Whether you're on the hunt for one of the best photo printers, or your office tech has left you curious, you might find yourself asking 'how does a laser printer work?'  Printing with lasers may sound like a work of science fiction, but laser printing technology has been around since 1969, when research began by Gary Starkweather at Xerox, leading to the world’s first commercial laser printer - the Xerox 9700 launching in 1977. Since their inception, they’ve become a firm favorite for office environments due to their inherently super crisp text, speed, reliability, and cost efficiency.

Laser printers use toner cylinders, which can be a single black toner roller on entry-level black and white laser printers, while more expensive full color laser models come with additional rollers, usually four in total, for black, cyan, yellow, and magenta colors. 

In operation, each Organic Photoconductor (OPC) drum becomes negatively charged by the primary charge roller (PCR). The printer software works out which parts of your sheet of paper need black, cyan, yellow or magenta toner to create the final image and fires a laser onto the relevant part of the drum to give it a positive charge to attract the negatively charged toner onto the drum from the toner hopper. 

The laser printing process is highly choreographed and at this point, your sheet of paper passes over the roller which has had the toner transferred to it. After passing through all of the rollers and the final document or image is created by all black, cyan, yellow, and magenta colors, it passes through the melting assembly where it becomes permanently melted into the paper. 

Due to the super fine resolution of the laser, this means that you can achieve crisp lines, much sharper than would be possible with even a high-end inkjet printer.

Now you know how they work, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons to find out if a laser printer is suitable for you…

Advantages of laser printers 

Laser printers have become commonplace in many offices because they’re very reliable and cost-efficient. Inkjet models are built completely differently, using print heads that disperse wet ink droplets onto the media and this is why you need to wait a little while for your prints to dry before touching them with inkjet printers, however, prints on laser printers come out fully dry and ready to go.

Inkjet printers also suffer from clogged print heads if they go long periods without use which can lead to unsightly lines or banding appearing in your prints. There’s a wastage issue associated with inkjet models too as you might be tempted to dispose of a partially used cartridge with a blocked print head to install a new cartridge with a fresh print head. This isn’t an issue with laser printers, and while each toner cartridge is expensive, at roughly £40-60 per toner, they last for incredibly long periods of time and depending on how much toner is used on each page this could be anywhere from a few thousand pages to tens of thousands of pages before your toners need replacing.

Laser printers can work out more cost-effective depending on what you’re printing and how often. If you do get low on toner or see banding you can take the toner cartridge out and gently tilt it from side to side to redistribute the toner and you should be able to extend the life of the toner roll a little after which it’s time to replace it with a new drum. Our Xerox C8130 laser printer also comes with a cleaning rod you can use to clean the colors and fix the banding.

Due to the nature of laser printers, they also deliver extremely crisp and sharp text making them great for office documents and they can print in a fraction of the time of an inkjet model.

Disadvantages of laser printers 

So we’ve looked at the advantages of laser printers and now it’s time to consider their drawbacks. Laser printers use large toner cartridges and roller drums compared to a small inkjet cartridge, so laser printers inevitably take up a larger footprint. However, this isn’t usually an issue for the large spacious office environments that they’re well suited for, but could potentially be a deal-breaker for someone looking to get a printer for their home office. 

There’s also the cost, though this isn’t straightforward. Inkjet printers are sold very cheaply, for less than it costs to make them in many cases, this is because the manufacturers make their money from the sale of ink cartridges.

However, laser printers are an expensive purchase, to begin with, plus you have the toner cartridges which cost around £40-60 each too, though as stated before they can last a very long time and be more cost-effective than inkjet models.

We spoke to one business owner that chooses to lease his laser printer paying around £200 per month and then on top of that 5p per color print and 0.005p per black and white print. As part of the lease, the company provides all of the toners you need as well as maintenance and keeps you up to date with the newest laser model too, you just provide your own paper. When we spoke to him he’d printed 14,000 pages and his black toner was only at 50%.

Another cost-related downside is they tend to be less power efficient as the laser and heating assembly use more electricity than your average inkjet model. This could be a sticking point given the increased cost of energy in the current cost of living crisis. 

One last thing to consider is that if you plan to print on labels you’ll need to get a pack specifically designed to work with laser printers with a thickness of at least 74 gsm to withstand the heat and avoid burning or jamming your printer which could be a costly mistake!

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If you're keen to make printing as simple as possible, then you're probably curious as to how to print from an Android phone. While it’s true that if you want really fine precision over your prints your best bet is to use a desktop computer or laptop with a dedicated program like Photoshop CC, sometimes all you need is ease. In many cases, it’s just more practical to quickly send documents directly to your printer from your Android smartphone or tablet. 

Your printer will need to have WiFi and be connected to the same wireless network as your Android smart device to get started. All of the best compact printers should feature the Mopria protocol. This was developed by Canon, HP, Smasung and Xerox and works in a similar way to Apple’s Airprint, allowing you to print wirelessly with compatible printers without the need to download a specific app to do so, helping to save time. 

So, here’s how to print from an Android phone.

How to print from webpage on an Android phone

Open up the Internet browser on your Android device, such as Google Chrome, and navigate the site to find the exact webpage you’d like to print. Next, tap the icon with three vertical dots next to your search bar and choose 'share', then scroll along until you find the 'print' option. You’ll now see a printing preview of what your webpage will look like once printed. 

Webpages can often be very long with lots of scrolling text, so if you only need a portion of the webpage to be printed you can select each page that you want to be printed. This will help you save both ink and paper, which is more economical. Once you have selected the pages, set the destination at the top to the printer you would like to print to. You can also change the number of copies you’d like to print and alter the paper size that is the same as what you have loaded. 

How to print images from an Android phone

Load up the 'Gallery' app, or whichever app you use to sort and manage images on your Android device. Now, scroll through to find the image you’d like to print, or if you’d like to print several images, hold down your finger on one of the thumbnails until you’re able to tick all of the images.  

Next tap 'more' (the icon looks like three vertical dots) and choose 'print' or 'export to PDF' from the list that appears. You then need to choose your printer from the drop down box at the top, set how many copies you’d like to print and change the paper size to whatever paper is currently loaded into your printer.  

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In our modern digital age setting up a new device should be simple, but it's still easy to find yourself searching 'how do I get my printer online?' 

Whether you're struggling to connect it to a computer, WiFi, or even your smartphone, we've got some quick steps to simplify the process. In this article we’ll look at how to get setup and overcome common issues that prevent you from setting up your printer. 

One thing to note is that if you’ve recently upgraded to a new router and your printer has stopped working, this could be because some older printers are incompatible with newer 5G routers. Be sure to check if your new router is 5G and the compatibility of your printer as if it has stopped working this is likely the cause. If so, you’ll either need to revert back to your old router or upgrade to a new printer that is compatible with 5G. You’ll also want to make sure that your printing apps and OS are up to date.

1. Connect to your computer and install the drivers

The first step is to connect your printer to your laptop or desktop computer using its provided USB cable. This should then allow you to download and install the proprietary drivers on your computer to get it all set up correctly, though be sure to check your owner's manual as this may change slightly from the manufacturer.

With our HP Deskjet, we connected it to a PC via the cable and switched it on. This then automatically prompted the plug-and-play drivers on the printer to install the HP Easy Start app allowing us to connect wired or wirelessly to the printer. We advise choosing the wireless option as this will set it up to allow you to use other smart devices via AirPrint in the future, just make sure that both your printer and computer are connected to the same WiFi network. You may also need to turn off a VPN in this initial setup phase. 

2. Connect to your smartphone

If your printer has the AirPrint capability, which many modern printers have, you'll have some basic functionality. However, this is rather rudimentary and the best way to print will be through a dedicated printing app. 

Consult your printer’s owners manual to find out which specific app you need to download for your smart device, such as the HP Smart Print app for HP printers. Not only will this give you more printing options, you’ll have full functionality of any extra features like scanning and copying.

What if my printer doesn't have WiFi? 

For older printers that don’t have WiFi or AirPrint functionality, you may still be able to get them online. You might need to connect your printer’s wired connection to the back of your internet router and many modern routers have a USB port you can plug your printer directly into. This will give your printer wireless functionality and allow you to find it on your network. You can then send your documents or images wirelessly to your router to print them.

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Whether you’re sending out a job application or you need to post items for work, learning how to print on envelopes will make your letters look far more professional than a handwritten address. Plus, it's quick and easy to achieve. 

The best compact printers will make this task even simpler, so you don't need to e an expert. When it comes to the software that we’ll be using to create our printed envelopes we’ll be using Microsoft Office and customizing one of the ready-made templates which makes it super quick to do. If you don’t have access to Microsoft Word you could also use a program like Google Docs or Adobe Photoshop CC. Here’s how you can do it…

How to print on envelopes

Envelopes come in different shapes and sizes and you’ll need to find out the dimensions of the envelope you have before printing. This should be written on the packaging materials, though if you’ve since disposed of them all you need to do is get a ruler and measure the length and height.

Turn on your printer and connect it to your computer by USB cable, WiFi or NFC. Then, insert the envelope into the paper loading tray with the shortest side at the bottom. The envelope needs to be front face up and you may need to adjust a slider on the printing tray to keep it in place and correctly aligned - especially if you’ve previously been printing A4, as envelopes are usually much smaller.

We used Microsoft Word to print our envelopes though you could use Google Docs or even Photoshop. We found it particularly easy to use Microsoft Word as you can go to 'File>New From Template', then from the templates list click on 'Stationary' and you’ll find a good variety of envelope templates. You just need to click the one that you like the look of and you can then change the color and fonts to customize the template to your liking.

The template we picked had a space in the top left for your organization, but this can simply be deleted if not needed by clicking on it and tapping the delete key. Then, type in the relevant details where the template tells you to, such as the recipient's name and address. You can delete blank text lines above the recipient name if you want to move the block of the text upwards to make sure it’s in the center of the envelope.

It’s now time to print so go to 'File>Print' and in the 'Page Setup' menu set the paper size to a relevant envelope size. If you can’t find one that’s quite right click 'Manage Custom Sizes' and manually input the width and height of your envelope. Finally, make sure the orientation is set to landscape to match the way your envelope is loaded into the printer, and hit 'Print' to finish.

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Learning how to print double-sided will allow you to get the most out of your printer. Double-sided printing, also commonly called duplex printing, is a common feature on all of the best compact printers and is essential for printing items like books or magazines. It's also useful for the everyday home office as double-sided printing helps to keep your documents organized and cuts down on paper waste, which is always a good thing! 

Here, we look at how to set up, use, and customize the double-sided printing options as well as how to manually print on both sides of a sheet of paper. If your printer is lacking this feature, or perhaps it’s time for an upgrade, it might be a good time to invest in one of the best compact printers. Here’s how it works…

How to print double-sided

Connect your best compact printer to your computer and open up your document. In our case we opened a large spreadsheet into Google Sheets that was too big to comfortably sit on a single sheet of A4 so would need to be printed across two sheets of paper. Now go to File>Print and make sure that the printer you wish to print on is selected, rather than a different device or set to PDF. 

Run through the usual printer settings to make sure you have the correct paper size, pages per sheet and color selected. You can also resize to fit or scale options are set as you want them to be.

If your printer has duplex functionality and can automatically print on the opposite side of the paper you should see a double-sided tick-box. You may also be given the option to flip on the long edge or flip on short edge. Flipping on the long edge will keep your text in the same direction the same way as when you flick through a book the text is the correct way up on all pages. Flipping on the short edge will make the text on one side appear upside down when you turn it over - this could however be useful when printing pictures.

If your printer doesn’t have double-sided printing you’ll need to select 'Pages to Customised' and then set the range to 1 in order to print the first page on its own. Once you’ve printed the first page, simply turn it over horizontally and load it back into the paper tray - the blank side facing up. Then repeat the printing process but this time set the range to 2 to print the second page.

To keep your double-sided pages in order it’s a good idea to keep them neatly together with a plastic spine or ring binder.

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You might be wondering if a small printer can truly do it all and stand the test of time, so we're here to debunk some of the most common myths about compact printers. Printers have come a long way over the last couple of decades, going from behemoths that take up a fair chunk of space all the way down to the best compact printers that you can keep in a corner of your desk.

That’s led to some scepticism though – can a small printer really replace the old office workhorse? Are the cartridges much more expensive and do they need to be replaced more often? And does it take an age to print a single file?

We’ll answer all those questions and more as we look at why your next printer can be much smaller than your current one.

Before we start 

It’s worth remembering that compact printers won’t be for everyone. If you’re printing off reams of documents, looking for insane color accuracy on a photo print, or are looking to copy a novel’s worth of pages in a single hit, then you’ll always be better served with a more office-appropriate printer.

For your home office, though, there’s a lot to like – and some of it may surprise you. For the purposes of this article, it’s worth mentioning we print on an HP DeskJet 2700 series printer.

Myth 1: Compact printers take a long time to print 

While it’s true that a compact printer will, in most instances, print a tad slower than a huge printer that’s already marking up one page while one leaves hits the tray, for the majority of your document printing the difference is entirely negligible.

Our printer receives its instructions and gets straight to work, and if you’re printing one or two pages it’ll likely be done by the time you even reach the printer. Some printers can print more than one sheet at a time, too, meaning the latest chapter of your novel can be in your hands in a minute or less.

Myth 2: Compact printers require constant ink purchases 

There was a time in the 2000s where, if you had a printer at home, you’d constantly be panicking about the amount of toner or ink being used. That stigma has persisted somewhat into home printing in 2022, but it needn’t have.

Some printers are better than others, of course, but for the most part, you’ll get a cartridge or two included with your purchase and you’ll be impressed by how long they last compared to those older options. Some can offer over 1,000 pages for a standard cartridge.

Some, like HP, offer a subscription model for those that need to regularly produce hard copies of documents, meaning you’ll save on buying cartridges in the long run.

Myth 3: Compact printers offer lower quality output 

When it comes to printing hard copies of your important presentations or fondest memories, quality is everything. There’s nothing worse than spending ink on a project that comes out looking less than ideal.

Thankfully, that’s another thing that’s changed in the last few years. Depending on your format of choice (popular presentation apps like Canva will offer a print-focused PDF version, for example), your printouts can easily match those from a larger, more expensive printer.

Myth 4: Compact printers struggle with image printing 

While this does follow on a little from the last entry, if you’re focused on printing pictures then your printer can only do so much – you’ll want some nice photo paper, too. The good news is that compact printers are just as capable with photo paper, so there’s no real bottleneck there. 

In fact, a new subset of printers have sprung up that offer the chance to print images straight from your phone. While you may need to find something bigger for a larger print, there are a wealth of options in the space.

Myth 5: Compact printers are tough to set up 

Printers used to be a nightmare to set up, often requiring a mess of drivers and firmware updates, a couple of cables and occasionally a CD ROM, too (remember those?).

Nowadays, things are much simpler – often not requiring a PC at all. Plug in your printer, connect a device to its network (which will be instantly familiar if you’ve used smart home tech in the last few years), and complete the setup process via your phone, tablet, computer, or whatever else works.

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Wondering how to print in color properly? Color printing can seem like a dark art as there are a wide range of variables that can lead to dodgy colours, banding, streaks and inaccurate colours appearing in your final prints. 

Fear not though, as in this guide we aim to walk you through all of the steps to achieve perfect color prints…  

Ink cartridges 

Color printing starts with your inks. Some printers will have just two cartridges, a black cartridge and a tricolor one for cyan, magenta and yellow. For best print quality you should use the manufacturer’s cartridges, though many people opt for third-party ink refills that cost a fraction of the price. In our experience we’ve seen a slight drop in print quality with 3rd party refills, though they’re worth considering for casual use. 

If you’re looking for top quality prints that you can proudly hang on the wall, or sell for a profit, you’d be best buying the official ink cartridges from the manufacturer. The ink cartridge model number will be written on it and in the user manual so you know which to buy.

If you haven’t bought a printer yet and quality is a high priority it’s worth considering a printer that uses more than the standard black, yellow, cyan and magenta inks. For more accurate colours it’s best to opt for a printer with more ink cartridges for example: photo black, matte black, light black, light light black, cyan, light cyan, yellow, vivid magenta and vivid light magenta. A printer with more ink cartridges will have a far greater range of tones at its disposal than the standard black and tricolour setup, delivering deep shadows and vibrant colours that really pop. You’ll also find the cartridges don’t need to be replaced as often.

Printing options

For the best possible prints we recommend printing from your laptop or desktop as the options on smartphones and tablets can be fairly basic. Choose your printer from the first drop-down menu and make sure 'black & white' is left unchecked, or if there is a drop-down menu to choose between 'color' and 'black & white', then choose 'color'.

Next, you’ll want to set the paper size. This will be determined by the media you’re printing on so set it to A4, A5, or A3 or whichever size your paper is and if your printer can do borderless printing you may also want to choose this option to avoid a white border around the edge of your photos. You’ll also want to choose between portrait or landscape orientation and set the scale to 100%. 

Under the media and quality options, you’ll want to choose 'best' for the best possible prints, or if you just want to do a quick test print to check everything and not waste too much ink you could choose the 'draft' option. You’ll also want to set the 'media type' to matt or glossy depending on the media you’re printing on - it will say this on your paper packaging. Glossy media will give you much punchier colors and stronger contrast, but at the cost of glare and reflections in direct sunlight and fingerprints will show up on it more readily, so a good quality archival matt paper is ideal for keeping strong colors, low reflections and less chance of colors fading over many years.

Calibration

If you print from a program like Adobe Photoshop CC you have more color management options, such as whether to let the printer or Photoshop manage the colors. For everyday use, set the color handling to 'printer manages colors'. However, if you want the best quality and most accurate prints the best option is to set this to 'Photoshop manages colors' and then load in your specific printer profile.

For the best results, you’ll want to invest in a good quality screen calibration device, (printer calibration devices are also available) and this will provide you with a printer profile based on your screen’s colors to minimize any drift in colors and tones between what you see on screen and what is printed.

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Perhaps more quietly than other electronics, printers have had a wild few years. From the early noughties obsession with beige or white, up to modern-day compact printers that do a lot more than the old copiers that would take up a corner of an office, things are much simpler to do now than they’ve ever been.

From leaving a myriad of cables and moving to wireless setups, to no longer needing to spend hours looking for the right drivers for your device, compact printers represent an ideal investment for home offices. They print documents and photos, and can copy, scan, and connect to your phone or tablet just as easily as they connect to your PC.

They’re not impervious to faults, though, and since they’re much smaller than your old office behemoth, they need to be treated carefully lest you run into errors or need to buy a new one.

Here’s how best you can look after your compact printer.

What is a compact printer?

Compact printers, as we alluded to above, are much smaller printers that offer plenty of features.

Some are focused on documents, others are great at printing images, but all take up minimal space on your desk or in your office.

They also tend to be easier to set up than their larger, older counterparts, connecting via built-in network setups or a simple USB cable. This makes them much more portable, on top of their smaller size.

1. Keep your printer dry and away from magnets 

This might be obvious, but given condensation on windowsills, a place where it may make sense to put a compact printer, it’s worth restating.

It’s not just environmental dampness, though, as handling a compact printer with even damp hands can cause issues going forward based on the number of small components within a short space of each other underneath the hood.

In particular, do not open the ink enclosure with wet hands. One drop in the wrong place there can see your printer ruined in an instant.

We’d also advise keeping them away from magnets. This is due to the wiring within that can be affected by magnetic pull.

2. Use recommended ink supplies 

While ink cartridges have arguably never been what you could describe as cheap, it’s now easier than ever to get a hold of replacements when you’re running low or out of ink entirely.

That’s thanks to manufacturers offering ink subscriptions that dispatch new cartridges to your door when it’s running low.

It’s just as well, too, because while you can use some third-party options for some compact printers, you’ll always be better off using manufacturer-approved options. Failing to do so may not only cause issues for your printer but void any warranty you may have, too!

3. Keep it cool 

It’s worth remembering that printers get very warm, even within the small chassis of a compact option. That makes airflow incredibly important, so try not to bury it under mountains of paper – it’s one thing to have printer issues, but another to cause a fire risk.

We spoke to George Lyu, PR director of Liene, a compact printer manufacturer with a specialism in compact photo printers. 

“One of the most important factors with any printer is its temperature,” Lyu explained.

“It's best to keep a printer between 10℃ and 35℃, which helps maintain printing quality, while also ensuring that any portable, battery-powered versions maintain peak efficiency without damaging the lithium battery.”

“Printers heat up during use, with photo printers using thermal sublimation technology which heats the print head, meaning you'll want to let it cool down after use.”

So it’s not only important to ensure that your printer’s temperature is managed during use, but after usage, too.

4. Clean regularly 

This is as much a part of managing your printer as it is managing your office, be that at home or anywhere else, but cleaning your electronics properly is incredibly important – especially if you move your printer around regularly.

Compact printers are exactly that – compact, and easy to take with you on your travels. However, exposing them to the elements can cause additional internal and external deterioration.

Your manufacturer will often suggest best cleaning practices as part of a quick start guide. It’s worth brushing up on it, especially if you’re seeing printing inconsistencies from leftover ink or anything else that have you worried.

For more on compact printers, be sure to check out our list of common myths about them and our list of the best compact printers. 

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Both Epson and Brother have played a significant role in the evolution of printing over the past 50 years, with Epson creating the world’s first compact printer, the EP-101 mini printer back in 1968 and Brother developing the world’s first high-speed dot matrix printer in 1971. 

Since then both manufacturers have innovated and pioneered new printing features and designs and have settled into their own corners to occupy different areas of the printing space and both brands offer some of the best all in one printers, so we'll be delving into the differences to see which you should buy. 

Epson predominantly manufacture inkjet models ideal for home and home office use, though the company does also offer a small number of professional laser printer models for home and offices. Epson printers tend to have an emphasis on high quality printing, with large format A3+ inkjet versions available which are fantastic for printing large high quality photos. 

Brother, on the other hand, only has a small number of inkjet models available, instead focusing on professional laser models for office environments, which have a heavier burden on the wallet up front, however each print is incredibly cheap on laser models so they can work out more cost effective in the long run, especially when printing high volumes of documents such as in an office.

In this article we look at the perks and pitfalls of each manufacturer’s printer ranges to see what Epson and Brother printers have to offer. From image quality to print speed and laser toner costs to ink tanks systems. Here's everything you need to know...

Epson VS Brother: Print quality

The printer ranges from Epson and Brother occupy different areas of the printing market, with Epson primarily focused on inkjet models and Brother on laser ones. Inkjet printers tend to deliver better photo quality and Epson printers like the Epson EcoTank ET-8550 can print up to A3+ borderless which makes them a great option for printing high quality photos to hang on your wall or even sell.

The drawback with inkjet printers is that they have to be used regularly to stop the print head nozzles from clogging which can be both frustrating and costly, as printers usually use up lots of ink to flush out any clogs, they also take longer to produce and are expensive to produce, though Epson does offer EcoTank printer options that are more cost effective than conventional ink cartridges.

The majority of Brother printers are laser models which while more expensive to begin with can work out cost-effective in the long run because each print is so cheap to produce using a powdery toner rather than ink. Laser models are also incredibly fast to print, deliver razor sharp text and are less likely to need maintenance because they don’t have print head nozzles which could get clogged up, so they’re perfectly suited to office environments, though on picture quality they’re beaten by inkjet systems.

Epson offers a great range of laser printers from small models, ideal for home or a study, to larger ones for full-sized offices. They also offer a range of mono laser printers which are less expensive than full color versions, to cater for those on stricter budgets for those that are only looking to print black and white documents.

Read more: Inkjet vs laser printers: which is best?

Epson value for money: Inkjet cartridges and EcoTank

Epson printers predominantly feature inkjet cartridges and one benefit of Epson’s system is that they ensure each inkjet printer uses individual color cartridges. This means if the cyan ink runs low for example, you only have to replace that specific cartridge. This is more consumer-friendly than some other inkjet printer manufacturers that use a tricolor cartridge which contains all three cyan, magenta and yellow colors, so Epson’s individual color cartridges is better value, less wasteful and better for the environment.

Continuing on this pro-consumer trend, Epson was the first manufacturer to produce an inkjet printer to employ ink tanks that could be refilled with bottles of ink, rather than expensive ink cartridges, back in 2010 with its new EcoTank range. If you’re looking to print large A3+ borderless phots with superb print quality then Epson’s EcoTank range would be a great choice.

Epson's 603 ink cartridge multipack comes with four individual inks and costs $38. Epson claims this pack will last for 150 mono pages or 130 color. That works out at $0.20 per black and white sheet or $0.28 per color A4 print.

Epson's EcoTank range feature a varying number of tanks, though lets look at the most basic model, the ET-2811 which has a simple four tank setup for black, cyan, yellow and magenta. Each of these tanks holds 65ml - the equivalent of 72 cartridges and is said to print up to 4,500 mono pages or 7,500 color pages. The ET-2811 uses the EcoTank 104 inks which currently costs $45 for all four ink bottles, that makes it $0.01 to print a mono page, or $0.006 per colour page, though you’ll still need to use your printer regularly to avoid print heads from clogging and get the best value out of it.

Brother value for money: Laser toner 

Looking at one of Brother’s entry-level laser models such as the DCP-L2530DW it’s a mono laser printer so only requires one black toner costing $83. This might sound expensive compared to a conventional black ink cartridge that may cost around $12.30, but laser printers are known for their high yield and razor sharp text, this specific toner can last for a whopping 3,000 pages, so each mono print costs just $0.02.

Looking at one of Brother’s entry-level full-color laser models, the MFC-L3710CW costs around $370 and uses the TN-243 toners which are currently around $233 to buy all four toners. Again this sounds like a vast amount of money but as the toners should last for 1000 pages, it means each page is about $0.23 per page. They're also higher yield toner options available and as you go up the laser printer range these can be even more efficient and economical too.

These high yield toners and cost-effective prints make Brother’s offerings comparable to the yield of an Epson EcoTank, though with a laser model you don’t have to worry about using your printer often to avoid inks drying up or print heads blocking as they use toner rather than ink. This means laser models are a bit easier to maintain and you don’t need to flush lots of expensive ink through the system to remove print clogs so this is worth factoring into the value of each system.

Epson vs Brother: Verdict

Both Epson and Brother have compelling offerings for different corners of the printer market, with Epson focusing more on inkjet models and Brother honing its craft with laser models.

Epson’s inkjet printers are a brilliant option for high quality photos, especially with some of Epson’s models that can print at A3+ borderless so this makes them ideal for photographers looking to print high quality pictures, but will also be ideal for occasional documents or homework for example. For more serious photo printing Epson's EcoTank range is also worth considering as it works out better value for money, though you’ll need to print on a regular basis to get the most out of it and keep maintenance to a minimum. Inkjet models, like the ones that Epson offer are generally cheap to purchase outright (especially at the budget end) though cartridges can be expensive in the long run.

Brother’s laser printers are aimed at a different demographic and are better-suited for home office or large office spaces, where large volumes of documents will be printed on a daily bases. Laser printers such as those in Epson’s range are expensive to buy outright, $170 for Brother’s entry-level mono laser model compared to $80 for Epson’s lowest priced inkjet offering, however they can work out better value in the long run, working out at just $0.10 per page, or even less in many cases. Image quality is good on laser models but ultimately beaten by the vibrancy you get from an inkjet model, though laser models are super fast to print, produce razor sharp  text  that is ideal for work documents and are often better value in the long run.

If you’re looking to predominantly print high-quality photos with the occasional document we’d recommend an Epson inkjet or EcoTank model, though if you’re mainly looking to print documents with the occasional photo and you need high yields and great long-term value and you have the space for a laser printer then a Brother laser printer would be a fantastic choice.

The clue’s in the name. A cut above Canon’s PIXMA series printers, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is aimed at professional and enthusiast photographers who aspire to the absolute best in terms of print quality and archival life. This printer looks and feels the part, with fully pro-grade build quality and a really high-end finish, so it’s very much at home in a stylish photo studio.

Levels of fine detail and tonal range, especially in deep blacks, can look astonishing in large-format prints, compared with viewing photos on even a high-quality computer monitor. As a large-format 13x19-inch/A3+ printer, with larger panoramic output also available, the PRO-300 creates photo prints that are large enough to frame and hang on the wall, right from your own desktop, giving you full control over the whole process.

Building on the success of Canon’s PIXMA PRO-10 printer, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 earns its stripes as a Canon professional printer with a reformulated range of nine LUCIA PRO pigment-based inks, plus a Chroma Optimizer that we’ll discuss later. Unlike some directly competing large-format pigment photo printers, including Epson models prior to the SureColor P700 and P900, the Canon has dedicated channels in its print heads for both photo black and matte black inks, so there’s no need to waste time and money purging a channel and recharging it with alternative ink every time you swap between matte and glossy photo paper.

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: Setup

Although hefty, the PRO-300 is easy to lift out of its box, thanks to being wrapped in a heavy-duty soft plastic bag complete with carrying handles. Setup is speedy and effortless, involving inserting the print head and ten individual cartridges, followed by an automated procedure to charge the head with ink and run a print head alignment routine.

The packaging is mostly recyclable and the printer comes complete with a setup CD, user manual and other supporting documentation. A sample pack of five sheets of either 8.5x11-inch or A4 Canon Photo Paper Pro Luster paper is included, depending on world region. A power cord is also supplied but, as usual, no USB or Ethernet connection cables. To ensure you have the latest printer drivers, it’s wise to download them from Canon’s website rather than relying on the setup CD, and that’s a no-brainer if your computer doesn’t actually feature a CD-ROM drive.

Once you’ve installed the printer, usability is excellent and long-term reliability proved faultless in our long-term tests. The printer makes good use of Canon’s L-COA PRO high-precision software engine, which runs high-speed processing for high volumes of image data, translating it to printing data that organizes the optimal ink layout throughout the whole process.

Throughout our testing, we never suffered from blocked ink nozzles causing feint lines across prints. The print head actually has a lot of redundancy built in and the system is sufficiently ‘intelligent’ to keep a check on nozzles so, if one becomes blocked for any reason, adjacent nozzles are called into action instead and the blocked nozzles have an ‘auto recovery system’. There’s similarly good news when it comes to the paper transport system, which features automatic skew correction to ensure that paper is perfectly aligned as it passes through the printer.

Connectivity options are plentiful, including high-speed USB and Ethernet ports, and extending to built-in Wi-Fi. The free Canon Print app enables printing from mobile devices, as well as adjusting and checking various printer settings and ink levels. The PRO-300 is also fully compatible with Apple AirPrint and Mopria for Android, so you can print from the cloud without the need to install a driver. Printing via wireless PictBridge is also supported for compatible cameras.

• Score: 9/10

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: Design

Designed as a fully pro-grade printer, the PRO-300 is built on a sturdy metal chassis. It’s reassuringly weighty at 31.6 pounds and the overall build quality feels rock-solid. Even so, it’s pretty compact for a 13-inch/A3+ printer, shaving 15 per cent off the size of the preceding PIXMA PRO-10 model.

To ensure ‘gallery quality’ output and the kind of longevity that professional photographers need when selling prints to clients, the PRO-300 uses pigment-based rather than dye-based inks. These ensure greater quality, robustness and archival life on matte and fine art media. 

The flipside is that pigment inks don’t work as well on glossy photo paper, as the larger molecules aren’t fully absorbed beneath the protective, shiny top layer of the paper. The PRO-300 aims to address any shortcomings with the inclusion of a Chroma Optimizer cartridge, which is featured in addition to the nine pigment-based black, gray and color inks.

A key feature of the PRO-300 is its Chroma Optimizer cartridge. This opens the door to top-quality output from a pigment-based ink line-up even on glossy photo paper, as well as generally favored matte and fine art media. It’s laid over the top of the ink to smooth out the finish on glossy photo paper, minimizing the difference in the reflectivity of different colors and tones, to avoid the usual bronzing effect. 

The pigment-based ink range itself is very comprehensive, featuring both matte and photo black inks, cyan, photo cyan, magenta, photo magenta, yellow, gray and red inks. The line-up ensures a really wide gamut (or color space) along with exceptional fidelity for black & white photo printing. Both benefit from the inclusion of a reformulated matte black LUCIA PRO ink.

For paper handling, the PRO-300 features the usual upright feeder at the rear, which can accommodate popular sizes of photo paper from 3.5x3.5-inch to 13x19-inch formats. A secondary manual feeder at the rear ensures a flat transport path through the printer, as well as enabling you to create panoramic and banner prints of up to 39 inches in length.

Unlike previous Canon 13-inch/A3+ photo printers, the PRO-300 features a 3.0-inch color LCD screen. It’s not a touchscreen but the supporting pushbuttons enable quick and intuitive operation for adjusting print modes and settings for different paper types, running diagnostic checks and cleaning routines, and for keeping tabs on the print status and the amounts of ink remaining in the cartridges.

There’s a raft of other new features in the PRO-300, aiming to maximize performance, usability and reliability, which we’ll cover in the next section.

