we communicate, a shift that some people call going “paperless.” However, if you’re in charge of marketing a small business, or prefer the personal touch of a physical letter, sending mail will always be crucial (Source).

The best envelope printers can help you look neat and professional with every piece of mail you send.

Envelope printers function like traditional printers, except they’re designed to meet the needs of various envelope sizes. While often multi-purpose, envelope printers are specifically great for printing addresses and logos on envelope shapes. 

Envelope printers can be plugged in directly to your computer, while others are WiFi enabled. This allows you to print remotely from a laptop or mobile device with ease. 

The best envelope printers can save you the time it might take to write addresses by hand. By automating the process, you can print many envelopes in a short amount of time. Envelope printers also add a professional touch by delivering consistent printouts. 

If you own a printing shop, an envelope printer is a must-have item (Source). It’s also perfect for small businesses who send out direct mail communications to potential customers. 

Prior to purchasing an envelope printer, you’ll want to consider if it can print on both sides. You’ll also want to consider if it’s WiFi-enabled, or comes with added security features like a passcode. The printing speed might also be a factor in your decision.

Before your next trip to the post office, consider these top-rated envelope printers. 

What Is The Best Printer for Printing Envelopes?

If you are looking for a more heavy-duty printer, you might want to consider HP Laserjet Enterprise M604n or M506n. These printers can meet high-volume demands with paper trays that can hold up to 3,600 sheets.

These printers also allow printing from a smartphone and you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $700 for either model.

What Is An Envelope Printer?

An envelope printer, as the name suggests, is designed specifically for printing addresses on envelopes. By saving yourself time and hand cramping, envelope printers allow you to print addresses, logos, or barcodes on multiple envelopes at once.

An envelope printer eliminates the need to purchase labels, thus saving you money. Moreover, there is no denying that a printed address looks much more professional than a handwritten one and even more than sticker labels.

While most printers have the capability to print envelopes, you should consider your needs and options and choose a printer of high quality.

Depending on the usage amount, you might want to invest in a more heavy-duty printer that can handle high-volume. Conversely, you may prefer a more lightweight and portable option.

Can Any Printer Print Envelopes?

Nearly any inkjet printer can print envelopes. Simply ensure the printer has a manual feeder slot to fit the envelopes. For that reason, you can also print envelopes on a laser printer.

How Much Do Envelope Printers Cost?

There are multiple envelope printers on the market that vary in size, quality, and price. You can find laser printers, such as the Brother HL-L2340DW for under $100. This model is more on the compact size side, it is easy to set-up, and is Wi-Fi enabled.

Brother Business Color Laser Printer, HL-L8360CDW is priced just under $355 and allows for mobile printing. You can expect to pay an average price of $250 to $300 for a portable, lightweight quality printer that is also mobile printing friendly.

Comparing The 5 Best Envelope Printers

1. HP LaserJet Enterprise M604N Printer (E6B67A)—Best Stand Alone Envelope Printer

The HP M604N supports letter, legal, executive, statement, 8.5 x 13 in, 3 x 5 in, 4 x 6 in, 5 x 7 in, 5 x 8 in, and envelope sizes. This commercial envelope printer makes every project a breeze.

It provides for automatic two-sided printing complete with a speed of 52 ppm black. This is incredibly fast, and it allows a user to meet high volume demands. The versatile paper trays which can hold up to 3600 sheets increase the printer’s productivity.

The M604N is efficient because it can support between ten and twenty-five users. That means if you have a medium-sized envelope printing business, the printer will suffice.

The M604N allows users to Air print. That is convenient because a user can print from an Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod. Note that mobile printing is effortless because you can send copies from mobile devices without accessing the network.

The easy to access USB port facilitates user-friendliness because you can walk up to the printer and quickly print from your USB drive.

To facilitate security, you can connect the printing devices to the PCs via built-in Ethernet ports. Also, a variety of embedded and optional security options help protect sensitive data that is either at rest or in transit.

The Auto-on/Auto-off feature saves energy by turning the printer on when needed and off when not needed. The M604N also consumes less power.

The final and key thing to note about the M604N is that it allows for expansion. As the needs of business grow and advance, you can use the add-on and updatable features to scale the printers’ capability.

2. Brother HL-L2340DW Compact Laser Printer, Monochrome—Top Rated Printer with Envelope Printer

A unique feature that makes the Brother HL-L2340DW perfect for envelope printer is the manual feed slot for envelope printing. The manual slot allows the printing of cards and envelopes of all sizes because it does not restrict you to specific envelope size.

While the HL-L2340DW is not suited to high volume demands, it still has a fast print speed of up to 27 ppm complete with automatic duplex printing. As a result, it is efficient and ideal for a small office or home office.

