The Independent’s journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
11 best home printers to upgrade your wireless office setup
Not all printers are created equal, but we've found the top performers in our round-up
While wireless home printers might be quite a normal concept now, it was only a few years ago that technology caused a huge shift in printer design.
We’re sure that everyone reading this has, at some point, frantically tried to connect one to the back of the computer. All the while being worried that the ink cartridges have leaked or the paper you shortsightedly already put in the tray is about to spill out.
No more. The wireless printer is now, understandably, wildly popular, almost consigning its poor wired relative to the dustbin.
It’s easier to use and much more versatile, usually with the option to print directly from tablets or smartphones alongside your desktop. Printer apps have improved dramatically too, now linking up seamlessly with Google Cloud printing and Apple AirPrint.
Buying the printer is one thing, but be aware of ink costs. Most brands insist on using their own cartridges, and prices for these can vary substantially, so be sure to factor this into any purchase.
Read more:
How we tested
We tested a range of wireless printers from some of the biggest household names. We were looking for printers that were easy to set up, printed fast and were cost effective too. Here’s what we found...
The best home printers in 2022 are:
- Best overall – Epson ecotank et 2710: £239.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Best black and white printer – Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser printer: £139.99, Argos.co.uk
- Best portable printer for smartphones – Canon selphy square QX10: £149.99, Canon.co.uk
- Best for professional printing at home – HP officejet pro 7720 A3: £208.98, Amazon.co.uk
- Best compact printer – Epson expression premium XP-6100: £89.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for the home office – HP officeJet pro 9020: £349, Amazon.co.uk
- Best eco-friendly home business printer – Canon maxify GX7050: £569.88, Amazon.co.uk
- Best mid-range eco-friendly home business printer – Epson EcoTank ET-3850: £349, Currys.co.uk
- Best low budget eco printer – Epson EcoTank ET-1810: £159.99, Epson.co.uk
- Best value ink subscription system – HP envy inspire 7220e: £119.98 Hp.com
- Best HP envy with automatic document feeder – HP envy inspire 7920e: £139.99, Hp.com
Epson ecotank et 2710
Best: Overall
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 375mm x 347mm x 179mm
- App printing: Epson Connect, Google Cloud Print
- Print speed: 14 to 35ppm
- Paper capacity: 100 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
For a more eco-friendly approach to printing, Epson has a great range of ecotank printers that use cartridge-free ink tanks, leading to a more efficient printing process that’s not only better for the planet, but also your wallet.
Like the other Epson printers on this list, the et 2710 is easy to setup, with the clean “Epson Connect” app doing most of the work for you. The print quality and speed is at least on a par with any other printer on the list, and colour prints are especially vibrant. With no quality sacrificed for a more efficient and eco-friendly ink usage, more printers should be moving in this direction.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser printer
Best: Black and white printer
- Print/scan/copy: Print
- Dimensions: 438mm x 283mm x 519mm
- App printing: AirPrint, Cortado Cloud Print, Google Cloud Print 2.0, iPrint&Scan;, Brother Print Service Plugin, Mopria
- Print speed: Up to 30ppm
- Paper capacity: 250 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
The mono in the printer’s name refers to the fact that it’s a one-stop monochrome shop. If you need a printer that can rapidly whack out page after page of important black and white documents or your latest coming-of-age novel without breaking a sweat, this effort from Brother is one of the best out there.
Despite the large 250-sheet paper input, it’s a handy size for most tables, or to put under your desk. It’s also surprisingly quiet: Brother says that all the models within the HL range print at less than 50dB. We tested it late at night and felt more than comfortable doing so.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Canon selphy square QX10
Best: Portable printer for smartphones
- Print/scan/copy: Print photos
- Dimensions: 102mm x 143mm x 31mm
- App printing: Selphy photo layout
- Paper speed: 43 seconds per photo
- Paper capacity: 20
- Paper size: Polaroid size
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi
This is a very fun bit of kit. Almost a modern polaroid camera, simply pick a photo from your phone via the Canon app, frame how you like, and watch your square photo print in seconds. While it looks quite pricey on the surface, it’s a sophisticated machine: Canon claims that the high-quality prints will stay that way for 100 years (tested using an accelerated ageing method), so choose your photos wisely.
