Best Home Printers UK (2026)
A printer's purchase price rarely tells the whole story: cheap cartridge printers can cost far more per page than a pricier ink-tank model over time. This guide compares printers tested by Expert Reviews on speed, print quality and true running costs.
We have not hands-on tested these products. Our picks are based on published independent tests and reviews, listed at the bottom of this page. How we pick.
Our top pick
Canon Pixma TS205
Best for occasional use
One of the cheapest, simplest printers Expert Reviews has tested, producing bold graphics and crisp black text despite a slightly warm colour bias. It lacks Wi-Fi, a scanner and any smart features, and is slow and noisy, but for occasional print jobs like booking confirmations or family snaps, it's a low-cost, no-fuss option.
- Very affordable to buy
- Lower ink costs than some pricier printers
- Great print quality for the price
Quick comparison
| Product | Best for | Key spec | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon Pixma TS205 | Best for occasional use | Thermal inkjet, 4,800 x 1,200dpi, no Wi-Fi or scanner | Check price |
| HP OfficeJet Pro 8122e | Best budget for features | 225-sheet tray, automatic document feeder, auto duplex printing, colour touchscreen | Check price |
| Epson EcoTank ET-2830 | Best for fast, cheap home printing | Refillable ink tank, 13.4ppm mono, 0.2p per mono page | Check price |
| Canon Pixma G650 | Best for cheap photo printing | Refillable ink tank, 0.4p mono / 1p colour page cost | Check price |
| Canon Pixma TS8350 | Best for photos | Over 15ppm mono, 10x8in photo prints in under 30 seconds | Check price |
| Epson EcoTank ET-2850 | Best for low running costs | Refillable ink tank, auto duplex printing, 0.2p mono / 0.4p colour page cost | Check price |
| Brother MFC-J4540DW | Best for maximum features | 350-sheet dual paper trays, Wi-Fi/Ethernet, auto duplex, 18.5ppm mono | Check price |
| HP OfficeJet Pro 9022e | Best for high-speed office printing | 20.5ppm mono, two 250-sheet paper trays, HP Smart app | Check price |
Our picks in detail
Best for occasional use
Canon Pixma TS205
One of the cheapest, simplest printers Expert Reviews has tested, producing bold graphics and crisp black text despite a slightly warm colour bias. It lacks Wi-Fi, a scanner and any smart features, and is slow and noisy, but for occasional print jobs like booking confirmations or family snaps, it's a low-cost, no-fuss option.
- Technology
- Thermal inkjet
- Max resolution
- 4,800 x 1,200dpi
- Weight
- 2.5kg
- Price guide
- £70
Pros
- Very affordable to buy
- Lower ink costs than some pricier printers
- Great print quality for the price
Cons
- No Wi-Fi, scanner or smart features
- Slow print speeds
- Noisy in use
Best budget for features
HP OfficeJet Pro 8122e
A surprisingly feature-packed all-in-one for the price, with an automatic document feeder, generous paper tray and automatic double-sided printing that budget printers usually skip. Expert Reviews found it better at documents than photos, and ink costs a little more per page than some rivals.
- Technology
- Thermal inkjet
- Max resolution
- 4,800 x 1,200dpi
- Duty cycle
- 20,000 pages/month
- Price guide
- £90
Pros
- Impressive feature set for the price
- Copy, print and scan with Wi-Fi sharing
- Automatic document feeder and duplex printing
Cons
- Higher running costs than tank-based rivals
- Photo printing quality is only average
Best for fast, cheap home printing
Epson EcoTank ET-2830
Among the fastest home ink-tank printers Expert Reviews has tested, producing mono prints at 13.4 pages per minute with enough bundled ink for roughly three years of typical printing at just 0.2p per mono page. There's no automatic two-sided printing and the rear paper tray collects dust, but running costs are exceptional.
- Technology
- Inkjet (ink tank)
- Max resolution
- 4,800 x 1,200dpi
- Weight
- 4.1kg
- Price guide
- £240
Pros
- Very fast for a home ink-tank printer
- Extremely low running costs
- Bundled ink lasts years of typical use
Cons
- No automatic two-sided printing
- Rear paper tray prone to collecting dust
Best for cheap photo printing
Canon Pixma G650
Combines ink-tank running costs with genuinely good photo output, producing photos on the highest settings that Expert Reviews found almost as good as cartridge-based models. Running costs are impressively low for both mono and colour pages, though print speed is on the slow side.
