Best Home Printers That Make Our Lives Colourful in the UK

The Brother HL-L3230CDW is probably the most hardworking, relentless printer within its price range. Sure, the device is unable to copy and scan, which is something that some printers within this price bracket are able to do. At the same time, the machine's performance, form factor, and utility more than make up for its unitasking disposition.

Starting with the form factor, the unit measures 41 x 46.1 x 25.2 centimetres, not necessarily the most compact printer we've ever seen but definitely up there with the more compact models. The weight's pretty bad though. Measuring 18 kilograms, the device is somewhat inconvenient to carry/move around since, like most printers, this device has no handles or anything like that. Of course, nobody carries printers around the office/home even on a semi-frequent basis, so that's not necessarily something we'd choose to complain about.

We might complain about the LD screen though. Sure, on one hand, this screen is pretty nice. The menu is accessible enough, the settings are intuitive, and the tools are easy to manipulate. That being said, the screen is pretty small, which is something that we would like to see improved in the next model's successor. As it is right now, the 1-line, 16-character LCD screen makes the aforementioned settings and tools somewhat inconvenient to manage.

HP printers are widely known for their exceptional printing quality of photos, and this one is no exception. The HP Envy 5010 really excels at its ability to deliver crisp, clear texts and glossy, high-quality images. So, if you're a photo lover or simply a person who would like to save your precious memories on photo paper, the Epson Expression Photo XP-8500 is here for you.

The HP Envy 5010 really delivers photos that can make people around become envious. And the quality is superb either on plain sheets or photo paper. Even tiny details will be extremely sharp and colourful. As a result, you'll get crisp, true-to-colour photos, which are perfect for everyday photo albums.

Positively, the HP multicolour cartridge is already included with the purchase. Also, you get 2 months of Instant Ink Trial included. Although the original HP 304 ink cartridges are a bit too pricey, you can minimise the costs by 70% if you subscribe to one of HP's plans (three levels). Both cartridge and delivery costs will be already included in your monthly payment.

If you’re working from home or need a printer for the less bulky jobs, look no further than the HP DeskJet. It’s a colour printer with the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth option that also helps you save up on the ink.

Let’s start with the fact that this practical unit covers most of your colour printing needs. From recipes, to travel tickets, to art & crafts, it can do it all. While not suitable for big-time office jobs, it will become your number one assistant with smaller tasks, business or private. The print quality is perfectly fine if you’re not aiming for the high art or the pro level outcome. In short, you’ll hardly have a reason to complain.

The HP DeskJet lets you print out as many as 700 free pages monthly if you participate in the Instant Ink program. When you do, you’ll be getting the ink shipments before the printer runs out of it. All this comes at no extra cost, and you won’t have to frantically order cartridges at the worst possible moment. (Of course, you can change or cancel your Instant Ink membership at any time.)

This versatile printer not only does its primary job, but also scans and makes nice copies in colour. Just about all you need for work, studies, or applications.

If you're looking for an affordable all-in-one device for occasional use, the Canon Pixma TS3350 inkjet is surely worth your closer attention. It's an entry-level consumer-grade MFP that's affordable enough to appeal to any casual user. Although it's not the fastest printer we’ve seen, it offers a high quality of printing and versatile connectivity.

To begin with, the Pixma TS3350 provides an impressive 4800x1200 dpi print resolution with lower 1200x600 dpi scanning resolution which should be enough for occasional document or photo scanning. For easy control, the printer has dedicated buttons for copying and scanning, as well as many other ones for some simple configuration procedures. On the top, you’ll also find a small, mono LCD display that shows the current status of the inkjet.

Do note that there is no SD card slot for printing right from a memory card, but the device offers alternative connectivity options including USB and Wi-Fi, as well as mobile access options (AirPrint, Mopia, Canon iPrint, Google Cloud Print, and more). So, you shouldn't have troubles when printing or scanning through mobile apps and services.

Speaking about compatible sheet formats, the printer has a 60-sheet rear tray and is capable of printing on a wide variety of papers and other media, including square 5"x5" photo sheets. The inkjet doesn't offer an automatic duplex printing, so it requires your supervision for two-sided prints.

The Epson Expression XP-2100 represents the company's cheapest line today. The model is not bad per se, but this is also not something you buy when you have the financial means to afford something a little more impressive. That being said, small offices these days seldom need more than this appliance can provide, so you can just as well pay ~40 quid and go with this one instead.

Is this the fastest printer yet? Not even close. Capping at 8 ppm (black) and 4 ppm (colour), this appliance is actually quite slow but, keeping in mind that you can print, scan, and copy, that this is not a monochrome model, and that, again, you're paying less than 50 quid, the aforementioned printing speed is nothing to scoff at, all things considered.

You would presume that, at the very least, you'll be sacrificing output quality yet almost the opposite is the case here. No, Epson's standard 4-colour 603 ink set will be able to provide reliable, vibrant, and crisp printing, all while reducing the outlay. Using pigment black and dye colour inks, the model churns out well-defined and vivid prints that look almost like the ones that you print with ~£150+ printers. Sure, photos and high-resolution images will not necessarily look stunning but the appliance more than covers graphs, charts, and handouts. Plus, the colours are supplied individually, meaning that when you run out of one, you'll only have to replace the colour(s) you need.