Looking for good and cheap printers? Printers that use little ink? A multifunction printer for a small business or a student? It seems that having a printer at home for home use has become essential again.
They have become fashionable again thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. Have you been sent home to telework or is your child at home studying? You will need a printer to print important documents, notes or simply to save your printed invoices or send letters.
What are the best printers for home use?
You have to think about who is going to use it. If the printer is going to be used by the whole family, maybe it would be interesting to buy a printer with Wi-Fi so that everyone can send documents from their devices.
If everyone is going to do different things with it, the best option is a wifi-enabled multifunction printer capable of scanning, printing, etc.
You also have to take into account how much the printer is going to be used. Why? For the cost of ink. Epson and Brother offer cheaper cartridges in slightly more expensive models. If you are going to use the printer occasionally, you can afford to buy a cheap model.
Keep in mind that black and white cartridges are cheaper than color ones. eye! You also need to know if the printer allows you to use cheaper third-party toner or cartridges. It can mean significant savings.
It is also important to consider the size of the printer. Do you have a small desk and only a small model fits? Can you put a large printer in your office?
Printer Types to Use at Home: Inkjet vs. Laser Printers
Inkjet printers:
They are the most popular, but lasers continue to gain ground lately. We have to see if we can buy private label cartridges to lower costs. They are usually very cheap in their simplest models.
They use black and white and color ink cartridges
They are very good for printing color photos
They are worse for printing a lot of text
They are usually smaller and more compact.
Perfect if you print frequently
Right now there is also another version, ink tank printers. They are inkjet printers but with tanks instead of cartridges. You don’t change the cartridge, you just fill the reservoir with ink. They are perfect if you are going to print a lot. They are more expensive and bulky.
Laser printers:
They have a toner instead of cartridges, and the cost per page is lower than the previous model. If you are going to print only in black and white, they are a very interesting option.
They use a toner that prints on the paper thanks to the heat
Perfect for printing black and white text
They are very fast and print the most complicated fonts in great detail
In the end, the toner cartridges are going to be cheaper, especially if you are going to use them little
Toner does not dry as quickly if you use it lightly
1.1-HP LaserJet Pro M15w
Print speeds up to 18ppm
150-sheet input and 100-sheet output capacity (A4)
Wi-Fi Direct, Google Cloud Print, Mopria-certified, and Apple AirPrint mobile printing (M15w)
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port
Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Our favorite for quality price. It usually costs less than 100 euros… and it is really small. And it’s a laser printer, so it’s perfect for printing from time to time without worrying about running out of toner. It doesn’t have duplex mode and it doesn’t have screens on the front.
Best of all, you can buy compatible non-HP toner cartridges… and they are very cheap, much cheaper than the official ones. You can get them for about 15 euros (1000 printing sheets). If you want to save this is your printer.
1.2.-HP DeskJet 2720 – Color multifunction printer with ink cartridges
Print, copy, scan, print speed 7.5/5.5 ppm (black/color)
60-sheet input tray
Flatbed scanner, HP Instant Ink ready
Dual band Wi-Fi connection
You could say that it is the equivalent of the previous printer but with ink cartridges and a scanner/copier. You can print in black and white and color.
You can print photos. You will need the original HP cartridge to set it up (uses HP 305 cartridges), but then you can use cheaper third-party cartridges. You don’t need to subscribe to HP Instant Ink service if you don’t want to.
It is a low-cost printer that works well, perfect for home and for printing your child’s school work. Keep in mind that it is somewhat slow printing, especially in color.
2.-Brother DCPL2530DW – Wifi monochrome laser multifunction printer
30ppm print speed
WiFi, Wifi Direct and connection with mobile devices
250-sheet input tray and manual slot (A4)
Compatible with AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, iPrint&Scan, Mopria and Borhter Print Service Plugin for Android
If you need duplex printing and want to continue with the advantages of a monochrome laser printer, this model is perfect for you. It is a 3-in-1 printer (printer, copier and scanner) with Wi-Fi, connection to mobile devices, duplex printing and XL toner for 3,000 pages. The print quality is professional. Printing speed is really good.
It is perfect for a monthly printing volume of between 250 – 2,000 pages. Perfect for home use: you can go a couple of months without printing and it will continue to work without toner clogging. The paper tray is closed.
It does not have an automatic feeder, so if you are going to scan a lot, better find another printer.
3.-HP Envy 6220 – Multifunction thermal inkjet printer to print photos
Print, scan, copy, web and photo
Thermal Inkjet A4 12ppm Wi-Fi
4800 x 1200dpi
125 Sheets
Direct Printing
Paper size – A4; TO 5; B5; DL; C6; A6; 10 x 15 photos from the photo tray.
Separate photo paper tray | Automatic duplex printing | 5.58 cm mono touch screen
If what you are looking for is a good option to print photos in addition to doing other things, this HP model is what you are looking for.
eye! It is designed to be used with cartridges using original HP electronic circuitry, which means third-party ink cartridges may not work for you… Keep that in mind.
You will have several months of free HP Instant Ink, in case you later want to subscribe to this HP service to stop worrying about buying cartridges.
It comes without a connection cable, but it is almost better to connect it via Wi-Fi. It uses a lot of ink. It has a separate tray for photo paper and another adjustable tray for other types of paper.