• Score: 9/10

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: Performance

To cut to the chase, print quality is absolutely spectacular. Color rendition is very rich and vibrant but entirely true to life, able to recreate the subtlest of graduations in everything from skin tones to architectural and landscape images. Black & white photo print quality is arguably even more magnificent, with stunning tonal definition and richness. Canon actually reformulated its matte black ink for the PRO-300 and the result is a depth and detail in very dark areas of prints, the likes of which we’ve not seen before.

Thanks to the enhanced precision of the paper transport system, you can create borderless prints on matte and fine-art media, instead of just on glossy, semi-gloss and luster photo papers. However, it’s not enabled by default and you’ll need to disable the ‘safety margin’ in the printer’s settings. Canon warns there might be some deterioration of print quality or staining around the edge of the paper but we suffered no ill-effects whatsoever when creating borderless A3+ prints on Canon’s Premium Matte photo paper and Premium Fine Art Smooth media.

For discerning professional and amateur photographers, it’s important to be able to create the right look and feel for a top-quality print by using the best choice of paper. The PRO-300 directly supports a vast range of media, not just from Canon but also from independent brands of fine art media including the likes of Hahnemühle, Canson and Awagami.

Optimizing print quality further still, Canon’s Professional Print & Layout software is available as a free download, which works as a standalone program or as a plug-in for Canon Digital Photo Professional and Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. It gives the benefit of both soft proofing and hard proofing for different paper types, as well as giving you the option of applying individual adjustments to separate images that will be printed on the same page. A particularly useful feature of the software is that you can create ‘pattern prints’, with subtly different treatments of color, tone, brightness and contrast, so that you can pick your favorite option for creating the final print.

In our print speed tests, we found that A3+ borderless prints on glossy paper at the highest quality setting took around 8 minutes 39 seconds for black & white, and about 9 minutes 30 seconds for color. At the standard photo quality setting, the same color print took just 6 minutes 30 seconds. A top-quality borderless A3+ color print on Premium Fine Art Smooth media took longer, at just over 12 minutes.

Smaller A3 prints with a white border took around 10 minutes 20 seconds on the same fine art media, reducing to 6 minutes 50 seconds on Premium Matte photo paper. For A4 borderless output on glossy paper, you’re looking at about 4 minutes 30 seconds in highest quality mode, and 3 minutes 20 seconds in standard mode. All of these print times are actually pretty speedy for a pigment-based, large-format printer, but typically can’t compete with dye-based printers like the 13-inch/A3+ Canon PIXMA PRO-200.

• Score: 9/10

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: Care & maintenance

Many inkjet printers need a fair bit of TLC. Blocked nozzles in the print head can cause feint lines across prints, ruining photographic output, and you can feel the need to run frequent nozzle check routines and cleaning cycles, which are wasteful in time, ink and money. We didn’t suffer any problems during extended, long-term testing of the PRO-300 and never once had problems with blocked nozzles.

That said, we did adopt a policy of turning the printer on every few days, after which it often runs its own automatic diagnostic routine and mini-cleaning cycle, if necessary. The PRO-300 looks and feels like it’s built to last and that was certainly our experience. If you do run into any problems, support is available via Canon’s website and the printer is backed by a 1-year warranty plus extended service options.

• Score: 8/10

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: Price & value

Given the fully pro-spec build quality, features, reliability and performance of the PRO-300, it’s very good value for money at the price. Its most direct competitor to the Epson SureColor P700, which retails for a very similar $829/£679. But that’s not quite the whole story. Like the Epson and most other inkjet printers, the PRO-300 is sold with a single set of ‘setup cartridges’ but, unlike many, they have plenty of stamina instead of running dry after just a few prints. Suffice it to say that you shouldn’t have to buy any replacement cartridges in the very short term.

The PRO-300 runs on 14.4ml cartridges, each of which should last for around 30 to 60 borderless A3+ prints. Naturally, however, the actual number of prints available from any one cartridge can vary hugely depending on the specific colors and densities within your images, and therefore how much of each ink is actually used. Ink quantities can also vary considerably when using different types of glossy and matte papers. Even so, ink costs typically average around $2.75/£2.95 per borderless A3+ photo print, which is pretty reasonable for a 10-cartridge pro-grade photo printer.

• Score: 8/10

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: User reviews

User reviews of the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 are almost universally very favorable. Customers tend to be highly impressed with the print quality on wide-ranging glossy, semi-gloss, luster and matte media. For example, at the time or writing this review, the B&H Photo retailer in the USA carried 79 user reviews, 69 of which gave the PRO-300 a maximum 5-star rating, along with a further seven 4-star reviews. At Amazon, there were 166 global customer reviews, with an 85 per cent top-score 5-star rating.

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300: What the experts say

The imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is simply the best 13-inch/A3+ printer on the market for creating gallery quality photographs and reproductions of artworks. Even using the basic default print settings, color rendition and tonal range are exceptional and there’s direct support for a huge variety of top-quality fine art media from independent manufacturers, as well as for Canon’s own papers.

The depth and detail in really dark blacks is truly outstanding. The larger Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 17-inch/A2+ printer is also exceptional in this respect but the reformulated matte black ink of the PRO-300 gives it the edge.

While color rendition of color prints and the neutrality of black & white photo output is excellent, the advanced Canon Professional Print & Layout software, available free of charge, allows you to fine-tune the treatment of color, brightness and contrast. This makes it easy to tailor the results to your personal tastes, as well as to suit different display environments, for example when prints will be lit by daylight or relatively warm tungsten lighting. All in all, the PRO-300 is an amazing printer that’s backed up by really smart software.

Would I buy the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300?

If you’re in the market for a 13-inch/A3+ printer that will deliver best-in-class photographic output for both color and black & white images, as well as for reproducing artworks, you won’t find a better buy than the imagePROGRAF PRO-300. The only caveat is that, despite featuring a Chroma Optimizer cartridge, the dye-based Canon PIXMA PRO-200 delivers slightly smoother results on glossy photo paper and boasts significantly quicker print speeds. 

Typical of dye-based printers, glossy prints from the PRO-200 are also touch-dry even as they land in the output tray, whereas prints from pigment-based printers need more drying time. Ultimately, the PRO-300 is much better if you’re likely to print on matte and fine art media, whereas the PRO-200 is a smarter choice for printing purely on glossy photo paper.

How does it compare to competitors?

The main competitor to the PRO-300 is the Epson SureColor P700 13-inch/A3+ pigment-based photo printer. For our money, the Canon wins out for print quality, overall performance and reliability, making it the best choice. In our tests, the Canon’s setup cartridges, supplied with the printer, also proved rather more long-lasting after the initial installation procedure, compared with the Epson.

For ongoing cartridge costs, the PRO-300’s 14.4ml cartridges cost around $13/£14 each, so the price of ink equates to about $0.90/£0.97 per milliliter. The Epson SureColor P700 has larger 25ml cartridges but they cost around $38/£27 each, making ink rather more expensive, especially in the USA, at $1.52/£1.08 per milliliter.

How we tested the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300

Our testing process begins with unpacking and setting up the printer. We download and install the latest versions of drivers, then run nozzle check routines and, if required, print head cleaning cycles. We then carry out print head alignment procedures to ensure optimum accuracy. The printer manufacturers’ genuine, own-brand inks and photo papers are used throughout the entire testing procedure.

We create test prints from a wide range of mono and color documents, digital photos, including landscapes, portraits, and black & white images. Prints are made using standard color modes as well as optional enhancement features, offered with the printer. We also use our own specially created test chart to reveal each printer's accuracy in terms of color reproduction, tonal range, and the ability to deliver smooth graduations between subtle color variations.

For output speed, we measure the time taken to produce borderless 6x4-inch, A4, A3 and A3+ prints at various photo quality settings, where available with each printer that we test.

Needing to schedule a return or create a physical record of your online orders? You might need to learn how to print receipts from Amazon. 

Amazon is heavyweight in online shopping and more of us are using the all encompassing online retailer to buy everything from daily essentials to kitchen gadgets and office equipment to grocery shopping, all delivered in record time with the super efficient Prime delivery service. 

In this tutorial we’re going to look at how you can print off your invoices on Amazon to keep a receipt either in digital PDF or as a physical print to keep your purchases stored securely and filed neatly, this is particularly handy if you keep receipts for tax purposes when running a business. Let’s take a look at how it’s done. 

How to print receipts from Amazon

Go to www.amazon.com and log into your Amazon account. At the top of the banner on the Amazon, website click on the 'Returns & Orders' button next to your basket, this will take you to a new page where you can see all of your previous orders. If you can’t see the specific order you need, click on the drop-down list that says ‘past three months’ by default and change this to whichever year is of interest to you and it will then bring up all of the orders you placed in that time frame.

Now scroll down to the specific order you’d like to print out and click on the 'Invoice' button on the right. Then choose 'Order Summary' from the fly-out menu that appears.

At the top of the screen, you’ll see your order number and below it, a button you can press that says ‘Print this page for your records’. Click this button to bring up the printing options and change the destination to either save as a PDF or choose the printer you’d like to print to for a physical copy that you can store and archive.

You can also choose which of the pages you’d like to print rather than the whole document and also whether to print in portrait or landscape format. In the print options click 'More Settings' to set the paper size, by default this will be set to A4, and whether to print in color or black and white to save on ink. When you’ve finished adjusting the print settings simply hit the 'Print' button to start printing your Amazon invoice. When you’re done go back to the 'Your Orders' page and repeat this process for any other transactions that you’d like to print or backup as a PDF.

If you’ve recently purchased a home or office printer you may be frantically searching, 'how to use a printer'. While it’s certainly worth reading the instruction manual and following any setup guides that have come with it, we’ve laid out some essential steps to follow and advice you can use when getting started. The majority of home and office printers are either the inkjet or laser type, though we’ll specifically be looking at the more budget-friendly inkjet models in this guide. Here’s everything you need to know to get started… 

Setting up for the first time

Modern printers will likely have the ability to print wirelessly with AirPrint from smart devices like phones and tablets, as well as desktop PCs and laptops with WiFi and Bluetooth. They should also allow you to plug directly into your computer via a USB cable, it’s best to try the wired route first to make sure that it's correctly set up and all of the necessary printer drivers are installed. Some printers won’t allow you to print wirelessly until you’ve done this step as it needs to be set up on your internet router correctly. We also ran into compatibility issues with old printers and new 5G Wi-Fi routers so be sure to read your instruction manual to make sure your printer is compatible with your router.

Using AirPrint to print from a smart device is a brilliant time-saving feature and convenience, however, it only gives you very basic printing options. If you need more control when printing it’s best to either download a specific app for your printer, such as HP Smart, or alternatively transfer your media to a desktop PC or laptop and print from there.

Media type

An often overlooked part of the printing process is the media you choose to print on. You’ll need to determine the size of your prints, such as A4 or A5, or even larger A3 and A2 prints if your printer is capable, then put the paper into the printer loading tray and adjust the sliding guide so that it fits snugly against paper to stop the paper drifting when it’s pulled through.

You may also be able to enable borderless printing on some models so you can print up to the edge of the paper with no border. Another consideration is whether to go for a glossy or matt media type. Colors and contrast tend to look a little punchier on glossy varieties but they also suffer from glare in direct sunlight and fingerprints will show up on them more readily. You can customize the paper size, borderless printing, and matt or glossy media in the printing settings.

For more accurate colors you could use a screen monitor and printer calibration devices for the most accurate colors which will provide you with a bespoke printer profile for your setup.

Ink cartridges

Inkjet printers usually come with two cartridges, one for black and a tricolor cartridge for cyan, magenta, and yellow colors, but some models have individual cartridges for every color. One issue with tricolor cartridges is if one ink, such as yellow, runs dry before the others you still need to purchase an entirely new cartridge, and this leads to a lot of waste.

The upside of having individual ink cartridges is that you can simply replace the low ones. Read your instruction manual on how to remove the ink cartridges from your printer, then unclip and remove them, it will say the model number on each cartridge so you know which ones to buy when you need more, some also come in XL varieties which will last longer. You can also try using cheap ink refill kits online to save some money. This can be a more cost-effective route, though some newer models feature electronic chips in the cartridges which tell the printer if they’ve been tampered with which could cause a problem.

Maintenance

Most households use budget-friendly inkjet printers which spray tiny droplets of ink out of a print head nozzle precisely onto a sheet of paper to create the print. However, print heads can get clogged if the printer goes long periods without being used, so try to do a full-color print once every few weeks to reduce the chance of this happening. You should also be able to print a test sheet which will show you if there is any banding or streaks and which print head is affected. This is usually done through the printer interface or via the desktop app.

Many manufacturers build the print head into the cartridge so you get a fresh print head every time you put in a new ink cartridge. In this case, if you have a very stubborn clog you could put in a new cartridge to fix the issue if all else fails.

But, if you own a printer where the ink cartridges and nozzles are separated you could use a product like PermaJet CleverClogs. This pumps a solution through the print heads to soften and remove stubborn clogs from the print head, and we’ve had great success using this product in the past.

Special printer functions

Alongside the basic printing functions some printers may have additional features such as a flatbed scanner for making copies, duplex printing to print on both sides of a sheet easily, a built-in fax machine, the ability to print on special media like handmade paper or card, and a memory card slot. It’s worth reading the specification and your user manual to make sure you’re getting the most out of any additional features that your printer may have. 

For decades we’ve had them at our disposal ready to print out documents, photographs, resumes or even homework, but you still might find yourself wondering, 'how does a printer work'? 

Modern home printers most commonly come in two types: inkjet and laser, with the vast majority being the more affordable inkjet variety. Prints from both machines might look the same at first glance but the mechanics under the hood vary considerably, in this article we’ll take a look at how both inkjet and laser printers work as well as the benefits and pitfalls of each system so you can work out which is best for your home or office. 

How does an inkjet printer work?

As the name implies, inkjet printers use wet ink usually stored in replaceable cartridges, though some higher-end models use large ink tanks that can be topped up with ink when they run low. Cartridges are however more commonly used and in budget inkjet printers you’ll usually find two of them, one for black and another ‘tricolor’ cartridge which contains three colors - cyan, magenta, and yellow. Ink droplets from each are then built up on the page where they mix to build up a full spectrum of colors and tones. Higher-end premium models have extra ink cartridges such as photo black, matte black, light black, light light black, cyan, light cyan, yellow, vivid magenta, and vivid light magenta for an even wider gamut of tones.

When you print from your computer, the printer software electronically sends the document to the printer via Wi-Fi or a wired USB connection. The printer then knows exactly where to spray each tiny droplet of ink on the page as it’s passed through. Due to the nature of wet ink, you need to allow a small amount of time for your prints to dry before handling them to avoid any smudging from occurring. 

Overall, inkjet printers are very affordable as an initial purchase, though ink can rack up costs quickly, particularly if your model only has two cartridges. They are, however, very compact and don’t take up a huge amount of space, many models also have a flatbed scanner and fax machine built-in which enhances their convenience further. 

Premium inkjet printers with a wide range of ink can also deliver far superior print quality for photos compared to laser models, but this comes at the cost of speed as they’re slower. The print nozzles can also get clogged if you don’t use them regularly which can lead to unsightly streaks appearing in your images. It can also be quite wasteful if you throw away a tri-color cartridge because one of its inks has become low.

How does a laser printer work?

It probably comes as no surprise that laser printers, of course, use lasers! Inside a laser printer, you’ll find a rotating drum for each black, cyan, magenta, and yellow color, although budget black and white laser printers just contain the black toner cartridge and drum.

Each drum becomes negatively charged and a laser is then fired onto the spinning drum precisely where the toner needs to go and gives this part of the drum a positive charge. Toner from the hopper is then attracted to that area of the drum and transferred to the sheet of paper as it’s passed through.

Because you have a large drum and hopper full of toner for each black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, laser printer models are inherently much larger and bulkier than inkjet printers that use smaller ink cartridges.

Laser printers are also more expensive to buy from the offset, and replacement toner can cost around $40-60 for each color. That being said, offices usually prefer laser printers because their large footprint isn’t usually an issue, they require less maintenance as there are no nozzles that can clog with ink and they also deliver razor-sharp text, ideal for documents and PDFs. In addition, they can also be very cost-effective with an average toner drum lasting for about 2000-4000 sheets. Some companies even rent or hire their laser printers rather than buy them outright and this monthly fee covers any maintenance costs and toner, and then they pay a set rate per page printed.

The downside to laser printers is that they’re more expensive to buy outright than inkjet models, they require more space as they’re large and bulky and they use more electricity than inkjet models to using the lasers and also heat in the final step to fuse the toner to the paper, so this is all worth taking into consideration when deciding whether to go for an inkjet or laser model.

This review looks at the Canon TS6320a, also known as the TS6350a in the UK or TS6360a in Australia. If you’re wondering what the ‘a’ stands for at the end of the model name, it means this model doesn’t have Bluetooth. However, everything else in this review will be much the same for the TS6420 (USA), TS6350 (UK), and TS6360 (Australia).

The best all-in-one printers combine a printer with a built-in flatbed scanner for scanning and copying. They’ve become popular for homes, schools, and small office spaces, bringing these commonly needed functions under one roof. Canon hopes its PIXMA TS6320a will stand out from its competition with its dual paper feeds, an automatic output tray, WiFi, five separate inks, automatic 2-sided printing, and a 1.44” OLED display. Let’s get to testing to see how it stacks up against the best compact printers and if you should buy one…

Canon PIXMA TS6320a: Setup

Setting up the Canon PIXMA TS6320a on your Wi-Fi network is best done through the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app for iOS and Android devices. It’s very easy, and when completed, you can print to it from other Apple and Android devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network without downloading additional software.

Printing can be done wirelessly or via a USB-B-type cable, though the latter isn’t included in the box. Some Canon printers feature a memory card reader, so you can print directly from your camera, but this has been left out.

Some budget printers don’t feature a screen and only have a simple LED light to indicate any issues. In our experience, this can make it tricky to diagnose faults and troubleshoot. However, the 1.44” OLED screen on the TS6320a is a joy. It displays helpful information that makes troubleshooting problems much more manageable. It’s too small to view images, so previewing photos has to be done on a computer or smartphone, but it's perfect for providing information and helpful hints.

The TS6320a has two paper feeds. The front feed is a cassette that can hold up to 100 sheets of plain A4 paper, while the rear tray can also hold 100 sheets of A4 plain paper or 20 sheets of photo paper. Automatic two-sided printing is a great time-saving feature if you plan to print lots of documents. It also features an output tray that automatically extends, which feels futuristic the first time you see it happen, though it is a bit of a gimmick. Auto paper width detection is also boasted.

• Score: 8.5/10

Canon’s PIXMA TS6320a: Design & features

As an all-in-one printer, Canon’s PIXMA TS6420a can print up to A4 size with a maximum resolution of 4800x1200 dpi. It can also produce borderless 10x15cm prints, and its built-in scanner has a maximum resolution of 1200x2400 dpi.

A five-ink system is implemented with Magenta, Cyan, and Yellow color inks, standard Black, and additional Pigment Black for rich, deep shadows and crisp, sharp text. Canon claims its prints are good for 100 years with its ChromaLife 100 hallmark. The cartridges also use Canon’s FINE technology, which means the cartridges have the inkjet nozzle built-in to each ink cartridge so that you get a fresh one with each new cartridge, which helps keep maintenance down.

With two paper trays, you can load the front cassette with 100 sheets of plain A4 paper, the rear input tray with another 100 sheets of A4 paper, or 20 sheets of glossy photo paper. This is handy if you print regularly and use different paper types, as you can fill both paper feeds with other media, set it and forget it, and then replenish either supply when needed.

The TS6320a can print automatically on both sides, which saves time and is more environmentally friendly. Canon says that the two-way paper feed allows for experimenting with new creative projects. It’s also compatible with iron-on transfers and double-sided matte paper.

• Score: 8/10

Canon PIXMA TS6320a: Performance

The Canon PIXMA TS6320a's print quality was impressive. The extra pigment black ink cartridge helped the text appear sharp, rivaling that of a laser printer.

We also tested printing photos on Canon Matte and Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II. Both delivered excellent results, with the quality set at its highest. As you’d expect, colors looked more vibrant, with deeper blacks and sharper-looking details on the glossy paper, so this would be our preference for printing high-quality photos. It is a bit of a shame that it can’t print A4 borderless photos, as this would have been the icing on the cake, so A4 images have a thin white border around the edges.

Canon’s claims of 10 images per minute for color or 15 images per minute for mono were quickly dispelled - perhaps the images were smaller or set to lower quality in Canon’s testing. However, we still found print times to be respectable. A full-color A4 image on matte paper at the highest quality took 1:15 mins, while the image set to best print quality took 1:50 mins on glossy paper. An A4 document consisting of text was set to the best quality and also took 55 seconds, while a double-sided newsletter with a mixture of words and pictures set to the best quality took just over two minutes to print.

• Score: 8/10

Canon PIXMA TS6320a: Price & value

When writing, the TS6320a had an RRP of $159.99 but was offered at Amazon for $69. It comes with a one-year warranty from Canon in the USA or a two-year warranty in the UK.

It uses five separate ink cartridges: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, and Pigment Black, for crisp text and deep shadows. Canon’s standard C, M, Y, BK 581 inks cost $15.99 and are said to last for about 99 images, making it about $0.16 per photo print. The standard PGBK pigment black cartridge is mostly used for documents producing crisp text, it’s a bigger cartridge that costs a little more at $17 though is said to last for about 200 pages, working out at $0.09 per page.

There are also XXL inks available, these cost $30 for each of the standard inks, and claim to last for 322 pages, making it $0.09 per photo print. The XXL version of the PGBK cartridge costs $30 and is said to last for 600 pages, working out at around $0.05 per print. So, the XXL cartridges tend to work out at a bit better value if you can afford them. However, it’s worth noting that your mileage may vary, especially if you don’t print frequently and need to use lots of ink to clean the ink nozzles if they become clogged.

You can also find XL cartridges between the standard and XXL cartridges. They provide better value than the standard inks but yield less than the XXL options.

We found the best photos were printed using Canon’s Photo Paper Plus Glossy II with razor-sharp details and punchy colors. However, you pay a, which produces a razor-sharp top-quality product as a 20-pack cost this top-quality product costs a premium: a 20-pack, making costs $0.80 per page.

• Score: 8.5/10

Canon PIXMA TS6320a: User reviews

We searched for online reviews to see what customers who bought this printer had to say about it. Overall, reviews were very positive for the Canon PIXMA TS6320a. It received 4.2 stars on Argos, and 86% of customers said they would recommend it.

“Bought this printer when my previous trusty Canon MP560 refused to print more than one page at a time and then pretty badly. The setup was simple, although it took me some time to figure out how Canon's Smart Phone app works. Speaking of which, once I got my head around it, printing photos is effortless. I don't even bother logging onto my PC to print photos anymore. I can do it with a couple of clicks on my iPhone! The starter ink cartridges that came with the printer have been going strong for over a month since my purchase. There are also plenty of alternative, cheaper ink cartridge suppliers that make running this printer's in-life costs very reasonable. Overall, it was one of my best buys this year. Well recommended.” 3-star review, Argos

Overall, Canon’s UK store reviews were once again very positive, with 225 customers giving it an average of 4.3 stars. However, negative complaints were in the overwhelming minority. Users found the printer challenging to set up when we examined the negative comments.

“Bought this printer to replace an HP which had “clogged up” after 7 years of otherwise problem-free usage. I found this Canon relatively difficult to set up and comparatively slow to print compared to the HP. However, it seems like a great printer with no other problems.” - 3-star review, Canon Store UK

Would I buy the Canon PIXMA TS6320a?

As you’d expect from an all-in-one printer, Canon’s PIXMA TS6320a can do it all - delivering crisp text, fantastic photos with a scan and copy function, as well as a whole raft of other desirable features, including automatic double-sided printing, an OLED LCD and a user-friendly app that is a pleasure to use.

One downside is that the build feels slightly flimsy in places like the rear input tray and the front-loading paper cassette. That said, it is very budget-friendly for the price, so it’s a small compromise we’d be happy to make.

Print times were modest, but the quality of the documents and images we produced were more impressive. Text was super sharp, almost rivaling a laser printer, while photographs looked vibrant and super sharp, with a fantastic range of depth and colors. This is particularly true when using Canon’s proprietary glossy paper, which is a bit pricey but worth the result.

One issue with inkjet printers (not exclusive to the TS6320a) is that you must use them regularly to prevent the print heads from clogging. A blockage can affect print quality, and expensive ink can be used to flush it out. However, if you plan on printing many documents for school, university, or work or photos for family albums or your photography portfolio, then the TS6320a would be a great option.

All-in-all, there’s a lot to love about Canon’s PIXMA TS6320a, from its intuitive and easy-to-use app to the extensive range of features squeezed into a compact unit, with top text and photo printing to boot!

The Canon IVY 2 Mini photo printer, not to be confused with Canon’s similarly-named IVY CLIQ+2, is a pocket-sized portable printer that connects to your smartphone wirelessly which can produce 2x3” prints in under a minute. For those in the UK, it’s called the Canon Zoemini 2.

Take photos on your smart device or browse through images in your gallery and print them wirelessly via the IVY 2 Mini. The maximum print size is 2x3” and Canon uses special ZINK (Zero Ink) paper which uses heat to produce instantly dry, smudge-free and are also water and tear-resistant photos.

The prints also have an optional backing that you can remove to turn them into stickers, perfect for scrapbooking or to add some flair and decorate to your devices such as laptops, phones or even a fridge. In this review, we give it a thorough test to see if it deserves a place in our best portable printers and best photo printers buying guides. 

Canon IVY 2 Mini: Setup and usability

The Canon Mini Print app for iOS and Android was a joy to use. It’s very easy to connect a smartphone to the IVY 2 Mini via Bluetooth 5.0. If you’ve got an image that you’d like to make several copies of for your friends and family, such as a group photo, it’s easy to stack up a load of prints in the print queue and leave the IVY 2 Mini to process them.

In the app, you can check the battery life as well as see print queue and print history. It’s possible to create collages or choose a colorful border. You can also tweak core settings for images stored on your smart device such as brightness, contrast, saturation and color balance as well as add borders, text, stickers, filters, rotate or draw over images.

The IVY 2 Mini has a rear LED which shows red when charging via the USB-C cable, green when fully charged, flashes green when booting or cycles between red and green if there is a charging fault. A second LED indicator on the front of the printer next to where the photo paper comes out ot will show white when the device is switched on, flashes white when booting, will have a white breathing effect when preparing to print (or updating the firmware), show red if the device is too hot, flash red if the device is open or there is an error such as no paper loaded, will cycle between red and white if the battery is low, flash blue if there is no Canon Smartsheet, show Cyan to tell you the device temperature is too low or have a cyan breathing effect to show the printer head is cooling.

Canon IVY 2 Mini: Print quality

The Canon IVY 2 Mini uses the same 2x3” ZINK photo paper as the CLIQ+2, however it has a 17% lower resolution at 313x500 dpi. ZINK stands for Zero Ink, which means the paper is coated with microcrystals that react when heated. This means you don’t have to worry about refilling ink cartridges or printer heads becoming clogged as it uses heat to create its prints. This technology also has the benefit of producing images quickly, that are also smudge-free, water and tear-resistant.

Borderless prints can be created at 2x3”, though there are also plenty of border options you can choose within the Canon Mini Print App as well as options to edit the brightness, contrast and saturation of your images and add overlays such as stickers, a bit like an Instagram filter. You also have the choice of printing 2x3” prints or buying pre-cut sticker sheets that contain two 1.3” circular stickers on each sheet. All photos produced have an optional sticky backing that can be revealed to turn your photos into a sticker and all ZINK paper comes in packs of 10 with an additional SmartSheet that is processed by the printer first to optimise it and takes about a minute.

Images aren’t the highest quality we’ve ever seen but they’re absolute fit for purpose and have some of the retro charm you get with instant film cameras such as a Polaroid or Fujifilm Instax, it’s just a shame that the prints aren’t a little larger. We also found that the prints had a tendency to curl up over time so you need to put some heavy books on them to flatten them out, it’s a shame Canon didn’t use thicker paper stock that would help stop them from curling up. If you however peel the back off and use the images as a sticker you won’t encounter this problem.

Canon IVY 2 Mini: Price and warranty

The Canon IVY 2 Mini photo printer has an RRP of $129.99, but at the time of review we had found it on sale for $99.99 on the Canon USA store and Adorama. It’s hard to justify the price of the IVY 2 Mini when the CLIQ+2 packs more features and is cheaper, so if you’re considering a compact mobile printer it also would be worth considering the CLIQ+2.

You can pick up a pack of 20 2x3” ZINK paper for about $10, making each print 50 cents. We also found a pack of 100 for $45, making it slightly better value at 45 cents. You also have the option to print on pre-cut sticker paper, which has two pre-cut 1.3” circular stickers per sheet, this costs $13 for 10 stickers, making it $1.30 per sheet, or 65 cents per individual sticker. You could also just print on the regular ZINK paper and peel these off to turn them into stickers, or manually cut them into the sticker shape you desire.

In the USA, the Canon IVY 2 Mini comes with a one year limited warranty, while in the UK the Zoemini 2 comes with a two year guarantee. 

Canon IVY 2 Mini: User reviews

At the time of writing, there were 56 reviews on Amazon, where the Canon IVY 2 Mini received an impressive 4.4 out of 5 stars with 63% of users giving it top marks. 

“This Canon IVY 2 Mini Photo Printer is awesome! First it prints great. It uses ZINK (Zero Ink) technology, which features colorful dye-based crystals embedded inside the paper. The photos are clear, crisp, and the colors are accurate. Plus they have a peel-and-stick backing too. It is also very easy to use via the Canon Mini Print App. My 12 year old son really likes using this - it's fun and is definitely a cool option for mini-prints. We liked it so much we bought another. Because it uses special ZINK paper, it does require replacement paper to be purchased. This is a cool little printer, would make a great gift for those looking for fun, mini-prints.” - Amazon 5 star review

It was similar high scores on the Canon USA shop where it had received an average 4.9 stars from 61 reviews.

Should you buy the Canon IVY 2 Mini?

Canon’s IVY 2 Mini is a very similar size to the Canon IVY CLIQ+2, which uses the same ZINK paper and Canon Mini Print app to print its images wirelessly. While the Canon IVY 2 Mini is a very capable compact printer, we found the IVY CLIQ+2 to be the better printer to go for. It can print for longer with its higher capacity 700mAh battery and is more fun to use with a built-in 8MP camera, and at the time of writing is significantly cheaper to pick up at $69.99. Unless prices change drastically in the future, the CLIQ+2 is currently the better value option that we’d be inclined to go for.

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 is an updated version of the CP1300. The new model has a fresh look, with a more boxy appearance, a textured top face, a simplified button configuration, and a larger and fixed LCD.

Like its predecessor, the CP1500 is available in black, white, and pink colorways. Overall, the cosmetic changes to the new iteration give it a more stylish and cleaner appearance. Changes aren’t just in the design, though. The CP1500 also boasts faster print times and a new USB-C port. We’ll examine its performance and features more closely to assess whether it deserves a place in our best compact printer guide.

The best portable printers, such as Canon’s SELPHY CP1500, are handy for printing on the go. However, the maximum print size is 6x4”, which could be a limiting factor if you need to make larger prints.

It comes boxed with a wall charger, and users also have the option of powering it from an NB-CP2LI battery pack, which is sold separately at an extra cost, though it provides truly mobile printing - handy if you’re going to places where you can’t rely on mains power.

A common issue with inkjet printers is that print head nozzles can get clogged when not consistently used. The CP1500 uses dye sublimation technology, so you never have to worry about this problem with this printer.

This mini printer’s portability and small print size make it a good option for scrapbooks, projects, children’s homework, or even a fun and novel centerpiece at a party so your friends and family can print their pictures. Let’s test it to see if you should buy one…

Canon SELPHY CP1500: Setup

Setting up the Canon SELPHY CP1500 is pleasantly simple. To begin, you’ll need to decide whether you’re powering the printer with the stock wall charger, which has been redesigned and is about 30% smaller, making it more portable (it has a slightly longer cable reach, too, which is nice), or whether to use the NB-CP2LI optional battery, which costs $199.99 and lasts for about 72 prints from a full charge. The CP1500 is notably quieter on startup than the CP1300. However, noise levels are similar to the CP1300 during printing.

Like its predecessor, the CP1500 takes an identical 21 seconds to boot up from pressing the power button. While we would have liked to have seen a peppier starting time, it is snappy and quick to get printing once it’s booted up. We also found print speeds improved by about 10%, with the CP1500 taking, on average, 57 seconds to print a 6x4” postcard-size photo. 