The portable mini-printer has a decent battery life, and feels sturdy enough to take with you on holiday. There are also options for filters and photo editing on the app for any last-minute airbrushing you need to do (don’t bother, you look great).
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
HP officejet pro 7720 A3
Best: For professional printing at home
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 584.9mm x 444.8mm x 306.4mm
- App printing: HP Smart, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Mopria
- Print speed: 18-34ppm
- Paper capacity: 250 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A3
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Don’t let the “office” in its name fool you: the 7720 is a strong choice for a home wireless printer. It looks good, the HP Smart app is straightforward – the best app on the list – and print quality is high. Thanks to its wide format, the 7720 can print up to A3, with scan and copy up to legal size (slightly larger than A4).
The cartridges are quite expensive, but you do get great quality from them, and the optional high-yield cartridges let you print up to three times as many black-text and two times as many colour pages. The 7720 is also the perfect choice for professional-quality brochures and flyers at a decent price and in the comfort of your own home, producing water, smear, and fade-resistant prints.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Epson expression premium XP-6100
Best: Compact printer
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 349mm x 340mm x 142mm
- App printing: Epson Connect, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
- Print speed: 11-15ppm
- Paper capacity: 100 sheets
- Paper size: A4
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
Epson’s XP-6100 proves that a good printer doesn’t need to cost the earth. Another all-in-one unit, it’s compact and stylish enough to fit in most settings, as a professional printer or something for the family. Once again, the app is easy to navigate, and printing, scanning and copying are straightforward.
The dual front-loading paper trays hold A4 and photo paper respectively, and there’s an option for double-sided printing. There’s no touchscreen, but that’s no issue when you have your phone or the computer, and the buttons work well enough. It also serves to keep the cost down. All in all, a well-performing printer at a good price. The printer is currently out of stock but you can sign up to be notified when it’s available.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
HP officeJet pro 9020
Best: For the home office
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 437mm x 396.3mm x 318.3mm
- App printing: HP Smart, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Mopria
- Print speed: 20-39ppm
- Paper capacity: 250 sheets
- Paper size: A4
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
The 9020 is a bit of a beast and is much bigger than the other printers in this list. What that comes with is a 35-page automatic page loader for hands-free copying, two 250-sheet paper trays that fit a full ream of paper, and the ability to scan both sides of a page at once.
The HP Smart app is a winner again here, helping you quickly access the files you want from Google Drive, Dropbox, the cloud or email – scanned pages can go the other way. It’s a big printer for big tasks, and the closest on this list to a proper office printer.
You can now sign up to be notified once this one is back in stock.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Canon maxify GX7050
Best: Eco-friendly home business printer
Rating: 8/10
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 399mm x 410mm x 314mm trays retracted, 399mm x 645mm x 387mm trays extended
- App printing: Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY. Easy-PhotoPrint Editor
- Print speed: 24 ipm mono, 15.5 ipm colour
- Paper capacity: 100 sheets rear tray, 250 sheets cassette 1, 250 sheets cassette 2
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
This pricy maxify printer from Canon might demand a second look at the bank balance, but the maxify line offers a higher yield of colour pages, prints faster, and produces an impressively accurate range of colours, when up against Canon’s Pixma products (which are in themselves not something to be sniffed at).
The GX7050 is a refillable ink tank printer marketed at the business user, but would certainly be a useful bit of kit at home, especially for those who need professional-quality prints for their home office/kitchen table. There’s a stonking 600-sheet capacity, and the refillable element adds bonus green points. It’s more expensive, but in this instance, you get what you pay for.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Epson EcoTank ET-3850
Best: Mid-range eco-friendly home business printer
Rating: 8/10
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 375mm x 347mm x 231mm
- App printing: Apple AirPrint, Epson Smart Panel App, Epson Connect
- Print speed: 33 pages/min mono, 20 pages/min colour
- Paper capacity: 250 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
For high-speed, business quality printing at an ultra-low cost, Epson has the goods. While the ET-3850 doesn’t have a touchscreen (something you might expect at this price) and is a pretty standard mid-range printer, the real advantage is the fantastic value ink. The ink that comes with the printer already has capacity to print 14,000 black and white pages (or over 5,000 colour), and any refill bottles cost – according to Epson – about 90 per cent less than traditional cartridges.