The printer has multiple connectivity options. You can either share the HL-L2340DW via a wireless network 802.11 b/g/n connection or connect it to a single computer via a USB cable. These multiple options facilitate flexibility.

Regarding mobile device printing, the printer is versatile because it allows you to print from Apple, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows phone or Blackberry.

Additionally, it allows Wi-Fi Direct which enables you to print wirelessly from a computer or mobile device without the need for a router. That is both convenient and user-friendly.

The HL-L2340DW is Energy Star Qualified which means it is energy efficient. Also, it comes with a unique “Toner Save Mode” which allows you to save on ink when printing less critical envelopes.

Note that it also has an N-in-1 mode which allows you to print multiple pages on one sheet of paper to reduce both toner and paper usage. It will, therefore, take time before you need to replace the toner which saves you money.

Finally, the HL-L2340DW has an adjustable 250-sheet capacity which provides for fast printing. However, please bear in mind that this printer is monochrome. It only prints black and white.

3. Brother Business Color Laser Printer, HL LC8360CDW—The Best for High Volume Print Jobs

This Brother HL-LC8360CDW is the color version of the monochrome printer discussed above. While it does not have a manual slot for envelope printing, it has a 50-sheet capacity multi-purpose tray for handling envelopes and other media.

This multipurpose tray is different from the 250-sheet capacity adjustable tray for letter and A4 sizes. These two trays combined offer flexibility for various printing needs.

Note that in the event of expanding business needs; the printer allows you to extend the tray capacity up to 1300 sheets by adding multiple paper trays in 250-sheet or 500-sheet capacities. This saves time because it minimizes the time spent on refilling paper for high-volume print jobs.

The HL-LC8360CDW offers both wireless and wired network connectivity to facilitate ease of use. The print speeds of up to 33 rpm in both color and black promote a fast and reliable performance for a small business or workgroup.

The printer produces brilliant color and crisp black output to ensure professional quality envelopes. Also, it comes with 3000-page black toner and three 1800-page color toners. That saves you money because they will serve you for a while before replacement is needed.

The printer has a security function that limits access to select services. That, in turn, reduces toner and paper consumption via unauthorized access which makes the printer cost-efficient.

It is an energy star certified which makes it energy efficient. The sleep mode that only uses 1.4 watts of electricity when not in use also contributes to saving energy.

Finally, the HL-LC8360CDW features a touchscreen display for easy menu navigation and direct printing from popular business cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and One drive. This laser printer with an envelope feeder will not let you down.

4. HP OfficeJet 250 All-In-One (CZ992A)—The Most Portable, Small Envelope Printer

At only 6.5 pounds, the HP OfficeJet 250 is incredibly portable. You can, therefore, easily carry it around and print from anywhere. It is ideal for envelope printing because it supports envelope No. 10, Monarch and 6 ¾ inch.

The HP OfficeJet 250 is not only an envelope printer, but it can also scan, copy and print other documents such as Letter and A4. That makes it multipurpose.

The printer has mobile printing which allows you to print from anywhere using either your smartphone or tablet. All you need is a free HP ePrint app. This feature facilitates ease of use.

In addition, the HP OfficeJet 250 features a long-lasting battery. As a result, charging interruptions are eliminated when printing. Note that the printer offers flexible charging options because you can charge from home, from your car, your office and pretty much any AC source.

The printer is fast charging—90 minutes when the printer is off—which saves on time. Regarding productivity, the HP OfficeJet 250 has a printing speed of 10 ppm black and 7 ppm color. While the speed is not that high, the printer is still efficient enough for small-scale printing.

The 10-page automatic document feeder facilitates easy and hands-free printing. Also, the printer has a high print-quality thanks to the original HP 62 ink. When replacing the cartridges, the HP 62XL cartridges produce an equally high-quality print. The 2.65-inch color touchscreen guarantees quick and easy scanning or printing.

5. Epson Workforce ET-4750 EcoTank Wireless – Highly Efficient Desktop Envelope Printer

In 2015, Epson debuted a new line of inkjet printers that use permanent tanks instead of the ink cartridges that have to be frequently replaced. The Epson Workforce ET-4750 is one such printer, and it is ideal for envelope printing because it supports the legal envelope paper size (8.5 x 14 inches).

Other than envelopes, it can accommodate different sizes as well which makes it multipurpose. The Epson Workforce ET-4750 is uniquely suited to high-quality business printing. It has a PrecisonCore Printing technology that delivers laser-quality black text. The high capacity 250-sheet tray is efficient.

At purchase, the printer comes with up to 2 years of ink in the box. The ink can print up 14,000 black pages and 11,200 color pages. That is equivalent to roughly 30 ink cartridges, and it makes the Epson Workforce ET-4750 very cost-efficient.