To begin printing, you’ll need to insert the paper cassette. Different cassette options are available for various paper sizes, such as 2.1x3.4” cards, though it comes with a 4x6in cassette, the largest compatible paper type. The included cassette has had a bit of a makeover and is made of white and semi-transparent clear plastic material, giving it a much cleaner appearance. One improvement we would have liked to have seen would have been to simplify the cassettes and create a single cassette compatible with all the different paper types to save on clutter, confusion, and extra peripherals you need to spend more money on.

The button layout has been simplified, losing the Home, WiFi, Print, and Zoom buttons, leaving just the core menu, directional, OK, and power buttons. This works well, as the streamlined interface makes it more user-friendly.

The Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app allows you to print images stored on your device from your smartphone. The app also offers options for Photo Print, Document Print, SELPHY Photo Layout, and Smartphone Copy, which allows you to take a picture and print it.

Alternatively, you can use the memory card reader, compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards, or MicroSD, MicroSDHC, and MicroSDXC cards with an SD card adapter. The new USB-C port allows you to connect cameras, computers, and flash drives with a USB-C type connection or pair old USB devices with an adapter, though sadly, one is omitted.

• Score: 8/10

Canon SELPHY CP1500: Design & features

The maximum print size remains the same as the prior model at 6x4” with a max resolution of 300x300dpi. However, Canon claims the CP1500 promises a print speed of 41 seconds for 6x4” prints, compared to the CP1300’s claimed 47-second print speeds. In our testing, we timed the duration between pressing the button to start printing and stopped our stopwatch when the print was completed and found the CP1500 to take a total of 57 seconds on average to produce a 6x4” print, while the CP1300 took about 63 seconds. This is still a 10% improvement, but the printing times are longer than Canon claims.

Like its predecessor, the CP1500 features an SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory card slot for easy printing directly from a camera’s memory card (microSD, microSDHC, and micro SDXC cards can also be used via an adapter). It also boasts the same WiFi connection, allowing you to print through the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app, and is compatible with Apple AirPrint and Google Mopria.

One notable change is that the CP1300’s USB-A and USB-mini ports have been swapped out for a more modern USB-C connection. While a USB-C is undoubtedly a more modern port that helps future-proof the CP1500, Canon has perhaps overlooked the fact that many users will still be using those older devices with USB-A and USB-mini ports, so we’d have rather seen this as an extra add-on rather than a replacement. You could use an adapter to convert USB-C to one of those older ports, though one is omitted.

One of the most significant physical changes comes from the LCD screen, which is about 10% larger than the one on the CP1300, though, unlike its predecessor, it is fixed in place and can’t be tilted upwards. This makes it more challenging to see the screen when you’re sitting down as you have to lean forward to look directly down at it, and it seems like a bit of a step backward to take a good feature away. On balance, one upside to having a fixed screen is that the build feels more robust as there’s one less moving part that could get damaged over time.

The CP1500's dimensions are similar to those of the CP1300, though it’s slightly wider and shallower, measuring 7.2 x 2.3 x 5.2 inches and 0.35 oz lighter. It is compatible with PCP-CP400 and PCC-CP400 cassettes and offers postcards, credit cards, credit card stickers, square stickers, and mini stickers in various paper sizes.

• Score: 6.5/10

Canon SELPHY CP1500: Performance

Conventional inkjet printers use ink cartridges, and if you don’t print regularly, the wet ink can dry up inside the ink nozzles, causing clogs. If you’ve ever owned an inkjet printer, you’ll likely be all too familiar with this problem. One neat feature of the CP1500 is that it uses dye-sublimation technology and heat, so you never have to worry about blocked print heads. The three yellow, cyan, and magenta inks are built up gradually with each printer pass, with a fourth and final pass giving each print a protective coating. Canon also claims the prints are good for 100 years.

Each color has 256 shades for 24-bit depth and 16.7 million colors for true-to-life prints and realistic skin tones. The maximum print size is 6x4”, and the maximum resolution is 300x300 dpi.

When we reviewed the CP1300, we were impressed by its print quality due to the fantastic detail and bright colors, and we’re happy to report that it’s the same story as this new version. When we compared prints of identical images between the CP1300 and CP1500, the prints looked almost similar, though blue skies appeared to be slightly more vibrant on the CP1500 - this was the only noticeable difference we saw. Image Optimiser was enabled on both printers.

• Score: 8.5/10

Canon SELPHY CP1500: Price & value

When writing, the Canon SELPHY CP1500 was $139.99 and came with a one-year guarantee in the US. It also has a paper cassette and a plastic tray for holding your media, but it doesn’t come with ink or paper. This means it’s likely you’ll also need to purchase the RP-108 pack, which comes with enough paper and ink to produce 108 4x6” postcard prints. The RP-108 pack costs $35.99, making each 6x4” postcards about $0.33 each, or $0.77 per 54x86mm label. The prints are pretty pricey compared to a conventional inkjet printer, but obviously, it has the advantage of being very small and portable. 

Our largest issue with the cost was the expensive $199.99 NB-CP2LI battery, which decreases its value if you need it for photography. Changes from the CP1300 to the CP1500 have been relatively conservative, and including a built-in battery feels like a missed opportunity. Compared to the CP1300, the CP1500 seems like a small step forward rather than a giant leap.

• Score: 6/10

Canon SELPHY CP1500: User reviews

At the time of writing, the Canon SELPHY CP1500 is still very new, so reviews are hard to come by. That said, the comments that we did find online were very positive.

“Excellent 4x6" printer! The prints from this are fantastic, with perfect color, contrast, and saturation. The app is easy to use. I'm looking forward to trying the stickers and hope to get the battery soon to make it fully portable. I already own the CP1200, which I also like, but this produces better prints. And this uses the same trays, paper, and cartridges that the CP1200 uses, so I don't have to buy them. The printer is larger than the other portables like the Ivy, Instax, and Sprocket, which only print 2x3" photos.” - 5-star review, Best Buy

“I ordered this for family pics as well as passport pics. Delivered the next day. This is tiny. A lot smaller than expected. Setting up and connecting to the phone and camera took a couple of minutes. Prints very quickly. The quality is incredible. A nice-sized screen makes editing pics from an SD card super simple. It has the option to crop and add border design/animations, as well as an ID feature to help with requirements for passports, ID cards, etc. I would recommend getting the battery to make it truly portable. The ink cartridge stays inside the printer, and the tray is smaller than the printer, so you can stack the tray and printer when not in use. It can also fit in a mini backpack or a handbag. My only complaint is that the cost per picture is relatively high (around 30 cents).” - 5 Star review, bhphotovideo

Would I buy the Canon SELPHY CP1500?

If you’re looking for a portable printer and don’t need to produce prints larger than 6x4”, consider the Canon SELPHY CP1500. It has fantastic image quality and very reasonable print speeds. The small size of the prints can be a limiting factor, though if you don’t need to print larger than this, it’s ideal and fun to scrapbook and create prints at a party.

This new iteration sees subtle enhancements such as a larger display, a simplified interface for better operability, and faster printer times. Improvements are a small step rather than a big leap forward, which we hoped for. We’d have loved to have seen a universal paper cartridge and a built-in battery, but this model has no dice.

If you’re interested in the CP1500, consider the older but still capable CP1300, which costs about $99 and has the same excellent print quality. You’ll need to decide whether to spend extra money on the latest model, which has better features and faster print times.

The Epson SureColor P900 is the latest in the company’s high-end, large-format photo printers aimed squarely at professional and enthusiast photographers. It’s a significant upgrade over the preceding SureColor P800 model and a step up size-wise over the 13-inch/A3+ SureColor P700. The latter has a similar design and runs on the same range of ten pigment-based inks, although the P900’s cartridges have double the capacity.

Compared with 11-inch/A4 and even 13-inch/A3+ photo printers, the P900 gives supersized output. As such, it does full justice to the relatively high megapixel count of current and recent digital cameras while outputting prints of around 17x22-inch/A2+, large enough to frame and exhibit in a gallery or hang on your wall at home. The P900 can output even larger panoramic prints if you buy Epson’s roll feed adapter, sold separately as an optional extra.

As with any pigment-based photo printer, the P900 is best suited to printing on matte photo paper and fine-art media. The relatively large molecules of the pigment ink, compared with dye-based inks, are physically more robust when used with these types of documents and more resistant to fading over time. The flip side is that the molecules are too large to completely pass through the protective shiny layers of glossy, semi-gloss, and luster photo papers, so prints can be susceptible to bronzing, lacking uniformity in reflectivity, especially when viewing glossy prints from different angles.

Epson SureColor P900: Setup

Unpacking and setting up the printer takes about half an hour. This includes physically removing the printer from its box, removing the protective packing pieces, and removing many strips of blue transit tape. Although it can feel like a chore, it’s reassuring that the printer has been well protected in transit, with all the delicate components shielded and firmly in place.

The rest of the setup time is spent installing the cartridges and running the automatic initialization procedure. Although there are ten separate cartridges, they slot in easily. There’s no danger of plugging ink cartridges into the wrong slots, as they’re individually keyed so that each cartridge will only fit in its allocated place.

Connectivity options are plentiful, including a Hi-Speed USB 3.0 port, a 100Base-T Ethernet port, and both 2.4GHz (802.11n) and 5GHz (IEEE802.11 b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi, plus Wi-Fi Direct. Cloud-based printing is also supported, including Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.

Epson SureColor P900: Design & features

There’s a crucial upgrade in the SureColor P700 and P900 printers, compared with earlier models in Epson’s 13-inch and 17-inch large-format printers. There’s a dedicated channel in the print head for both matte black and photo black inks for the first time. This can significantly save time and money if you frequently switch between glossy and matte photo papers, which require photo black and matte black inks, respectively. 

Previously, you would have needed to purge the ink from the ink head and recharge it with the alternative black ink, which could take several minutes and waste a lot of ink. The additional dedicated channel makes this chore obsolete.

Despite boasting additional features compared with its SureColor P800 predecessor, the P900 is some 30% smaller. Indeed, it’s particularly compact for a 17-inch/A2+ printer, measuring 24.2x14.5x7.8 inches in its storage configuration. As you’d expect with big paper sizes involved, the printer becomes quite a lot larger with its input and output trays extended, the depth and height growing to 35.6 inches and 20.5 inches, respectively. You’ll also need to allow additional space if you use the front paper feeder instead of the default top-loading tray at the rear; the front feeder can accommodate bulkier media up to 1.5mm thick, like rigid photo board.

A key feature of any photo inkjet printer is the ink it runs on. The SureColor P900 uses ten pigment-based inks, all supplied in individual cartridges. The line-up includes photo black, matte black, gray, light gray, cyan, light cyan, yellow, vivid magenta, vivid light magenta, and violet. Four black/gray inks and six color inks aim for superb fidelity for black-and-white and color photo printing.

Further feature enhancements over Epson’s previous large-format SureColor printers include a 4.3-inch touchscreen. This can be useful for adjusting print settings directly without delving too far into driver menus on an attached computer. For example, you can apply the correct settings for different types of photo paper and select your preferred quality mode. The touchscreen also makes it simple to monitor ink levels and track the printing status, showing how much time remains for the current print job.

Another neat feature is that the printer has internal LED lighting, which you can switch on or off. It teams up with a translucent section of the top panel, so you can watch prints while they’re being created. It can give greater peace of mind that you’ve applied all the correct settings and everything’s going according to plan, even if it feels like watching paint dry.

There are alternative options for media handling. You’ll likely use the upright paper input feeder at the rearmost of the time, which accepts photo paper of all popular sizes from 3.5x5 inches up to 17x22 inches. A horizontal input tray pulls out from the front, which is a better choice for fine art media and a relatively inflexible poster board. This enables an entirely flat transport system that doesn’t bend the press at any point as it passes through the printer. The only catch is that you need to allow sufficient space at the printer's rear so the media doesn’t collide with a wall or another object behind the printer. A CD/DVD/Blu-ray tray is included with the printer for direct printing onto white-faced discs.

Epson SureColor P900: Performance

We found that the P900 lived up to Epson’s claims, delivering sumptuous color quality and immaculate black-and-white photographic output. The extensive range of black, gray, and color inks enables a wide gamut (or color space) and excellent reproduction of everything from subtle skin tones to vibrant landscape colors. Transitions in subtly graduated colors are impressively smooth.

Black & white prints are rich in drama thanks to an excellent tonal range that retains superb detail from bright highlights to intense blacks. The printer’s ‘Advanced B&W Photo’ mode optimizes the quality. Epson developed a new ‘Carbon Black Driver Technology’ for the printer to enhance Dmax (black density) on glossy papers.

Both color and mono printing on glossy, semi-gloss, and luster photo papers are perfect for a pigment-based printer, but prints still look less smooth and uniformly shiny than the results from a high-end printer running on dye-based inks. There’s a ‘Gloss Smoothing’ option for glossy papers (not luster) that aims to give a more uniform appearance. In our tests, however, differences were negligible, and the option was switched off by default.

Pigment-based printers are slower than their dye-based competitors, and the P900’s print speed isn’t fast. Even so, it can output high-quality (rather than maximum quality) 13x19-inch/A3+ images on glossy photo paper in 6 minutes 32 seconds and just 3 minutes 27 seconds for matte media, so it’s no slouch for a printer running on pigment inks.

In our tests creating 16.5x23.4-inch/A2 photo prints on fine art media, the P900 took 9 minutes 53 seconds in its ‘basic’ quality setting for both color and Advanced Black & White, extending to 12 minutes 26 seconds at the ‘high’ quality setting. We found that print speed only dropped off at the ‘Maximum’ quality setting, resulting in an A2 photo print taking 33 minutes 26 seconds to create.

Regarding fine art media, Epson offers support with additional free software, including Epson Media Installer, for creating and storing custom settings and ICC profiles for various papers. There’s also Epson ColorBase 2 for advanced printer calibration, whereas Epson Print Layout comes in useful if you want to create custom layouts with a variety of virtual frames and background colors, as well as giving the option of custom color settings for fine-tuning the output.

It can seem a bit churlish to criticize a half-hour print speed, at least at the maximum quality setting, when creating a top-quality photo print for an exhibition or selling to a client if you’re a professional photographer. After all, you’re creating prints to last a lifetime, and it’s still massively quicker than ordering prints online and waiting for them to turn up in the post, and, naturally, you get complete control over the whole process.

And then there’s the matter of longevity. Based on advanced aging tests at the internationally renowned Willhelm Institute, Epson is confident that prints created on the P900 have a longevity of up to 200 years for color and 400 years for black & white when framed behind glass. It’s essential if you’re selling prints to clients, who might expect their purchases to last at least a lifetime and even pass on to future generations.

You might naturally assume that the highest-quality setting will produce the best-looking results. For most glossy, semi-gloss, and luster papers, there are five quality levels to choose from. In our tests, there was no discernible improvement in quality when selecting the maximum setting over medium to high settings with various photo papers, although the lowest ‘standard’ mode can prove a little lacking in fine detail and the smoothness of graduations.

Epson SureColor P900: Care and maintenance

Like any large-format printer, the SureColor P900 is a high-precision kit. It’s best to install it in one place, if possible, rather than moving it around too much. It’s also a good idea to create even a tiny photo print once a week to avoid the risk of ink drying in the thin nozzles of the print heads and blocking them. Running a nozzle check routine from the printer driver or onboard touchscreen is wise, especially before creating large-format prints. If this reveals any blockages, run the head-cleaning cycle once or more as necessary to clear the heads, running a further nozzle check each time as required.

The printer dumps any excess ink into a ‘maintenance tank.’ When initially setting up the printer, ink from the setup cartridges is used to purge transit fluid from the heads and charge them with all the respective inks. Therefore, the maintenance tank is partially filled from the start, but a spare is provided, and if you need additional ones in the future, they’re reasonably priced at around $20/£19 each.

Epson USA offers a Preferred Plus Exchange Service for ongoing peace of mind, charged at $179 per year. This entitles you to a replacement (probably refurbished) printer if yours becomes faulty. Plans can be purchased anytime that you’re covered under the Epson limited warranty or Epson extended service plan in one-year increments up to a maximum of four years after the initial 12-month warranty. In the UK, Epson’s similar CoverPlus plan is available for three years at £366, four at £586 or five at £879 (including VAT). Free online support and answers to FAQs are available via Epson’s regional websites.

Epson SureColor P900: Price and availability

The SureColor P900 can be purchased online from Epson’s global websites and various online photographic and other retailers. As you’d expect, the initial purchase price is relatively more expensive than the smaller 13-inch/A3+ Epson SureColor P700, which sells for around $829/£679. Pricing is similar to the directly competing pigment-based Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 17-inch/A2 printer, which retails for around £1,099/$1,199.

Although the SureColor P900 is pricier than the smaller P700 model, there are significant savings in running costs. Both printers run on the same line-up of ten Epson UltraChrome PRO10 pigment-based inks, with an identical range of black, gray, and color inks. However, the P900’s cartridges have twice the capacity of the P700’s cartridges, at 50ml each rather than 25ml. And they’re not much more expensive to buy (especially in the USA), at $44/£37 per cartridge compared with the P700’s $38/£27.

A disappointment regarding early outlay is that the ‘setup’ cartridges supplied with the printer are mainly used up during the initial installation process. In our tests, one of the cartridges ran out after creating only eight A2 prints, and the others only had a little ink left. When you’ve just paid over a grand for a printer, it can a bit like daylight robbery having to shell out an extra £440/$370 for an additional complete set of cartridges very soon afterwards. On the plus side, working out to around $0.88/£0.74 per milliliter, ongoing ink costs are very competitive.

For creating panoramic and other longer-format prints, some of Epson’s older large-format printers came complete with roll feeders that could be attached to the back of the printer. For the P900, the SC-P900 Roll Paper Unit is sold separately as an optional extra, priced at around $249/£213. It’s an accessory that’s well worth having, as it enables you to create larger-format panoramic prints and banners of up to 129 inches in length using rolls of paper with either 2-inch or 3-inch cores.

Epson SureColor P900: User reviews

The majority of customer reviews for the Epson SureColor P900 are very favorable, complementing the excellent print quality for both color and black & white photographic images and artwork reproductions. However, there have been some complaints about reliability and the printer failing to consistently load certain types of photographic paper and fine art media. Some users also complain that ink costs are more expensive than for previous models, which had a higher cartridge capacity of 80ml rather than 50ml.

Epson SureColor P900: What the experts say

The Epson SureColor P900 is a better investment than the preceding P800 model. A major upgrade is that individual channels are featured for all ten inks, rather than one channel being shared for photo black and matte black inks. This potentially saves a lot of time and money if you frequently switch between glossy and matte media.

The construction feels of a fully pro-grade quality, befitting a printer that’s aimed at the professional photography market. The actual print quality is excellent for both color and black & white photographic images, especially when using matte or fine art media. As with other pigment-based printers, quality is less smooth and uniform on glossy paper compared with dye-based models, but it’s still very good.

The inclusion of a color touchscreen is a nice touch for adjusting print settings and keep an eye on printer status. As is often the case with inkjet printers, the short lifespan of the setup cartridges after the initial installation is a frustration. Given the price of the printer and its cartridges, it would perhaps seem fairer to supply the printer with an additional set of cartridges as part of the retail package.

Would I buy the Epson SureColor P900?

The SureColor P900 is a specialist 17-inch/A2+ printer that’s designed to meet the needs of the most discerning professional photographers, who demand the utmost in quality for both color and black & white prints, to give full satisfaction to their clients. The price of the printer and the cost of its ink cartridges reflect this, so it’s not a purchase to be taken lightly.

For enthusiast photographers, the P900 delivers prints of exceptional quality, worthy of submitting in competitions and for hanging in a gallery, so you get what you pay for. That said, as a pigment-based inkjet printer, the best quality is achieved on matte or fine art media, rather than on glossy, semi-gloss and luster photo papers.

If you generally print on glossy, semi-gloss and luster photo papers and you’d be content with a smaller 13x19-inch/A3+ maximum print size, the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 gives superior results and is a fair bit faster in terms of print speeds.

How does the Epson SureColor P900 compare to competitors?

The most direct current competitor to the Epson SureColor P900 is the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 17-inch/A2+ printer. There’s little to choose between the two for print speeds and quality of output, especially on matte photo paper and fine art media, although we found that the Canon delivers slightly superior results in terms of color range and tonal range, with even deeper blacks. 

The Canon uses two extra cartridges, with twelve in total rather than the Epson’s ten. These include matte black, photo black, cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, gray, photo gray, red, and blue inks, as well as featuring a ‘Chroma Optimizer’ cartridge which gives a more even finish on glossy photo paper. 

The Canon’s cartridges also have a higher capacity, at 80ml each compared with the Epson’s 50ml. Ink costs work out to $0.68/£0.56 per milliliter, compared with the Epson’s $0.88/£0.74 per milliliter. In our experience, the Canon printer’s nozzles in its print heads are less prone to occasionally blocking, reducing the need for cleaning cycles to be run, thus giving further savings in ink costs.

How we tested the Epson SureColor P900

Our testing process begins with unpacking and setting up the printer. We download and install the latest versions of drivers, then run nozzle check routines and, if required, print head cleaning cycles. We then carry out print head alignment procedures to ensure optimum accuracy. The printer manufacturers’ genuine, own-brand inks and photo papers are used throughout the entire testing procedure.

We create test prints from a wide range of mono and color documents, digital photos, including landscapes, portraits, and black & white images. Prints are made using standard color modes as well as optional enhancement features, offered with the printer. We also use our own specially created test chart to reveal each printer's accuracy in terms of color reproduction, tonal range, and the ability to deliver smooth graduations between subtle color variations.

For output speed, we measure the time taken to produce borderless 6x4-inch, A4, A3, A3+ and A2 prints at various photo quality settings, where available with each printer that we test.

In this review, we’re taking a closer look at the Canon PIXMA TS3520 all-in-one printer. In the UK, it’s called the Canon PIXMA TS3450, while in Australia it’s the TS3460.

As one of the best compact printers it can print, copy and scan documents, as you’d expect it also features WiFi so you can connect to it wirelessly via the dedicated Canon PRINT app or through Apple AirPrint (iOS and iPadOS) and Mopria (Android).

The PIXMA TS3520 uses a mixture of both dye and pigment-based inks in tandem, which Canon claim will deliver vivid colours as well as sharp text - we’ll look at print quality in more depth later on.

Canon also claims it has improved its Web Setup Guide which has easy to follow videos and step-by-step instructions to help users get set up in rapid time and features one-touch wireless connectivity which instantly links the printer with a smart device, PC or laptop when connected to Wi-Fi. So without further ado, let’s see how it performed.

Canon PIXMA TS3520: Setup

The packaging materials make it clear that to get started you need to go to ij.start.canon to download the relevant software and drivers. We thought it would be easiest to get setup on our desktop Windows PC first, and the link installed the IJ Printer Assistant Tool on to our computer which shows ink levels and allows you to do a print quality check as well as clean the nozzles, however it didn’t automatically install the Canon Inkjet Smart Connect software that gives you access to core functions such as scanning to your computer, so this needs to be downloaded and installed separately which was a little confusing and we’d have preferred that it automatically downloaded and installed this program when setting up.

The PIXMA TS3520 features a USB port for a wired connection to a computer but doesn’t come with a USB cable. This was frustrating as setting up our desktop via a wireless connection caused a few headaches. The printer can print out its own diagnostic sheet with password that should allow you to connect to its WiFi but we couldn’t get this to work. We were however able to get setup using a cable after we’d dug one out of a drawer, this was fine for printing via the wired connection but it still hadn’t setup the printer to work with the wireless network as we’d expected and other printers in the past had been capable of, so this was a point of frustration.

We persevered however and were eventually able to get our desktop setup wirelessly, though this involved doing the setup by smartphone using the Canon PRINT app instead. This was able to connect to the printer’s WiFi and then set it up to work with our home WiFi network. So in our opinion it’s best to start and get setup via a smartphone and then set up your desktop or laptop afterwards.

We were also able to connect without any drivers installed using Apple’s AirPrint for iOS and Mopria for Android, though you have to press a button on the printer to enable this, which isn’t made very clear. Overall, while we were eventually able to get setup over WiFi the instructions were unclear and physical buttons on the TS3520 would benefit from better signposting.

• Score: 6.5/10

Canon PIXMA TS3520: Design & features

The PIXMA TS3520 is a 3-in-1 model so can print, scan and copy documents all in a single unit for practicality. Printing is possible at up to A4 with a maximum resolution of 4800x1200 dpi and dual ink system, a black and tricolour cartridges. One issue is that tricolour cartridges are often wasteful as you need to replace them even if only one of the three colours is running low. Borderless prints can also be produced at up to 5x7 inches.

The flatbed scanner allows you to scan A4 documents to a computer or smartphone with a maximum resolution of 600x1200 dpi and can copy documents in about 25 seconds and created a black and white copy in just 13 seconds.

It has a rear paper feed which can hold up to 60 sheets of standard A4 paper, and a simple sliding mechanism to keep your paper aligned.

On the top, you’ll find the 1.5” segment LCD panel which shows you the printer status, error codes and how many copies are being printed. There’s also quite a lot of buttons that aren’t particularly well signposted, this was one of the biggest complaints we found when looking at customer reviews online, so a clearer explanation in the instruction manual or text next to each button would certainly help clear things up.

The printer features an Auto Power ON/OFF mode, which is great for saving electricity and when the printer is switched off sending a document to the TS3520 will automatically wake it up to print.

Using the PIXMA Cloud Link via the Canon Print app users can print directly from Google Drive, Dropbox and Evernote over Wi-Fi making it easy to print important documents even if you don’t have them directly to hand.

Voice command services such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are supported so you can print directly, check ink levels or power the printer on and off all handsfree.

• Score: 7/10

Canon PIXMA TS3520: Performance

The PIXMA TS3520 uses PG-545 (Black) and CL-546 (Colour) FINE inks which are said to print 180 A4 pages in black and white or 180 in colour. XL cartridge options are also available which should be able to print 400 A4 mono prints or 300 A4 colour pages.

We were able to print a full colour A4 image on matte paper in just 50 seconds, while the same image on 10x15cm Photo Paper Plus Glossy II took 60 secs. A single sheet colour text document was printed in just 19 seconds.

The PIXMA TS3520 has a maximum print size of A4 at a resolution of 4800x1200dpi, while the flatbed scanner on top can scan A4 documents at a maximum resolution of 600x1200dpi. An interesting hybrid ink system is featured which uses a mixture of both dye and pigment-based inks in tandem, which Canon boasts delivers vivid colours and sharp text.

In our testing we found print quality to be very good, with strong sharpness and vibrant colours particularly using Canon’s Photo Paper Plus Glossy II, which can produce borderless 5x7” images. Prints on matte paper looked more washed out and faded, though this is an inherent issue with matte paper and not the printer itself. Printing documents was pleasantly fast and the text was also crisp and sharp.

• Score: 8/10

Canon PIXMA TS3520: Price & value

In the US the Canon PIXMA TS3520 has an RRP of $89.99, comes with standard black and colour ink cartridges as well as a one year warranty. It uses PG-545 Black ($18.99) and CL-546 Color ($23), which come as a pack costing $29, which is said to be able to print 180 A4 pages, giving it a cost per page of 16 cents.

• Score: 8/10

Canon PIXMA TS3520: User reviews

Users of this printer have had some good things to say about it, on Canon’s website users gave it an average score of 4 out of 5 stars.

While printing through the app or Airprint and Mopria on mobile devices is a piece of cake, the biggest problem it would seem users have faced is connectivity through via PC or Mac desktops and laptops. We found multiple reviews online from users giving it a low score due to the lack of clarity around what the various buttons on the printer do and we agree this could be made more clear.

Would I buy the Canon PIXMA TS3520?

Canon’s PIXMA TS3520 is certainly attractive with its low price point. It is perhaps no surprise then that it feels like a budget model with parts of the printer such as the rear paper feed, scanner lid and front paper tray all feeling a little flimsy. Connectivity and the setup guide has room for improvement, as did the button layout and interface which would benefit from clearer controls.

These negatives aside, once it’s all set up, the TS3520 performed well with impressive print quality particularly on the 4x6” Photo Paper Plus Glossy II which it could print borderless on. Text documents were also printed quickly with decent quality.

It lacks some creature comforts of more premium models such as dual-sided printing and can only print borderless up to 5x7”, so if you need the extra features you may be better off spending a bit more and getting a better model. But if you’re on a tight budget Canon’s PIXMA TS3520 is a good option for a home office and for students.

The Canon SELPHY CP1300 is a compact printer that doesn’t take up a lot of desk space yet can produce high-quality postcard prints at a maximum size of 4x6 inches. It has the immediacy and the portability of a Polaroid camera, but unlike a Polaroid-style camera, it has the greater image quality and creature comforts like WiFi so that you and your friends can connect and print remotely from smart devices.

Its small form-factor and relatively low print size could make it a good option for scrapbooking, school projects or a fun centrepiece at a party where guests can print off their own images wirelessly, creating a keepsake they can cherish.

The CP1300 uses a three-ink system. The bane of any conventional inkjet printer is blocked printer head nozzles, but Canon’s SELPHY CP1300 uses dye sublimation technology instead. This means you never have to worry about ink heads getting clogged which is an added bonus and makes it more stress-free to use. The images the CP1300 produces are also instantly dry so no need to wait around before handling them.

You can purchase an additional NB-CP2LH battery that allows the CP1300 to run on battery power making it a portable unit. Canon claims the printer is capable of printing 72 individual 6x4” prints from a single charge. That’s enough of the technical jargon for now, let’s put it through its paces and see if you should get one!

Canon SELPHY CP1300: Setup

Turning on the SELPHY CP1300 took about 25 seconds to start up so it’s a little slow to get going, though once booted up it was pleasantly easy to set up. It’s straightforward to load the ink cartridge and also paper cassette into the printer, the instruction manual also offers clear instructions to help you if you get stuck.

You can connect to the CP1300 via a computer or a smartphone. Apple Airprint and Google Mopria are supported and you can print directly from your camera via WiFi if it has this feature. You also have the option to insert an SD, SDHC, or SDXC card directly into the front of the CP1300 (though raw files aren’t supported), there are USB Type A and Mini B ports to the left also.

For more options and the best experience when printing wirelessly you can download and install the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app which we did for our Apple iPhone 12 Mini. This was setup and connected to the CP1300’s WiFi, then using the app you can choose whether to print Photos, Documents, SELPHY Photo Layout or Smartphone Copy (which allows you to take a picture with your smartphone and print it out).

Clicking on the Photo Print option you’re able to choose from where the images are stored, such as smartphone, cloud, or Canon Camera Connect. You can then choose which images you want to print and you can select multiple images to line up a big batch of photos which is a handy time saving feature. You can also choose how many copies you’d like to print and whether to print with a border or borderless.

The postcard size prints have small tear-away tabs on each side which when torn off give you a borderless finish though this leaves the sides looking a little rough and is also a bit time consuming to rip them all off if you have a large batch of prints to get through.

You can crop your shots when you use Airprint, or when you print via the SD card slot, which is great because you can see if any important details on your image are cropped off. However, this wasn’t clear on the Canon SELPHY print app as there is no print preview, this meant when we tried to print a square photo, the top and bottom were cropped off to fill the 4x6” paper. The ability to crop in the app would be a welcome addition.

• Score: 7.5/10

Canon SELPHY CP1300: Design & features

The Canon CP1300 comes in three colour options, black, white and pink which is certainly a positive if you like your gadgets to look stylish - most all-in-one printers just come in a stock black which can look a bit utilitarian.

On top of the printer you’ll find the 3.2-inch LCD screen which can be tilted upwards so you can get a clearer view when sitting down. It also has a good selection of buttons that make navigating the various menus easy and straightforward. The user interface is basic but effective, rarely were we unable to find the options we were after. One slight issue is the interface doesn’t give any indication of the charge level of the NB-CP2LH battery when it’s connected, or when it’s fully charged either.

There’s also no icon to display the ink level remaining, though each cartridge states how many pages it can print, such as 36 or 54 and is designed to go with a pack of paper for the corresponding amount of prints, so you can work this out by manually counting how much paper you have left. An icon to indicate the remaining battery charge would be really handy though.

While the CP1300 has a diminutive footprint of just 180.6 x 63.3 x 135.9mm, its noise levels are still comparable to what we’d expect from a standard all-in-one printer. Canon claims the CP1300 can produce 4x6” postcard 4x6” prints in just 47 seconds, though in our testing it averaged about 55 seconds, regardless this was still impressive.

A maximum resolution of 300x300 dpi is boasted, and the maximum size prints available are 148x100mm (4x6”). We also tried out the credit card sized stickers, though this requires an entirely different paper cassette tray and a pack of 36 credit card sized stickers with ink, sold separately. The PCC-CP400 cassette is a one-off payment as it is reusable, so the stickers cost about 30p to produce each. It would be nice if the CP1300 came with the paper cassettes for each paper type as the costs do start to rack up when you factor in all of the extra peripherals you may need. The stickers don’t have the snap-off tabs like the postcards, they simply peel off their backing.

