There is no one-size-fits-all printer model in the market. For instance, some printers are more suitable for graphic designers & photographers while others are designed to speedily churn out a large number of pages while keeping the ink costs low. If you’re looking to buy a budget printer for personal use, you should consider your specific requirements.
Ponder upon questions such as:
- Do you really need a color printer?
- Photos, school assignments or reports – what do you need to print more often?
- Do you really need the printer to have a fax function?
- Are productivity features important to you?
- Do you intend to use high-yield cartridges in future?
Listed below is a selection of seven budget-friendly printers with different features that you should consider for personal use:
- Epson WorkForce WF-2760
An all-in-one inkjet with print, copy, scan and fax functions, WorkForce WF-2760 features a 2.7” color touchscreen for easy setup and navigation. At its current price range, it’s one of the few printers that offer duplex printing, 30-sheet auto document feeder, and a convenient 150-sheet paper tray. There is no additional photo-paper tray.
Standard interfaces include Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, and NFC (touch-to-print).
This inkjet has 4-color pigment ink cartridges; you can replace only the color you need. Standard-capacity black and color (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow) ink cartridges can print about 175 and 165 pages respectively. High-yield cartridges can print up to 500 pages in black and 450 pages in color. If you print more than a few hundred pages every month, you should focus on how to get the right cartridge for your printer.
Known for speedy printing and copying, WorkForce WF-2760 delivers great quality for both text and visually rich documents.
- HP ENVY 5055
You can print, copy, and scan high quality photos/graphics and documents with sharp, crisp text at home with this versatile all-in-one printer. The device with 2.2” mono touchscreen is well-equipped to handle different printing jobs but photo-printing is where it really stands out.
Photographs and graphics-rich documents printed by HP ENVY 5055 are borderless, crisp, and vibrantly-colored. From legal and letterhead (8”x10”) to photo (4”x6”) and envelopes (No. 10), the printer supports a variety of paper sizes.
ENVY 5055 is eligible for HP Instant Ink replacement and recycling service which automatically reorders ink cartridges when the printer is running low on ink. The most popular ink subscription plan involves a monthly fee of $2.99 for ink enough to print about 50 pages. High-yield ink cartridges are optional.
The printer supports wireless and mobile printing. It has duplex printing capability but automatic document feeder is missing.
- Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3720
A 4-in-1 (print, scan, copy, and fax) with Wi-Fi, WorkForce Pro WF-3720 delivers high quality prints with laser-sharp text. The inkjet also offers Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet, and NFC (touch-to-print) connectivity options.
This inkjet is compact in size. It includes some highly convenient features such a 35-page automatic document feeder (saves time), automatic duplex printing (saves paper), and a 2.7” color touchscreen for easy navigation. Such features are rarely found in a budget printer.
WorkForce Pro WF-3720 uses four individual ink cartridges. The printer supports a maximum resolution of 4800 x 2400 DPI. With its 250-sheet (letter or legal) front loading paper tray, you’ll have to reload paper less often.
- Brother Monochrome HL-L2350DW
An entry-level monochrome laser printer, Brother HL-L2350DW is fast (32 pages per minute) for its lean price, and it offers good print quality overall, too.
This printer isn’t designed to produce glossy documents and graphics; it performs well in one area you’ll expect it to – printing reasonably appealing monochrome/grayscale documents. Text is well-shaped and legible even at smaller font sizes.
If you’re a student or a working professional and your monthly print volume doesn’t exceed a few hundred pages, this laser printer can serve you well. It can print neat Excel sheets, PowerPoint handouts, reports, and documents comprising of text and simple graphics.
Connectivity options on HL-L2350DW include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and USB. There’s no Ethernet but you can use third-party applications such as Google Cloud Print and Apple AirPrint.
The printer has a 250-sheet input tray (up to 8.5” x 14″). A manual feed slot can handle media ranging from 3” x 5″ to 8.5” x 14″. Automatic duplex printing is available.
- HP OfficeJet 3830
An all-in-one with print, scan, copy, and fax functions, HP OfficeJet 3830 is an affordable inkjet printer capable of printing lab-quality photos and graphics. The printer is eligible for manufacture’s ink subscription program.
A compact device with 2.2” mono touchscreen for easy navigation, 35-sheet automatic document feeder, and 60-sheet paper input paper tray, OfficeJet 3830 can easily fit on your desk or on a shelf. It supports a variety of media sizes including A4, B5, A6, and DL envelope.
In-box cartridges can print up to 165 pages in black and 100 pages in color. High-yield (XL) cartridges are optional.
This inkjet can churn out up to six pages per minute in color. In ‘draft mode,’ it can print up to 16 pages per minute.
- Canon TS9120
Lightweight and compact, Canon TS9120 can print (auto 2-sided), copy and scan. This inkjet is known for producing great-looking photographs/graphics and detailed documents with its 6-color individual ink system; two additional ink cartridges help print better quality photos.
The device does not have an automatic document feeder but the outstanding output quality with borderless printing makes it a great buy for many consumers.
From family photographs, invitations and homework assignments to graphic design portfolios and reports, TS9120 can handle a variety of print jobs.
An intuitive 5” LCD touchscreen is highly convenient; you can also use the built-in creative filters through this large display screen to add different effects to your images before you print them.
The printer supports wireless and mobile printing. There’s a built-in SD memory card reader and a USB port too.
- Brother MFC-J497DW
A compact and inexpensive color inkjet with print, copy, scan, and fax functions, Brother MFC-J497DW offers duplex printing (saves paper) capability and 20-sheet automatic document feeder system (saves time).
Output quality is the strong suit of this printer; it prints decent graphics, sharp text, and images with accurate colors.
Having 100-sheet paper tray capacity, it can accommodate letter and legal-size paper. Do keep in mind that the device supports plain-paper only.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct. Using this multifunction printer with onscreen menus on a 1.8” color display is easy.
