Whether you spend your evenings printing off your kids’ homework, want to turn your holiday snaps into fameworthy prints or need a reliable device for work purposes now you’re spending most of your time working from home, a home printer might feel like a necessary investment.
As printer technology has improved, costs have also gone down, meaning there’s now no need to spend over the odds.
Wireless technology has been a game changer in the home printer department. Allowing you to connect directly to your computer, smartphone or tablet, it removes the need for untidy, unruly cabling and, when connecting with an app or using Apple AirPrint, means you no longer need to worry about installing printer drivers just to get the printer to communicate with your device.
Scanning is a typical addition to many home printers and can be handy when you need to upload documents. Some also have copying capabilities, too.
One of the main considerations when purchasing a new home printer is whether it’s ink-based or laser-based. Inkjet printers use ink to print and are the best choice if you’re looking for a printer to print off colour-rich documents or photos, or if you plan on using glossy paper. They require the additional investment of ink cartridges, which can be costly.
Documents printed with inkjet can smudge, so if you’re looking for a printer that prints a lot of text, a laser or LED printer is the better choice. These use powdered ink known as laser toner and, while these types of printers tend to cost more upfront, the running costs are often lower and they can handle heavier printing without facing wear and tear.
Best home printers at a glance:
- Best for a casual, high-quality printer for the eco-conscious: Epson EcoTank ET-2810 - £232.56, Amazon
- Best for no frills and reliability: Brother HLL3230CDW Colour Laser Printer - £379.99, Amazon
- Best for the amateur photographer: Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 - £277.81, Amazon
- Best for top quality printing with affordable upkeep: Canon PIXMA Pro-200 - £459.00, Jessops
- Best for instant printing from your smartphone: HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer - £89.99, Amazon
- Best for a heavy printer user: Epson Eco Tank ET-3850 - £329.99, Currys
- Best for a busy home office on a budget: Epson WorkForce WF-7840 - £269, Amazon
- Best for a mini printer for limited desk space: HP DeskJet 3760 - £49, Amazon
- Best for a chic, sleek and smart option: HP OfficeJet Pro 8132e - £119.99, John Lewis
Shop the best below
Epson EcoTank ET-2810
Best for: a casual, high-quality printer for the eco-conscious
- Type: Inkjet with a refillable tank
- Functionality: Print, scan and copy
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB
- Size: Up to A4
Need to print occasionally but keen to lower your environmental impact? Epson’s EcoTank range is designed for this exact purpose. Cartridge-free, the EcoTank ET-2810 is built to be more efficient than your standard printer, meaning you’ll spend less on ink in the long term - which the brand claims makes up for the higher initial price for the device. The printer’s four ink tanks can hold up to the equivalent of 72 cartridges of ink, which is enough ink for 4,500 black and white pages or 7,500 colour - something you can expect to last at least a few years from now.
The EcoTank ET-2810 is a well-sized desktop printer: it’s compact enough to fit on your desk and, with an input paper tray of 100 pages, it’s large enough that it won’t need constant refilling. There’s no screen, but the Epson Smart Panel app makes this a moot point as it streamlines the process for easy printing.
When it comes to saving the planet and your hard-earned cash, this is the best home printer.
Buy now £232.56, Amazon
Brother HLL3230CDW Colour Laser Printer
Best for: no frills and reliability
- Type: Colour LED laser print
- Functionality: Print only
- Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB
- Size: Up to A4
For no-frills but always reliable printing, you can do worse than the Brother HLL3230CDW. Sitting at the lower end of the company’s LED laser range, this is an affordable home printer, designed to plough through whatever demands you make of it. Costs are kept down by this being a printer only, but it does handle colour printing well - although we wouldn’t recommend this for photo printing, where results are lacklustre.
It can handle 25 pages per minute (a speedy number for such an affordable model) and hold up to 250 in its main tray, which the company claims can manage up to 30,000 pages per month if you’re a very high user. For paper and environmental savings, you can also print double-sided with ease.
With a footprint of 41cm x 46 cm, it’s a little too big to sit on your desktop but could easily be placed under the desk for convenient access when you need it. While a USB connection is an option, we found its WI-FI connectivity easy to set up and worked well with everything from a laptop to a smartphone.
For an affordable printer that can withstand heavy-duty usage, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better device.
Buy now £379.99, Amazon
Epson Expression Photo XP-15000
Best for: the amateur photographer
- Type: Inkjet with cartridges
- Functionality: Print
- Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB
- Size: Up to A3
Amateur photographers keen to print off their photographs without spending the earth on a professional level printer pay attention now: the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 is our top choice for you.
With its ability to print stunning borderless pages at sizes up to A3, this brilliant photo printer uses six Claria Photo HD inks, which result in some of the best quality photos we’ve ever seen on a photo printer at this cost. You are paying a price for this, so expect to be refilling these cartridges on a regular basis. Handily, you can set the printer up with Amazon Dash Replenishment so that it detects when inks are low and places a reorder directly with Amazon.
With a 47 x 78 footprint, it is very large, so you will need a dedicated place to store it. As it can connect to your computer or smartphone using a range of apps, it’s very easy to send photos post-editing directly to print, so as long as it’s within range, it doesn’t need to live right next to your computer.
