With over 200 printers tested, I've selected the best inkjet printers for the home and home office right here. As senior printer editor, inkjets have always been the mainstay for most people. These all-rounder models are relatively cheap to buy (depending on the features) and easy to use, capable of printing images and text without any issue.
For my overall pick, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e (9010e) is the top choice for most people - whether you need an inkjet for the home or home office. This 4-in-1 model delivered excellent print-outs during my review process, with rapid print speeds that left me impressed.
What's new? In this latest update, I've selected the ever-reliable HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e (9010e) as the overall pick, as I feel its versatility is better-suited for most readers.
Best inkjet printer overall
✅ You want a prompt printer for the home or home office. I was delighted with the overall speeds of this inkjet compared to cheaper models.
✅ You need an inkjet printer that does it all. This is an all-in-one model with print, scan, copy, and fax features that all worked very well in my tests.
❌ You only print on a casual basis. If you don't need a daily printer for regular use, this is probably overkill.
❌ You want speedy double-sided printing. While fast for single-sided prints, I found duplex mode felt slower than I expected.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e (known as the 9010e or 9012e in the UK and Europe) is a feature-rich inkjet printer that does it all.
As a 4-in-1 model, it has print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities - all of which worked very well during my testing. And the features don't end there, with duplex mode, automatic document feeder being highlights for those who print regularly.
Performance proved excellent across the board. First off, it's pretty fast for an inkjet printer. I measured it at around 22 pages per minute when printing black and white documents. However, that did slow right down when printing double-sided, which may be a deal-breaker for some. Printing, scanning, and copying all worked very well.
Text documents appeared bold and legible in both monochrome and color, and photos on standard paper is fine. Where it falls down here is if you're printing large areas of black (where I spotted horizontal lines) or photographs on glossy photo paper (where it lacks details).
But for general inkjet printing, most users won't see that as an issue. I found in most areas print quality remains very high, very accurate, making it well-suited for home and home office use.
Read our full HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e (9010e) review.
Best inkjet printer on a budget
✅ You have many print jobs of all kinds. Larger cartridges mean you can print more pages more economically, handling everything from coated photopaper to stickers and envelopes.
✅ Your budget is limited. This modest inkjet is unusual in being both cheap to buy and quite cheap to run.
❌ You print long documents. With no auto-duplex mode, you have to turn each page over yourself to print the other side.
❌ You scan long documents. The inbuilt scanner is fine, but there’s no ADF and no single pass 2-sided copying, so you’ll be turning those pages by hand.
There are plenty of cheap inkjet printers out there with a few more features than the Brother MFC-J1205W ( known as the DCP-J1200W in the UK and Europe) - the HP Envy 6555e (6530e) springs to mind. But what makes the Brother the better deal overall is that it's budget-priced,. does everything most people need, and it's cheaper to run long-term.
This INKvestment Tank inkjet printer can accommodate unusually large inkjet cartridges, which is why the bodywork bulges on the right-hand side. It’s Brother’s answer to refillable supertank printers and its high-capacity cartridges can yield up to 750 pages, making it more economical to run than rival cartridge-based inkjets. Throughout my tests the Brother MFC-J1205W printed to a consistently high standard on both plain and photo paper.
To keep the purchase price down, this simple all-in-one has few features. There’s no auto-duplex mode, no multipurpose tray, no fax, or display of any kind. There’s just a scanner bed for copying documents one side at a time and an in-tray tray that can hold 150 sheets of letter or A4 paper. But if that’s all you need, the Brother MFC-J1205W offers great value for money.
Read our full Brother MFC-J1205W (DCP-J1200W) review
Best inkjet printer with refillable tank
✅ You print a high volume of color pages. Epson’s ink is cheap enough that you needn’t worry about printing in color. You’re also getting a lot of ink in the box – enough for around 20,000 pages.
✅ You regularly scan documents. The flatbed scanner does a better job than a phone app. It also has an ADF for scanning up to 30 pages automatically.
❌ You print mostly photos. This office printer is pretty good at printing on coated photo paper, but that’s not its strongest suit.
❌ You also print tabloid-size pages. For that you’ll need a large-format printer that can take paper up to A3-size.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4850 is a mid-range all-in-one ink tank printer with useful business features and a very low running cost. It also did a great job of printing my test pages. If you're looking for an inkjet for your home office, this one probably has all you need, including a scanner, an ADF (automatic document feeder), auto-duplex printing and a fax facility.