One thing to note is our desk started to become a bit cluttered with all of the various inks, paper types and cassettes which detracted from the printer's overall small and neat aesthetic. It’s also a bit frustrating if you want to switch paper types when you’re partially through your current paper, as you have to find somewhere to safely store the remaining ink and paper.

• Score: 8/10

Canon SELPHY CP1300: Performance

The Canon SELPHY CP1300 can handle 256 levels per colour with 24-bit colour depth and uses dye sublimation technology and thermal transfer printing technology to create instantly dry prints. Canon claims that each image has a longevity of 100 years, though understandably we’re unable to test this claim. The paper does four passes through the printer so you can see the yellow, magenta and then cyan building up with each pass before the final fourth pass applies its final protective coating.

In our tests we found the print quality to be very good with vivid colours and strong sharpness. On odd occasions we did run into misprinting issues where it would appear one of the roller sprockets had got stuck or scratched the print leaving a tiny faint line on the print. That being said, this only happened on rare occasions and we really had to look closely to spot these imperfections, so they were by all means still usable prints.

We made prints with the Auto Image Optimize feature enabled and disabled but we couldn’t see a noticeable difference between the two prints.

The paper options are glossy, so naturally the prints have a glossy finish. However, there are print finishing options that aim to give you a more matte finish. In the menu these are listed as Glossy and Pattern 1, 2 or 3. What these patterns do isn’t explained in the menu and would really benefit from a line of dialogue or a picture example on the LCD screen to explain them.

The manual also provided no answers so we went online to find out what they do - in the finishing stage they can add a textured pattern in an effort to mitigate the shine of glossy paper but we didn’t find this to work particularly well, you just end up with a pattern on your print that degrades it slightly and is still very glossy.

• Score: 7.5/10

Canon SELPHY CP1300: Price & value

Canon’s CP1300 currently costs $110, comes with a two-year guarantee and a postcard sized cassette, though no paper or ink so you’ll likely want to also buy an RP-108 pack which comes with paper and ink.

If you’re considering the CP1300 for its portability then you’ll need to factor in the additional NB-CP2LH battery which allows you to print free of a power source, though it’s not included so you’ll need to fork out an additional $38 which does make this printer rather pricey.

It’s also worth considering the recently launched Canon SELPHY CP1500 which is the newer and more expensive model, which has slightly faster print times and a USB-C port, so this may be the one to get if you desire these features.

• Score: 6.5/10

Canon SELPHY CP1300: User reviews

User reviews were positive on both Amazon where over 80% of customers gave it a 5 star rating, and on Best Buy praise for the SELPHY CP1300 was also high with 94% of customers saying they would recommend it to a friend.

“I'm so glad I bought this! It's perfect! Especially for the price! I was able to print out my cousin’s Save the Date cards for her! And I've added to my wall in my room! The different options are great! Multiple sizes, stickers, labels. It can do quite a bit! Definitely worth it!” - Amazon 5-star review

“Love it. Easy to put together. Perfect size to have at home and not take much room. Prints very nicely and gives confidence on not having to spend crazy amount of money getting a picture printed, simple to install and connect to my computer and phone.” - Best Buy 5-star review

Would I buy the Canon SELPHY CP1300?

Overall, Canon’s CP1300 does exactly what it sets out to do and we felt positive about it. If you need a compact printer that can reliably create postcard sized prints, ID photos or even small stickers, the SELPHY CP1300 is capable of producing these quickly and to a high standard. It’s also ideal for scrapbooking, and could be a good present for kids as it’s fun and would be great for creating prints for school projects.

Alternatively, it also makes a fun centrepiece at parties with friends as it's able to wirelessly connect and print photos from their smartphone. The SELPHY CP1300 made us realise how nice it is to have a physical copy of our photos and reminded us of the 6x4” prints you’d get back after having a disposable camera developed in the days of film, rather than just having all of your pictures stored on your phone as we do in current times.

The CP1300 isn’t, however, the most versatile printer on the market and is a tad on the expensive side. For less money you could get an all-in-one printer that would create high quality postcard sized prints as well as A4 and for less money per print as well as giving you extra comforts such as a built-in flatbed scanner. But, the CP1300 shines through with its compact form-factor, stylish colour options, portability and novelty. As it’s super easy to use we think you’re likely to use it more often than a conventional printer, which in itself would be a good reason to buy one.

It’s a great, fun little printer that’s easy to use and start creating with. If you only want to print up to postcard size and like its portable design then the SELPHY CP1300 is a great option.

The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 aims to double up on practicality in more ways than one, making it one of the best all-in-one printers out there. For starters, it enables large-format printing, so you can create photo prints of up to 13x19 inches/A3+ in size. That’s more than twice the size of regular 8.5x11-inch or A4 output. It also features a pigment-based black ink and five dye-based inks, extending its effectiveness to both document and photo printing.

Not just a printer, the ET-8550 also adds a built-in scanner for scanning and copying documents, artwork and photos, plus an SD memory card slot. Direct scanning, copying and printing is enabled by a 4.3-inch touchscreen that plays host to an intuitive interface.

Large-format printing, especially of color photos, is notorious for draining ink cartridges in double-quick time. The ET-8550 offers a much more convenient and cost-effective solution with its ‘EcoTank’ design that employs relatively large-capacity ink reservoirs for each of the six different inks. These are replenished with 70ml bottles of ink, which greatly reduce running costs as well as the frequency with which you need to buy ink. The printer itself comes with sufficient ink to create 1,800 6x4-inch color photos, after completing the installation procedure, and further sets of ink bottles deliver as many as 2,300 post-setup photo prints of the same size.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Design

When you think of 13x19-inch/A3+ inkjet printers, you’re probably thinking of specialist models geared to creating professional-grade photographic output. An upsized version of Epson’s 8.5-inch/A4 EcoTank ET-8500 printer, the 13-inch/A3+ ET-8550 is more of a multi-purpose, multi-function device. 

Designed to create good-quality mono and color documents as well as appealing photo prints, it has a pigment-based black ink for delivering crisp black text, along with five dye-based inks for photo output.

The dye-based inks include cyan, magenta, yellow, photo black and gray. The gray ink not only enhances the color space, but also enables greater fidelity for black & white photo printing. It’s a good compromise because, while the ET-8550 doesn’t specialize in either document or photo printing, most of us would rather run a single printer for both types of output, rather than buying two separate printers, giving them both house room and doubling up on running costs.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Features

Well-suited to home office use, the ET-8500 features multiple input cassettes for loading different types and sizes of paper. You can therefore load the input cassettes with regular plain paper and different sizes of photo paper, so everything’s ready to go when you’re printing different types of content, rather than having to repeatedly remove paper from a tray and replace it with different media. The printer features an auto duplex unit, potentially saving you money on paper as well as bottle-based ink, and making it effortless to create double-sided documents.

The appeals of an all-in-one printer include a built-in scanner, although the maximum scan size is 8.5 x 11.7 inches, so you can’t directly scan or copy A3+ documents and photos. However, the scanner does enable reductions and enlargements for copying, from 25 per cent to 400 per cent, with a maximum copying resolution of 600 x 600dpi. There’s also an SD memory card slot that’s fully compatible with SDHC and SDXC cards, plus other formats of memory cards via adapters. This enables direct printing of photos and documents stored on memory cards, using the printer’s onboard controls.

Standalone printing and copying is simplified by a 4.3-inch color touchscreen with an intuitive interface. For remote operation via a smartphone or tablet, there’s the ‘Epson Smart Panel’ app for Apple and Android devices. Cloud-based and other remote connectivity options include Mopria for Android, Apple AirPrint and Epson Connect, as well as Wi-Fi Direct.

For going large on printing at sizes up to 13x19-inch/A3+, there’s an upright feeder which pulls up from the back of the printer, plus a horizontal feeder that enables you to print banners and panoramic photos longer than the standard 19 inches, as well as allowing for specialist media up to 1.3mm thick.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Setup and usability

The initial setup process is very straightforward and only takes about 20 minutes in total. That includes taking the printer out of its shipping box and removing all the protective inserts and sticky tape from sensitive components, through to filling the ink tanks, to competing the 7-minute automatic initialization process. 

Filling the tanks from the bottles included is simple and mess-free. The bottles are individually keyed, making it impossible to pour ink into the wrong tank by mistake. All you have to do is to invert each bottle and slot it into the top of the relevant tank, after which a built-in valve automatically releases and allows ink to flow into the tank. There’s no squeezing of the bottles involved, which is hassle- and mess-free.

It's well worth carrying out the optional print head alignment routine when you first set up the printer. This ensures optimal accuracy when printing and uses six sheets of plain paper, which need to be loaded into the lower input cassette. The output tray is motorized and extends automatically for printing.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Print quality

Living up to its ‘Photo’ moniker, the EcoTank Photo ET-8550 makes a good job of photo printing. Inkjet printers traditionally struggle to produce bold, bright reds but, despite lacking an additional red ink nor light cyan and light magenta inks, the Epson produces rich and vibrant color rendition.

The printer’s ‘Photo Enhance’ feature is switched on by default. This can freshen up poorly exposed digital photo images but has a tendency to make colors look a little overly saturated and artificial. Especially when printing digital images that have been adjusted and edited post-capture, we found it best to use the ‘Custom’ color management setting and switch off the Photo Enhance option, for the sake of accuracy. 

The ET-8550 also makes a good stab at black & white photo printing. Unlike specialist large-format photo printers, it features only one photo black and one gray cartridge, but mono photographic output looks good, with decent definition and tonal range. Thanks to the inclusion of a pigment-based black ink for document printing, mono text looks rich and crisp, as well as being reasonably resistant to smudging.

We were impressed with print speeds in standard quality modes. In our tests, printing 6x4 borderless color photos on glossy paper took 22 seconds. Larger borderless A4 and A3+ color photo prints took about 1 and 2 minutes respectively. However, switching to high quality mode kills the speed, with the same 6x4-inch, A4 and A3+ sizes of borderless color photo prints taking a lengthy 1 minute 25 seconds, 4 minutes, and 9 minutes 22 seconds. You’ll also have to live with these slower speeds when using the printer’s Black & White Photo mode, in which only a high-quality setting is available.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Care and maintenance

Running the ET-8550 should prove pretty fuss-free. Especially for large-format or high-volume printing, it’s great not having to keep a constant check on how much ink is left in relatively low-capacity cartridges. It’s even better that you don’t have to keep ordering replacements of various, different color ink cartridges. 

Each of the high-capacity ink tanks has a clear viewing window at the front, so it’s easy to keep an eye on ink levels just by glancing at the front panel of the printer. Ink level status is also available via the color touchscreen and through the printer driver from a connected computer.

As with any inkjet printer, it's worth running a nozzle check from time to time, to make sure that none of the nozzles have become blocked in the print head. If the test page reveals any blockages, you can run an automatic cleaning cycle, either from the touchscreen of from a connected computer.

The printer is backed up by the usual 1-year warranty and, in case of any problems, help is available via Epson’s regional websites. Extended service plans are also offered at varying costs. The only other maintenance task you might need to perform is to change the Ink Maintenance Box. This can become filled with waste ink, especially if you print a high volume of borderless photo prints, which tend to cause a little overspray which is then deposited in the box. 

The printer is supplied with one Ink Maintenance Box, replacement units being sold for around $24 / £23 each.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Price and availability

• $800 / £730

You might struggle to find the ET-8500 in retail stores but it’s widely available from online computing and photographic retailers, as well as from Epson’s own regional websites. As is generally the case with bottle-fed printers, you pay a relatively high purchase price up front, as manufacturers make much less money by not selling ink cartridges further down the line. Either way, the initial purchase price of the ET-8550 makes it relatively good value compared with the 8.5-inch/A4 ET-8500 version of the printer, which isn’t that much cheaper to buy at around $700/£630.

Replacement 70ml bottles of ink cost of around $17.50/£16 each. That compares very favorably with cartridges for, say, the 6-ink Epson Expression Photo XP-970 11-inch/A3 printer, which only have 9ml of ink even in the larger ‘XL’ options, yet cost a similar amount of around $17/£16 each. Epson says that the ink cost is reduced by around 80% overall and that, for 6x4-inch photos, it comes down from around 40c/40p to about 4c/4p per print. 

The flipside is that the initial purchase price of the XP-970 is much less, at around $330/£220. The ET-8550 therefore has the potential to save you a lot of money in the long term but it really does depend on just how many documents and more especially photos you’re going to print.

Although 70ml looks and sounds like a lot of ink per bottle, it’s worth bearing in mind that Epson’s large-format 13-inch/A3+ SureColor P700 and 17-inch/A2+ SureColor P900 printers run on upsized 25ml and 50ml cartridges respectively. For the latter, there’s not a huge difference in the capacity of cartridges versus bottles. Even so, P900 cartridges cost around $44/£37 each so are much pricier than replacement ink bottles.

Another factor is that the ‘setup cartridges’ of SureColor printers only last for a few large-format prints after initially setting up the printer, so you need to buy an expensive set of ten replacement cartridges very quickly. By stark contrast, the bottles of ink supplied with the ET-8550 are sufficient for printing around 1,800 6x4-inch photo prints after initial setup, with further bottles lasting for up to 2,300 6x4-inch photo prints.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: User reviews

Most people who buy the ET-8550 do so because they want a single device that can scan, copy and print photos as well as documents. Moreover, they want to create large-format prints of up to 13x19 inches/A3+ in size. The vast majority of user reviews are very favorable, with owners feeling pleased about the print quality of both documents and photos, while enjoying the relatively cheap running costs of the EcoTank system.

There’s a relatively small number of negative user reviews out there. Some people have reported problems with paper jams, and with the printer giving error messages suggesting paper jams even when there’s no paper in the transport system.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Expert advice

The ET-8550 certainly isn’t a cheap printer to buy. However, it’s competitively priced for a 13-inch/A3+ printer and is impressive as a true multi-function device. Its line-up of pigment-based black ink and five dye-based inks are well formulated to enable robust document output and attractive photo quality for both color and black & white images. It can’t compete with more specialist large-format photo printers which typically feature nine or ten inks for the ultimate in photo print quality but, for those of us who aren’t intent on creating the very finest prints from images taken on the most expensive cameras and lenses, it should prove more than sufficient.

Should you buy the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550?

This Epson printer doesn’t really cut it for the most demanding amateur and professional photographers who want the very highest photo print quality for display at home, submitting to competitions or selling to clients. But that’s not what the ET-8550 is all about. It’s more of an all-rounder that can turn its hand to high-quality photo output at large sizes of up to 13x19-inches/A3+, plus extended panoramic sizes, as well as being  more than capable for single-sided and double-sided document output.

Unlike specialist, large-format photo printers, the ET-8550 features a built-in scanner (albeit of a more regular document size), thus making it useful for scanning and copying documents, photos and artwork. Add in the convenience and low running costs of bottle-based ink, and it’s an ideal fit for the home and home office, being equally adept at everything from kids’ homework, through student projects to professional-looking document output, with all the fun of photo printing thrown in.

How does the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 compare to competitors?

As a photo printer, the ET-8550 is very good rather than entirely great. For overall gamut (or color space), it comes up short compared with A3+ printers like the pigment-based Epson SureColor P700 and Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, and the dye-based Canon PIXMA PRO-200, which have extended ranges of up to ten inks. These printers also have a larger range of black and gray inks for superior black & white photo printing.

Using dye-based inks for photo printing, the ET-8550 can’t compete with high-end pigment-based photo printers for rich, deep blacks on matte photo paper and fine art media. Even so, photo printing on matte photo paper as well as glossy, semi-gloss and luster photo papers is of pretty impressive quality.

How did we test the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550?

Our testing process begins with unpacking and setting up the printer. We download and install the latest versions of drivers, then run nozzle check routines and, if required, print head cleaning cycles. We then carry out print head alignment procedures to ensure optimum accuracy. The printer manufacturers’ genuine, own-brand inks and photo papers are used throughout the entire testing procedure.

We create test prints from a wide range of mono and color documents, digital photos, including landscapes, portraits, and black & white images. Prints are made using standard color modes as well as optional enhancement features, offered with the printer. We also use our own specially created test chart to reveal each printer's accuracy in terms of color reproduction, tonal range, and the ability to deliver smooth graduations between subtle color variations.

For output speed, we measure the time taken to produce borderless 6x4-inch, A4, A3 and A3+ prints at various photo quality settings, where available with each printer that we test.

The best portable printers mean you can print documents or images from anywhere. More compact than their traditional counterparts, these printers are built to be taken on the go.  

Portable printers are an excellent option for remote workers, digital nomads, or anyone who simply needs a printer to capture memories on the go. Although they're smaller, the best printers don't compromise on print quality and produce high-quality images and documents. 

Some models must be plugged into the mains, while others come with a charger or battery pack. The type and weight of your printer, as well as its portability, are worth considering when making a purchase. You should also consider whether you will use this product to print black-and-white documents or images. 

If you need a larger printer with more horsepower and capacity, check out our guide to the best compact printers.

The best portable printers we recommend

Top Ten Reviews is on a mission to review everything we feature in our buyer's guides. Still, while we work hard to make this a reality—or where this isn't possible—some of our guides still feature rankings based on our team's considerable expertise and research.

While we haven't been able to test any of the units in this guide in person, we've instead honed in on top-rated brands and used our knowledge of the best features to help you make the right decision for your home, all for the best price.

The best portable printer overall

The Canon PIXMA TR150 is an amazing printer, weighing only 4.5 pounds and folding down into a compact size that can be tucked away neatly in a drawer, or carried in a bag. Despite the small size, this printer can still hold up to 50 sheets of A4 paper, which it can print on a detailed 4500 x 1200 DPI. 

This printer has a number of smart features available, including being Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatible. This means that you can print with voice commands alone. Alternatively, if voice commands aren't your thing (or you're working from a busy cafe and don't fancy holding a conversation with your printer), you can also print directly from your smartphone with 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi connectivity. 

During our testing process, we found the photo print quality to be excellent. However, the main drawback if this printer is the price of Canon ink - it's expensive. Due to the price of the ink, using this as your main photo printer might not be sustainable. However, it's still a great option as a portable photo printer. 

This printer will print 15 pages per minute in monochrome, and 10 pages per minute in color, making it a viable daily-use printer. It will even work using battery power with an optional power pack, making it a good option for people who want to take their printer with them wherever they work. 

• Read our full Canon PIXMA TR150 review

The best all-round portable printer

The HP OfficeJet All-in-One 250 is a mobile printer that's jam-packed with features. It's admittedly on the larger side of portable printers, but it makes up for this with the battery power it features. The battery will last for around 200 prints before needing a recharge, and you can load up to 50 sheets into the feeder at once. 

Due to its wide range of connectivity options, including WiFi and Bluetooth, it will connect to almost any device that you need it to. Meanwhile, you can print at 4800 x 1200 DPI quality, copying and even scan with this printer. During our testing, we found that the color quality was excellent for printing. However, we did find that the scanning producing slightly faded reproductions when scanning lighter colors. 

The printer comes with a full-year warranty, and their responsive customer support will be there to help if you run into any problems. The cost is higher than the others on the list, but with the print quality and the sheer number of features, it is easy to see why. 

The best portable printer for speed

The HP Tango X packs a large number of features into an attractive, sleek design. With a size compact enough to be slipped into a bag or a drawer, this portable printer will produce high-resolution prints on A4 that are adequate for photo printing. 

During our testing process, we found photos to have rich color and detail, and the text came out crisp and clear. This printer does have a copier and a scanner, but we found the text to be a little blurry when using Android, with some color distortions present as well. 

This portable printer is WiFi connected and is operated via the HP Smart Print app for printouts from multiple devices, wherever you are. There's no screen on the printer itself, which is good for keeping it minimalist and portable, but you will need to use the app for more complex tasks. Ink isn't the cheapest, but there are subscription options available if you wish to keep costs to a minimum. If you want a portable printer for photos and texts, this is a great option, but for scanning and copying, it is not the best. 

The best portable printer for professionals

The Epson WF-110 is one of the smallest, most compact printers on the market, yet it still manages to produce professional-quality prints. This is one of the highest-resolution printers on the list with an amazing 5760 x 1440 DPI quality. When we tested this printer, it produced super detailed lettering and rich detail on colorful images. The 5GHz WiFi connection allows you to print from most devices, with full support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa included. We found the print speeds to be fairly average, which is fine as it more than makes up for the speed in print quality. 

Unfortunately, you can't scan or copy with this printer, and only 20 sheets of paper can fit in the feeder at once, and we also found that this device used a lot more ink than the others. All of this is to be expected from a printer of this size, and the printer quality really shines through most of the cons. If you simply want exceptional quality prints from the most compact portable printer then this may be the option for you, but if you want to be able to scan and copy then you may need to go for one of the larger options on the list. 

The best portable printer for photos

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 is the updated version of the CP1300. It has a fresh look and a more boxy appearance, simplified buttons, and a larger, fixed LCD display. During our testing, we wished the screen could be tilted, but that's only a small detail.

The printer comes boxed with a wall charger and users also have the option of powering it from a NB-CP2LI battery pack which is sold separately at an extra cost but makes it truly portable. 

A common issue with inkjet printers is that print head nozzles can get clogged when not consistently used. The CP1500 uses dye sublimation technology so you never have to worry about this problem with this printer. In our testing, we were very impressed with the fast printing speeds and the vibrant colors achieved by the CP1500.

• Read our full Canon SELPHY CP1500 review

The portable printer and camera combo

The new Canon IVY CLIQ+2 is a digital compact camera with a printer built-in to create instant 2x3” physical images. It combines an 8Mp digital camera with a built-in printer, all housed in a single compact unit. You also have the added benefit of storing your digital JPEG files on a MicroSD card so you can back photos up, share them or print duplicates. 

Film is known for being pricey, about $0.70 for a single Fujifilm Instax 2.1x3.4” (1.8x2.4” actual image size), or a steep $2 per classic Polaroid Color 600 print. The IVY CLIQ+2 however uses heat-based printing rather than film so its prints are notably cheaper at about $0.44 per 2x3” print. 

At 50 seconds per print, it takes a little while to create your print but it’s not unreasonable. It’s also relatively quiet when printing. The only time we ran into issues with the print speed was when a photo was taken accidentally as you then have to wait a minute before being able to try again - we wished there would be a cancel button for these situations.

The image quality isn’t the best we’ve ever seen, but it was perfectly fit for purpose and while the colors weren’t completely accurate this did help it mimic the retro charm of the old instant film cameras. 

• Read the full Canon IVY CLIQ+2 review

The best portable printer for wide prints

The Fufjifilm Instax Link Wide, as the name suggests, is ideal for wide format photo prints on the go. The app works well to allow you to edit pictures on your device before sending them to print in high quality 800 x 1260 dpi resolution on printer paper. This comes in 10 packs where the ink is part of the package – not cheap but very easy to use.

While this does print rich color photos it also has a smart QR code feature, allowing you to embed links to websites, sounds, locations and even hidden messages into the photos that can be accessed using a smartphone scanning that image.

The app features lots of templates, allowing you to create your print finish with ease before sending it from your phone to the printer via Bluetooth. You can even create collages for multiple images on a single sheet print.

The best portable printer for small prints

Designed as a mobile photo printer that runs on a rechargeable, internal Li-ion battery pack, the QX10 creates 2.7-inch square prints on slightly larger paper, with a border along the bottom that’s ideal for adding captions. The paper has a peelable backing, so you can stick your prints into a scrapbook or onto any hard surface. Using a dye-sub printing process, each print passes through the printer four times, adding different color dyes and a final protective top coat. This makes the prints robust, smudge-resistant and gives them a longevity of about 100 years.

Keeping the size manageable, the dye-sub cartridge and the paper tray both slot into the printer to avoid protrusions. At a little more than an inch thick, the QX10 is just about small enough to qualify as a pocket printer. Prints are of good quality and take about 43 seconds to produce, at a cost of around 75c/80p each, based on packs of 20 sheets of photo paper and the accompanying dye cartridge. The battery also has enough juice for creating 20 prints from a full charge.

The companion Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets makes printing quick and easy. Ultimately, the QX10 is quite pricey to buy but the build quality and performance is good. It’s fine if square prints are your thing, but you might prefer the more typical photographic aspect ratio of the Polaroid Hi·Print 2x3 Pocket Photo Printer, which creates larger 2x3-inch photos and is cheaper to buy.

• Read our full Canon SELPHY Square QX10 review

The best portable printer for monochrome

The Brother PocketJet 8 is a thermal printer meaning it uses special paper and heat to print and so doesn't require separate ink. As such this can be super compact and lightweight making this highly portable. It is also very decent quality with a high 300dpi resolution and can print quickly at 13 pages per minute. On the downside you can only print in monochrome and many of the extras cost more, like a battery pack, paper tray, and that specific thermal paper.

This is one in a long line of this printer type and as such is near perfected with lots of connectivity including USB, WiFi, Bluetooth and WiFi Direct. But it's also good for peace of mind thanks to a 2-year warranty and a lifetime customer support backing.

The best portable printer for 2x3" photo prints

The Canon IVY 2 Mini photo printer, not to be confused with Canon’s similarly-named IVY CLIQ+2, is a pocket-sized portable printer that connects to your smartphone wirelessly which can produce 2x3” prints in under a minute. 

You can take photos on your smart device or browse through images in your gallery and print them wirelessly. The prints also have an optional backing that you can remove to turn them into stickers, perfect for scrapbooking or to add some flair and decorate to your devices such as laptops, phones or even a fridge.

We love how easy the linked app is to use and connect to a smartphone. It makes the printer great to capture parties and social events. The Canon IVY 2 Mini uses the same 2x3” ZINK photo paper as the CLIQ+2, however it has a 17% lower resolution at 313x500 dpi. Images aren’t the highest quality we’ve ever seen but they’re absolutely fit for purpose and have some of the retro charm you get with instant film cameras such as a Polaroid or Fujifilm Instax.

• Read our full Canon IVY 2 Mini review

How to choose the best portable printer for you

What should you look out for in a portable printer? We asked our Matthew Richards, printing expert reviewer, and this is what he advised: 

Portability

"For true portability, you’ll want to use it anywhere and everywhere, without the need to plug it into a mains socket", Matthew told us. "If so, you’ll not only need something sufficiently small and lightweight to carry around easily, but the printer will also need an internal, rechargeable battery, or at least be compatible with a battery pack that’s sold separately." 

Weight and dimensions

All printers in this guide are suitable to use on the move and can be set up pretty much anywhere. Some are considerably more compact and lighter than others, such as the Polaroid Mint which is only 6 ounces, or the Brother PocketJet which is only 15 ounces. Ideally, you want a device that can easily fit into a bag or be tucked neatly into a drawer when not in use. 

Print options and quality

Print quality varies significantly between different printers. Depending on whether you want to print high-resolution images or black-and-white documents only, you'll want to look at a few different machines to find one that suits you. Some portable printers exclusively print in black and white, while printers such as the Canon Selphy are specialized for photo printing. 

"For small-format photo printing, chemical inkless and dye-sublimation technologies are ideal, the latter typically giving better quality results", according to Matthew Richards. "In both cases, there are no ink cartridges involved. This can be a bonus as there’s no risk of ink spillage, or of the print head not being properly ‘parked’ when the printer is being carried around, which can lead to ink drying out in the nozzles and causing blockages. For larger letter-sized output, however, inkjet technology is a better fit." 

Print speed

Slow printing speed can be a hindrance when completing admin tasks if you choose the wrong printer. If you are looking to do a lot of urgent, high-speed printing then you will want to choose a model that can accommodate your needs; more modern (and thus more expensive) printers tend to offer the highest print speeds. 

Print size

Many of printers, especially portable ones, will only print in A4 and below. A lot of photo printers are restricted to even smaller sizes than this. If you want a printer that can produce A3 pages, then you may want to look out for specialized printers that can do this. 

Budget and running costs

Ink can get very expensive. Your personal budget will have to be considered when upgrading your current printer. Due to their smaller size, many people may think that portable/compact printers are cheaper to run, but a lot of them can go through ink at an alarming rate which may make them more expensive to run than regular printers. However, a number of the options on our list do suit a smaller budget, and some even come with free ink saving you that additional cost. 

Connectivity

"A good range of connectivity options can be important when you’re on the move", Matthew told us, "so you can print from a laptop, smartphone and other devices. Many portable printers therefore feature Direct Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as being compatible with supporting apps for Apple and Android devices, and cloud-based services."

At about four inches wide and just over an inch thick, the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 is just about small enough to fit in a spare pocket, earning a spot in our best portable printers guide.

It’s pretty lightweight too, weighing in at just 1 lb - although it puts on a little extra weight once you add photo paper and ink. Another advantage of this small printer is that the ‘ink’ it uses is actually a dye-sublimation cassette, so there’s no messy liquid involved.

As its name suggests, the printer produces square photo prints measuring 2.7 x 2.7 inches. The actual paper size is a little larger at 2.83 x 3.35 inches, giving you a handy white strip at the bottom which you can use to add a caption. The print quality is impressive considering the size and price-point of this printer, so if you're after a good photo printer, this might be the right choice for you.

We put the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 to the test, assessing its speed, ease of setting up and use, price point, print quality, warranty and user reviews. Read on to find out if this is the right printer for you. 

Black Friday Canon SELPHY Square QX10 deals

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Design

As a fully mobile printer that runs off an internal rechargeable battery pack and has Wi-Fi Direct connectivity built-in, the QX10 is ideal for printing anywhere and everywhere from your mobile phone or other smart device, using the companion Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app for Apple or Android.

Catering to a variety of tastes, at least when it comes to color, the printer is available to buy in black, green, pink and white. Build quality feels robust and the finish is stylish, making it a very pleasing addition to any home office or a hip gadget to take on the go.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Features

Like the larger Canon SELPHY CP1300 and CP1500, as well as various other portable photo printers, the QX10 is based on dye-sublimation technology . As such, each photo print passes through the printer four times, for the successive addition of cyan, magenta and yellow dyes, as well as a final protective coating.

Designed as a fully portable wireless printer, the QX10 runs from a built-in rechargeable power pack. When fully charged, there’s enough juice for creating 20 photos. The printer comes with a USB A to USB Micro B charging cable but no mains charger is included - you’ve probably got a few of those kicking around already, so it’s probably not a problem. However, the printer’s USB port is purely for recharging the battery, so you can’t connect it to a computer for cable-connected printing.

Whereas inkjet printing is a moveable feast when it comes to how long cartridges will last, you get a fixed number of prints from each dye-sub cassette. This is sold in packs of 20, containing both the dye cartridge and 20 sheets of photo paper. Canon’s ‘Color Ink & Label XS-20L’ packs cost around $15 / $16 a throw, working out to about 75c / 80p per print. 

Each sheet of photo paper has a peelable backing. Peel it off and you’ll reveal a self-adhesive surface, making the print ideal for scrapbooking or sticking the print to pretty much any surface.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Setup and usability

Setting up a Wi-Fi Direct connection to your mobile phone or another iOS or Android device is quick and easy, after which the Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app is all you need to create prints. This makes it easy to select photo images on your phone for printing, as well as for adding stamps and text if you feel the need. A range of filters is also on hand, for changing the look of your print.

When it comes to usability, the interface is slick and simple. There’s just a single operating button and two LEDs to indicate charging and status. The dye cassette slots into the side of the printer and a stack of up to 20 sheets of photo paper sits in an internal paper tray. This is accessed from underneath the printer to avoid any protrusions. 

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Print quality

Image quality is very pleasing. The vibrancy of glossy prints isn’t up to the standard set by high-end photo inkjet printers, but color and contrast are still more than passable. Color rendition is very lifelike with good overall accuracy, and there’s plenty of depth in shadows and blacks, along with good retention of detail in highlights.

Retention of fine detail in digital images is very good in the final print. The print resolution of 287x287dpi (dots per inch) might not sound a lot compared with inkjet printers, but there’s a fundamental difference in dye-sub printing. Droplets of different colored inks from an inkjet printer need to be laid next to each other on the page, rather than on top of each other. In dye-sub printing, the different colored dyes can be laid on top of each other to make up the final colors and tones, so much less resolution is required for creating highly detailed prints.

Each print takes well under a minute to produce, at around 43 seconds in our tests. And that’s for all four passes, including the protective top layer which is added last. This last layer not only makes the print robust and smudge-resistant, but increases the longevity and archival life. Canon says that print life is 100 years, although we didn’t have time to put that claim to the test.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Care and maintenance

This printer is essentially maintenance-free. Unlike inkjet printers, there’s no risk of blocked ink nozzles, so you don’t need to run nozzle checks and cleaning cycles. The only care and maintenance tasks involved are to recharge the built-in battery every 20 prints or so, or earlier if you want to top it up, and to replace the dye cartridge and packs of paper, both of which last for 20 prints.