Besides the great value, this 3-in-1 does its jobs with minimal fuss, producing quality prints with impressive consistency. If you’re looking for a new printer for a small office or busy home (coursework won’t print itself), you won’t go far wrong with the ET-3850. Your bank balance will thank you.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Epson EcoTank ET-1810
Best: Low-budget eco printer
Rating: 7/10
- Print/scan/copy: Print
- Dimensions: 375mm x 347mm x 169mm
- App printing: Epson Smart Panel App, Epson Connect
- Print speed: 33 pages/min mono, 15 pages/min colour, 27 Seconds per 10 x 15 cm photo
- Paper capacity: 100 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
This is a printer that offers Epson’s top-class eco credentials with an even lower initial price. Prints from the more budget of the Ecotanks still offer good quality, an easy set-up and consistent wireless connection.
The price drop comes from the ET-1810 being a pure printing machine – no scan or copy capabilities here. However, for most users, this won’t be a huge problem. It’s a sound choice for a small household that needs a solid printer for the odd task without breaking the bank.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
HP envy inspire 7220e
Best: Value ink subscription system
Rating: 8/10
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 460mm x 383mm x 191mm
- App printing: Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, Chrome OS, HP Smart app
- Print speed: 15 pages/min mono, 10 ppm colour
- Paper capacity: 125 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
The envy inspire 7220e is a great value 3-in-1 machine that offers pretty much everything you need from a home printer for a lower price than many rivals. It performs admirably, with solid printing speeds and impressive quality prints. However, HP’s secret weapon takes its inspiration from the era of Netflix.
HP’s relatively new HP+ system makes it easy to see how much ink you have left, and Instant Ink, HP’s subscription model, can work out as a long-term boon to your finances (with an up to 70 per cent saving). It also means that you don’t need to worry about traipsing out to a shop to find the right cartridges or refill bottles, as HP will send replacement ink directly to your door.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
HP envy inspire 7920e
Best: HP envy with automatic document feeder
Rating: 8/10
- Print/scan/copy: All
- Dimensions: 460mm x 511.25mm x 233 mm
- App printing: Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, Chrome OS, HP Smart app
- Print speed: 15 pages/min mono, 10 pages/min colour
- Paper capacity: 125 sheets
- Paper size: Up to A4
- Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
For an extra £20, the HP envy inspire 7920e offers all the benefits of the 7220e (£109.99, Hp.com), but with the added bonus of an automatic document feeder. This might not seem important to most users, but for those who regularly scan or print multiple-page documents, ADF can save years of your life. Again, with the right HP Instant Ink subscription, ink refills are good value and hassle-free. If you prefer the hands-off approach to printing, this is the machine for you.
Price comparison
-
{{/hasItems}}
{{#items}}
- {{ merchant }} £{{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}}
Home printer FAQs
Do you need a single-function printer or an all-in-one?
If you’re working from home, an all-in-one (or multifunction) printer can save on precious desk space, but there are reasons why you might prefer a single-function printer.
If you’re planning on printing a large number of documents at once or printing very regularly, it could be quicker and more cost-effective to invest in a dedicated laser printer with no scanning or faxing capability. Also bear in mind that your smartphone can scan to PDF, and that you probably can’t remember the last time you needed to send a fax.
That said, most of the best consumer-level inkjet printers are now multifunction by default. Even if you never plan on scanning, it’s more useful to choose a printer based on its other features: its size, capacity, whether it’s front-loading (and so requires less room), and whether it can print on both sides of the page.
Should you buy third-party ink or refill kits?
