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David RS Taylor puts the top home printers to the test

It might seem like everything is online these days, but despite what tablets and smartphones would have you believe, the world isn’t quite ready to get rid of paper. As such, the printer is still a valuable tool, judging by the upturn in usage.

As people continue to move into a more hybrid way of working, isolated from the ubiquitous office printer, the need for rapid

prints next to the sofa has risen. In fact, a study by Cartridge World in 2021 showed that 20 per cent of people are using their printer more now than pre-pandemic, and half of those asked use their trusty home printer at least weekly.

There’s still room for the printer, then, but it looks like time’s up for the wired variety. Wireless printers are now so sophisticated, so quick, and so easy to set up, that fiddly wires are, for many, now a thing of the past. No more must you blindly scramble behind the desk with a disappointingly-short wire, desperately hoping you find the back of the computer while your back strains under the pressure of the office gymnastics you’re attempting.

Wireless printers are the present and (near) future. The option to print directly from your smartphone, tablet or laptop has ramped up a printer’s versatility, and printer apps have made the process a whole lot more pleasurable, linking nicely with systems like Google Cloud printing and Apple AirPrint.

As always with printers, however, beware of running costs. The initial price might look enticing, but most brands insist on using their own cartridges, and prices for these can vary substantially. Luckily, tech such as inkjet printers is making this less of a bind, too, with cheaper ink costs and less impact on the environment.

How we tested

We tested wireless printers from a range of the most popular brands on the UK market. First, we looked for practicality: ease of set-up, app usage, how seamless the experience is, and printing power. Second, we looked at design and size: will the printer fit nicely under a desk? Is it a bigger beast that makes up for its clunky size with monstrous printing capabilities? Finally, we looked at each printer’s eco credentials and ink costs: will we be buying new cartridges every few months, or does that inkjet model keep on printing from sunrise to sunset? These are the ones that are truly up to the task.

Canon Maxify GX7050 home printer: £644.94, Amazon

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 to 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.

Buy now

Canon i-SENSYS MF754Cdw: £429.90, Amazon

The Canon i-SENSYS MF754Cdw (say that five times fast) is a beast, a printing leviathan that takes two sensible owners to take out of the box and set down in the right spot. What you get for this, however, is one of the best printing experiences on the market, with rapid printing speed, quality black and white or colour prints, and impressively high-quality photo reproduction.

The touch screen is brilliantly responsive, and, along with a huge range of printing and scanning options, little touches like a crescent moon logo when in sleep mode elevate the i-SENSYS to the top table. The i-SENSYS is a cartridge printer, which adds a little to the ink premium, but if you’re looking for a nononsense printer that will handle pretty much anything a medium-sized office could throw at it, and you have a nice spot next to your desk, then you could do much worse.

Buy now

Epson ecotank ET-8550: £679.99, Epson

The Epson ecotank ET-8550 is the artist of the printing world. On top of the usual four ink tanks, the ET-8550 has extra black and grey tanks, providing an impressive depth to photo printing not really seen elsewhere. Colour balance stays pretty accurate on the whole, too, on a par with Canon’s photo offerings.

Basically, the ET-8550 produces some of the highest-quality photo prints we’ve tested, at a pacy rate and with minimal ink usage. Although the initial cost of the printer is pretty sizeable, the running costs make this easier to swallow: the range’s cartridge-free ink tanks lead to a more efficient printing process that’s not only better for the planet, but also your wallet. The ET-8550’s print yield is fantastic, providing thousands of prints off a single ink tank to save users money and extra hassle.

Buy now

Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser home printer: £144.99, Argos

The mono in the printer’s name refers to the fact that it’s a onestop 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.

Buy now

Canon selphy square QX10 home printer: £148.32, Canon

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 lastminute airbrushing you need to do (don’t bother, you look great).

Buy now

HP officejet pro 7720 A3 home printer: £192.90, Amazon

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.

Buy now

HP officejet pro 9020 home printer: £499.99, Onbuy

The 9020 is a bit of a beast and is much bigger than the other printers on this list. The printer comes with 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.

Buy now

Epson ecotank ET-3850 home printer: £349.99, Currys

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 job 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.

Buy now

Epson ecotank ET-1810 home printer: £169.99, Epson

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.

Buy now

HP envy inspire 7920e home printer: £129.98, HP

The HP envy inspire 7920e offers all the benefits of the 7220e (£109.98, HP), 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.

Buy now

The verdict

This list isn’t a matter of a straight-up comparison, as each of the printers included offers something slightly different. However, if you’re looking for a versatile, quick printer that produces quality prints of all types and has an eye on its eco credentials, the Canon Maxify GX7050 is a wise choice.

For those looking for low running costs and even more awareness of waste, Epson’s EcoTank range is the best around, and a serious contender at any price. Finally, for a home office printer that prints black and white at an astounding pace, the Brother HL-L2350DW mono laser printer is perfect.

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