Paper tray capacity tops out at 250 sheets, and while I’d liked to see a multimedia tray included, the rest of this package more than makes up for it. I found that it printed color and monochrome pages very well and made a decent fist of photos on photo paper too, although I think the images lacked detail compared to a dedicated photo printer.
I had no problem at all using the printer, thanks to the touchscreen interface that makes it easy to access the various features. What really sets the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 apart from its cheaper cartridge-bound rivals are those ink reservoirs which can hold enough ink to print over 10,000 pages. And with bottled ink costing around 85% less than cartridge ink, you’ll soon be saving money.
Read our full Epson EcoTank ET-4850 review
Best inkjet printer for tabloid paper
✅ You sometimes print larger documents and photos. This wide format printer is great at printing on any kind of paper up to tabloid or A3+.
✅ You know roughly how many pages you’re going to print each month and you never use third-party ink. If that’s the case, it’s worth subscribing to HP Instant Ink for discounted cartridges. This printer comes with three free months of ink.
❌ You also scan A3 or tabloid-size documents. The ADF and its scanner are limited to A4 or letter-size paper.
❌ You have a high print load. HP’s ink cartridges are expensive. For volume printing you should consider a supertank inkjet or a laser printer.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e is a well specified office inkjet at a competitive price with the power to print on larger paper up to A3+. There’s room on board for a whopping 500 sheets of A3 or tabloid-size paper stock in its twin trays, plus a 35-sheet automatic document feed for copying multiple A4 or letter-sized documents.
The print rate of 22ppm (pages per minute) is fast for an inkjet and essential features such as dual-band Wi-Fi, AirPrint and HP’s Wolf Pro Security are included. It’s also easy to use thanks to the large 4.3-inch capacitive display and an intuitive companion app. As ever, however, the catch with any cheap cartridge-based printer is the cost of the ink, which is not competitive.
I also had some printing issues with paper jams and an inability to print on paper over 105 g/m² in weight. I wouldn’t recommend it as a workgroup printer in a busy office, but it could work well in a home office environment.
Read our full HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e review
Best inkjet printer for the home office
✅ You need a reliable inkjet for the home office. This printer comes with all the features I'd expect from a small business model, from 4-in-1 functionality to high paper tray capacity.
✅ You print a lot. One of the things I really like about the printer is the sheer number of ink you get right out of the box, letting you print often and regularly before needing to top up.
❌ You're printing a lot of color documents. I found colors were somewhat muted when printed - which isn't an issue for most business and home office use, but may not be ideal for everyone.
❌ You need a printer with a double-sided scanner. While this all-in-one has plenty of features, dual-scan isn't one of them.
The Brother MFC-J4535DW (known in the UK and Europe as the MFC-J4540DW) is a superb inkjet printer for the home office.
And I say that specifically because it's a relatively compact 4-in-1 model that prints, scans, copies, and faxes. More importantly for those who need a reliable business-focused printer, it has a very large paper tray capacity. This printer has two paper trays, one holding 250 sheets, the other holding 150, alongside a 20-sheet ADF. So, less time should be spent prepping the printer for its next job.
In terms of performance, I have little to complain about. Text documents appear crisp and consistent, and almost as good as a laser printer in my experience. Color printing is also good, although it's let down by results using glossy photo paper, where they looked somewhat flat and less vibrant to me. I also found it prints fast - around 20 imprints per minute in black and white, and almost as quick for color, which is rare for an inkjet.
For me, this printer comes with everything I'd expect from a home office inkjet printer minus double-sided scanning. It's very easy to use, print-outs are great and, for documents, it's impressively quick and detailed.
Read our full Brother MFC-J4535DW (MFC-J4540DW) review
Best inkjet printer for cheap photo printing
✅ You want affordable photo printing. With support for a range of paper types, I found this printer was a great pick for anyone printing pictures without breaking the bank.
✅ You want a refillable inkjet printer. Helping make this a good pick for cheap photo printing is the fact that it's an ink tank model, which is more economical to run.
❌ You want top-end features. This printer is lacking in a lot of features some users may need, including a touchscreen for controlling prints.
❌ You need to print on A3. Some photographers may want a bigger canvas than the G620 provides - in that case, I recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-18100
The Canon Pixma G620 (known as the G650 in the UK) is my top overall pick in my guide to the best photo printers. It's not rich in features, but output is excellent for the price, and for most people, it's going to deliver precisely what they want from an inkjet when printing photos onto glossy paper.
