Inkjet printers are an invaluable piece of equipment, whether for the home office, a small business, or for printing photos. In this guide, we outline the major factors you'll need to review when buying. We've also put together a list of recommendations including all-in-one models with scanners, options for wireless or WiFi printing, and economical buys with refillable ink tanks.
Online retailers like Amazon, eBay, John Lewis and Argos are great places to buy A4 and A3 inkjet printers from leading brands like Canon, Epson, Brother and HP, including budget options under £100. We hope that this buying guide helps you in your search for the perfect office companion!
Quick List - Top Inkjet Printers
Epson
Compact Multi-Functional Inkjet Printer With Impressive Resolution
HP
Smart Printer That’s Compatible With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
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Jani is a professional photographer and filmmaker from Finland with over 15 years of experience in both fields. He has studied at some of the best schools and universities across the globe, leading him to become an expert in creative industries. Today he is the creative director and the owner of JP Harrow Portraits that specialises in portraiture for same-sex couples and families in London, UK.
If you're looking for an expert in portrait photography, filmmaking, drone flying or anything else technical, make sure to visit Jani's website JP Harrow Portraits for quotes and direct contact, or follow him on Instagram.
Inkjet printing involves little nozzles that spray spots of ink at the paper, and the number of dots per inch (dpi) is one of the main determinants of how crisp your prints will be.
If you’re looking to print out the occasional letter or email, 600 dpi is fine. 1200 dpi is spot on for important documents and most amateur photographers, and professional photographers should aim for resolutions of 2880 x 1440 dpi or higher.
If you want to print photos or documents with some graphics, then colour is a must, and luckily, many printers print in full colour at very reasonable price points.
Mobile printers are great for printing high quality colour photos, too.
If you only intend to use your new inkjet printer for printing regular everyday documents, then pretty much any printer out there will be good enough for you. You honestly don't need to worry about the printing resolution since they all print well enough to satisfy 95% of the people.
It is only when you want to print high-quality images that you need to start looking into the DPI number and ensure it's high enough to meet your requirements.
If you have large print jobs to complete with short turnarounds, then print speed may be an important factor in your consideration of different inkjet printer models. The print resolution and ink coverage on the page also affect how long each page takes to print, so check manufacturer’s specifications as a guide.
Look for at least 5-10 pages a minute for colour prints and 10-15 pages per minute for mono as a reasonable speed. If you do print lots of documents or photos and time is critical, then some of the models on our top 10 list boast as many as 20 pages per minute in colour!
The printing speed will matter more in the office setting, where you might need to print hundreds of documents each day.
Most printers today are fast compared to what they used to be like 20 years ago, so pretty much any regular inkjet printer will be more than sufficient for everyday use. So if you are not printing over 20 pages per day, you don't need to think about the printing speed.
Most current inkjet printers support Wifi and USB printing, allowing you to print wirelessly from anywhere in your home as well as connecting the printer directly to a computer. However, many printers also offer a number of options such as direct printing from media card slots and printing directly from your phone or other smart devices.
Thinking about how you are likely to approach your printing can help you identify models that cater better to your needs. For example, if you want to print photos, choosing a printer with media card slots or a mobile phone app for direct printing can help you bypass time-consuming tasks on your computer.
Pick the best WiFi routers and USB WiFi adapters while you're here!
One of the most valuable features of modern-day printers is the ability to print wirelessly no matter where you are. Many printers even support remote printing, which means you can be in a different country and still send a document to your printer to be printed.
I highly recommend you buy a printer with a wifi printing feature since it future proofs your printer for many years to come.
Many printers will accept a number of different paper sizes and thicknesses and it’s worth checking the printer specifications on which paper thicknesses and sizes they can handle. Many will print a range of paper sizes up to A4, but there are also a couple of A3 printers on our top 10 recommendation list.
Do also consider the types of paper you’re likely to use in your projects. If you regularly use photo paper, ensure the printer you choose accepts heavier weight papers of up to 120 or even 300 gsm (grams per metre squared).
You don’t need to worry will your printer take any particular paper as long as the package says it is inkjet or laser printer compatible. Whether you need the ability to print A3 size documents is something you need to decide yourself.