The printer has a large 2.4” color touchscreen which facilitates easy setup and navigation. The 30 sheet auto document feeder complete with two-sided printing provides for fast and reliable printing.

The printer facilitates user convenience because you can easily print from your mobile device. The devices include iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and smartphones.

In terms of connectivity, the Epson Workforce ET-4750 has both Ethernet and Wi-Fi Direct.  Ethernet guarantees security while Wi-Fi direct is easy to use and is flexible.

How Do Envelope Printers Work?

Envelope printers work by loading the envelopes into the printer’s paper input tray. The type of printer you are using will determine how to load your envelopes. Typically, for a rear load tray, the front of the envelope should be facing up. For a front load tray, the front of the envelope should be facing down.

Your safest bet is to load one envelope in the printer as a test envelope. Load a single envelope into the printer’s paper input tray. Make sure to move the sliding paper guide from left to right, resting it against the envelope’s left edge.

Head back over to your computer to adjust the rotation of paper, type in the address, and align the text. Click Print Preview to get an idea of what it will look like and click Print. If the test envelope looks good, insert more envelopes into the input tray and proceed with printing.

It’s important to note, in order to prevent paper jams in your printer, do not use envelopes with self-stick adhesives or coated linings unless you own a heavy-duty printer that is well-suited for these functions. 

How to Use Envelope Printers

Using an envelope printer involves following a few easy steps on WordPad or Microsoft word.

Follow these steps if using a WordPad document to print envelopes:
1. Choose Page Setup under the menu icon.
2. Select Landscape under the Size menu, and press OK.
3. Type the address and align the text.
4. Choose Print under the menu icon. You can click Print Preview to ensure the address is centered.

If you prefer to use Microsoft Word, simply follow the steps below:
1. Click Mailings and then Envelopes.
2. Type the address in the Delivery Address field, and the return address in the Return Address field.
3. Click Preview.
4. Select the proper envelope size and adjust font, if needed.
5. Select the Printing Options tab and choose the relevant printer tray.
6. Click Print.

What to Consider When Purchasing an Envelope Printer

Understand Inkjet vs. Laser Printers

Inkjet printers create a digital image by dropping spots of ink onto paper. Laser printers, on the other hand, scan a laser beam across photoreceptors to produce a digital image.

The two definitions do not offer much insight. That is because the only way to understand these two printer types is to look at the key benefits and drawbacks of each.

Benefits of Inkjet Printers

• Inkjet printers are superior when it comes to photos and image-heavy That is because they are better at blending smooth colors than laser printers.
• Inkjet printers are affordable. The cartridges they use are also less expensive than the toners laser printers use.
• Cartridges can be reused and refilled which cuts down on cost.
• They are lighter and smaller which makes them portable and easy to maintain.

Drawbacks of Inkjet Printers

• Slow compared to laser printing. That means they are not ideal for high volume work.
• They tend to have low-capacity paper trays of between 50-100 and non-existent output trays. If you print a lot of work, this is not ideal.

Benefits of Laser Printers

• Laser printers are fast which means ideal for high volume users.
• They produce perfect black text.
• Have high capacity paper trays that are suitable for high volume jobs.

Drawbacks of Laser Printers

• High initial cost
• The toners are also more expensive although they print more sheets than inkjet cartridges
• Laser printers, even the more compact ones are heavy and big

Monochrome vs. Color

Monochrome printers print only black and white. They are ideal for people with high volume work that does not require color. That is because they tend to be faster. Also, they have crisper black text. Finally, monochrome printers are less costly.

Color printers deal with both black and color prints. They tend to be costlier, and their black quality is not as high. Evaluate whether you need a color printer or if a monochrome one will fulfill all your requirements before purchase.

Specialized printers

While the discussed printers work well with personal use or small businesses, it is essential to note that they may not be ideal if you run a large envelope printing business.

In that case, you ought to purchase a specialized envelope printer that only prints envelopes and can accept a stack of 50 or more envelopes at once.

Ready To Buy The Best Envelope Printer?

With those differences in mind, it is clear that if you print a lot of envelopes (high volume), then a laser printer is the right choice for printing on envelopes. On the other hand, if you want an affordable, and portable printer, then an inkjet printer is the better choice.

It does not matter how big or small your business is. In case, if you are looking for tools that will make coin counting, sorting and wrapping less demanding and more accurate, consider buying the best coin sorters. A coin sorter will save you valuable time.

It is up to you to determine which envelope printer best suits your needs and your budget. If you require commercial printers for larger volume tasks, consider brands like Xerox and Ricoh.

Consider buying a counterfeit money detector. It can help you avoid substantial monetary losses to your business or organization, too. If you are using an envelope printer, consider buying postal scales.