The printer is backed by either a 1-year warranty in the USA, or a 2-year warranty under the regular retail price on Canon's UK web store. If you buy the printer from an independent retailer, many offer an extended warranty and accidental damage protection for an additional fee.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Price and availability

• $149 / £149

The printer is available direct from Canon’s regional websites and from general and photographic retailers. However, you certainly pay a premium for portability. At 2.7 x 2.7 inches, the print size is very small, but a full-sized 11-inch/A4 inkjet printer costs little more. 

For example, the Canon PIXMA TS6320 (TS6350 in the UK) sells for around $100 / £135, comes complete with a built-in scanner and runs on five ink cartridges, turning out excellent quality for both documents and photos. And while the QX10’s 2.7-inch square prints cost 75c / 80p each, the TS6320 produces larger 6x4-inch prints for about 37c / 43p a throw, including ink from XXL ink cartridges and Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II. As well as that, the desktop printer can create borderless photo prints at various sizes up to 8.5 x 11-inch or A4 size.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: User reviews

At the time of writing, the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 was rated 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon, from a total of 210 ratings.

Most users seem delighted with the convenience and quality of the QX10, from its construction, ease of use and portability to the quality of its photo prints. The ability to peel the back off prints and stick them into scrapbooks seems to go down particularly well. On the negative side, some users have complained about incompatibility issues with the Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app and some of Apple’s recent iPhones.

Canon SELPHY Square QX10: What the expert says

If you’re into printing small square photos on the fly, the QX10 makes an ideal travel companion. It’s really simple to use and there’s a lot to be said for being able to print images anywhere and everywhere, from your phone or other smart device over Wi-Fi Direct. Even so, connectivity options are a little limited. There’s no Bluetooth and you can’t print from a computer via a USB cable. The quality of the dye-sub photo prints can’t compete with those from a good inkjet photo printer but they still look smart and the 100-year longevity ensures that you’ll have photos that last

Should you buy the Canon SELPHY Square QX10?

There are times in life when it’s great to share real photo prints with families, friends and people you meet at events or on holiday. The QX10 enables you to create handy, high-quality 2.7-inch prints in less than a minute, direct from your mobile phone or other smart device, with no wires attached. It’s completely portable and runs from an internal battery, while connecting to your gadgets via Wi-Fi Direct. It’s ideal for creating photo prints at home or anywhere you go on your travels.

How does the Canon SELPHY Square QX10 compare to competitors?

The QX10 delivers better photo print quality than mini-printers that use a chemical process to ‘develop’ the print, like the IVY 2 Mini Photo Printer and the Fujifilm instax mini LiPlay. 

It competes well against other dye-sub mobile photo printers like the Polaroid Hi·Print 2x3 Pocket Photo Printer, although the Polaroid is cheaper to buy and has similar running costs per print, despite outputting larger 2x3-inch prints that have a more natural aspect ratio for photos. 

Other options include the Canon SELPHY CP1300 and newer CP1500, which output postcard sized 6x4-inch prints, again based on dye-sub technology. However, these SELPHY printers are more bulky as they are compact printers, they’re mains-powered and the optional rechargeable clip-on battery pack is pricey to buy.

How we tested the Canon SELPHY Square QX10

Here at Top Ten Reviews, we feel strongly about giving consumers the best buying advice. As such, we test every product thoroughly in order to give an accurate opinion of its quality. 

Our testing process begins with unpacking and setting up the printer. We create test prints from a wide range of mono and color documents, digital photos, including landscapes, portraits, and black & white images. 

Prints are made using standard color modes as well as optional enhancement features, offered with the printer. We also use our own specially created test chart to reveal each printer's accuracy in terms of color reproduction, tonal range, and the ability to deliver smooth graduations between subtle color variations.

We also consider factors such as price, warranties and durability before we recommend a product. 

Both HP and Canon have been manufacturing printers since the 1980’s making them heavyweights in this space, so which one should you choose? Well, in this Canon vs HP showdown we run through the benefits and drawbacks from both brands so you can make an informed decision on which to buy. 

Whether you go for HP or Canon you can expect your printer to have core commonplace technology such as WiFi, Apple AirPrint and Android Mopria connectivity, both brands have developed apps for a better wireless printing experience, such as the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY and HP Smart. We'll cover apps in more detail later.

HP and Canon have wide expansive ranges of printers from basic budget inkjet all-in-models that come with a built-in scanner, with more premium models costing several hundreds of pounds with enhanced features and both even some laser printer models too.

Whichever manufacturer you go for you can spend a little more and go for a better model which will often come with more premium features such as double sided printing, separate ink cartridges, an SD card slot or USB port and better display for example, but you’ll want to have a look at the exact specifications of the model you’re interested in to make sure it has all of the features that you need. Let’s get to it and compare the core differences between the two brands!

HP vs Canon printer: Photo print quality

Canon is the largest manufacturer of digital cameras in the world, which is a statistic HP can’t compete with. So are Canon’s printers better for photo prints than HP? Well,  entry-level printers from both Canon and HP are very similar, but moving up to more premium models we start to see bigger differences in image quality. 

Canon has leant into high quality photographs with models like the PIXMA PRO-200 which HP doesn't really have a direct competitor to. The PIXMA PRO-200 can print outstanding photos at up to A3+ size, a huge benefit for photographers or graphic designers looking to sell their photos as prints. It's worth noting you can print from any camera, not just a Canon camera, using a Canon printer.

This isn't to say HP don't make printers capable of producing good quality prints, but the top end of HP's range is more geared towards office, home-office and student environments with DeskJet, OfficeJet or LaserJet models that usually print at a maximum size of A4.

Comparing Canon's PIXMA PRO-200, the closest model we found in HP's range was the HP OfficeJet Pro 7720. Both are capable of printing A3, though the PIXMA PRO-200 can print at A3+ borderless, and also has a higher resolution of 4800x2400dpi compared to the HP's 4800x1200dpi, so the Canon has a finer level of detail and also takes eight ink cartridges against the HP's four, giving it a wider gamut of colors and tones. So when it comes to ultimate photo print quality Canon's range is better equipped.

HP vs Canon printer: HP's OfficeJet and DeskJet models

While Canon has a better range of printers for producing great photographic prints, HP has a fantastic product range aimed at office and student environments with an emphasis on producing lots of documents quickly and to a high standard. 

HP has a wide variety of DeskJet and OfficeJet models for home and office. If we compare HP's OfficeJet Pro 8022e with a similarly priced Canon PIXMA TS6350a we find the HP can print mono at 20 pages per minute or 10ppm for color, while on the Canon it's just 15 pages per minute for mono, though matches the color speed of 10ppm. The HP also has useful features such as a Fax machine built-in and a touchscreen display.

When it came to noise levels, again taking the Canon PIXMA TS6350a and HP OfficeJet Pro 8022e as examples, the Canon claimed to have noise levels of 44.5dB while the HP was a little louder at 60dB. The Canon also came out on top when it came to its warranty, offering two years as standard while HP only offers a single year.

HP vs Canon printer: Ink cartridge value

While Canon and HP make some laser printer models, and Canon even makes some small portable units that use thermal dye sublimation printing technology, their focus is largely on inkjet models, especially at the budget end of their ranges. 

Both manufacturers make entry-level inkjet printers with a dual ink cartridge system, such as the Canon PIXMA TS3350 and HP DeskJet 2710e All in One. The two cartridge setup is cheap and cheerful, with one cartridge for black and a tricolor cartridge for cyan, magenta and yellow that is used to create your colours, the disadvantage of this setup is that if any one color runs out you'll need to replace the whole cartridge which can be wasteful and expensive.

Canon's cartridges claim to hold more ink - 8ml for black against HP's 2ml, and 9ml for Canon's tricolour against HP's 2ml. Both HP and Canon also offer larger XL cartridges that hold more ink and will last for longer so may work out better value for money.

As you go up the range for more premium HP and Canon models you'll find a greater range of cartridges. on many HP inkjets this is a four ink system, while on some Canon's it's as many eight cartridges which provides a wider gamut of tones and also means you get through cartridges less quickly.

At the top end of their ranges they also both offer inkjet printers with refillable ink tanks which is more economical if you're going to be printing large amounts of colour prints and saves you having to buy lots of pricey cartridges.

HP vs Canon printer: Apps and software

Canon PRINT app

The Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app is the free app for Canon’s PIXMA, MAXIFY and SELPHY printers. It has over 10m downloads on the Google Play store with an average rating of 4.6 stars.

It offers Canon Cloud print services, allows you to copy and scan through the app to your phone and also control printer settings. The main complaints we saw from reviews for the app online were connection issues and setup troubles, though many users gave praise for its ease of use, speed and reliability, 

HP Smart app

The HP Smart app allows you to edit your photos inside the app, has a mobile fax function and also has free 'Printables' - a range of free downloadable cards, crafts and learning activities which is a nice touch.

The main complaints for the HP Smart app are that it requires a log in and password to use the app which slowed down use, some customers also found it frustrating to set up their HP printer. Looking at the positive reviews there were plenty of customers that found the app easy to connect to their printer for printing, scanning and copying.

The HP Smart app has been downloaded five times more than the Canon PRINT app, with over 50m downloads on the Google Play Store and has an average rating of 3.9 Stars.

HP vs Canon printer: Verdict

At the budget end of their ranges there’s not too much separating HP and Canon so you can’t really go too far wrong with either brand as both deliver wireless printing with decent image quality for documents and prints. Canon’s cartridges at the budget end tend to have more ink in them so will be a little more cost-effective.

Moving up the range Canon has better options for high quality photos with models like the Canon PIXMA PRO-200, while HP has a huge range of OfficeJet and DeskJet printers that could make them a good choice for business and students.

HP also has top-end ink tank models like the Smart Tank Plus 570, though its most premium printers are laser models which are ideal for office and home office with rapid print times and razor sharp text, though are larger so you'll need the space for them. 

So if you're looking for a printer we'd suggest Canon for top end photos, but HP for office and student environments. Though if you're looking for something in-between that can print high quality photos as well as lots of documents we'd probably lean towards Canon as the higher capacity ink cartridges make it a little less heavy on the wallet over time.

Both Canon vs Epson are heavyweights in the printing space producing everything from budget consumer-level inkjet printers, to serious equipment for print pressing costing tens of thousands of dollars, so it's safe to say that both know a thing or two about printing!

While Canon is a manufacturer of digital cameras, the largest in the world no less, you don't require a Canon camera to print on one, you can print any JPEG files absolutely fine on both Canon and Epson models.

Whether you go for an Epson or Canon you can expect your printer to have core commonplace technology such as WiFi, Apple AirPrint and Android Mopria connectivity, both brands have developed apps for a better wireless printing experience, but we'll cover apps in more detail later.

In this article we run through the pros and cons of both brands and what each range of printer models offers. From image quality to print speed and ink cartridge costs to ink tanks systems. Here's everything you need to know...

Canon vs Epson printer: Photography 

Canon is the largest manufacturer of digital cameras in the world, and as Epson doesn't make digital cameras it doesn't have a horse in that race. That being said, Epson still offers fantastic competition to some of Canon's printers that are aimed at high-end professional prints that photographers and graphic designers can sell. 

Canon's ultimate home printer for premium prints would be the PIXMA PRO-200 which can print outstanding photos at up to A3+ size, while Epson has the EcoTank ET-8550 which can also create large borderless A3+ prints and although more expensive, its EcoTank system can be more cost-effective in the long-term compared to pricey ink cartridges, see more below.

Canon vs Epson printer: Ink tank options

In 2010 Epson saw a gap in the market for professionals looking to achieve great image quality without the expensive ink cartridge system. Usually, consumers and businesses opt for a laser printer in this scenario, which are economic to run and quick to print documents, though lack the color vibrancy and quality of an inkjet printer.

Epson gave consumers another choice, pioneering the EcoTank, which allows you to buy bottles of its ink to top up the printer tank system, rather than continually purchasing expensive ink cartridges.

Canon has also followed suit in recent years and now features a number of premium models in its range with its refillable MegaTank system.

Canon vs Epson printer: Entry-level models

At the entry-level end both manufacturer's offer compelling options with good print quality for photos and documents. The most budget-friendly models we could find from both brands was the Epson Expression Home XP-3155 and the Canon PIXMA TS3350, so if you're on a super tight budget Canon has a model that is a bit more affordable. However, if you pay the extra for the Epson you'll benefit from better features like automatic double-sided printing, a higher print and scan resolution, as well as individual color ink cartridges which can be less wasteful.

So if you've only got a very limited budget, Canon's cheapest model is the easiest on your wallet and could be ideal for kids and students or just as a cheap and cheerful home printer to print out concert tickets for example. However, if you can afford the extra for the Epson you would get some desirable features.

Canon vs Epson printer: Ink cartridge comparison

Canon has a range of ink cartridge options, ranging from ink tanks and eight ink systems at the high end, but its budget-friendly models rely on a dual cartridges, such as the PIXMA PG-545 and CL-546 inks. 

One benefit to Epson printers is they all use individual ink cartridges for black, cyan, yellow and magenta, and its more premium inkjet models will feature more cartridges for an even greater range of tones. Having four separate inks should be less wasteful as you only need to replace the individual cartridge that is low on ink, rather than the whole tricolor cartridge which may still have unused ink left inside.

Epson's 603 multipack comes with four individual inks. It's said to last for 150 pages in black and white, or 130 for color. That makes it about 50% more expensive to print a color sheet than the Canon, though this isn’t the whole picture, as Canon's tri-color cartridge will be less efficient so could end up being more costly in the long-run.

Despite this drawback, Canon's cartridges feature a built-in print head so that if you get a stubborn ink blockage you can replace the whole cartridge to fix the issue. However, the print heads are built into the printer on Epson models.

This means if you find streaky lines appearing on your prints due to blocked print head nozzles you'll have no option but to clean the print heads on your printer manually, or use the automated program which will flush ink through the system in an attempt to clean it out which can be costly and higher maintenance.

Canon vs Epson printer: Apps and software

Canon PRINT app

The Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app is the free app for Canon’s PIXMA, MAXIFY and SELPHY printers. It has over 10m downloads on the Google Play store with an average rating of 4.6 stars.

It offers Canon Cloud print services, allows you to copy and scan through the app to your phone and also control printer settings. The main complaints we saw from reviews for the app online were connection issues and setup troubles, though many users gave praise for its ease of use, speed and reliability, 

Epson iPrint app

The Epson iPrint app allows you to print, scan and share directly from your smartphone. You can also print from anywhere in the world using email-enabled Epson printers with the remote print function. You can also check your Epson's ink levels and status as well as scan to your phone or email scanned documents. Printing is also possible through files stored online using Box, Dropbox and Evernote using the app.

The Epson iPrint app has 50m downloads on the Google Play store with a 4.6 star user rating. Having such a high average star rating with a huge number of downloads is very impressive. The main complaints from users were that it had a length setup and connection issues, while many others complimented it for its ease of use and speed.

Canon vs Epson printer: Verdict

Both Canon and Epson are formidable giants in the printing space and offer compelling models. At the very budget end Canon offers more affordable models, ideal for super strict budgets. Though pay a little more and Epson inkjet printers usually deliver better bang for you buck with features like individual ink cartridges, double-sided printing and better print quality.

Continue up the range to premium photo printers and both are pretty much neck and neck again with great models on both sides and the same goes for their office-based printers too, with both brands offering extensive ranges.

When it came to ink cartridges Epson impressed with its individual color inks even in its budget models, though the lack of a print head on its cartridges might make it more tricky to maintain over time. So with either system you're making a small compromise and will come down to your personal preference over what works best for you.

Epson vs HP are both giants in the printing world, with Epson creating the world's first mini printer in 1968 and HP pioneering business printing throughout the 80s with its Laserjet series. In this Epson vs HP head-to-head we're going to take a deep dive into what each brand does well and what their pitfalls are to help you make sure you buy the printer that best suits your needs.

Both HP and Epson offer a wide range of models from cheap budget inkjet printers to models specifically to cater for needs of businesses, as well as laser iterations and even creating ink tanks systems that are designed to be more cost effective than conventional ink cartridges. 

Let's take a look across the range of models from both printer manufacturers to see their pitfalls and where each excels so you can pick up the perfect printer for your needs.

HP vs Epson printer: Entry-level models

The most entry-level and affordable printers from HP and Epson are the widely adopted inkjet varieties. From HP its the Deskjet 2710e, while in Epson's inkjet range it's the Expression Home XP-4150. 

The HP Deskjet 2710e boasts Dual-band Wi-Fi, an LCD display, 60 sheet paper tray as well as a flatbed scanner. It can print at a maximum of A4 at 4800x1200 dpi and scan at up to 1200 dpi. 

Epson's Expression Home XP-4150 features WiFi, a much larger 6.1cm colour LCD display and a bigger capacity 100 sheet A4 paper tray. It also has a maximum printing resolution of 5760x1440 dpi and better scanning resolution of 2400 dpi. When it came to print speed, the HP lagged behind at 7.5ppm for black pages and 5.5ppm color, while the Epson claims to be able to print 33ppm mono and 15ppm color so has a significant speed advantage.

In our eyes the the extra features of the Epson justify the higher price, though the HP would still be a good choice if you were on a super strict budget.

HP vs Epson printer: Office models

Both Epson and HP offer a good range of inkjet and laser printers aimed at offices and home offices.

When it came to inkjet office options HP has an extensive range of OfficeJet printers, such as the HP OfficeJet Pro 8022e. The most comparable offering we could find from Epson was the WorkForce Pro WF-3820DWF which came in notably cheaper, so what's the difference?

Both are capable of printing, copying, scanning and faxing, and feature both Wi-Fi, Ethernet, automatic double-sided printing and comparable 6.8cm color touchscreens.

Borderless printing is possible on both at A4 though the HP has a maxim printing resolution of 4800x1200dpi against Epson's 4800x2400dpi for greater detail. The Epson also had a greater scanning resolution of 2400dpi compared to HP's 1200dpi. 

HP's offering has a 225 sheet paper tray capacity, while it's 250 sheets on the Epson. The Epson can also print mono slightly faster at 21 pages per minute, compared to HP's 20ppm, though both claim to print color pages at 10ppm.

Epson's WorkForce Pro WF-3820DWF is a little heavier at 8.9kg compared to HP's 8.2Kg, though both take up a similar footprint with comparable dimensions.

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8022e makes use of HP 912 cartridges, which uses individual black, cyan, magenta and yellow cartridges. Epson uses 405 inks which also uses individual cartridges. Epson claims its 405 inks will last for 350 black and white pages or 300 pages color, while HP claims 300 pages or 315 color. So the Epson should print more black and white pages, but the HP should be able to produce more color pages before requiring new cartridges.

It's also worth mentioning both HP and Epson make XL cartridges that may provide better value for money.

In this comparison the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820DWF takes the win with better value, costing less money to purchase and giving a comparable ink performance with better print and scan resolution to boot!

HP vs Epson printer: Laser printers

HP has a wide-spanning range of laser printers such as the budget-friendly LaserJet M140we, which is aimed at consumers, going up to professional business use with printers costing over $1,000, such as the Color LaserJet Pro M255DW. In fact, we counted no less that 30 laser models on HP's website. HP printers tend to have an emphasis on business use, so features such as a fax machine, Ethernet, duplex printing are commonplace but be sure to check the specifics of any model you're interested in before parting with your cash.

Epson also makes laser printers, though its range is much more restrictive with just two laser models on its website, the Epson WorkForce AL-M320DN and AcuLaser C9300N. In terms of its range HP takes the win here with its huge range of laser models to choose from.

HP vs Epson printer: Ink tank systems

It's no secret that ink cartridges can be costly, especially with some inks costing gram for gram more than gold! Epson was the first company to bring out an ink tank model which uses refillable ink tanks rather than cartridges so they work out better value. Epson brought out its EcoTank model in 2011 and has pioneered the consumer-friendly system since with no less than 37 EcoTank models to choose from on its website, while HP by comparison has a rather meager seven Smart Tank models to choose from.

At the $200 mark the most comparable models from both brands are the Epson EcoTank ET-2811and HP Smart Tank Plus 559.

The Epson comes out on top as not only is it a little less to buy, it has a higher printer and scanner resolution against the similarly priced HP, but also can print both mono and color pages three times faster.

The Epson uses 104 inks and you can pick up a multipack containing all four black, cyan, yellow and magenta inks. Each bottle contains 65ml and is said to last for 4,500 black and white pages, or 7,500 color pages. HP's Smart Tank Plus 559 uses HP 31 color and 32 black inks. HP claim it can do 8000 mono pages or 12,000 color pages.

HP vs Epson printer: Ink cartridges

Both manufacturers make entry-level inkjet printers, such as the Epson Expression Home XP-3155 and HP DeskJet 2710e All in One. HP's entry level printers use a two cartridge system such as the HP 305 inks, one cartridge for black and another tri-color containing the cyan, magenta and yellow color inks. 

HP's two cartridge setup is cheap and cheerful, though the disadvantage is that if any one color runs out you'll need to replace the whole cartridge which can be wasteful and expensive.

A benefit of Epson's inkjet printers, even at the budget-level, is they use individual ink cartridges for black, cyan, yellow and magenta. Its more premium inkjet models also feature more cartridges for an even greater range of tones. Having four separate inks should be less wasteful as you only need to replace the individual cartridge that is low on ink, rather than the whole tricolor cartridge which may still have unused ink left inside. HP does make individual color ink cartridges for its more premium inkjet models.

Epson's 603 multipack comes with four individual inks. It's said to last for 150 pages in black and white, or 130 for color, so each color A4 page costs more, making it about 40% more expensive per page. However, that's not the full story as HP's tri-color cartridge will be less efficient, so could end up being more costly in the long-run.

For entry-level inkjet printers, HP utilizes a more wasteful two cartridge system, though each of its ink cartridges have a built-in printer head whereas Epson cartridges do not. 

This means that maintenance for HP printers can be a little easier as if you experience streaky prints due to a blocked print head you can simply replace the cartridges to solve the problem, whereas it's a bit more work on Epson inkjets where the print heads are built into the printer so you'll need to clean them manually or potentially flush lots of expensive ink through the system to clean them out.

HP vs Epson printer: Apps and software

HP Smart app

The HP Smart app allows you to edit your photos inside the app, has a mobile fax function and also has free 'Printables' - a range of free downloadable cards, crafts and learning activities which is a nice touch.

The main complaints for the HP Smart app are that it requires a log in and password to use the app which slowed down use, some customers also found it frustrating to set up their HP printer. Looking at the positive reviews there were plenty of customers that found the app easy to connect to their printer for printing, scanning and copying.

The HP Smart app has been downloaded over 50m downloads on the Google Play Store and has an average rating of 3.9 Stars.

Epson iPrint app

The Epson iPrint app allows you to print, scan and share directly from your smartphone. You can also print from anywhere in the world using email-enabled Epson printers with the remote print function. You can also check your Epson's ink levels and status as well as scan to your phone or email scanned documents. Printing is also possible through files stored online using Box, Dropbox and Evernote using the app.

The Epson iPrint app has 50m downloads on the Google Play store with a 4.6 star user rating. Having such a high average star rating with a huge number of downloads is very impressive. The main complaints from users were that it had a length setup and connection issues, while many others complimented it for its ease of use and speed.

HP vs Epson printer: Verdict

Expectedly, both Epson and HP have a vast selection of printers across all inkjet, laser, ink tank and photo printer ranges. 

When it came to entry-level and office inkjet models, Epson managed to get ahead of Epson, often offering more desirable features at a similar price-point to HP or even cheaper! Epson's individual ink cartridge system is should also be cheaper to run, though as they omit a printer head, you'll need to use your printer regularly to see the benefit, otherwise you may end up using lots of expensive ink to clean the printer's internal heads when you come to print. HP cartridges have a built in head, so you get a fresh print head with each new cartridge which makes them a bit less maintenance heavy.

Epson was the first manufacturer to make a consumer-friendly ink tank model which is more cost-effective than ink cartridges. It's no surprise then that Epson has continued to pioneer in this field, with a vast range of EcoTank models to choose from. HP also makes Smart Tank models though this is a much smaller range than Epson, and of the specific printers we looked at around the $200 mark, it was the Epson that came out on top with better value for money.

HP took the top spot when it came to printers for businesses, specifically its LaserJet models. It was a slam dunk for HP here with a vast range compared to Epson, with HP catering for everyone from budget $100 laser models, to professional laser printers that cost several thousands of pounds.

Admittedly, you can't go far wrong with either brand, they both make some compelling printers with easy-to-use apps and decent value for money. Hopefully, after reading our findings and comparisons you'll be able to pick a model that best suits your needs.

The debate on whether inkjet vs laser printers are best is hotly contested as they are the two main types of printer found in pretty much all households, offices and home-offices. There is also a third ‘thermal’ printer type, but these are much more scarce so we won’t be covering them.

When it comes to home or office printing you have two options, the inkjet style that uses tiny droplets of wet ink to build up the ‘pixels’ on your page, and then there’s laser printers which as the name implies, fires a laser across rollers which in turn attracts dry toner powder into the correct position for when the sheet of paper passes over it, it’s then melted and fused to the media.

We review all of the latest and greatest printers so we know what to look for and what makes a printer a good purchase. Both inkjet and laser systems have their own unique perks and disadvantages that we’ll take a closer look at in this feature. By comparing the benefits and drawbacks of each you’ll be able to make an informed decision and purchase one that perfectly suits your needs, plus we list our favorite recommendations below.

Inkjet vs laser printers: Text print quality

Laser printers are super fast, taking just a few seconds to print an A4 document. The same A4 document might take around 20 seconds on a budget inkjet model. 20 seconds may not sound like a huge amount of time to wait for your document to print, but it really adds up in an office environment when speed is key and you’re likely to have multiple employees all printing at the same time which can easily add up to hundreds or thousands of sheers being printed throughout the day.

Not only are laser printers king when it comes to speed, their text is razor sharp and is notably crisper than even the most expensive inkjet printer. If you want to print documents for business purposes or a CV and cover letter to impress a potential employer, then a laser printer is the one to go for.

Inkjet vs laser printers: Photo print quality

While laser printers deliver crisp text and fast printouts, inkjet printers are capable of producing better quality photographic prints. However, to really see the benefit of the inkjet quality you’ll need to get a model with a high resolution (dpi) for fine details and also its best to have individual colour cartridges so you can only replace the ones you need to which is less wasteful and costs less money too.

While most inkjet printers feature inks for black, cyan, magenta and yellow, the best inkjet models have additional ink cartridges, such as light cyan, light magenta, grey or a second matte black and so on. These additional cartridges of course cost more money and upkeep, but provide a greater palette of colours and tones to choose from which can create incredible depth and colour in your printed photos, so inkjet models take the crown here.

Inkjet vs laser printers: Value for money

Inkjet printers work on the ‘razor and blades’ model, where the initial printer is sold at a very affordable price point but then the subsequential ink cartridges can be very expensive, costing almost as much as the printer’s initial RRP in many cases! 

Budget inkjet printers tend to use a two cartridge system, one black and another color cartridge with the magenta, cyan and yellow colors in it, this isn’t very efficient though as if any of the three colors get low you’ll need to dispose of it and replace it. Some inkjet printer manufacturers also place microchips in the cartridges so they know if they’ve been tampered with and you’ve tried to refill them yourself with a 3rd party refill kit to save money, and will refuse to accept them.

Laser printers on the other hand are expensive to buy from the start. The toner that laser printers use are also expensive and you’ll need four for your black, cyan, magenta and yellow. However, the big benefit is that these can last for an incredible amount of time. The black on our laser printer was only at 50% after printing 14,000 pages which is a staggering amount.

Another issue with the wet ink in inkjet printers is that when the ink dries it can clog the printer heads, the printer then has to flush lots of the expensive ink through the head to clear the blockage, and if you can’t unclog it you need to throw it away and install a new cartridge, which is frustrating, wasteful and not to mention costly. 

As laser printers use a different technology you never have to worry about print heads clogging so laser printers can be more convenient.

Inkjet vs laser printers: Verdict

Whether you buy an inkjet or laser printer is down to your personal preference. Generally, people prefer inkjet printers for home use because they take up less space, are cheap to purchase initially and deliver strong print quality with added features like a built-in scanner on all-in-one models which make them convenient and versatile.

On the other hand, businesses tend to prefer laser printers because they usually don’t need to worry about the inherently large footprint that laser printers come with, they’re also very good value for money per print, can print vast amounts of documents quickly and never have to worry about ink nozzles becoming blocked and they produce razor sharp text.

If you have a home office you may be in a murky area between the two where you’ll need to work out which is best for your situation and what your budget allows.

There's no better printer for small spaces like desks or home offices than the best compact printers. Some are even battery-powered, so you can print wherever you go. With so many options on the market, it can be hard to choose the right one. This guide has a list of the best compact printers to help you decide which is correct. 

Consider what features you'll need if you're looking for a multipurpose printer with copying and scanning capabilities. Will you print family photos, or will your kids use them for homework? Do you need a portable printer? 

Compact printers now offer many valuable features, such as WiFi, photo printing, and scanners, so you don't have to buy several devices. That's why it's worth investing in the best all-in-one printer. Lastly, compare technical specifications such as printing speed, paper size, and connectivity to find the one that's right for you.

These are the best compact printers, but if you want more kit, check out our guide to the best home computers.

The best compact printers we recommend in 2025

Top Ten Reviews is on a mission to review everything we feature in our buyer's guides. Still, while we work hard to make this a reality—or where this isn't possible—some of our guides still feature rankings based on our team's considerable expertise and research.

While we haven't been able to test any of the units in this guide in person, we've instead honed in on top-rated brands and used our knowledge of the best features to help you make the right decision for your home, all for the best price.

The best compact printer overall

You can't go wrong with the Epson ET-2720 if you're looking for a compact home printer. Once our reviewer, Ian, unfolded the printer tray, it extended slightly, but overall, it fits nicely on his desk without feeling bulky. It's pretty space-efficient when it's not in use, measuring 14.8" x 13.7" x 7.0", and has a black matte finish.

Ian liked the adjustable control panel with an LED screen and accessible buttons. He could also check ink levels through the transparent ink tanks.

While the ET-2720 lacks features like autofocus and auto duplexing, which are available in other printers for a similar price, it offers some appealing features. This printer uses refillable ink bottles instead of cartridges, which is cost-effective and reduces waste. The voice-activated Alexa printing makes it feel futuristic and convenient. Refilling it is easy, thanks to detailed instructions.

He was also impressed with the print quality. Text is sharp and clear, and while it's not a dedicated photo printer, it handles occasional photo prints exceptionally well. The color accuracy is also impressive, making images vibrant and true to life.

Read more: Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Wireless All-In-One Printer review

The best budget compact printer

The Canon PIXMA TS6320a can print A4-sized documents at a maximum resolution of 4800x1200 dpi. My favorite feature is that it can print borderless 10x15cm pictures. The built-in scanner has a resolution of 1200x2400 dpi, so you can easily scan documents and photos.

This printer has a five-ink system that includes Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, standard black, and pigment black. With this setup, my text is sharp and bright, and Canon says the ink cartridges will last up to 100 years. Thanks to Canon's FINE technology, I'm guaranteed a fresh inkjet nozzle with every new cartridge.

The dual paper trays are a game-changer. I can load 100 sheets in the front cassette and 20 glossy photo sheets in the rear cassette, so I can switch between different media types without constantly refilling them. Besides saving time, double-sided printing is also good for the environment.

The print quality was excellent. I tested it on various projects, and the text was incredibly sharp. When you printed with the extra pigment black, it was like laser printer quality. In both cases, Canon Matte and Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II produced vibrant colors, especially on glossy paper, where the blacks were deeper and the details were better. Although I was disappointed with the thin white border on A4 photos, I did wish I could print them borderless.

My experience with a full-color A4 image on matte paper took about 1 minute and 15 seconds, even though Canon claims 10 images per minute for color. I like the print times for essential documents and photos, especially for their quality.

Read more: Canon PIXMA TS6320 Color All-In-One Inkjet Printer review

The best premium compact printer

The Epson PictureMate PM-400 compact printer is designed for photo enthusiasts like our reviewer, Jessica, who want quality prints without the hassle of complicated setups. One of the first things she noticed was it uses a single ink cartridge containing all four colors. For a snapshot printer, the cost per photo is just 33 cents, but refill packs cost around $32.99 and yield about 100 photos.

Jessica loved that the PM-400 could print larger photos in addition to the standard 4 x 6. This allows her to make smaller keepsakes that fit nicely in small frames. Although it works with other brands of photo paper, she stuck with the bundled packs. The iPrint app was easy to use on her smartphone or tablet to print with Wi-Fi Direct, so she no longer needs a computer.

Jessica loved the sharp detail, even under magnification. The printer produced stunning, high-resolution prints at 5760 x 1440, with vibrant colors and lifelike skin tones. She found the PM-400, one of the fastest printers she's used; it prints 4 x 6 in 39 seconds. Her only issue was a pinprick-sized void on one print, but the results were almost perfect.