4.-Canon PIXMA TS3150 – Inkjet Multifunctional Printer
Print, scan and copy from any smart device connected to the Canon Print app, AirPrint and Mopria
60 sheets (rear tray)
A4 printing: 7.7 ipm black and white 4.0 ipm color
With a 3.8 cm LCD screen
With Wi-Fi connection
Another model that is good for a bit of everything, including photo printing (prints in color). Its purchase price is laughable, so we should immediately look at the cost of the cartridges. And it’s all good news: the cartridges are affordable and we can use third-party brands.
It does not print double-sided automatically, you have to change the order of the sheets later. To install it you only need to download the app on your mobile and configure the Wi-Fi. It comes with 1 color cartridge and 1 black and white cartridge.
5.-HP Tango X- Printer for occasional use
Print from mobile with the HP Smart app
Scan, copy from mobile and share them by email or upload them to the cloud
50-sheet tray
Borderless printing up to 13 × 18 cm
Includes 2 months of Free Printing with HP Instant Ink
If what you want is to print occasionally and have a printer with an excellent design and very quiet, this model is perfect. There are no physical controls and you have to do everything through the app (which can be a bit frustrating).
It does not look like a printer when we cover it with its cover. It is not a very fast printer, but it has integration with voice assistants (Alexa, Google Home). The photo print quality is decent but nothing to write home about.
Just print. Scanning and copying is done from the app, not directly at the printer.
If you want them without the cover that covers it, you can buy the HP Tango cheaper.
6.-Epson WF-7210DTW WorkForce – A3 printer with two trays
A3 duplex printing and two A3 paper trays
18 ppm black and white, and 10 ppm color
Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC* and Scan-to-Cloud
If what you need is a home printer that is capable of printing in A3, this is the model. And it is capable of printing on both sides, something that is not usually normal. Print quality is very good, both for text and photos.
It includes WIFI and NFC and two paper trays that can hold up to 500 sheets. Problem? The ink is somewhat expensive, and there is no USB on the front.
7.-HP DeskJet 3760 – Multifunction ink printer – A very cheap option
A cheap ink printer like those of a lifetime? This HP model is what you are looking for. It is a compact printer, you can try HP Instant Ink. You can print documents and photos.
Any catch? Don’t expect exceptional build quality. It has a double-sided function, but you will have to change the sheets yourself. Printing speed is somewhat slow.
The scanner isn’t its strong point either, but it can get you out of trouble.
8.-Brother HLL2375DW – Monochrome laser printer
Monochrome laser printer
34ppm print speed
With manual feed slot
Connectivity: Wired network, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct and mobile connection
Automatic duplex printing
250-sheet input tray
High yield toner 3,000 pages
Includes 1,200 page toner
Dimensions: 356 x 183 x 360mm
This Brother printer is without a minute’s hesitation the printer model you should buy if you want a cheap printer that doesn’t spend a lot (the worst curse you can have with these devices is having to buy more cartridges every two for three). Also, it is quite small. It can be used for both home and work.
This model normally costs less than 200 euros and will allow us to print occasionally without leaving our bank account to zero with the price of its toners. Perfect for printing delivery notes, labels and some other document.
This Brother also offers automatic duplex printing or a paper saving feature. On top of that, this model supports mobile printing standards like AirPrint and Google Cloud Print, as well as Wi-Fi printing.
As it is a laser printer, your cost in toners is lower. Unlike ink cartridges, toner cartridges have a high capacity, which reduces the chance of running out every two to three. You also don’t need to run long cleaning cycles. You can use compatible third-party toners.
It is interesting to use the XL toners so that they last much longer or configure the paper so that it is printed at a lower speed and makes less noise.
9.-HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 – Large Format Multifunction Printer
6.75 cm touch screen, 512 M memory
Print speed: up to 22ppm black and up to 18ppm colour, and automatic duplex printing up to 12ppm black and up to 10ppm color (A4)
Paper input capacity of up to 500 sheets
35-sheet automatic document feeder, duplex, single-pass scanning, copying and faxing.
Printing Technology: HP Thermal Inkjet
Monthly duty cycle up to 30,000 pages (A4); Recommended monthly page volume: 250 to 1,500
It prints and scans with very good quality, the ink is cheap and the color quality is very professional. The input tray holds up to 250 sheets and you can print on A3. It has two trays.
It has a very good number of connections: 1 USB 2.0 with compatibility with USB 3.0 devices; 1 USB-host; 1Ethernet; 1 WiFi 802.11b/g/n; 1 wireless connection 802.11b/g/n; 2 RJ-11 modem ports, so you won’t have a problem connecting anything.
It’s perfect for high-volume jobs, faxing, scanning and copying. It has automatic double-sided printing. It is very silent.
Scanning on this printer only works duplex on A4.
10.-Epson EcoTank ET‑2750 – Inkjet printer to save on printing
Average savings of 90% on ink costs: Includes the equivalent of 88 ink cartridges
Speed: 10.5 pages/minute Monochrome, 5 pages/minute Color
With 180 nozzles for black, 59 nozzles per color
Scan in 11 seconds in black and 28 seconds in color
5760 x 1440 dpi print resolution
Print up to 14,000 pages in black and 5,200 in color
With SD, SDHC, SDXC card slot
Dimensions: 375 x 347 x 187mm
Its initial price may be much higher than other options, but the truth is that in the end it makes up for the long life of its ink bottles, and above all because they are really cheap. It does not use cartridges, the ink is filled in some containers of the printer. They can last up to 3 years.
It has Wi-Fi direct and SD card reader, but it does not have an Ethernet port, the screen is not touch and the paper capacity is not very high.
It is a printer designed to save on ink, not to print documents with many pages. Keep that in mind. It is perfect for use at home.