- Technology
- Thermal inkjet (ink tank)
- Max resolution
- 4,800 x 1,200dpi
- Weight
- 6.6kg
- Price guide
- £259
Pros
- Good quality, affordable photo prints
- Very low running costs
- Refillable ink tanks
Cons
- Slower than rival printers
Best for photos
Canon Pixma TS8350
Expert Reviews calls this the versatile home printer to beat, with excellent speed, office-quality text, and some of the best photo prints seen outside a specialist photo printer. Wireless connectivity is rock solid and paper handling is practical, though running costs are high if you print a lot of colour.
- Technology
- Thermal inkjet
- Max resolution
- 4,800 x 1,200dpi
- Weight
- 6.6kg
- Price guide
- £159
Pros
- Extremely high quality prints, especially photos
- Fast print, scan and copy speeds
- Rock-solid wireless connectivity
Cons
- Expensive to run for high colour volumes
- Graphics output can look a little dark
Best for low running costs
Epson EcoTank ET-2850
Sits in the middle of Epson's ink-tank range, keeping automatic duplex printing while shedding extras like fax to keep the price reasonable. Expert Reviews highlights the running costs as the headline feature, with enough bundled ink for 14,000 mono or 5,200 colour pages before you need a refill.
- Technology
- Inkjet (ink tank)
- Max resolution
- 5,760 x 1,440dpi
- Weight
- 5.4kg
- Price guide
- £280
Pros
- Very low running costs
- Automatic duplex printing included
- Large bundled ink supply
Cons
- Lacks specialist extras like fax or automatic sheet feeder
Best for maximum features
Brother MFC-J4540DW
A true all-in-one with print, scan, copy and fax, Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity and 350 sheets of paper capacity across two trays. Expert Reviews found print quality solid if just short of the very best, with rapid mono print speeds and comparatively low running costs for a cartridge-based printer.
- Technology
- Inkjet
- Max resolution
- 1,200 x 4,800dpi
- Duty cycle
- 30,000 pages/month
- Price guide
- £200
Pros
- Full suite of print/scan/copy/fax features
- Large paper capacity across two trays
- Fast mono print speeds
- Comparatively low running costs for cartridges
Cons
- Takes up more desk space
Best for high-speed office printing
HP OfficeJet Pro 9022e
Built for speed, producing mono text documents at a blistering 20.5 pages per minute in Expert Reviews' testing, faster than some laser printers. Easy Wi-Fi or Ethernet sharing via the HP Smart app and two large paper trays suit busy households or small offices, though photo printing isn't its strength.
- Technology
- Inkjet
- Print speed (mono)
- 20.5ppm
- Paper capacity
- 2x 250-sheet trays
Pros
- Very fast mono document printing
- Easy Wi-Fi/Ethernet setup via HP Smart app
- Large paper capacity
Cons
- Photo printing not a strength
Buying guide
Ink-tank or cartridge printer?
Ink-tank (EcoTank/MegaTank-style) printers cost more upfront but bring running costs down to a fraction of a penny per page, paying back the difference within a year or two of regular use. Cartridge printers are cheaper to buy but cost noticeably more per page over time, so they suit only occasional printing.
Do I need a scanner and copier, or just printing?
If you only ever print documents or photos, a simple printer like the Canon Pixma TS205 here keeps costs down. If you'll also need to scan documents, make copies, or send the occasional fax, an all-in-one (MFP) model is worth the modest extra cost for the convenience.
How much does print speed actually matter?
For occasional home printing, speed rarely matters much. If you regularly print longer documents or work from home, a faster printer like the HP OfficeJet Pro 9022e here, rated at over 20 pages per minute, saves genuine time compared to budget printers that can be several times slower.
Are printers good at photo printing worse at documents?
Not necessarily, but there's often a trade-off in running costs. Photo-focused printers like the Canon Pixma TS8350 here produce excellent images but cost more per page for colour printing, while document-focused ink-tank printers prioritise low running costs over the finest photo detail.
Sources
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