Because the PM-400 doesn't have a battery, it's not portable, but its lightweight design makes it easy to take wherever you go. The built-in display is a nice touch for standalone printing, and Jessica found the overall user experience very user-friendly. Jessica says the PictureMate PM-400 is a superb photo printer.

Read more: Epson PictureMate PM-400 Wireless Photo Printer review

The best compact printer for home offices

The Canon PIXMA TR150 is a fantastic portable printer. One of its remarkable features is the ability to print directly from our reviewer, Andy's smartphone or tablet. The dedicated Canon PRINT app, AirPrint, and Mopira support made it easy for him to access his photos on the go.

Setting it up was easy, thanks to its compatibility with Windows 11. The 1.44" display is a nice touch, providing essential information without taking up much space. Andy mainly prints through WiFi, but Wireless Direct lets him print away from a network.

Although small—just 12.7"x 7.3" x 2.6" and only 4.5 lbs—it's sturdy enough to travel with. It expands when the front tray and paper feeder are removed, making it perfect for Andy's small home office. It fits easily in a drawer and is lightweight to carry around.

Printing at 4800x1200 dpi produces stunning photos, and although it has limited print settings for double-sided prints, it excels in color vibrancy and quality printing.

It prints up to nine pages per minute in black and white and up to five pages per minute in color. Using different kinds of paper made the experience much better. Color prints, especially on glossy A4 sheets, were vibrant and perfect for capturing memories.

Despite the pricey ink, Andy still considers the Canon PIXMA TR150 a solid choice for anyone looking for a reliable photo printer for travel or small projects.

Read more: Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Inkjet Printer review

The best mini photo printer

The CP1500 has a maximum print size of 6x4” and a resolution of 300x300dpi, the same as its predecessor, the CP1300. However, it takes 41 seconds to print a 6x4" image on the CP1500, compared to 47 seconds on the CP1300. The CP1500 took about 57 seconds on average, while the older model took about 63 seconds. Even though there's a slight improvement, both took a lot longer than expected.

My favorite feature is that it's compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. With the WiFi connectivity, I could print directly from my camera's memory card and use the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app alongside AirPrint and Google Mopria.

Canon replaced the USB-A and USB-mini ports with USB-C ones. While this modernizes the printer, it may not cater to users with older devices, and I'd have preferred keeping the old ports alongside the new option. An adapter could solve this problem, but one doesn't come with the printer.

Although the CP1500 has a slightly bigger LCD screen, I found the fixed position hard to view comfortably from a seated position.

Both printers produced excellent prints. The CP1500 made blue skies look slightly more vivid, which was a nice touch. Because dye-sublimation technology prevents ink clogging, I'm impressed with how long these prints can last.

Read more: Canon SELPHY CP1500 Wireless Compact Photo Printer review

How to choose the best compact printer for you

Size: It might go without saying that size is a primary concern when picking the best compact printer, but not all are created equal. As such, it's worth reading the exact sizing to ensure the model fits where you need it and there is enough room around it to load paper and print it out. This can also apply to paper size limits, so be sure you know what top-end size limits you can afford to take. The look is also worth considering if this will live front and center on your desk – with quite a few color choices to pick from.

Screen: Do you need a screen? Some offer screens for quick controls, but many now use an app or the device you're printing from to manage controls. For example, if you choose a model with an SD card slot, you may want a screen to print directly from that memory card, which is ideal for photos.

Print quality and capabilities: Do you need high-quality photos, or will you mainly use the printer for documents with odd images? Be sure not to overspend on a photo printer-grade model if you won't use that feature.

Connectivity options: Connectivity is worth considering as many offer WiFi, Bluetooth, and wired connections so that you can print from lots of different devices, including your smartphone – from anywhere. That print speed may also be a need for you, so take a look at both the black and white and color speeds to be sure this will serve your needs. Some also offer a quiet mode that's great for printing while on a call or at night. 

Running costs: Longer-term costs are worth considering, such as the type of ink cartridges you'll need to replace or whether the printer has an ink tank for topping up. Whatever the case, check the company's rates and third-party options on ink costs before you commit to a particular brand. Some printers cost more upfront, but ink is cheaper in the long term, and vice versa.

Compact printer FAQs

The Canon PIXMA TR150 is the latest in a line of reliable printers from Canon. It's a portable device that works via WiFi and can connect to various devices, including home computers, laptops, tablets, and even smartphones. As such, it's a diverse device with plenty of practical applications - from printing off holiday snaps when you're on holiday to generating last-minute print-outs when you're away from home on business.

You can buy it as a standalone printer or as a package deal that includes the battery pack. When purchased separately, the battery pack costs around $100. Still, it's a great, smart little device and one of the best compact printers available today.

Canon PIXMA TR150: Setup

The PIXMA TR150 is compatible with all routers that broadcast over a 2.4GHz and 5GHz range, so you'll likely be able to get a good connection wherever you are about the wireless source. While it's reliable, many user reviews have complained of drop-outs during longer printing sessions.

It's nice that you can control the printer via your smartphone. The printer is also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to use limited voice control. However, we wouldn't recommend this, as it's more of a gimmick than anything, although it can be helpful if you regularly use the same printing routine at home.

• Score: 7/10

Canon PIXMA TR150: Design & features

The Canon PIXMA TR150 offers several useful features for anyone looking to create printouts on the go. The best is the ability to print directly from a tablet or smartphone, enabling you to access photos and instantly print them off wherever possible. There's a dedicated Canon PRINT app, but it can also use AirPrint for Apple devices and Mopira for Android.

The TR150 is also fully compatible with Windows 11, so it can connect to any laptop in recent years. You'll do most of your printing via WiFi, but there is an option for Wireless Direct printing, which takes longer but gives you the flexibility to print wherever you are.

The printer also features a 1.44" display for messages and ink information. It's a neat little screen that provides all the information you could need, and it doesn't occupy much space or spoil the overall aesthetic of the printer. The Canon PIXMA TR150 is very compact: in a closed state, it's 12.7"x7.3"x2.6", making it small enough to fit inside drawers and even larger travel luggage items. It's 4.5 lbs, too, which is light enough to carry. When folded, it's sturdy and sufficient to withstand a few bumps, which you need in a wireless printer.

When you remove the front tray and paper feeder, the printer becomes larger but still suitable for smaller office spaces. If you work from home and live in a smaller space, like an apartment or your home office is in a box room, this is a handy printer—even if its capabilities are limited for serious home printing. If you print regularly, you'll need an all-in-one printer instead.

While the Canon PIXMA TR150 is far from the noisiest printer out there - it's relatively quiet - there is a calm mode available if you need it. And, as we mentioned, it's capable of being fully cordless... but the basic model doesn't come with a battery pack (only a plug). If you want the battery pack, that's an extra $100. While not terrible value, we do feel that this printer is already on the expensive side AND loses some of its best features if you're constantly searching for a plug socket.

• Score: 8/10

Canon PIXMA TR150: Performance

The PIXMA TR150 can print at up to 4800x1200 dpi, which is enough for photos from most phones and tablets but unsuitable for prints from DSLRs or mirrorless cameras.

Five print settings are available: regular single-sided A4, borderless A4, First Print Out Time, Simplex, and black letter/document (essentially, colorless printing). That's pretty standard for modern compact printers. Again, this doesn't offer the same options as dedicated home printers, but it is versatile enough for most travel and business-away-from-office needs. Because it's designed mainly for photos, there's no option to print double-sided, so you won't be able to save on paper.

This printer is also reasonably quick to print. Depending on settings, it can print up to nine pages per minute (black and white) and five per minute in full color. That compares well to other compact printers, and it's good that you don't sacrifice quality for speed here.

In terms of paper, you can use most of the standard types here, along with a few more specialist surfaces. It's compatible with glossy and matte photo paper, magnetic photo paper, and recycled paper. It's a very versatile printer. You can store up to 50 sheets of plain paper in the rear tray, but that number gets smaller if you're using higher gsm paper or photo sheets. Again, this is plenty for smaller batches of holiday snaps or documents, but the PIXMA TR150 isn't suitable if you need volume. Especially as Canon's official ink for this printer is expensive. This is another reason it's a good photo printer but unsuitable for heavy home-office usage.

The color – and precisely color photo – prints were awe-inspiring in our testing. We printed on glossy 10 x 15 sheets and full-sized A4 glossy sheets. The colors were rich in both instances, and the dynamic range was well-defined. It was tough to spot any errors on the printer's part, even when using that large A4 paper size. However, some shots with brighter lighting showed a slight color dulling. The photo we tried to print was sent over WhatsApp so that it would have been compressed. Taking that into consideration, the result was still impressive.

The speed was impressive for color and monochrome prints, with waits of less than half a minute, even on larger photos. Crucially, as mentioned before, all these printers were super quiet, far less noisy than larger printers, making this a very discreet way to print.

Printing from your smartphone or computer makes little difference once you're set up with the app or software. You can go via the Canon software, but we found it easier to print directly from the photo in your device's gallery folder. You can then adjust it to suit different paper types before hitting that print button, where the response over the same WiFi network is nearly instant.

We felt this would be a capable option for anyone using it professionally, perhaps taking photos and printing them at a wedding, party, or other event. It feels solid, fast, and premium-quality enough to keep up with print demand and quality necessity. It's all very impressive for the price, which seemed high initially, but after use, it looks like a bargain for what you get.

• Score: 8.5/10

Would I buy the Canon PIXMA TR150?

The Canon PIXMA TR150 is an excellent printer if you're mobile and want to generate physical copies of photos and work documents. It's small, light, and produces good-quality print-outs across various papers. There are so many ways to connect to devices, from home computers to tablets, and the connection is - for the most part - stable enough to print off batches of items. If you need a comparison, it costs about the same as the HP OfficeJet 200 Mobile. It's a little smaller, but the print quality isn't quite as good for us.

The main drawback is the lack of an included battery for cord-free usage and the fact that you pay more here for fewer features when compared to regular home printers. Even with these minor issues, we'd recommend the PIXMA TR150 if you need a reliable, compact printer and don't mind paying a little more.

How does the Canon PIXMA TR150 compare to competitors?

The Canon PIXMA TR150 is a pretty specific printer. It offers battery-based portability, a compact size, and the capability to print high-resolution photos and black-and-white prints quickly and quietly. It ticks a lot of boxes. Can any other printer hope to compare?

There are plenty of other options out there. The HP OfficeJet All-in-One 250 offers a similar offering and performs similarly on all fronts. Although not as good as the PIXMA, it has battery power—a compact build and excellent connectivity. This model also offers a color OLED screen for controls, can be more affordable for ink, and can print, copy, and scan thanks to an automatic document feeder. For all that, you are looking at a larger and heavier printer.

Another excellent option for business users is the Epson WorkForce WF110, a print-only option with a color LCD. Print costs are below average, and the quality of the results is excellent. Although battery life is weaker than the others and print speeds are slower, you get fantastic quality and a robust build.

The Epson Expression Photo XP-970 is a smart choice if you need large-format prints up to 11x17 inches/A3 in size without spending over the odds on a more specialist 13x19-inch/A3+ pro-grade photo printer.

Indeed, it's based on six dye-based inks that add light cyan and light magenta to the essential CMYK mix. Thus, it’s more geared towards photo printing and lacks a pigment-based black ink favored for document printing. Even so, it makes a good stab at both mono and color documents and photo output, and its versatility earned it a place in our best all-in-one printers buying guide.

All the latest Wi-Fi features are onboard with mobile printing from tablets and smartphones. It also supports specialty paper and can print directly on white-faced CDs and DVDs.

For all its benefits, the XP-970 is decidedly not portable. Weighing 19.4 lbs and measuring 18.9 x 14 x 5.8 inches in its standby configuration, it’s a stationary printer, and the lack of any battery option means you’re tied to wall power. It’s not much larger than a standard 8.5-inch/A4 home inkjet printer and has a much smaller footprint than most other large-format photo printers. Moving is also easier since other large-format printers tip the scales at closer to 30 or 40 lbs.

Epson Expression Photo XP-970: Setup

The downsized design of the printer, at least for a large-format model, extends to the packaging. The main cardboard box is recyclable, and expanded polystyrene packing pieces are kept to a minimum. The printer comes with an installation CD-ROM with an intuitive setup procedure, although that’ll naturally be useless if you have a recent computer with no CD-ROM/DVD drive. It’s not a drawback, as drivers and supporting software for the printer are easily downloadable from Epson’s website.

The setup procedure is quick and easy, including slotting the six individual ink cartridges into their holders. If you’re not using a USB or wired Ethernet connection, the same goes for connecting the printer to your Wi-Fi network.

Typical inkjet printers, the XP-970 is supplied with ‘setup cartridges.’ These have a similar capacity to regular rather than ‘XL’ high-yield cartridges, but given that transit fluid needs to be flushed from the print heads during installation, you don’t get much ink left over for actual printing after completing the setup procedure. Suffice it to say that you’ll need to buy replacement standard or high-yield cartridges sooner rather than later.

• Score: 8/10

Epson Expression Photo XP-970: Design & features

Smartly constructed with a good-quality black plastic casing, the XP-970 packs a lot into its compact construction for an 11x17-inch/A3 printer. A regular document scanner is built into the lid, while a 4.3-inch color touchscreen is center stage on the hinged front panel, which slants up for easy viewing and standalone control. The paper output tray is motorized and extends automatically for printing.

Down below, there are two paper input cassettes. One is for regular document sizes of paper; the other is for smaller photo paper sizes. For A3 printing, there’s a separate vertical paper input tray at the rear. The design also incorporates a memory card slot for standalone printing from memory cards, complete with a full-color preview on the touchscreen. Connectivity options include USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, and wired Ethernet.

With six ink cartridges – black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, and light magenta – the Epson XP-970 is better equipped to produce true-to-life color than the average four-color inkjet printer. The flip side is that, without a pigment-based black ink, it’s less well suited to document printing. Even so, mono text looks rich and crisp compared with the relatively gray and feint output you often get with exclusively dye-based printers.

A key feature of the XP-970 is that it can output 11x17-inch/A3 photos and documents. That should prove more than large enough for all of your snapshots, scrapbook photos, and even full-page portraits, but if you plan to make larger prints for framing, it is a tad limited compared to other large-format printers out there. A range of popular borderless photo print sizes is available, from 3.5x5-inch up to and including the largest 11x17-inch format and wide aspect ratio 16:9 sizes.

With support for photo paper of every kind – gloss, semi-gloss, and matte – as well as brochure paper, scrapbook paper, iron-on transfer, self-adhesive sheets, and plain old printer paper, it’s pretty versatile. There’s also a dedicated tray for printing directly onto white-faced CDs and DVDs.

The XP-970 has the added distinction of offering scan and copy capabilities, thanks to a built-in flatbed scanner. That’s pretty unusual for a large-format printer. The photo-friendly design has a two-piece hinged lid that lets you position a photo on the scanner, close the lid halfway, and reposition the image as necessary without opening it all the way. Direct scanning and copying are made simple by an intuitive onboard interface utilizing the 4.3-inch color touchscreen. The only catch is that you can’t scan or copy A3/11x17-inch photos and documents, as the scanner has a more regular format with a maximum scanning area of 8x5x11.7 inches.

The printer can print from a computer or standalone, PictBridge-enabled cameras, and various media card formats, including SD, SDHC, SDXC, MemoryStick Duo, and CompactFlash.

Connecting the printer via Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi is relatively simple. You can also print from mobile devices using Epson’s iPrint app. Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and Android-based Mopria Print Services also support cloud-based printing and scanning.

• Score: 9/10

Epson Expression Photo XP-970: Performance

Color photos printed on glossy, semi-gloss, and luster photo papers have vibrant print quality. Thanks to the smaller molecules of dye-based inks compared with pigment inks, the ink sinks through the protective top layers of these photo papers completely, and prints are pretty much touch-dry even as they exit the printer.

The smoothness of graduations in blue skies and skin tones is excellent, color accuracy is perfect, and there’s an impressive tonal range. As with any dye-based printer, output on matte media is less impressive than with a pigment-based printer, but it still looks pretty passable.

Automatic enhancement is available via the printer driver and onboard touchscreen interface to improve the quality of photo prints. This can work well for poorly exposed photos but can also make the output look overly saturated and vivid. If you’re editing your photos on a reasonably accurate screen, you’re best off disabling the auto enhancement option.

Black-and-white photo output is relatively free of unwanted color casts but lacks richness and drama. That’s only to be expected, as the XP-970 lacks additional grey cartridges, as featured in top-end large-format photo printers like Canon’s PIXMA PRO-200 and imagePROGRAF PRO-300, and the Epson SureColor P700 and larger P900 printers, the latter with a 17-inch/A2 paper width. The XP-970 also lacks a matte photo black cartridge, which is ideal for giving intense blacks on matte photo paper and fine art media.

Print speeds aren’t quick for a dye-based printer, but the XP-970 certainly isn’t sluggish. In our tests, standard and high-quality photo modes print times for 6x4-inch borderless prints were 15 seconds and 58 seconds, respectively, and either 1 minute 2 seconds or 2 minutes 40 seconds for A4. Full A3 borderless photos took 1 minute 55 seconds in standard quality mode and 4 minutes 35 seconds in the high-quality setting.

• Score: 8.5/10

Epson Expression Photo XP-970: Care & maintenance

The XP-970 isn’t built to be a mobile printer, and, as with any similar inkjet, it’s best to install it and keep it in one fixed place as far as possible rather than often moving it around. Remember that you’ll need extra space around the printer when it’s in use, with the front cover hinged up and the paper trays extended. The overall size stretches from 18.9 x 14 x 5.8 inches to 18.9 x 26.3 x 11.6 inches, so the depth and height increase significantly while the width stays the same.

There’s not much in the way of maintenance chores. To avoid ink drying in the print heads and causing blockages, switch on the printer and create a color print every few days, even if it’s just a document on plain paper that uses different colors in small amounts. A more thorough approach is to run the nozzle check routine via the printer driver or touchscreen interface. If you notice imperfections in the test print, run a cleaning cycle and repeat the nozzle check.

It’s also a good idea to optimize accuracy by running the print head alignment routine every few months, even if the printer is permanently situated in one place. If you transport the printer, run the print head alignment routine after setting it up in its new location.

Like most inkjet printers, the XP-970 is supplied with a ‘maintenance box.’ This is an empty tank that holds any excess ink. It’s more than capable of having all the flushed transit fluid and ink from the initial setup procedure and should only need replacing if you print a high volume of borderless photo prints, which causes small amounts of ink to extend beyond the edges of the paper, which is then deposited in the tank.

• Score: 8/10

Epson Expression Photo XP-970: Price & value

The purchase price is very competitive compared to slightly larger format 13x19-inch/A3+ specialist photo printers. However, more up-market printers like Canon’s PIXMA PRO-200 and imagePROGRAF PRO-300, and the Epson SureColor P700 are more sophisticated with a more significant number of inks for enhanced color photo printing and significantly better black & white photo printing.

Running costs for ink cartridges are pretty reasonable. Adding Epson Premium Glossy photo paper into the equation, ink and paper average around 45c for 6x4-inch photo prints and $1.50 for A4. Going large, A3 glossy photo prints come out at around $4 each. Even so, ink costs are slightly steep compared to most A3+ printers.

At around 4.8ml, standard ink cartridges have a very low capacity for a large-format printer. The same goes for Epson’s XL cartridges, which only contain around 9.3ml on average. The actual amount differs from one color of ink to another. For photo printing, you’ll usually find that the black cartridge lasts ages, while the light magenta and cyan run out very quickly. And with only 9.3ml in the tank compared with, for example, about 13ml in the cartridges of the competing Canon PIXMA PRO-200 dye-based printer, you need to change some cartridges very frequently. We drained some standard-capacity cartridges by creating 12 A3 color photo prints.

Epson covers the Expression Photo XP-970 with a one-year warranty, which is standard for the category. The company offers tech support services through phone, email, and live chat on the Epson website. An online user manual lets you look up features and functions, while FAQs help you learn about the printer and solve common problems.

• Score: 7.5/10

Epson Expression Photo XP-970: User reviews

Most user reviews for the XP-970 are very favorable. People are generally impressed with the print quality of color photos on glossy, luster, and semi-gloss paper but less so for color accuracy on plain paper and cards. Most find the printer reliable, but some have reported faint lines across prints caused by blocked nozzles in the ink heads, which require one or multiple cleaning cycles to be carried out. Some also complain that the printer is quite noisy when operating.

Would I buy the Epson Expression Photo XP-970?

If you’re looking for a large-format printer that’s relatively compact and lightweight yet packed with additional features, including a scanner and color touchscreen, the XP-970 is a good buy. The initial purchase price is competitive, but even the XL, high-yield ink cartridges have a disappointingly small capacity, so running costs are a bit pricey. This is especially true for Epson EcoTank or Canon MegaTank printers, in which the print heads are fed by large tanks replenished with bottled ink.

The photo print quality is good for color images outputted on glossy, semi-gloss, and luster photo paper. It’s less impressive for matte photo paper and relatively poor for retaining the drama of high-contrast black-and-white photo images.

How does the Epson Expression Photo XP-970 compare to competitors?

As a truly ‘all-in-one’ large-format document and photo printing printer, the XP-970 loses out to the Epson EcoTank ET-8550. While still a six-ink printer, the latter includes pigment-based black ink, CMYK, and grey dye-based inks. The net result is more convincing and smudge-resistant mono-text documents, while photo print quality is still excellent. The ET-8550 is expensive, but running costs are much lower, based on bottled ink that replenishes the high-volume ‘EcoTanks.’ The ET-8550 also delivers upsized output up to 13x19 inches/A3+ and retains a document-sized scanner for direct scanning and copying.

For the ultimate in photo quality in large-format 13x19-inch/A3+ printing on glossy, semi-gloss, and luster papers, the dye-based Canon PIXMA PRO-200 easily outclasses the XP-970, both for color output and, even more so, for black-and-white photos. For printing on matte photo paper and fine art media at sizes up to 13x19-inch/A3+, we’d go for the pigment ink-based Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, which easily outperforms the competing Epson SureColor P700.

How we tested the Epson Expression Photo XP-970

Our testing process begins with unpacking and setting up the printer. We download and install the latest drivers, run nozzle check routines, and, if necessary, print head cleaning cycles. We then carry out print head alignment procedures to ensure optimum accuracy. The printer manufacturer’s genuine, own-brand inks and photo papers are used throughout the testing procedure.

We create test prints from various mono and color documents and digital photos, including landscapes, portraits, and black-and-white images. Prints are made using standard color modes and optional enhancement features offered with the printer. We also use our specially created test chart to reveal each printer's accuracy in color reproduction, tonal range, and the ability to deliver smooth graduations between subtle color variations.

For output speed, we measure the time it takes to produce borderless 6x4-inch, A4, A3, and A3+ prints at various photo quality settings available with each printer we test.

Having a good system to print addresses onto labels is essential for small businesses. Even if you're a more casual online seller, you'll find that it will give your packaging a professional edge. Luckily, once you know how to print labels from Excel, you'll find that it’s a quick, simple and cost–effective task. 

We'll show you how to use Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) to create a basic spreadsheet of address entries in Microsoft Excel and then import these through into a label template in Microsoft Word, ready for you to print them out in just a few steps. The great thing about this technique is that you can just input new addresses into your spreadsheet and the Word doc will update automatically for you.

Step 1: Sourcing the right labels

Open Microsoft Word and create a new empty document by going to File>Blank Document. Now click on Mailings heading in your options bar at the top and choose Labels. 

Now click on options and you’ll be able to choose from a list of Label Vendors/Products, so go ahead and click this drop-down menu to choose from a whole host of label manufacturers, this will then update the Product Number box below, so make sure any labels that interested in purchasing online appear in this list to make your label printing as smooth as possible as it gives you a template that will line up perfectly with the pre-cut labels that you want to print onto. 

Step 2: Populate your Excel spreadsheet with addresses

Open up Microsoft Excel and click Blank Workbook or go to File>New>Blank Workbook. When printing addresses it’s a good idea to organise your spreadsheet into five columns and put the following headings in the first row of your spreadsheet: Customer Name, Address 1, Address 2, Address 3 and Address 4. Now go to File>Save and save it in a memorable location on your computer as we’ll need to find this spreadsheet later when we go back into Microsoft Word.

Step 3: Use Mailmerge to automatically fill in your label template

Head back into Microsoft Word and this time go to File>New>Blank Document and click on the Mail Merge heading. Then click Start Mail Merge and choose Labels from the drop-down list that appears. 

In the dialogue box that appears change the Label Vendors to the one that matches the brand written on your pack of labels, and then scroll down through the Product Number options to find the one that matches your labels exactly and click OK to create your label template.

Click Select recipients and then click Use an Existing list. Then navigate through your computer hard drive to find the spreadsheet of addresses that you made earlier in Microsoft Excel, click to highlight it and then click Open. In the dialogue box that appears next ensure that ‘First row of data contains column headers’ is ticked and then hit OK.

To start filling the labels with the addresses in your spreadsheet click Edit Recipient List, check that all of the addresses look correct and everything looks in order and then hit OK. 

Now click on the first rectangle in your label template and then click Insert Merge Field and then click Customer Name, then press Return on the keyboard (or hold Shift and press Return for a soft return instead), then go back to Insert Merge Field and choose Address 1 this time, then repeat the process on new lines to add in all of the address fields until the first label is complete. 

Now click Update Labels in the options bar at the top and you’ll see all of the labels become populated with those fields and the click Preview results from the options bar to see the data coming through from the Excel doc to make sure everything looks correct. 

Save this document so that it’s ready to go for future use and if happy go to Finish & Merge>Print Documents. In the dialogue box that appears select All and the hit OK. Make sure all of the printing options look good and then hit Print to finish.

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Knowing how to scan on a HP printer is one of the many ways that you can make the most out of it. Having a good printer is essential, no matter whether it's in constant use or you just need it to print out the occasional email confirmation. 

Ever since the ‘90s printer manufacturers have been squeezing multiple functions into the best compact printers, all in one printers and more. They've added flatbed scanners on top for copying, making digital scans and even faxing for a more ergonomic design that meant you didn’t have to clutter your home or office with several individual devices.

In this article we’ll look at how to scan and copy on HP’s popular range of all-in-one printers, covering how to get set up and print from your smartphone, desktop or laptop computer or even make copies directly through the printer itself without the need for an extra peripheral device.

How to copy a document to make a duplicate

The easiest way to use the scanner on your HP printer is to create a copy as you don’t need any apps or software to carry out this task, it can all be done by the interface and buttons on your printer. 

Step 1

Load your blank A4 paper into the paper tray and then open up the flatbed scanner and place the sheet of paper that you’d like to scan face down onto the glass and close the flatbed scanner.

Step 2

Now press the black and white or color scan buttons on your printer to scan in color or mono to save on ink, or navigate through the menu on the display to find the B&W or color scan options if your printer has a screen. If your document is double sided, simply flip your document over on the flatbed scanner and put your printout in the paper tray again but turn it over to print on the blank side.

How to scan on HP printer with your smartphone

Step 1

Download the HP Smart app for iOS or Android smartphones. Once installed, switch on your HP printer and then open up the HP Smart device and at the top of the app tap the Set up or add printer button and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your printer on your smartphone.

Step 2

With your printer added and set up on the HP Smart app you need to go back into the main menu and tap on the Printer Scan icon. 

Step 3

You’re now ready to scan so open the scanner on your HP Printer and place your first page on the glass face down, close the lid and tap scan in the app. You can change the settings by tapping the drop-down menu at the top to adjust the Paper Size, Quality and Color, then hit the large circle button at the bottom to begin scanning. When complete you can rotate or crop, tap the Print icon, Share/Save or Mobile Fax buttons.

How to scan documents on HP printer to your computer

Scanning via a desktop or laptop computer provides the most options and you can do so by a wired or wireless connection, but for either option you will need to use the HP Smart app on your computer. 

Step 1

Open the app and choose the Print & Scan option from the top menu bar, you can then go down to the Scan option and click this to open the Scan dialog. Make sure the document or image you’d like to scan is placed facing down on the scanning glass and that the lid is closed on top of it. 

Step 2

If you’re scanning a photo choose either the Photo to File or Photo to E-mail options, whereas if it’s a document choose the Document to File or Document to E-mail options, this will allow you to file them on your computer or attach them directly to an email that you can send. You also have the option to save as a hi-res TIF. More options on the right allow you to set the Scan Size area, whether to output as a color or black & white scan and also to set the resolution. The higher your dpi number, the better the scan quality will be but it will also take a little longer to complete. Once you’ve set all of the options, click the Scan button.

Step 3

Once your document or image has been scanned you may see that the program has automatically cropped off any blank space, simply readjust the bounding box if you need to widen the scan area to include anything important that has accidentally been cropped off.

Step 4

Using the controls on the right you can make quick adjustments to change the Brightness and Contrast of your scan, as well as rotate it left or right by 90º if it’s the wrong way up. If it’s a document that you’d like to add extra pages to, switch out the document on your scanner for the new page and close the lid down on it again, then click the Add new scanned pages button in the bottom left corner of the dialog. 

Step 5

When you’ve scanned all of the pages click the Save button and you can choose where on your computer to save it.

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While knowing how to print from iPad might not come naturally to you, it's actually easier than you think. While many people would ordinarily print from desktop computers, printing from an iPad is a great way to save time when you're in a hurry. While a 'proper' computer such as a Mac or MacBook laptop might offer more printing options, an iPad can work perfectly well for most basic printing jobs. 

The most important thing is to make sure you’re connecting to a WiFi printer with AirPrint technology. You also need to make sure that you’re connected to the same wireless connection as your printer for a smooth experience without any hitches. 

Luckily, AirPrint offers support for a whole host of the best compact printers, all-in-one printers and more. This means that your printer should work absolutely fine with even the latest iPads and iPhones. To see if your wireless printer has AirPrint technology click here.

How to print from the web or documents

Step 1

Open up Safari and go type in the URL of the webpage that you’d like to print. Now click the Share button at the top of Safari and choose Print from the menu that appears. This will then give you the option to select your printer and the easiest option is to choose a printer with AirPrint functionality connected to the same WiFi router as your iPad. 

Step 2

In this menu you also have the option to set the number of copies that you’d like to print, so if you just want to print the webpage once leave this set to the default 1 Copy. If your webpage is too long to fit on a single sheet of paper then it will be split up across multiple pages and you can see this in the preview below. 

Step 3

If you only want to print a small relevant part of the webpage then be sure to set the Range to the pages that you want to print to save printing out the whole page if you don’t need it. Tap on Options to bring up more options where you can change the paper size, whether to print color or black & white and double-sided too.

How to print pictures

Step 1

Open the Photos app on your Apple iPad and find the image that you’d like to print. If you have multiple images that you’d like to print then tap Select and then tap on each of the images that you’d like to print to select them. 

Step 2

Now tap the Share button and scroll down until you see the Print option and give it a tap. You’ll then be taken into a menu where you can choose your printer with AirPrint functionality as well as choose the number of copies you’d like to print. You can also set it to color or black & white if you’d like to save on printer toner. 

Step 3 

Click on Options to bring up drop-down menus to change the paper size, black & white or color printing and double-sided printing too.

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Do you want to know how to print notes in PowerPoint? You're not the only one. Microsoft's PowerPoint is a useful program for presenting and pitching ideas, presenting work reports and much more. There may be additional data that isn’t on your slides that you’d like to keep handy so you can mention other key points in your presentation. 

Luckily, you can add notes to the bottom of your presentation and these don’t appear on the slides. However, they can be printed out separately on one of the best compact printers or the best all-in-one printers so you have them to hand when making your presentation.

How to print notes in PowerPoint

Step 1

Open your PowerPoint document into Windows 365. To add or see notes on each of your presentation slides you need to go to View and click the Notes option in the top panel. This will bring up a bar below your slide where you can add notes, these will be specific to each slide. This could be extra notes that you need to keep handy when making your presentation or notes to change or improve parts of the presentation. 

Step 2

Constructive feedback and comments can also be added with Comments, by right-clicking on the slide and clicking New Comment - here anyone with access to your shared doc can add their constructive criticisms and you can reply or delete those comments as appropriate, however in this tutorial we’re specifically looking at notes.

Step 3

Once you’ve added all of the relevant notes to all of the various slides in your presentation you’re ready to print it out so go to File and choose Print from the menu on the left. 

Step 4

Now make sure the correct printer is selected and that Print All Slides is chosen if you wish to print the whole presentation. You also have options to print your slides full page, collation and whether to print in color or black and white. You can choose how many copies of the presentation you’d like to print too.

Step 5

To have your notes printed on the same page as the slide change the Print Layout to Notes Pages. If there are comments on the slides these will be printed on a separate page, though you can stop them being printed by click on the Print Layout and toggling the Print Comments option.

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Google Docs is an online word processor included for free as part of the web-based Google Docs Editors suite and is an alternative to Microsoft Word, alongside Google’s Sheets which is a free alternative to Microsoft Excel. 