If you don’t plan to use such a feature more than once or twice a year, you will be better of by getting a regular printer that prints up to A4 size.
Duplex printing is a useful feature that allows you to print double-sided documents. Many models do offer this feature, and it’s worth ensuring that the model you choose includes what is referred to as 'automatic duplexing' if this is something that you’d use regularly.
It helps you to save on money, materials and space as you'll be using less paper overall, which will reduce your costs, prevent you from quickly running out of materials while working, and also lessen the weight of the document.
Duplex printing is one of the most useful features on any printer, and I would highly recommend anyone buying a printer to ensure their printer comes with this feature. It saves a lot of paper when you can print on both sizes automatically without manually turning over the paper each time.
If you need to regularly run large volumes of printing, it is worth ensuring that the printer you invest in comes with a larger paper tray. Most trays will hold at least 100 sheets of standard 80 gsm printer paper, but if you expect to print in volume, look for trays that offer 250 or even 500 sheet (a ream) capacity.
Similarly, if you often use more than one type of paper, it may be worth looking for printers that have more than one tray, or perhaps one with a rear feed to save you having to swap the paper regularly.
If you need more options, take a look at our top laser printer.
For most people, including those who might use the printer as part of their home office work, a regular printer with its 100 paper capability will be more than enough.
You only need to think about the paper tray capacities if you plan to print more than 20 pages each day because, after that, it can become a chore to load more paper to your printer on a daily basis.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Epson EcoTank|ET-7750 | ![]() | The Best Printer for High-Quality Photo Printing | |
2 | Epson Expression Premium |XP-6100 | ![]() | Compact Multi-Functional Inkjet Printer With Impressive Resolution | |
3 | HP OfficeJet Pro All-in-One Wireless Printer|8012 | ![]() | Smart Printer That’s Compatible With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant | |
4 | Canon Pixma|TS9550 | ![]() | Top Selling Inkjet Printer With Wireless Printing and Scanning | |
5 | Brother All-in-One Inkjet Printer|MFC-J5330DW | ![]() | Print A3 Documents at Home | |
6 | HP Deskjet All-in-One Printer|2630 | ![]() | Budget 3-In-1 Inkjet Printer for Home Offices | |
7 | Epson EcoTank Inkjet Printer|ET-2710 | ![]() | High Resolution for Printing Professional Quality Photographs | |
8 | Canon Pixma |G6050 | ![]() | High Quality Printing, Scanning and Copying | |
9 | HP ENVY Photo All-in-One Wireless Printer|7134 | ![]() | Print Wirelessly From Your Camera or Smartphone | |
10 | Epson EcoTank|ET-4750 | ![]() | High Performance Inkjet Printer With Refillable Ink Tanks |
Aimed at the higher-volume user, this workhorse offers scanning and copying capabilities in addition to fast print speeds of 28 pages a minute for colour and monochrome prints. With full auto duplexing and a 5760 x 1440 dpi print resolution suitable for even the most discerning professional photographer, this printer can print and scan up to A3-sized documents.
This is an excellent choice for small businesses or those who work from home and regularly print a lot of pictures as it provides an ultra-low cost solution for high-quality photo printing with its high-capacity ink tanks that come with 2 years supply of ink, and can print up to 3400 photos!
This compact unit offers high-quality 5760 x 1440 dpi document and photo printing as well as scanning and copying capabilities in a tiny 349 x 340 mm footprint, meaning it will fit in even the tiniest of offices – or makeshift offices! With wireless printing from your computer, devices, and directly from SD cards, you have the flexibility to print however and wherever you like.
While it is not as fast as some other printers, it delivers a respectable 11.3 colour pages or 15.8 mono pages it per minute. An excellent choice for home or other use, this multi-functional inkjet printer packs in many features at an affordable price.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8012 offers outstanding value for money, packing in scanning and copying as well as high-resolution wireless 4800 x 1200 dpi printing for under £150. The generous 225 sheet paper tray for printing a variety of paper sizes up to A4 is a boon to those printing larger documents and the printer achieves decent speeds of up to 18 pages per minute in mono and 10 ppm in colour.
While the footprint of this printer is larger than most of the others in our lineup, which may be an issue if you’re tight on space, this printer offers very respectable performance across the board at a surprisingly low price point.