Buy now £277.82, Amazon
Canon PIXMA Pro-200
Best for: top quality printing with affordable upkeep
- Type: Inkjet with cartridges
- Functionality: Print
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB
- Size: Up to A3
You won’t find a better print quality for a cheaper price than the Canon PIXMA Pro-200, a home printer aimed at pro photographers and those looking to print their images at the highest quality possible.
It’s all down to the eight dye-based inks (two more than in typical photo printers), which deliver a much more generous range of shades for both colour printing and mono printing. This clever printer expertly matches its inks to what you see on your screen, ensuring a truly optimal print, while there’s even a print mode dedicated to black and white printing to ensure your mono photos hit the spot.
The 3-inch display is useful for checking ink levels and other print settings and, like the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000, it manages borderless printing up to A3 size, while you can also print directly onto CDs and DVDs with a manual feed tray. The footprint is also much smaller, at just 63.9 cm x 37.9 cm, so will just about fit onto a desk.
Like all inkjet printers, you should expect running costs to be high, with an A3-sized photo print costing around £3.30 a pop. However, with its incredible print quality on glossy, lustre and semi-gloss papers, it’s a good choice for those serious about photo printing.
Buy now £459.00, Jessops
HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer
Best for: instant printing from your smartphone
- Type: Zero Ink
- Functionality: Print
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Size: Up to A4
Want to print directly from your smartphone on the go? Measuring around the size of a traditional smartphone and weighing a tiny 113 grams, the Sprocket Portable Photo Printer is small enough to take with you, allowing you to print photos instantly using just a Bluetooth connection.
The device works using the HP Sprocket app, so you can add frames, filters and stickers to the photos before printing. Capable of printing around 35 prints on a single charge, the Sprocket should last for a couple of days of use. It comes with a USB charging port so it can easily be given more juice on the go, too.
Because of the way the Sproket prints, which uses a technique known as Zero Ink or ZINK, you need very specialised paper to work with this printer. While there are upgraded versions that print slightly larger images, we found it was just easier to source paper for the second-generation Sproket, rather than the newer models.
While this certainly isn’t a printer that’ll produce the kind of high-quality prints pro photographers are seeking, for kids or those wanting photos on the go, this portable printer is the perfect choice.
Buy now £89.99, Amazon
Epson Eco Tank ET-3850
Best for: a heavy printer user
- Type: Inkjet with a refillable tank
- Functionality: Print, scan and copy
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB
- Size: Up to A4
The upfront cost might put you off, but if you’re pressing print on dozens of documents a day, then this eco-friendly design is guaranteed to save you more than a few pennies.
From day zero, this inkjet has enough liquid to print 14,000 pages in black and white and 5,200 in colour. When the time does come to refill them, it’s mess-free as the refills fit seamlessly into the tanks (and, more importantly, only fit those of the correct colour).
You can also opt for the option of Unlimited Printing, which means you’ll get free refills for the first two years after purchasing the printer. If you’re a heavy printer user, you can expect to save plenty of cash.
Buy now £329.99, Currys
Epson WorkForce WF-7840
Best for: a busy home office on a budget
- Type: Inkjet with cartridges
- Functionality: Print, scan and copy
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB
- Size: Up to A3
If you print a lot of A3 pages and want to do so at an affordable cost, the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 is a good choice.
The printer can print up to A3 sized paper and, uniquely, manage double-sided printing at this size, which is perfect for printing large drawings or documents. It can copy and scan two-sided originals, too.
If you’ve got a very busy home office and need plenty of printing, it also comes with two 250-sheet paper feeder trays.
Buy now £269.00, Amazon
HP DeskJet 3760
Best for: a mini printer for limited desk space
- Type: Inkjet
- Functionality: Print, scan and copy
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet USB
- Size: Up to A4
With limited desktop space, you might be struggling to find a suitable printer. The HP DeskJet 3760 is one of the smallest home printers out there. Best for occasional use, this extremely affordable choice includes the ability to print, scan and copy - which is remarkable given the price.
It does feel rather flimsy, but at this price, you really can’t complain. It’s also wireless and can be hooked up to your smartphone - although the set-up can take a little while to get your head around.
For the cheapest costs, opt to subscribe to the HP Instant Ink subscription service, whereby the printer automatically sends its ink levels to HP and requests a new delivery when required.
Buy now £49.00, Amazon
HP OfficeJet Pro 8132e All-in-One Wireless Printer
Best for: a chic, sleek and smart option
- Type: Inkjet
- Functionality: Print, scan and copy
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet
- Size: Up to A4
We were also surprised to discover that this aesthetically pleasing printer is available for just over £100. Designed to deliver perfectly crisp prints at an enviable speed, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8132e is compatible with the HP Smart App. This means that you can print documents in whichever room of the house you please, so long as you’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network on both devices.
What’s more, with HP you also get access to the Instant Ink service. A fabulous addition for avid printers, the service allows you to save up to 70 per cent on ink and never experience a drought during those essential midnight boarding pass printing sessions.
Buy now £120.01, John Lewis
Verdict
For a reliable, eco-friendly and easy-to-use printer for all the family, the Epson EcoTank ET-2810 is a brilliant desktop printer that should save you money on ink in the future. Budding photographers keep to print copies of their favourite photos will find the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 an impressive device at a very accessible price point.