As a piece of free software it’s no surprise that it’s grown in popularity over the years with many people using it at home or in the office for basic word processing, writing work, letters and articles. Here we show you how to print out your work from Google Docs using the best compact printers or the best all-in-one printers and examine all of the different options and features available in the printing dialogue.

How to print from Google Docs

Step 1

Go to File>Print or hit the shortcut Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P on Mac to bring up the print menu. Under destination you’ll want to click the drop-down menu and make sure your desired printer is selected. If your printer does not appear be sure to run through troubleshooting options, such as turning it off and on, making sure your computer is connected to it via WiFi or Bluetooth, or plugged in by a cable if it’s an older model, you should then see it appear in the list and you’ll be able to select it. 

Step 2

Next you have the Pages option. By default, this will be set to print all of the pages in your document but if you only want a select number of pages to be printed to save on paper and waste then change this to Customized and enter your pages making sure to leave a comma followed by a space for each such as 1, 3, 5. You can also print a range of pages by adding a hyphen between the first and last page of your desired printing range such as 1-5, or combine the too so this could for example look like 1-5, 8, 11-13 and so on.

Step 3

Then you have options for the number of copies you wish to print and also a Color option so you can choose to print in Color or Black and White to save on color inks.

Step 4

Click the More settings drop down button to reveal more options. Here you can set the Paper Size, most standard documents are going to be printed at A4 on home office printers but you can change this setting here if you need to, such as for printing on Envelopes or at A3.

You can also set Pages per Sheet, Margins and Scale though these can generally be left to their default values for everyday printing.

If you’d like to print on both sides of the paper to cut down on paper waste ensure the Print on both sides option is checked under Two-sided, then choose whether you want to Flip on the long edge so the text reads the same way up on both sides of the paper like a book or magazine, or flip on short edge to invert it.

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Whether you use a Macbook Pro or Air laptop, a desktop iMac, Mac Pro or a Mac Mini you’ll likely need to know how to print on Mac at some stage. 

Depending on the type of document that you wish to print, your Mac will give you different options. While the end result may be the same, you may prefer the interface of certain programs. For example you could open a PDF into Apple’s proprietary Preview, or Adobe Acrobat Reader, or Adobe Photoshop CC (amongst many other programs) and each of these will have a different feel and their own options.

Double-clicking an image or PDF will likely open it into Preview by default, while text documents may open instead into TextEdit, Pages or Microsoft Office if you have it installed. Right-click on the thumbnail of any document or image and choose Open With, then choose your desired program to open it into. No matter whether you use one of the best compact printers or the best all in one printers, the steps will be the same. 

We’re going to show you how to print with Apple’s proprietary Preview program because it comes pre-installed on your Mac, though many of the options will be very similar in other programs like Adobe Photoshop CC, Google Docs or Office 365.

How to print with Apple Preview

Step 1
Open your document or image into Preview and go to File>Print or hit the keyboard shortcut Cmd+P. Make sure you’ve hit the button Show Details to have access to the full range of printing options. 

Click the Printer drop-down menu and make sure your desired printer is selected. If your printer does not appear be sure to run through troubleshooting options, such as turning it off and on, making sure your computer is connected to it via WiFi or Bluetooth, or plugged in by a cable if it’s an older model, you should then see it appear in the list and you’ll be able to select it. 

Step 2
Now you can click on Presets if you’d quickly like to apply some quick settings, such as last settings used or for printing in black and white. To refine the settings further go down and enter how many copies of your document you’d like to be printed. 

This is the number of times it will print the whole document, so if it’s ten pages long and you enter two copies, you’ll end up with a duplicate of every page giving you 20 in total. You can also enable Two-Sided printing to reduce paper waste, so a ten page document will be reduced down to five sheets of paper with text on both sides.

Step 3
Next, head down to Pages where it will, by default, be set to print all of the pages in your document. You can cut this down to specific selection of pages by entering a range in the From box, such as from page five to page eight.

You’ll also see the option ‘Selected Pages in Sidebar’. You need to do this before bringing up the Print dialogue box (click Cancel to exit if you need to). Then, in your document you can hold Cmd and click on every page that you want to be printed from the sidebar. When they’re all highlighted, hit Cmd+P to bring up the Printing prompt once again.

Step 4
Now you can set the Paper Size to the correct format. A4 will be the most commonly used on home office printers, though you can of course choose different if you have a different paper format loaded into your printer, such as a letter or A3. Then make sure the Orientation is set correctly to Portrait or Landscape. For documents you’ll want to choose Portrait.

On the left of the printing dialogue box you’ll see a preview. This can be customized using the Preview option at the bottom to give you an accurate idea of how your document will look when printed, make sure Auto Rotate is ticked and fine-tune your scaling with the Scale and Scale to Fit options to make sure nothing is left off the page.

Step 5
It’s also worth clicking the Preview drop-down box and going to Media & Quality as here you can choose which printer tray to print from on larger printers, the media type and you can set the print quality to draft, normal or best. You also have options for Layout, Paper Handling, Cover Page, PIN Printing, Finishing Options and Watermark, but these aren’t as essential though can still be worth checking out if you specifically need these feature.

Step 6
If you’ve dialed in your settings and you think you'd like to be able to use them again, go to Presets and choose Save Current Settings as Preset. Give your Preset a name and choose whether you want the preset to be available for any printer in the future, or just the printer that you’re currently connected to and hit OK. And that’s it, you’re all set and ready to get printing!

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Whether you need to send a letter, post a parcel or have sold something on eBay, printing a postage label will give your post a more professional finish and it’s super easy to do with one of the best compact printers. 

We’re going to show you how to create a sheet of labels ready-to-go in Microsoft Word, though some packs of sticky labels come with a free template that you can download, or a specialist piece of software you can use instead. But it’s super easy to create your own label template from scratch using Microsoft Word, so here’s how to do it…

How to print labels from Microsoft Word

Connect your printer to your computer and open Microsoft Word and go to File>New From Template and open up the Label wizard. In the Address you can input the address that you’d like to appear in each label, if this is a return label for your items the address can be identical in every label. 

However, if they are labels for separate individual people then you can either put in the first person’s address and use this as an example to populate the template temporarily. Alternatively, click the Address Book button to find an address, or hit Mail Merge button at the bottom to input a batch of addresses to save time.

Click the Font button to fine-tune the text that appears on your labels and use it to pick a suitable Font, Font Style, and Size. You can also set the Font Color in addition to effects like a strikethrough or all caps. A preview is shown at the bottom of the dialogue box to show you how the font on your labels will look.

Click on the Label Options and choose the Laser and ink jet option then sort through the Label products and click through the different options until you find one with a suitable Page Size, Height and Width that looks good to you and hit OK. Your page will now be populated with all of your labels and if you need to edit any you can click on the text to edit and change.

All that’s left is to click print and make sure the correct paper size is selected and that Scale to Fit is disabled or Scale is set to 100% to make sure your text lines up perfectly with the labels on your page.

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From fridges to washing machines and from toasters to kettles, our household gadgets are getting smarter by the minute and increasingly interoperable with smartphones and tablets. One such household gadget that’s been given a smart makeover in recent years is the humble home office printer. 

All of the best compact printers now feature WiFi or NFC functionality that allows you to print directly from your smartphone, saving you the hassle of having to first send them to your laptop or desktop computer and streamlines the whole experience.

Are you yet to give it a go? Here’s two ways to do it on Android and Apple iOS devices…

How to print from an iPhone

Unlock your iOS device and connect to your printer by WiFi or NFC. If your compact printer doesn’t have WiFi functionality you should be able to connect the printer USB cable that would usually go into your computer instead into the back of your Internet router, this now allows it to print wirelessly as you can push documents and pictures to the router to be printed.

Use the Photos app to scroll through your phone to find the picture or document like a PDF that you’d like to be printed and tap it to open it up. Now tap the share icon in the bottom left corner of the Photos app and scroll down to find the Print option. In the Printer Options, tap Select Printer then tap Options and choose how many copies you’d like to print and toggle the Black & White setting to print in mono or leave it unchecked to print in color. Finally, tap Paper to set the paper size that your printer is loaded with such as A4 or A5 and hit Print to finish.

How to print from an Android phone

Unlock your Android device and connect to your printer by WiFi or NFC. If your compact printer doesn’t have WiFi functionality you should be able to connect the printer USB cable that would usually go into your computer instead into the back of your Internet router, this now allows it to print wirelessly as you can push documents and pictures to the router to be printed.

Scroll through your phone to find the picture or document such as a PDF that you’d like to  print and tap to open it up. Using the Gallery app we opened a JPEG image and then tapped the three dots for ‘More’ options and then tapped Print or Export to PDF. Click the option at the top which says Save as PDF and change this to ‘All printers…’ and make sure you chose your printer from the list. 

Now you can set the number of copies you’d like to be printed and choose the right paper size that’s loaded into your printer. For a standard sheet of A4, pick the ‘ISO A4’ option. You also have options to print in the portrait or landscape orientation, whether to print in black and white or color and whether to print two-sided as well. Once all the settings are looking good tap the Print icon to finish.

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You can’t beat the versatility of all-in-one printers. They can print, scan, copy, and even fax, making them indispensable to home offices. Compact printers are handy, too, but are much smaller to help save space in your home office. Whether you need an option for school, work, art, or for printing photographs, we’ve rounded up the best here.

This device holds 350 pieces of paper and prints quickly. It can handle producing borderless photos in multiple sizes and has mobile capabilities. Refilling ink is simple, too; they can be refilled with handy bottles. But the ink lasts, creating 6,000 pages in black and white or 7,700 pages in color before ink is required.

This printer features an auto-feed that supports various paper sizes including legal paper, envelopes, index cards, and photo paper. It’s much quieter than the average printer, so you won’t disturb people around you if you need to use it in a busy office environment

The included rechargeable battery means you can print documents from anywhere including a hotel room, airport terminal, or in your car. The Epson Workforce prints clear in both colored and monotone, though its print speed is a bit on the slow side. It’s good enough to print 6 x 4 borderless photos.

It’s small enough to fit your pocket or purse and use whenever and wherever. It holds 10 sheets of 5 x 3 paper, so you don’t have to feed the printer every time you print. However, it takes a speical type of paper and this can be a little costly.

Key features to look for when buying a printer

Output

Print quality is one of the most important considerations when buying any kind of printer, so we looked at documents printed by each machine under high magnification. Since you likely won’t compare sample documents side by side in person as you choose a printer, we suggest comparing their print resolutions, which is a good indicator of how much detail a printer can recreate in images. The higher the numbers, the better the resolution. Smaller, high-resolution printers usually cost more, so you may have to compromise on resolution and portability to find something in your price range. If you're printing pictures, we'd recommend a printer designed specifically for printing photos.

We looked for printers that can standard-size, 8.5 x 11 documents, but the more flexibility you have in your paper choice the better. While all the printers we considered handle standard-size paper, watch for special paper requirements. This is especially true for photo printers that may only take a specific size, type, or brand of paper.

Manufacturers list printer speed in the machines’ specs, but we timed the models we reviewed to approximate their speed in real-world conditions. Based on what you’re using the printer for, speed may be important to consider.

Ink & media

You want to check to see what types of cartridges your inkjet compact printer uses. If it takes high-yield cartridges, you can usually shave off a few cents per page. Or you might consider a printer that uses thermal print technology, though the specialty paper these machines use comes at its own expense.

Pay attention to the printer’s regular output specifications, including the maximum number of pages the manufacturer suggests printing per month, called the monthly duty cycle. Regularly printing above this number can wear the machine down faster and cause damage, so make sure the duty cycle matches up with your needs.

Connectivity

Printers that connect to a variety of online storage and cloud systems are more useful, especially now that so much is stored digitally. Check to make sure you’re preferred cloud storage program is supported by your printer.

Printer design

Generally, the lighter a mobile printer is the better. However, we looked for models that balance features and quality with their compact size. As you look at a mobile printer, check its dimensions to see if it’ll fit inside of the carrier you typically use, like a laptop bag or backpack.

Another important consideration is the battery life. Check to see how many documents you can print or days you can go before you need to recharge the battery. If you have to plug the battery in regularly, it impacts the printer’s overall portability.

Why trust us

At Top Ten Reviews, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As experts, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your life. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. Our detailed product overviews balance objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is easy.

The HP Envy Inspire is an all-in-one printer that deserves a place on our best all-in-one printers list and even punches for contention among the best compact printers.

Since this is a do-it-all printer, you can expect printing in black or color as well as photo printing – but you also have a capable scanner, copier and fax machine all rolled into this unit.

This is by no means the most affordable option out there, nor is it the most compact at nearly 18 pounds and 18 inches long, but what it lacks in space savings, it makes up for with its capable printing speed and quality. Again, it's not the best at any one thing, but it does a respectable job all around – perfect for a home office or family printer.

With an ADF document feeder, a very powerful and useful app, plus the option to save money with an ink subscription service – this does a lot for that price. It's worth noting at this stage there isn't an SD or USB slot for printing from memory cards or sticks, so if that's what you're after then you may want to check out some of the other models from the best all-in-one printers guide instead.

Not deterred? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the HP Envy Inspire printer.

HP Envy Inspire: Setup

The HP Envy Inspire comes in a relatively compact box with minimal packaging. In fact, it claims that the printer is sustainably designed with over 45% recyclable plastic. The unit comes well protected in padded packaging, with tape to hold any moveable parts. 

All this is easily removed but we liked the box lid guidance image showing how to lay the box on its side and slide the printer out – a little touch that shows attention to detail and makes the process as easy as possible. There's even recyclable material wrapped around to act as a handle so you can easily slide the printer out.

Plug in, scan a QR code and the setup is then guided using your smartphone. The whole process only takes a few minutes. You are pestered to join the HP+ service, but since that gets you six months of free ink it could be worth trying. You can also get your one-year warranty registered there, and if you sign up this can be extended to two years.

Two ink cartridges are included with the printer that let you get started with black and color printing right away. In fact, the app guides you to print a picture from your phone as a test. The only thing you need to provide is paper, which is easy to load in the 125-sheet tray.

HP Envy Inspire: Design & features

The HP Envy Inspire features a fantastic 2.7-inch color touchscreen that tilts to be viewed from wide angles. This is a genuinely effective way of using the printer without a phone or computer – ideal if you want to scan, copy or fax. As you can see from the above image, the quality is impressive with a copy preview image clearly displayed so you can see what you're going to get before you commit to a print.

When it comes to printing, this is a real home office performer. Thanks to an ADF paper feeder on the top you can scan in up to 35 sheets at a time without having to work the scanner bed for each one. This is also useful for anyone that plans to use this for faxing lots of documents. 

The printer is also capable of duplex printing on both sides. This worked well in our experience but took a little longer than single-sided printing might - more on that below.

The HP Envy Inspire is backed by the powerful HP Smart app. This lets you access the printer's features and settings from your phone both using the local network as well as from anywhere you find yourself, meaning you can print remotely. It also lets you check ink levels and make sure the connectivity is secure so your network is safe.

The app is also a way to manage your ink subscriptions should you opt for that, so you're always aware of how much ink you have, need, and are due to receive. The app usefully lets you scan from your phone to print out, although for some printing, scanning and faxing features you will need to have activated the HP+ service.

HP Envy Inspire: Performance

The HP Envy Inspire certainly punches above its price point when it comes to print quality. When prompted to print off an image from the app, we picked a bright shot of red tomatoes on a green chopping board. The printer was able to bring out the brightness, the definition and the detail impressively. And that was on normal A4 paper as opposed to photo-specific paper.

The same high quality was found when it came to printing off text. The lettering was clearly defined with high contrast and perfect alignment. It was also quick but more on that below.

The only slip-up we noticed was when we tried to copy the image we printed out. As you can see below, there was quite a bit of color definition lost in the scan-to-print journey.

Timing-wise, we tested a two-sided black and white text print and 16 pages arrived in three minutes and 25 seconds. In fairness, there is a short gap where the printer says it is letting the ink dry before printing on the other side. So while it can go faster, this gets you the best result with no ink smears. 

For example, we printed 11 black and white pages, single-sided, and that arrived in just one minute and 15 seconds.

Full-color pages were out in less than a minute. When using the copying feature this took the same amount of time to print, despite the end result being of a more washed-out color.

HP Envy Inspire: Price and value

The HP Envy Inspire is not the cheapest printer at $219.99. This does get you two ink cartridges and a one-year warranty, extended to two if you sign-up for the HP+ system. You also have the option to extend that warranty to three years for $45 or four years for $60.

Compared to other all-in-one printers, this is at the mid-to-higher end of the price point. When you factor in the cost of ink, which is higher without that HP+ subscription, the price is quite a bit more than for an Epson or Canon. But if you plan to go for the ink subscription, that difference does become less apparent.

HP Envy Inspire: User reviews

Users of this printer have had some good things to say about it, especially on Amazon.

Over on BestBuy the reviews were less flattering with a one-star review saying: "Cheap and bulky. Not worth it. The plastic to open for scanning is so cheaply made. So expensive and not great. I returned the next day."

Would I buy the HP Envy Inspire?

If you want an all-in-one printer that offers ADF scanning, high-quality color prints, photo printing, decent speeds and an app that offers lots of smart features – and a top touchscreen control interface, then the HP Envy Inspire could be ideal for you.

However, if you're looking for a more affordable alternative, or don't need all those features then there are deals out there to be had still. If you're not going to sign-up for the HP+ service then you might save money by going for a printer that offers more affordable ink.

How does the HP Envy Inspire 7920e printer compare?

If the HP Envy Inspire isn't what you're looking for, we've got plenty of other suggestions. 

The Canon PIXMA TR8620 is our top pick for print quality, producing top-quality photos. If you're a photographer or are intending to use the printer for professional needs, this could be the model for you.

If the HP Envy Inspire is out of your budget, the Epson EcoTank ET-2720  is our best budget pick, delivering a great service at a much lower price point.

If what you're concerned about is running costs, the Brother MFC-J995DW offers bulk-buying ink options that greatly reduce the amount you have to pay to keep this printer running.

How can we make a printer a sustainable printer to reduce the impact of printing on both our wallets and the environment? After all, despite living in the digital age, printing documents and images is still a necessity for many. Whether you work from a company office or at home, paper usage, electricity consumption and ink and toner use can all influence your carbon footprint. But by thinking sustainably, we can all help to reduce the harm that printing can do to the environment.

Printers come in many shapes and sizes, from the best compact printers to the best all in one printers. All consume resources at different levels, but they affect sustainability in similar ways. Paper consumption is perhaps the primary impact of printing, and the need for office paper places pressure on forest resources throughout the globe. Printers consume electricity as well, of course, which means we also need to think about how we can print smarter to reduce our energy usage.

Printers’ constant thirst for ink means that ink and toner cartridges carry a significant cost for many users. If that sounds like you, check out our guide to the best discount ink cartridges. Toner and ink cartridges account for an enormous amount of plastic waste, with 11 ink cartridges being disposed of every second, and one million cartridges being thrown away every day, according to the Energy Collective Group.

So, with all those factors in mind, how do we print more sustainably and help to reduce the impact our printing has on the environment as well as our overheads?

Make your printer sustainable

1. Print on both sides of the paper

We can literally halve our paper use by printing on both sides of the sheets of paper we use. That saves you or your business on the costs of paper usage and reduces waste paper that might otherwise end up in landfill or run through a costly recycling process.

Many printers now feature an automatic duplex option, which enables you to print on both sides of the sheet of paper with a simple click on your computer or on the device itself.

• Read more: How to print double sided on a Windows PC

2. Think before you print

One of the most impactful benefits of the digital age is that we have more options available to us when it comes to presenting our documents, reducing the need to print every message, presentation or file, or the need to store them physically. Files can be saved on computers and servers, or on devices like the best external hard drives, and can be sent electronically rather than through the postal service.

So, it’s worth asking ourselves whether we need to print that document at all before we hit the ‘print’ icon or button. Could the file be emailed instead? Could that presentation be displayed on a tablet or cast to a screen? Pausing to consider whether it’s necessary to print at all can make a big difference to your paper usage, and the environment.

3. Buy recycled paper

A sustainable printer should absolutely use recycled paper whenever possible. Fortunately, 100 percent recycled paper is now more available and more affordable than ever before. Recycled paper, as opposed to ‘non-virgin’ paper, requires less water, energy and chemicals such as bleach to produce and reduces the need to cut down trees.

4. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle your paper

Office paper can almost always be recycled, and shared workspaces should provide dedicated recycling bins for waste paper. If you work from home, waste paper can be recycled with other paper products.

Often pages don’t print as we would like them too, but that shouldn’t necessarily consign that sheet of paper to the recycle bin. Instead, that paper can be reused as scrap paper for notes, reminders and doodles, especially if it’s only printed on one side.

5. Print in black and white or grayscale

Unless specifically required, it shouldn’t be necessary to print every document in color, especially when the text is for internal communications. Reserve colored printing for images, charts and tables, and anything that needs to catch the eye.

Modern printers usually include a ‘draft’ or ‘economy’ mode which automatically selects black or white, or grayscale, and helps preserve ink and use less electricity.

6. Use an ethical printer

These days, many printers are designed with sustainability in mind. That means they might feature automatic duplexing to help you cut down on paper usage, and a power-saving economy mode that reduces electricity usage. Look for Energy Star certified printers that save on running costs.

7. Dispose of inks and toners properly

We’ve mentioned how much waste is produced from ink and toner cartridges, but environmentally friendly toners are available. These are commonly remanufactured cartridges produced by reusing empty, discarded cartridges and refilling them with ink. You can also buy bottled ink for some cartridges which enable you to top them up when you need to, extending the life of the plastic capsule many times over.

Many retailers, including Office Depot, Walmart and Best Buy, now participate in free drop-off schemes in partnership with printer and ink brands such as HP and Samsung. Check your printer’s manufacturer’s website to find out where the nearest participating store is and you can drop your spent cartridges in to be recycled for free. Other schemes let you send back your cartridges in the post, or you can visit participating local recycling centers.

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The AnyCubic Photon Ultra is the latest resin 3D printer from Anycubic, one of the biggest names in the 3D printing game and it’s launching first via Kickstarter. So, you might be wondering why a company as big and successful as Anycubic would need to go to Kickstarter looking for funds for a new device, and it’s a fair question that we don’t have an answer to either. What we can say is that the AnyCubic Photon Ultra is a phenomenal 3D printer that offers exceptional print quality with a fantastic price.

If you’re not familiar with resin 3D printers, they work a lot differently to the fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers that most people think of when we talk about 3D printing. While an FDM printer deposits thin layers of melted plastic on top of each other to build a complete piece, resin printers use UV light to cure resin to a build plate which slowly rises up out of the resin goo. Both types of printers have their advantages and disadvantages: FDM printers are typically cheaper and can build larger objects, while resin printers can create more detailed prints.

AnyCubic Photon Ultra review: Set-up

• Easy to set up
• Leveling process is simple

Setting up the AnyCubic Photon Ultra was a breeze. It comes incredibly well packaged, with custom foam inserts to make sure that nothing moves around or gets scratched during transport. This is vital when you’re dealing with something like a 3D printer, where there are glass and plastic screens that need to be kept in pristine condition for the device to function.

Once you’ve unpacked everything, plugged in, and switched on your printer, you’ll need to install and level the print bed. This is a simple procedure and the included instructions walk you through the whole process - it’s nowhere near as complex as FDM printers can be. Once that’s done, you’ve just got to install the print tray, fill it with resin, and you can start printing.

There is an LCD screen on the device which can be used to navigate the various menus, so you can adjust settings and set prints going without needing it connected to a computer. You simply put your print files on a USB drive and plug it into the slot.

It’s worth noting here for anyone that’s new to resin 3D printers, that resin is nasty stuff. It’s toxic and an irritant, so you don’t want to get it on your skin or in your eyes, and you definitely don’t want to swallow any. Make sure you’re wearing protective gloves, eye protection, and a face mask when working with resin. 

AnyCubic Photon Ultra review: Specs and features

• DLP technology gives exceptional detail
• Projector lasts 10x longer than mono LCD screens

The real selling point of the AnyCubic Photon Ultra is that it's a DLP printer, rather than the usual LCD printers that we typically see in the consumer resin 3D printer market. While LCD printers use an LCD screen to project light into the resin, DLP printers use a projector that reflects light to specific locations via a micromirror. This eliminates light convergence (the light from the bright areas bleeding over into areas that shouldn’t be lit). The result is sharper lines and crisper details. So, while the AnyCubic Photon Ultra technically only has a resolution of 720p, in reality it outperforms 2K and even 4K LCD printers when it comes to fine details.

The other main advantage of a DLP printer is that the projectors have a much longer lifespan than LCD screens, with AnyCubic stating that the projector can be used for over 20,000 hours. For reference, the LCD screen in the AnyCubic Photon Mono is rated to last around 2,000 hours (and that’s considered to be a long lifespan by LCD standards). This means you’re getting 10 times the lifespan, which means 10 fewer LCD screen replacements - that’s a huge cost saving over the life of your printer.

The build plate isn’t huge on the AnyCubic Photon Ultra, measuring in at 102.4 x 57.6 x 165 mm. That’s not to say it’s especially tiny either as most printers in this price range offer a similar bed size, but it’s something worth considering if you’re looking to print larger models.

AnyCubic Photon Ultra review: Print quality and speed

• Great print quality
• Expected print speeds

We did several test prints to put the Anycubic Photon Ultra through its paces, starting with the model that came supplied on the included USB drive - a bust of everyone’s favorite X-Men character, Wolverine.

Our first print failed to stick to the print bed, but we spotted this pretty quickly, re-leveled the bed, and increased the exposure time slightly, and our next print came out much better. We still had a slight support issue that meant Wolverine’s chin didn’t print properly, but this can be easily rectified by adding better supports to that section using the included slicing software, Photon Workshop.

Despite his lack of chin, the level of detail present on this Wolverine print is exceptional. Look at the chain and dog tags around his neck, and the veins and grooves of his biceps.

As with all resin printers, once the print is finished, it still needs several stages of clean-up. You need to wash the model off in isopropyl alcohol to remove any uncured resin that is still on the surface of the model - if you don’t do this, that resin will cure and you’ll lose detail in your print. After it’s been washed, you also need to cure the model in UV light. You can just expose it to sunlight, making sure to turn it to cure every side, but AnyCubic was kind enough to send us it's Wash and Cure 2.0 device. We’ll have a full review of that up shortly, but for now we can say that it made the whole clean-up process a walk in the park.

After printing Wolverine, we set out to print something a bit smaller. Resin 3D printers are hugely popular amongst miniature gamers and fans of role-playing games, allowing players to create custom and unique models. To find out how well the AnyCubic Photon Ultra would manage printing something much smaller, we printed this free Hazmat trooper from Anvil Industry’s Digital Forge. This little trooper only took a couple of hours to print off and, as you can see, he is stunning.

If you look extremely closely, you can see some faint hints of layer lines on some of the smooth, curved surfaces, like the top of his helmet, but once this guy is painted, we’d have no clue that this was a 3D print.

Finally, we went back to another bust, this time of an alien from the Mass Effect series of games - everyone’s favorite singing Salarian, Mordin Solus, and this print came out fantastic. The level of detail on this guy is phenomenal. We’re seriously impressed with the Photon Ultra. That last print took 7 hours to finish, which is about right for a model of this size too.

We’ve mentioned print times already in relation to each model, but to give you some wider context, we’d say that the Photon Ultra is printing at about the speed that we’d expect for a good quality resin printer. And, like most resin printers, the print time is dictated by the height of the model, not how full the build plate is. This means you could print a squad worth of those Hazmat soldiers in about the same time it takes to print one, which is one of the major advantages that resin printers have over traditional FDM printers, such as the AnyCubic Vyper.

AnyCubic Photon Ultra review: Price and warranty

• MSRP will be $599
• Kickstarter backers get reduced price of $499 (or $399 for first 100 backers)

The AnyCubic Photon Ultra isn’t available for general sale yet. Instead, AnyCubic is running a Kickstarter campaign that launching today (September 14, 2021). You can back the Photon Ultra for $499 on Kickstarter, and the first 100 backers will actually get it for a reduced price of $399.

If you hold off on the Kickstarter and choose to buy the AnyCubic Photon Ultra when it goes on general sale, it will cost $599, so there is a significant saving available to Kickstarter backers. All Kickstarters come with some inherent risk, but AnyCubic is an established company that has delivered on multiple 3D printers so far. 

AnyCubic did ask us to make it clear that there may be some delays in shipments for backers who live outside the countries that are being offered free shipping. The free shipping countries include the United States, United Kingdom, and the vast majority of European countries.

Should you buy the AnyCubic Photon Ultra?

If you need a high detail resin printer and don’t need a large build plate, absolutely buy this. The AnyCubic Photon Ultra offers seriously impressive print quality, and the DLP projector combined with its competitive price means that it's one of the most economical resin printers out there.

Beyond that, you get great build quality, simple to follow instructions, and a relatively stylish and compact device that could comfortably sit on your desk or workstation at home. The only real downside is the same one that all resin printers have - resin is horrible to work with. if you'd prefer something a bit more user friendly, check out the AnyCubic Vyper.

Printer ink can be expensive but remanufactured ink cartridges can help with that and save you money. If you've visited the best discount ink cartridge sites you've probably seen remanufactured ink cartridges but perhaps wondered what they are and how they work. This guide will explain all you need to know.

The first thing to know is that it can be far better to go for remanufactured ink cartridges, both for a money saving and for the environment. With a wide selection of options including laser toner, inkjet cartridges, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and remanufactured ink cartridges - picking the right one can be puzzling. 

Generally an ink cartridge will be remanufactured by a specialist company. This is nearly always the best option as you know it's being worked on by the company that knows what they're doing with that particular cartridge. In this case you may also be covered by a warranty too, for extra peace of mind.

This is a very environmentally friendly choice too. Not only are you saving money but you're avoiding throwing out the old printer cartridge case, in favor of reusing it. You may find that you not only save money and help the environment with a remanufactured ink cartridge but you could end up with more ink too. Yup, when refilling these cartridges, companies can be more generous than when sticking to the rules of the original manufacturer of the printer itself.

All that said, there are some companies that do a better job of refilling than others, meaning the end print quality can vary. So it pays to read up on this more. It's also worth keeping in mind how long your ink will actually last so you don't waste it - read out ink expiration guide for more on that. And now, here's what you need to know to get the most ink for your buck.

What are remanufactured ink cartridges? 

Remanufactured or recycled printer cartridges are sent to a manufacturer who will restock the ink and replace or repair any parts that are damaged or not working correctly. Once the cartridge has been restored back to its original form a quality test is performed on each cartridge. Generally, remanufactured ink cartridges are copyrighted and cannot be replicated by another manufacturer.

Remanufactured ink cartridges are made by taking a recycled, used ink cartridge from a printer, taking it apart, and refilling it with new ink or toner. The best compact printers or all in one printers will make it easy for you to recycle your cartridges, which can not only save money but be very beneficial for the environment. 

Advocates of these products assert that remanufactured ink cartridges are less expensive and better for the environment than new cartridges. Switching to remanufactured cartridges can result in a cost savings of between 15% and 50% per order. 

This is because merchants that deal mainly with remanufactured products are able to set their own prices as opposed to having to adhere to the prices established by companies such as HP, Epson and Dell. 

Remanufactured cartridges also are filled to capacity while the cartridges that come from the manufacturer oftentimes are not. For consumers who are concerned about the environment, remanufactured ink cartridges preserve our natural resources while keeping unnecessary metals and plastics out of the landfills.

Remanufactured ink cartridges: What are the drawbacks? 

There is a lot to be said for remanufactured ink cartridges, including their low cost and environmental sustainability. However, many worry that the printing quality afforded by remanufactured cartridges may not be consistent among manufacturers. 

Although most recognized suppliers and online discount ink cartridge stores, such as 4inkjets and 123inkjets, back up their products in case anything goes wrong, the same cannot be said for all retailers. Here are some things to consider before ordering remanufactured ink cartridges:

• Check out the retailer and manufacturer by conducting an online search, reading customer reviews, asking your friends and family, or checking the Better Business Bureau.
   
• Find out what kind of warranty or guarantee is offered. Customer satisfaction is important to a business so most reliable merchants will refund your money (minus shipping and handling) if their products do not function properly. It is important to note that contrary to belief, using remanufactured ink cartridges or any ink cartridge that is not an OEM does not void the printer's warranty.
   
• Check that the retailer's remanufactured ink cartridges meet or exceed OEM standards and if they are Standardized Test Methods Committee (STMC)-certified. That means an independent third party has tested the cartridge's print quality.
   
• Don't believe everything you hear. Good quality remanufactured ink cartridges will not damage your machine's print heads, cause ink to leak, or result in substandard print quality.

These are just some of the things to keep in mind when you are considering buying a remanufactured ink cartridge. This information will help you determine whether these cartridges are right for you.

