The top printers you can buy

The HP Smart Tank 5105 is our top recommended multifunction printer for a number of reasons. It can print, scan and copy (although lacks any fax functionality), its small size is easy to accommodate in a home office and its low-cost printing makes it a great value option in the long run.

HP typically uses cartridges in its printers, which are renowned for expensive running costs. But the Smart Tank 5105 uses highly efficient ink bottles instead, resulting in ink costs of just 0.7p per colour page – few printers have better running costs than this. HP even ships its printer with 6,000 pages worth of ink, so it’s possible you won’t even need to buy more ink.

Our tests showed the printing speeds to be reasonable at 10.9 pages per minute, while we were very impressed with the print quality on plain paper. This printer is not recommended for photo prints, with imperfect colour accuracy and loss of detail with dark colours. The Canon PIXMA G650 and Instax Square Link are better options for those who want to print photos.

But if you’re happy to stick to printing documents and fancy a great value all-purpose home multifunction printer, then the HP Smart Tank 5105 is our top recommendation.

Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full review: HP Smart Tank 5105 Review

The Canon PIXMA Pro-200 has no equal if you’re looking for high-quality photo printing. Whether you’re looking for fantastic portraits, vibrant and detailed group shots or breathtaking landscapes, the PIXMA Pro-200 has you covered.

This A3+ printer features a straightforward design, inviting the average user to take full advantage of its tremendous photo printing capabilities. Canon’s printer innovates with an eight-cartridge approach, adding two shades of grey as well as lighter shades of magenta and cyan to the traditional set of four. This decision makes for finer control over colour, ideal for photo prints.

Along with showing its class when it comes to finer details, the PIXMA Pro-200 provides luxurious mid and dark tones as well as more than holding its own with contrasty subjects. Consistency was also top-notch in our testing, with only one photo in our entering testing period coming out with a flaw.

You’d think this high of a standard of print may take some time, right? Not with this Canon, speedily dishing out your prints even at sizes beyond A3. This printer is an ideal package for those looking for top-tier A3+ photo prints.

Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full review: Canon PIXMA Pro-200 review

Not all printers are created equal, and some focus on value over luxurious quality. The Epson EcoTank ET-18100 is the former, offering a great all-around experience that keeps the burden on your wallet low, with low-running costs.

The low-running costs really are the star of the show here, with the EcoTank ET-18100 donning refillable ink tanks. These tanks not only save time on refilling compared with cartridges but they are typically cheaper to run. You’d get a full set of these bottles in the box too. The replacement ink costs up to £12 per colour, with Epson saying a full tank will get you around 2,100 prints – coming in at 3.3p per postcard print.

The Epson is a photo printer at heart but it performs to an acceptable level with plain paper. When tackling photos, the results are speedy and impressive. This is a key selling point, as this is a printer for those who will make plenty of use of its photo capabilities. Its low-running costs will only negate its high £600 price if you’re going to print a lot.

Its quality isn’t up to the pro levels of the Canon PIXMA Pro-200, which will better suit professional photographers but, if you’re a very keen amateur photographer, it’ll be hard to find better. The EcoTank ET-18100 excels with sharpness and vivid details in its photos – you won’t be disappointed.

Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full review: Epson EcoTank ET-18100 review

If you’re planning on printing a lot of documents every day, then the printing costs will become even more important than a printer’s upfront fee. Our tests show that the Epson EcoTank ET-2830 multi-function printer costs just half a penny per page, which is one of the best running costs we’ve ever seen from a printer. Epson even bundles in around 6000 pages’ worth of ink in the box, so some owners may never even need to buy more ink in the future.

As a multifunction printer, it’s capable of both printing and scanning although it doesn’t support duplexing. Scans and copies from the Epson EcoTank ET-2830 were all impressive too, and are easily good enough for day-to-day use.

Features are a little limited here, as the printer has no display or card slots. It’s also fairly slow, with average printing speeds of 15 pages per minute in black, and 8 pages per minute in colour.

However, all of its limitations are forgiven when you remember just how cheap the running costs are with the Epson EcoTank ET-2830, saving you a fortune in the long-term.

Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full review: Epson EcoTank ET-2830 review

More and more people are now working from home, which means home office printers have never been more important. The HP OfficeJet Pro 9012e is a superb option, as it’s extremely versatile. It can print, scan, fax and copy, despite having an affordable price.

We also found the HP OfficeJet Pro 9012e to be a speedy printer, capable of producing 21 pages per minute for simple black-and-white documents. Print quality was excellent on plain paper, creating dark and crisp text, while even graphics had fairly punchy colours. It’s not so good at printing photos, so you’ll need to look elsewhere if that’s a priority.

Running costs are reasonable for a cartridge printer at 6.3p per colour page, although you’ll get far better value from an ink bottle printer. That said, HP’s Instant Ink service can drop running costs down to 3.2p per page if you’re happy to pay a monthly fee. It’s also important to remember that this printer’s upfront cost represents absurdly good value when you consider how many features it’s packing.

So if you’re looking for a home office printer that can do it all, while also posting great results for printing speeds and print quality, then the HP OfficeJet Pro 9012e is our top recommendation. Alternatively, if you want a home office printer that has cheaper running costs but a higher upfront fee, then check out the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 – although the lack of faxing functionality is a drawback.

Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full review: HP OfficeJet Pro 9012e review

The Canon PIXMA TS5350i isn’t going to win the race for best overall printer, but if you’ve got a tight budget to spend on a printer, the TS5350i is the one for you.

It may be cheap, but it comes with a bunch of features and gets the job done to a suitable standard at a decent speed. The range of specs are surprisingly good for the low price and it does a strong job when it comes to photo printing as well. Being a three-in-one multifunction printer, you’ll find printing, scanning and copying all onboard this cheap device.

What slightly damages this low-cost printer’s value proposition is the cost of ink, which isn’t the cheapest on the market. Thankfully, Canon’s printer ink subscription service eases the blow and is your best option if you are going to get plenty of use out of this printer.

Reviewer: Simon Handby
Full review: Canon PIXMA TS5350i review

The Instax Square Link is one of three instant “Link” printers sold by Fujifilm. While each printer in this series has its own unique feature set, the deciding factor here ultimately comes down to film size – that is if you want to print mini, wide or, in this case, square photos. 

The Square Link makes it easy to print bright and detailed 6.2 x 6.2cm images on the go with help from the smartphone app. Photos take just 15 seconds to print, though we found film development lasted a few minutes once the paper was ejected from the printer. 

The editing controls in the app are very basic, but offer a convenient way to crop and rotate your images and boost the brightness, saturation and contrast before you hit print. You also have the option to edit the images in a third-party app before uploading them. 

There’s a good range of features available through the Instax Square app, including stickers, filters, collage templates and themed frames. 

There’s also an AR Print option not found on other Instax printers. This feature allows you to attach secret augmented reality messages and animations that can be unlocked by scanning the QR code on the print. 

Instax Connect is another Square Link-exclusive feature that gives you the ability to decorate images before sending them to friends and family to print. There’s even a calendar to make sure you don’t miss any important birthdays or holidays. 

The printer itself is quite chunky, but still small enough to slip into most small bags, making it a great option for taking on the go. 

Of course, being an instant printer (and not an instant camera) also means you also have the option to snap photos when you’re out and wait until you get home to print them, making the Square Link a convenient gateway into instant photography. 

Reviewer: Hannah Davies
Full review: Instax Square Link review