As a society, we may be more digital than ever, but having the best printer possible is still a necessity in most houses. Whether it's to print contracts, official documents, or even boarding passes, printers are a household staple. Not to mention, many of us are still working from home, or remote working a few days a week, and a printer is an excellent addition to our home offices.
If you're looking to upgrade your current printer, you may be tempted to spend a bit more and look at some more expensive products, but there are some brilliant products out there that won't break the bank.
With so many options out there, the thought of finding your ideal printer may be a little daunting. That's why we've done the difficult work for you and have scoured the market for the best cheap printers to buy. We've rounded up the cream of the crop, and most of them are below the £100 mark.
What should I look for in a printer?
Firstly, you should decide what type of printer you want and need. There are two main types out there: laser and inkjet. Inkjet printers use liquid ink when printing, whilst laser printers use toner powder. An inkjet printer has a higher quality of printing, however, a laser printer doesn't smudge.
Laser printers are usually more expensive, but they're more efficient and cheaper in the long run. This is due to the fact that ink cartridges (which inkjet printers use) are costly and not as efficient.
In terms of features to look out for, a scanner is quite useful, and/or if it has Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity too.
The best budget printers in 2022
Editor's pick
With a myriad of features and an excellent price tag, this is definitely the best budget printer out there. It has a scanner, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and even a smartphone app. This printer is ideal for a home office, and also comes with starter cartridges of ink.
Pros:
Great value for price
Handy features
Cons:
No free trial of HP Instant Ink
Best cheap printer for most features
Need plenty of features but not the added expenses? The Epson Expression Home XP-3100 is just what you're looking for. With a sleek LCD screen, compact design, Wi-Fi and mobile printing, it was built with ease in mind. We also love that it automatically prints on both sides, which significantly reduces paper wastage.
Pros:
Compact design
Mobile printing
Cons:
Slow printing
Best cheap compact printer
If you need a compact printer that you can easily transport, this laser printer from HP is the smallest one you can find on the market. It's incredibly quick, as it prints at a rate of 19ppm (pages per minute) and as it's a laser printer, it'll be efficient to maintain.
Pros:
Compact design
Fast printer
Cons:
Quite expensive
Best value for price
www.argos.co.uk
An all-around excellent printer, boasting plenty of features that are usually found in more expensive models. It has a scanner, copier, and it can print on both normal and glossy paper. Additionally, it has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Pros:
Suitable for photo and office printing
Cons:
Needs glossy paper to print photos
Best cheap printer for printing photos
If you're looking for an excellent photo printer, this Kodak Step Instant Printer does just that. It's seamless to use, you just need to connect via Bluetooth to print your favourite images and memories. We also love that it's fully portable and doesn't require ink cartridges, as it uses Kodak's ZINK photo paper instead.
Pros:
Brilliant print quality
Cons:
Only prints photos
Best budget printer
www.currys.co.uk
The ultimate budget printer, this HP DeskJet does everything you need from a printer. It boasts WiFi connectivity and even a scanner, a feature usually found with more expensive models. Additionally, it comes with a free two-month ink subscription!
Pros:
Free two-month supply of printing ink
Cons:
Goes through ink pretty quickly
Recommended
Rrp: £85.99
If you just need a basic, great quality printer without any of the added luxury features, the Canon PIXMA is ideal. It may not have a photocopier or a scanner, but the print quality is excellent and it's efficient to run.
Pros:
Easy to use
Economic to run
Cons:
Slow printing
Ink smudges easily
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