Printer ink is infamously more expensive than gold, caviar and vintage champagne, so it’s no surprise that many consumers turn to cheaper third-party ink and compatible cartridges to keep their printer running. These are usually the very same branded cartridges, simply refilled with fresh ink and sold under a different name.
Just because they’re cheaper doesn’t mean they’re of inferior quality. Printer manufacturers might clutch their pearls and insist otherwise, but third-party ink from a reputable brand won’t damage your printer, void your warranty or impact the quality of your prints. In most cases, a third-party cartridge will perform just as well as a more expensive one bought from the printer’s manufacturer.
Amazon is a major retailer that sells refill ink, offering a multitude of options for Canon, HP, Lexmark, and other leading brands. If you’re signed up to a Prime membership, which costs £7.99 a month or £79.99 annually, you’ll have access to unlimited next-day delivery, which will come in handy if you run out of ink unexpectedly and need to print important paperwork.
There’s also printer-specific retailers such as Cartridgepeople.com that are a one-stop shop for all your printer needs, so you can pick up new ink refills, paper and stationery in one shop. It also offers free delivery on everything.
Should you buy a refurbished printer?
You should avoid buying a refurbished printer if you can. Printers are complex machines with many moving parts, and every last one of them is looking for an excuse to jam. The insides become worn down or gummed up with toner or ink over time, even – or sometimes especially – if the printer isn’t being used.
Generally speaking, new printers are sold at a low price to lock customers into a brand of ink, so the cost savings of buying a refurbished, consumer-level printer aren’t worth the potential problems further down the line. If you do decide to buy a refurbished printer, check for a guarantee, recertification or fresh warranty from the manufacturer.
Wireless printers at a glance
Wireless printer | Print / scan / copy | Size | Print speed | Paper capacity | Paper size | Connectivity |
Epson ecotank ET-2710 | All | 375mm x 347mm x 179mm | 14 to 35ppm | 100 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi |
Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser printer | 438mm x 283mm x 519mm | Up to 30ppm | 250 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi | |
Epson expression premium XP-7100 | All | 390mm x 339mm x 183mm | 11-16ppm | 100 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, SD card |
Canon selphy square QX10 | 102mm x 143mm x 31mm | 43 seconds per photo | 20 sheets | Polaroid size | Wi-Fi | |
HP officejet pro 7720 A3 | All | 584mm x 444mm x 306mm | 18-34ppm | 250 sheets | Up to A3 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi |
Epson expression premium XP-6100 | All | 349mm x 340mm x 142mm | 11-15ppm | 100 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Wi-Fi |
HP officeJet pro 9020 | All | 437mm x 396mm x 318mm | 20-39ppm | 250 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi |
Canon maxify GX7050 | All | 399mm x 410mm x 314mm trays retracted, 399mm x 645mm x 387mm trays extended | 24 ipm mono, 15.5 ipm colour | 100 sheets rear tray, 250 sheets cassette 1, 250 sheets cassette 2 | Up to A4 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi |
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 | All | 375mm x 347mm x 231mm | 33 pages/min mono, 20 pages/min colour | 250 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi |
Epson EcoTank ET-1810 | 375mm x 347mm x 169mm | 33 pages/min mono, 15 pages/min colour, 27 Seconds per 10 x 15 cm photo | 100 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Wi-Fi | |
HP envy inspire 7220e | All | 460mm x 383mm x 191mm | 15 pages/min mono, 10 ppm colour | 125 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Wi-Fi |
HP envy inspire 7920e | All | 460mm x 511.25mm x 233 mm | 15 pages/min mono, 10 pages/min colour | 125 sheets | Up to A4 | USB, Wi-Fi |
The verdict: Wireless printers
Your decision really depends on what you want from a printer. For a wireless printer that does everything you ask of it, produces high-quality mono and colour prints, saves on ink price and is better for the planet, the Epson ecotank ET-2710 is the best option. However, for a home office printer that prints black and white at an astounding pace, the Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser printer is perfect.
Voucher codes
For discounts on printers and more home tech, try the links below:
Whether you’re planning on heading back to the office or not, these are the best lightweight laptops on the market now
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.