High quality 4800 x 1200 dpi mono and full colour documents and photographs are as easy as pie with this feature-packed inkjet printer from Canon. Featuring five individual inks for vibrant colour printing, the TS9550 offers wireless double-sided printing from your computer or mobile devices using Bluetooth and Wi-fi, as well as scanning and copying facilities.
Taking up just 468 x 366 mm worth of desk space, while boasting a 100-page front-loading paper tray and 100-page rear feeder, this printer has a lot to offer both home and small business users.
Though aimed at small businesses, this all-in-one is a brilliant addition to any office. Its compact footprint is comparable with that of similar A4 printers, but it offers up to A3 printing capabilities. In addition, it has a large, 250 page paper tray as well as rear manual feed, which saves on refilling and swapping media.
Wi-fi connectivity and a 6.8 cm touchscreen control panel allows you to print right from your smart device as well as computer. All in all, this is an extremely cost effective performance machine that ticks a lot of boxes.
This option from Hewlett Packard offers incredible value for money, with high resolution 4800 x 1200 dpi wireless A4 printing, as well as scanning and copying capabilities. This is a great entry-level multi-function device for home or small business users.
While its colour printing is a little on the slow side and it doesn’t offer duplex printing unlike most of the other machines we've recommended, the multi-functional capabilities make this a very handy and accessible printer.
This multi-functional inkjet printer offers incredibly high-resolution mono and colour A4 printing as well as scanning and copying functionality, all at a mere 375 x 347 mm footprint. With an impressive 5760 x 1440 dpi print resolution, this printer offers print quality good enough to satisfy pro photographers.
Wireless printing from your computer or mobile device is a breeze, while the front-loading paper tray stores up to 100 sheets of standard paper. Epson’s innovative EcoTank again allows you to economically refill the colour tanks. Its print speed of 5 ppm colour, 10 ppm mono lets it down somewhat, however.
This all-in-one inkjet printer offers scanning, copying and printing in one handy device, saving you valuable desk space. With a high-spec 4800 x 1200 dpi print resolution, you can print double-sided documents, photos and more in full colour.
The Canon Pixma boasts refillable ink tanks, for economical printing that offsets the high initial cost in the long run. While the colour print speed is on the slow side, the mono speed is reasonable and the Wi-fi and instant print from digital device capabilities makes this a great addition to your home or office.
This stylish HP all-in-one offers scanning and copying capabilities as well as high-resolution 4800 x 1200 dpi, borderless mono and colour printing. It features wireless printing via Wi-fi and Bluetooth and has SD media slots for direct printing from your digital camera, too.
The HP Smart App lets you print straight from your Android or iOS phones, so you don’t even need a computer to print from this printer! However, the lacklustre print speed in an otherwise well-provisioned machine has meant that this model has ranked lower on our list.
This is part of the Epson EcoTank range that has ditched traditional print cartridges in favour of a refillable tank system that reduces printing costs. This A4 multi-functional printer is able to scan, copy and fax documents and photos while taking up little more space on your desktop than an A4 piece of paper itself!
The print quality is high enough to suit even pro photographers, while Wi-fi connectivity allows wireless printing from anywhere in your home, office or studio. It also boasts a large 250 sheet paper tray. There is a noticeably high initial outlay for this particular model, although ink top ups are very reasonable thereafter.
How often you print affects the life span of your inkjet printer. The less you print, the shorter the life span of your printer cartridge, so you should use your printer at least every few weeks to prevent the pigment from drying up and clogging the ink nozzles.
In the event that the print heads get clogged, you can run the cleaning cycle in the printer's utility software or from the printer's control panel to attempt to unclog them automatically.
If the problem persists, you may try manual cleaning by barely soaking the print heads (not the whole cartridge) in a solution of water and isopropyl alcohol for at least 2 minutes and then dabbing with a paper towel.
Written and researched by Sonata Winchester
No. 1: Epson|EcoTank|ET-7750
No. 2: Epson|Expression Premium |XP-6100
No. 3: HP| OfficeJet Pro All-in-One Wireless Printer|8012
No. 4: Canon|Pixma|TS9550
No. 5: Brother|All-in-One Inkjet Printer|MFC-J5330DW
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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