As I say, features are light. There's no touchscreen, few ports, and only manual duplex mode. But it delivers outstanding value for money and for printing photos, it absolutely excels.
The printer accepts a wide range of paper types and thicknesses - ideal for printing images onto glossy photo paper or even printable fabrics. And the quality of the print-outs impressed us. The unit's six color dyes produce excellent color fidelity.
Better still, this is an ink tank model, which lets you refill via ink bottles, making it cheaper in the long run compared to traditional cartridge-based printers. For a more feature-filled inkjet printer for photos that's suitable for more professional use, check out our Epson EcoTank ET-18100 review.
Read our full Canon Pixma G620 review
Best inkjet printers: FAQs
Which is best - inkjet printer or laser?
Whether it's the best small business printer for your office or one for home use, when it comes to inkjet vs laser, there are some clear differences.
The best Inkjet printers are fairly inexpensive to buy, but they're slower to print and use ink cartridges that can be expensive in the long term.
Laster printers, on the other hand, are typically very expensive to buy - and are often aimed at professionals and business. However, they have excellent printing speeds and toners are cheaper to buy in the long run.
How to choose the best inkjet printer
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When choosing which inkjet printer is best for you these are the top considerations:
Print-only or multifunction?
If you only need to print, and don't need scan, copy, and fax capabilities, you can generally save some money compared to a multifunction printer (MFP), also known as an all-in-one (AIO). However, you may also miss out on key features like automatic document feeders by opting for a print-only device. We tested out the best all-in-one printers.
Home or office?
Printers for the home tend to be cheaper, smaller, and less robustly built - and in most cases, home printers will be inkjets. For businesses, printers are typically focused on high-speed, high-volume print jobs conducted by multiple users. In many cases, businesses opt for laser printers, as they produce better quality documents.
Should I sign up to a subscription plan?
Subscription services like HP Instant Ink offer cheap ink cartridges mailed to your door before you run out. If you're printing a lot and regularly, it can make sense to set up a subscription, but it's generally not necessary for most general users.
What features do I need?
Most printers print on any size paper up to Letter, or A4. And that's fine for most people. However, the best large format printers and the best A3 printers we've reviewed are best for bigger prints. You'll also want to check for ADF and auto-duplex printing (and scanning, too, if you need it). These features help you stay more productive, letting the printer do the work for you, although expect to pay for these.
What’s my budget?
In our experience, most of the best cheap printers are inkjet printers. These models are affordable to buy, with companies making money on more expensive ink cartridges. Initial outlay on laser printers is more expensive, but toners cost less. However, for the most economical on-going costs, we recommend ink tank printers, letting you refill the printer with bottled ink. We've also seen a lot of great Prime Day printer deals and Black Friday printer deals when the sales are live, so keep your eyes peeled around that time.
How we test the best inkjet printers
As the senior printer editor at TechRadar Pro, I’ve tested hundreds of products, from the best small business printers, and the best printers for Mac, and I’m always improving my methodology. The process starts right from the unboxing and initial set-up, which is timed. If there’s a problem with unsustainable packaging or a baffling user manual, I’ll call it. If it’s a pleasure to use, that’ll be reflected in the final score too. I always test both wired and wireless connections and explore the various remote printing companion apps offered by brands such as HP and Epson as these often enhance the user experience.
For the performance tests, I have a folder of test cards, photos and text documents designed to assess detail resolution, contrast, color accuracy and gamut. Some test images are particularly good for spotting feathering and smearing among inkjets. A ten-page text document is useful for measuring print rates because I never take manufacturer's claims at face value. Having said that, the quoted print and scan speeds are usually accurate enough that I rarely contradict them.
I print each test page on a range of standard paper stock from cheap 75gsm sheets to 600gsm card, as every printer has its limits and preferences when it comes to paper quality. And if the manual claims you can print on envelopes, labels or t-shirts, I test that too.
Features such as auto-duplex scanning or copying multi-page documents via an ADF (automatic document feed) are evaluated, and an assessment of build quality and design contributes to the overall rating. I pay particular attention to the COO (cost of ownership) because cheap printers can often give lower value for money when you calculate the ongoing consumables cost.
Find out more about how we test, review, and rate printers on TechRadar Pro.
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