For more printer information, check out the difference between inkjet vs. laser vs. thermal printers. You should also know these five tips on how to maintain your printer. 

Ink expiration and warranty dates might not be the first thing you think of when buying a printer but when it comes to replacing ink, knowledge about print cartridges could save you money.

You may want to buy in bulk. Perhaps you want to get remanufactured ink cartridges. Or you might simply want to replace like for like. Whatever you need, this guide will give you everything you need to know to make the right decision. By that we mean the best decision not only for your printer also for your bank balance. 

The key here is to know how long your ink is going to last if you don't use it. Perhaps you've bought or and thinking of investing in a big ink tank printer. Sure, these come with enough ink to last years, but if you don't print that often will that ink be kept in good enough condition to last longer term? These are things worth thinking about before you buy a new printer and before you decide to go shopping for your next ink recharge.

Another area to keep in mind is the printer type. You might want to look at the best compact printers if you want to save space as well as getting efficient ink use in a smaller unit. Sure, the ink may need replacing more often, but then there is less chance of it going off. And if you print rarely, this could be your best way to only have smaller amounts of ink bought at a time. Plus you can use remanufactured ink cartridges to save even more money and help the environment too.

If you're thinking of stocking up on ink, it's also worth checking out our guide to online discount ink cartridges stores.

When is a typical ink expiration date?

Every ink cartridge has a toner or shelf life. Typically, it is one and a half to two years from the date of purchase. The product's manufacturer and how you store your cartridges can also affect the toner's lifespan. Ink expiration dates are built-in, established dates, after which ink cartridges might no longer work properly. If there is still ink left in the cartridge on that date, it will cause your printer to shut down. 

The expiration date is based on the fact that the ink's composition transforms over time. Air can work its way inside the cartridge and dissolve the ink carrier. As a result, the ink becomes sludge rather than liquid. That sludge can clog up your printer s ink-delivery system and the ink cartridge's printhead. The ink expiration date is designed to keep this from occurring.

What is a print head? 

Most ink cartridges sold at discount ink cartridges stores are self-contained, meaning that they have ink and a print head. The print head is the chip that puts the ink on the paper. Print heads can be part of a printer or an ink cartridge. A print head for home use or small-business printers is not expensive. 

On the other hand, the print heads for office and professional printers are of higher quality in order to generate higher-quality images. This makes them more expensive to replace. In some cases, the print head is separate and the ink cartridge serves as a reservoir.

Why is an ink cartridge warranty date important?

Many manufacturers also include a warranty date with their ink cartridges. This means that they will not guarantee their ink beyond that date. It is important not to confuse the warranty date with the product's expiration date. 

Generally, the expiration date is between one and two years after the established warranty date. In some cases, an expiration message will appear on your printer 18 to 30 months after you install a new ink cartridge.

There are ink cartridges that allow you to override this message. Instructions for doing so might appear on your printer's screen, or you can find them in your printer's user manual. The override option is not usually available for high-end printer models.

It is important to note that expiration dates are not exact. In fact, many ink cartridges can function perfectly well long past their expiration date.

Knowing about expiration and warranty dates when buying ink cartridges, whether you buy single cartridges or buy cartridges in bulk quantities, will help you make an informed decision and keep your printer functioning well for years to come.

3D printing might seem like a complicated hobby that’s just for the hardcore enthusiasts, but the Anycubic Vyper is here to change that notion. If you’re looking for the best 3D printer for beginners, then the Anycubic Vyper is a fantastic choice. It’s easy to set-up, simple to use, and it has auto bed levelling so you don’t need to worry about manually levelling your print bed - one of the most tedious and fiddly parts of using a traditional 3D printer.

The Anycubic Vyper is a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printer. This means it uses a roll of plastic filament and extrudes melted plastic out of the print head, building up layers one at a time. This is the type of device that most people think of when they think about 3D printers.

For the cost you’re paying, the Anycubic Vyper offers a lot. It has a huge print bed that allows you to print large models in a single piece, and it’s super easy to use. The print quality is great too, especially with the out of the box settings. Most 3D printers need many hours of dialing in specific settings to get great prints, and we just didn’t find that at all with the Anycubic Vyper. 

If you’re looking to get into 3D printing, the Anycubic Vyper is a fantastic first choice, while still also offering plenty to experience printers.

• Check out the Anycubic Vyper at Anycubic's webstore.

Anycubic Vyper: Set up

• Easy to assemble and set up
• Auto levelling is huge quality of life feature

The Anycubic Vyper requires some assembly out of the box, but it’s much simpler than some 3D printers out there. This isn’t like a Prusa kit where you need to build it from scratch. You’ll need to mount the arch to the base using several deep screws - this isn’t difficult, but it might be easier with two people as you’ll need someone to hold everything in place while you install the screws. 

All the tools you need to assemble the Vyper come included (they're stored in a sneaky little drawer on the front of the device... it took us longer than we'd care to admit to figure out this was a drawer).

Beyond that, you’ll also need to attach a few wires and cut off several zip ties. There are actually more of these than we were expecting, so be careful and double check that you’ve got them all. We actually missed the zip ties underneath the print bed on our first pass. The printer still worked, but there was an awful squeaking sound that led us to find the extra zip tie near the wheels of the print bed.

There is a touch screen attached to the front of the device that you can use to operate it. You can run set up and maintenance programs on it, or you can use it to set prints going. It’s easy to use, and the menus are all straightforward to navigate. 

Once you’ve set everything up and got it plugged in, you’ll need to install the filament. The instructions that come with the Anycubic Vyper walk you through this stage clearly and simply, so you shouldn’t have any issues here. The default material that you’ll be printing with is PLA, which is sold in spools. The Anycubic Vyper has a spool holder, but it’s a bit basic, which is a shame. It does the job, but it's one of the few obvious signs that you're dealing with a cheaper 3D printer.

With that done, the only thing left to do before you start printing is to level the bed, which is where the Anycubic Vyper deploys its secret weapon - it has auto-bed levelling. Set the machine going and it will automatically test the print bed at 16 different points to make sure it’s level. You normally have to do this manually, using a sheet of paper and a bunch of adjustable knobs to raise and lower each corner of the print bed. Here, it’s all done automatically. Just set it going, come back in 5 minutes, and you’re ready to print.

Anycubic Vyper: Specs and features

• Large print bed
• Dual fans for cooling
• We had an issue with our extruder

The Anycubic Vyper is pretty large, as FDM printers go, with a build volume of 245mm x 245mm x 260mm. That means you can print some fairly impressive single piece objects using this printer, so you won’t have to chop up your prints and glue them together later. 

It has a maximum print speed of 180mm/s, with a recommended print speed of somewhere between 80-100ms. These are just ballpark figures though, and it really depends on what you’re printing. We’d basically never push this thing to its top speeds, and smaller, more detailed prints you’re going to want to dial things back even further - we printed almost all of our test prints at 55mm/s.

At a default, you’ll be printing at 0.2mm layer height. The Anycubic Vyper comes with a 0.4mm nozzle as standard, which means the lowest layer height you can realistically get away with is 0.1mm. We tested some prints at 0.1 mm and they came out great, though printing at this resolution does double the print time (twice as many layers, twice as long to print). 

In terms of noise, the Anycubic Vyper is about as loud as a PC fan on high power, which is apt considering that the noise is coming from the cooling fans. The movements of the print head are surprisingly quiet. You probably wouldn't want this thing in the room while you're watching TV, but you'll struggle to here it from the next room over.

The Anycubic Vyper has a double-gear extrusion system that feeds the filament into the print head, and it’s a wonderfully designed system… for the most part. The casing is transparent, which means you can easily identify blockages and issues, and there is a tightening screw that lets you adjust how firmly the gears grab the filament. 

However, during testing we had a failure in our original extruder and had to get a replacement shipped out by Anycubic. The issue comes from the gear system, which is entirely metal, except for one plastic piece, which ended up getting shredded. Now we think it is partially user error (the tightening screw may have been too tight), but it’s still a disappointing design flaw to have such a glaringly obvious failure point in the extruder. Anycubic were quick to help us replace the extruder though, and we’ve had no issues since.

There is plenty of other clever tech at work in the Anycubic Vyper too. It has dual fans for cooling the plastic as it comes out of the extruder, which means you shouldn’t have issues with warping and overheating in your prints. The print bed is a a flexible steel sheet that attaches to the printed via magnets - this means you can detach it and then bend the sheet, helping you to easily remove printed models after they’re finished.

The Anycubic Vyper comes bundled with a copy of Ultimaker Cura, a free 3D printing software that you load your models into. The program then analyzes the model and slices it into layers and basically tells your 3D printer how to print it. This will give you an STL file which you can use on your printer.  As of right now, Cura doesn't have a pre-made setup for the Vyper, so you'll need to manually load in the printer settings - these are provided on the USB drive that comes included.

Cura is a great program, but the version that comes with the Vyper isn't the newest version, so you should head to the Cura website and download the newest version if you do grab a Vyper. 

When it's time to print, you can either connect your 3D printer directly to your computer, or you can use the included USB drive and memory card to transfer files between your computer and the printer. Then you can use the touch screen on the device to select your print and set it going.

Anycubic Vyper: Print quality and speed

• Fantastic print quality out of the box
• Print speeds are optimistic

So, enough about all the fancy settings. How good is the Anycubic Vyper at 3D printing? To find out, we printed a bunch of different models to see how it fared. 

We started out with the file that came included on the USB drive, a little model of an owl. As you can see from the pictures below, this printed wonderfully with very few artifacts. There were a couple of little blips on the owls back, but we didn’t see any layer shifting or larger print failures. That’s to be expected though - companies aren’t going to send out a test model with their products if it will make their printer look bad

To put the Anycubic Vyper through a real test, we printed out a Benchy - a model that’s infamous within the 3D printing community as a test of your 3d printer's abilities - you can find out more about the Benchy at 3Dbenchy.com. This adorable little sail boat model is deceptively difficult for 3D printers, with curved surfaces, small details, and difficult overhangs. Again, the Anycubic Vyper knocked it out of the park on almost default settings.

We say almost default settings, because we turned the print speed down to 55mm/s - the default speed of 80mm/s is one of the Anycubic Vyper’s selling points, but it’s only really capable of printing larger, less detailed models at that speed in our experience.

Speaking of larger models, we turned our attention to something larger for our next print. As a massive miniature gaming nerd, I wanted to see how the Anycubic Vyper would handle a large terrain piece, so we printed off a huge alien monolith structure. This mammoth print took the better part of a day to print, but it looks fantastic and again, we saw very little in the way of print issues.

The test printer that we were sent came with a spool of black PLA. Since it can be difficult to make out the print quality on the black PLA prints, we also printed a model of this sci-fi hover car and sprayed it white with an airbrush, so you can see the details more clearly.

While the Anycubic Vyper has impressed us with print quality, we do have an issue with print speed. Not that the Vyper is slow, not at all. It’s capable of faster print speeds than most other models at this price range. No, our issue is with how fast it thinks it is. Slice up an STL in Cura and it will give you an estimated print time. This print time is always wildly optimistic. Not a huge issue on smaller prints where they take a few minutes longer than expected, but for large files you can be adding an extra ten hours on top of your estimates.

Anycubic Vyper: Price and warranty

• $359 MSRP
• One year warranty with some caveats

The Anycubic Vyper costs $359 as standard. You can also bundle in either 1kg, 2kg, or 3kg of PLA which will increase the cost slightly. We think this is a great price for a 3D printer of this quality and size, especially when you consider that it has auto levelling.

At time of writing, the only place you can buy the Anycubic Vyper from is the Anycubic website. It is also listed on Amazon, but it's not available until the end of July 2021.

Anycubic does offer a decent warranty on the Anycubic Vyper, but it’s not quite as extensive as we’d like for a product that costs this much. With all of Anycubic’s FDM printers, you get a 3 month warranty on the print head, 6 months warranty on the ultrabase, and 12 months warranty for everything else. For reference, Prusa offers a full one year warranty in the US (and two years in the EU).

Should you buy the Anycubic Vyper?

If you’re looking for a simple to use 3D printer with a large print bed, the Anycubic Vyper is an excellent choice. The auto-levelling system takes all the faff out of setting up your printer, ensuring that you get excellent prints right out of the box. The print bed is also huge, which means you can print some pretty hefty pieces in one go. It’s perfect for beginners who don’t know the ins and outs of dialing in the settings on a 3D printer, but it’s also a great low maintenance option for experienced printers too.

We have a few minor complaints about the Vyper, but none of them are deal breakers. The filament spool holder is flimsy, and somewhat poorly positioned. Our main concern is the issue we had with our extruder motor, but having looked around at all the other reviews of the Vyper, we haven’t seen anyone else have this issue.

The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is the entry-level model in its EcoTank range of printers, which offer an alternative to traditional ink cartridges. Instead, they use a refillable ink tank that offers vastly superior ink efficiency and capacity, which means you can end up saving up to 90% on your running costs when compared to a traditional printer.

The cost of this wonderful technology is, well, the cost. The Epson ET-2720 costs $199, which isn’t ludicrous for an all-in-one printer of this quality, but it does lack a few features that its competitors have like an automatic document feeder (ADF) and auto-duplex printing.

Despite this, we think the Epson ET-2720 is one of the best compact printers on the market, offering great quality prints, a solid scanner/copier, and wireless printing. All that, paired up with the staggering savings that you can make on ink costs means that this is one of our top picks.

Oh, and it’s officially endorsed by Shaquille O'Neal. If it’s good enough for Shaq, it’s good enough for you.

Epson EcoTank ET-2720: Setup

The Epson ET-2720 is easy to set up, with on-screen instructions to walk you through connecting it to your local WiFi network. You’re also given a handy instruction sheet which shows you how to fill up the ink tanks once you’re ready. The display screen is a bit small though, so some users might find it difficult to follow the on-device instructions. Setting up via your PC is definitely going to be the easier method for most people.

You can either use the disc provided, or just go to the Epson website and manually install the drivers for the device, but this is simple and easy to do either way. You can also install several programs which work with your printer, but we’d say these are optional, as the printer and scanner worked perfectly well without them using the default software in Windows.

Once it’s all set up, the printer will print a couple of test pages and then you’re good to go.

• Score: 8/10

Epson EcoTank ET-2720: Design & features

When packed away and not in use, the Epson ET-2720 measures in at 14.8" x 13.7" x 7.0". This extends out to 14.8" x 22.8" x 10.0" once you unfold the printer tray though. It’s only just a compact printer, but at the same time this isn’t a particularly bulky device either. You should be able to find room for it on your desk.

The Epson ET-2720 comes in two color options - black or white. It has a predominantly matte finish, with the exception of the front control panel which is glossy. On the front of the printer, you’ll find the adjustable control panel which can be tilted at different angles. On this screen you’ll find an LED screen, the main power button, and the controls to operate the printer manually.

On the right side of the control panel, you can see your ink levels thanks to the transparent ink tanks. It’s a neat feature, even if it's largely just for show - your printer will tell you when it’s running low on ink. It’s also not quite as pretty as you’d hope, as the ink tanks are more translucent than properly see through, so it just looks a bit murky.

Overall though, the Epson ET-2720 is a nice looking printer that won’t upset the harmony of your home office or desk setup. The matte finish gives it a professional look, and the build quality seems very solid.

This is where the Epson ET-2720 stumbles a little, if we’re honest. Features like ADF and auto duplexing can be found on plenty of printers that cost under $200, but they’re nowhere to be seen here. The Epson ET-2720 also has quite a small paper capacity, with 100 sheets in the input tray and just 30 sheets in the output tray. This is typically fine for a home printer, but it means you’ll need to keep an eye on it if you’re printing out a big document like a college thesis.

None of these are a deal breaker, but when something like the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e offers both ADF and auto duplex printing for a similar cost, you have to weigh up what matters to you more - cheaper running costs, or more convenient, easier printing.

You do get some fancy features though, including voice-activated printing via Alexa, so you can feel like you’re printing in the future. There are also supporting apps and programs for both PC and smartphones, which help make printing easier.

The Epson ET-2720 is an EcoTank printer, which means it doesn’t use traditional ink cartridges. Instead, it has refillable reservoirs that can be topped up with specially designed ink bottles. While these bottles are still made of plastic and do create some waste, they’re far less wasteful and hold far more ink than traditional cartridges. According to the Epson website, one set of ink refill bottles is the equivalent of 80 ink cartridges worth of ink.

Ink bottle refills for this printer typically cost $13.99 per bottle, though you can make some savings if you buy a full set. That’s cheaper than most branded ink cartridges, and these bottles will last far longer than ink cartridges too.

Epson also offers a recycling program which lets Epson users send old ink bottles, cartridges, and even old printer hardware back to Epson, free of charge. Epson will then recycle the products itself.

The ink tank is easy to refill and the Epson ET-2720 comes with detailed instructions on what to do. The bottles are designed so that you can’t just tip ink everywhere - they have a seal that is only opened when they’re connected to the printer ink tank. There are four separate ink tanks for magenta, cyan, yellow, and black ink. You can see the ink level through a transparent screen on the front of the Epson ET-2720, so you’ll be able to tell when you’re running low.

• Score: 7/10

Epson EcoTank ET-2720: Performance

While the Epson ET-2720 is the cheapest printer in the EcoTank lineup, it’s still able to crank out great quality prints. We printed off several copies of both the color and monochrome test pages (we used pages from PrinterTesting and ContinuousInkSupplySystem, along with pages we created) and we were suitably impressed with the results. Text is clearly defined and legible on all text sizes. The only slight issue we noted was a tiny bit of fuzziness on thin, curved lines in the alignment wheel images - it’s barely noticeable and only comes up on super fine details, but it’s there.

Color and grayscale radial gradients looked fantastic, with no noticeable streaking or artifacts of any kind. The color accuracy was excellent too, with diagrams and pictures coming out looking vibrant and accurate to the original image.

While the Epson ET-2720 is not a photo printer, we gave it a run through with a couple of high quality photographs to see how it managed, and it did a respectable job considering that it’s not advertised as a photo printer. Serious photographers will want something tailored to the job, but for one-offs, the ET-2720 can manage decent photos too.

The Epson ET-2720 is a reasonably fast home printer, especially if you’re using it for monochrome documents. Epson’s website claims an ISO average of 10.5 pages per minute for monochrome, and 5 pages per minute for color documents. You can actually check the ISO report for most Epson printers on the Epson website, where you can see what the test documents that it printed looked like. Annoyingly, the EcoTank printers are the only range that don’t show detailed reports here, but they were still tested in the same way.

Nevertheless, we’ve run our own battery of tests to see how the Epson ET-2720 fared. When printing monochrome word documents containing only text, the Epson ET-2720 had an average print speed of 8.6 pages per minute. We got almost identical results when printing pages that contained a mixture of text, images, and tables too.

Only when printing more sparsely populated pages with text, tables, and bullet points did we reach (and even exceed) the advertised 10.5 pages per second. This is to be expected, the pages that print tests are done on aren’t as densely packed as a typical word document, and we’re suitably impressed with these speeds.

Annoyingly the ISO test print pages aren’t available for download, so we did our best to replicate a mock up of the format, mixing in images, titles, bullet points, and even word art to form something akin to a typical PDF document. Using this frankly stunning print document, we achieved a color printing speed of 4.26 pages per minute.

We also tested printing several full color images, in this case a photograph of the grand canyon and the Epson ET-2720 averaged around 30 seconds to print one of these.

Generally, we’re reasonably happy with the print speeds on offer here. They’re not the fastest on the market by any stretch, but they’re perfectly good for a home printer in this price range.

The Epson ET-2720 has a flat-bed scanner on the top of the printer with a scan bed size of 8.5" x 11.7", which is just slightly bigger than standard A4 printer paper. It has an optical resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi. This is just the pure hardware numbers though, it can actually achieve up to 9600 dpi scanning via interpolation.

We tested the scanner at a variety of resolutions and we were pleased with the results. The standard resolution for scans is 200 dpi, which accurately scans the document, but leaves it looking quite patchy in places, as you get with most scanners. You can crank up the resolution on scans, but you’re also going to hugely impact the time it takes to scan your documents, so it’s not always worth it.

The Epson ET-2720 can connect to your devices wirelessly via WiFi, or using a standard printer cable which can plug into your home computer or laptop via USB cable. You can also connect your Epson ET-2720 printer to Alexa, enabling voice activated printing.

There is a mobile app called Epson iPrint, but again this isn’t required to use the printer. If you’re on the same wireless network as the printer, you can print from your mobile device. The app does work well though, and it makes it super simple to print documents and photos directly from your smartphone.

• Score: 8/10

Epson EcoTank ET-2720: Price & value

The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 All-in-one Supertank printer has an MSRP of $199 (£199 in the UK). This price includes one set of EcoTank ink bottles. You also get a two-year limited warranty when you register your product with Epson.

Printers are in high demand at the moment, so it’s worth noting that it’s actually very difficult to find an Epson Et-2720 (or any new printer) at it’s MSRP. At time of writing, the cheapest in stock model we could find was at Target, where it cost $249.99.

• Score: 7/10

Would I buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2720?

If you’re looking for a great home printer that will keep your long term costs down, then the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is a fantastic choice. You can find cheaper printers that offer similar specs and printing capabilities, but once you factor in the running costs, the ET-2720 is actually far better value.

The Epson ET-2720 does everything you need an all in one printer to do - it offers great print quality, has a solid scanner, and it’s easy to use. You get wired and wireless connectivity, well-supported apps for your computer and phone, and a super economical ink tank. Epson also offers free recycling of all old printers, parts, and consumables too, so you can reduce your environmental impact.

HP has announced a refresh to its Omen gaming range of laptops including a new 16-inch Omen gaming laptop and an update to its existing 17-inch version. There's also room for a more budget-friendly range too in the form of Victus. If you've been eying up the best laptops for a while and realized you'd actually quite like to play some games on the move, this could be the range for you with HP Omen a generally reliable name in the field.

As you'd expect from any new or updated range of gaming laptops, HP has offered plenty of configuration options for those keen to get the best bang for their buck. The Omen 16 is potentially the most interesting of the bunch being an entirely new size for the Omen range. Its 16.1-inch display can be configured with up to a QHD resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate. In layman's terms, that means it's ideal for gaming needs although you won't notice much of a difference with daily use. There's a choice of either AMD or Intel processors to be had here with graphics configurations available up to the rather impressive GeForce RTX 3070. Other benefits include the option to add a Thunderbolt 4 port, SD card slot, or HDMi 2.1 port for up to 4K output. 

Understandably then, the Omen 16 isn't cheap but it is reasonably affordable for a gaming setup. The AMD model with a Ryzen 7 5800H processor, RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage starts at $1,049.99 while the Intel version has a RTX 3060 graphics card and Intel Core i7-11800H processor and retails at $1,149.99. Both will launch in June.

Go big, or go budget?

Alternatively, you can go big with the Omen 17 which has very similar functionality but the choice of a faster processor and the RTX 3080 graphics card. And, of course, there's the beefier screen too. That starts at $1,369.99. 

Then there's the somewhat tempting Victus range of gaming laptops. It's another 16-inch screen but it starts at just $799.99 for an AMD processor or $849.99 for an Intel processor. If you're looking for the best laptop for college and can stretch a little further so you can play a few games, this seems like it could be the one for you. It's also available from June.

Gaming laptops don't always offer the best value for money as they're so focused on portability. If carrying it around with you isn't important to you, one of the best home computers might be a better bet. However, with gaming laptops gradually becoming more affordable than in the past, these new systems from HP may well lure you over to the more mobile friendly side of things. We'll just have to wait until June to see how well they perform in real life tests. 

Printers have been flying off shelves as more and more office workers make the switch to working from home. Compact printers and all-in-one models offer all the features you’d generally need from a home office, mainly printing, scanning, and a limited form of photocopying, but some may miss the addition of a fax machine to this tally.

In the days of 56K modems, your PC could be turned into a fax machine, but hardly anyone has one of those installed any more. The job has been left to all in one printers, which have the scanner bed to digitize your document, before feeding it to the phone line as a fax signal. 

And while it may seem like thoroughly 20th-century technology, the fax still has its place in the modern business world. The first reason for this is one of practicality. If a business you’re trying to send documents to demands a fax, then that’s what you need to use. No amount of arguing that alternative, modern, services are available is going to change the mind of a business that’s set up to use faxes. They’re like container ships, and only change course gradually. And if fax was good enough for the US and Iran to communicate with to avert war in 2020 then it’s good enough to send purchase orders to a supplier. 

Perhaps the most important reason for the use of a fax is the sheet you get back once you’ve sent one - the proof of receipt. When a fax is received, the fax machine generates a signal that it sends back to the sender, containing information like the date and time, and both parties’ fax numbers. This kind of paper trail is important, and is one reason that the legal profession is still reliant on faxes.

Sometimes, though, you want to bring the whole system up to date. There are many fantastic online fax services such as Fax.Plus and RingCentral Fax that you can use to send and receive faxes from your home computer or other smart device. You can directly fax a document you're working on, including a Microsoft Word document (or similar) or a PDF. If you are a remote worker, your company will likely have access to one of these fax services, or will be looking to sign-up as more of its employees work from home.

You can use these same fax services to save incoming faxes as PDF files to avoid printing and filing a bunch of papers and the resulting clutter. If you have to print and sign a document like an auto insurance policy, you can use your all-in-one printer's scanner and return the signed document as an email attachment, or fax it from your computer with a fax app.

There are also some PDF software apps that allow you to digitally sign PDF documents safely, legally and securely, including Adobe Acrobat X and PDFpenPro. With this feature, you'll be able to skip printing, signing and scanning (or faxing) documents that require your signature. Simply add your signature by using a mouse, trackpad or smart pen. Or, you can scan your signature and save it as an image file, which you can then add to documents that require your signature.

It isn't necessary to own a fax machine now that fax software and online fax services are available for both Windows PCs and Macs. If you're in the market for a new, wireless all-in-one printer and the particular model you’re drawn to doesn't come with a built-in fax, don't let that be a deal breaker because you have plenty of other options.

Looking for more advice on home office equipment? We've got a list of the best home computers right now, and a look at the best laptops.

Printer technology doesn’t feel like it’s progressed much over the last ten years or so, and that’s because it’s reached a level where it’s cheap enough, and reliable enough, to work for most people. Techniques for knowing how to maintain your printer are the same now as it always has been. They’ve absorbed the standalone scanner (or maybe the scanner absorbed the printer) into the all-in-one configuration, and maybe gained an extra couple of ink tanks for extra-fine photo recreation, but otherwise they remain as they were.

Despite this, printers have a bad reputation for reliability, at least some of which can be explained by bits of dirt and dander getting stuck in the mechanism. With that in mind, here are our tips for keeping the insides of your printer gleaming, and the documents it produces looking crisp and professional. Of course, you may need a new printer if your old one fails completely - in which event we have guides to the best compact printers and best all in one printers.

Firstly, though, make sure your printer is turned off and unplugged. If it’s been active recently, leave it some time to cool off before reaching inside.

1. Remove the dust

In this day and age, when electronic documents and something called ‘email’ are becoming all the rage, many printers spend their lives sitting on shelves, propping the door open in hot weather, or generally gathering dust. In all seriousness, dust isn’t good for a mechanism made of cogs, belts, and tiny nozzles, so clearing it out should be a priority. 

Dust and other debris can lead to paper jams, streaky printouts, and increased user irritation. Using a handheld vacuum cleaner to remove these clogging particles is a better way to fix the problem than blasting the inside of the printer with a can of compressed air, as this method often leads to the dust being spread around the inside of the casing rather than being removed.

2. Clean the cartridges

Inkjet printers operate by squeezing ink through tiny holes, and there are many of them in the printing tip of the cartridge. If one or more of these become blocked, this can lead to white or colored streaks on your printouts. A buildup of dust or dried ink can be to blame, and often your printer will be able to clean itself by running a special cleaning pattern - refer to the manual or the manufacturer’s website for how to trigger this. The process will use up some ink, so don’t use it too often or you’ll drain a precious resource. 

You can have a go at manually cleaning the head with clean water and a cotton swab, but be careful to follow the instructions and don’t get water on any electrical parts of the printer, or it may never turn on again. Of course, if you need to replace your ink, check our list of the best discount ink cartridge stores.

3. Resolve mechanical errors

This can be the tricky bit, but it’s important to be careful with your printer no matter how angry you might be at the morning’s third paper jam. Yanking the stuck paper out can do internal damage, so refer to the printer manual to see if there’s a way of opening the mechanism to easily remove the paper. If not, then the approved technique is to take the paper in both hands, if possible, and apply a steady pull to avoid leaving torn pieces of paper behind in the teeth of the cogs. Preventative maintenance goes a long way, so making sure the paper you load is not dog-eared or stuck together can prevent many jams. 

Cartridges also need to be loaded properly - many printers will not return the print carriage to its ready position if the tanks aren’t seated properly, but with enough force it’s often possible to persuade them to comply. The next time the printer tries to print, it will find a loose connection and throw up lots of baffling error messages, so clipping the carts securely in place the first time can prevent this.

4. Perform routine maintenance

Some printer manufacturers sell a maintenance kit. These vary from simple packages of cleaning cloths and fluids, to collections of spare parts you can use to replace worn components. If you rely on your printer, it can be worth investing in one of these to reduce the amount of time the printer is offline if a fault occurs. The rollers, in particular, are common culprits for paper jams once they start becoming misaligned or simply coated with ink and debris.

By following these suggestions you can not only increase the working life of your printer, but make its use a smoother operation. Sometimes, though, the inevitable happens, and you’ll decide it’s time to take your printer out somewhere and set it on fire. Or, y'know, do the responsible thing and take it to your local recycling center.

For more on printing, check our guide to the best photo printers. And if you need something to hook up to, we have a guide to the best home computers too.

Photo printers versus online printer services – it's a battle that's tougher to pick a side on than ever before as photo printers improve and lower in price while online services do the same. So which is best for you?

We're going to dive into the pros and cons for each so you can best pick the option that suits your needs. Some factors to have in mind are how often will you need photos printed, what size will you need and how much are you willing to spend on the best photo printer  or best online photo printing service for you?

It's also worth noting that some printers like the best all in one printers, also work as photo printers, so you can get more features for your purchase price if you opt for one of these. 

Now, lets run through the pros and cons of both photo printers and photo printing services to help you choose the best option for you.

Photo printers are more affordable than ever

Photo printers used to be something reserved for professional use only but now, thanks to the advances in inkjet and laser technologies, they're affordable enough to have in your own home. But, as is the case with much tech, the more you spend the better the quality and number of features.

So if you want to knock out a few prints to share with friends and family that's an option with these models. The high-end Canon PIXMA PRO-100, for example, will produce some of the best quality photos at up to A3 size at about $1.68. Or go for a more standard size of four by six inches and it works out at about 26 cents a photo. But there are far cheaper options, more on that below.

Online services are great for bulk prints

If the plan is to print a whole host of photos then it might be more affordable and easier to do it in bulk using an online photo service. It doesn't necessarily work out that much cheaper in terms of ink, but when you factor in the cost of the printer and paper too, these service can be more affordable. 

The advantage here is that you will get a very fine print result, in cases like Snapfish or Shutterfly. But also you'll have all those photos at once without the need to buy a printer, ink or paper. These are great for things like mail outs with photos or seasonal cards.

Photo printers are faster

Alright, the photo printer itself might not be faster than the ones the professional services use, but when you factor in delivery, you're going to have that picture in your hand a whole lot quicker. So if it's speed you're after, from taking the photo to having it in physical form, a photo printer is hands-down the best option.

But even this has a caveat since there are walk-in services at places like Walgreens which offer a very fast turn around on prints, offering free same day printing.

Online printers offer lots of formats

Since you probably will require more than one size photo each time you print, an online service may be more helpful. Sure, there are lots of printers that offer varying sizes, but for the really big options – which can look great in the home on a wall – you may need to think bigger, like pro grade photo printers.

But it's not just about size, online print services offer lots of other options beyond basic photo prints. You can get photo books, calendars, photo albums, canvas prints, novelty mugs, keychains, cushions and plenty more. 

Online photo printing is cheaper than at home prints

The bottom line on price is that online printing, even with delivery, is cheaper. You can use an online service to get a four by six inch photo for as little as $0.09. By comparison the ink in a print from Canon can work out as little as $0.07 per print. 

But then you need to factor in paper. Without even factoring in the cost of the printer itself, this still works out (buying paper in bulk too) at a cost of $0.12 per photo.

Keep in mind these numbers are based on using all the ink and paper for photos, which realistically isn't going to happen and there will likely be waste – putting the price up even higher for at home printing. 

Photo printers can let you go portable

In some rare cases, like the HP Sprocket, it's possible to print on the move, instantly. This portable photo printer uses "Zink" tech with heat-activated paper to get the prints. Admittedly they're not the best quality but they're plenty good enough to be classed as photo prints.

The downside is you're limited to two by three inch photos and the ink and paper aren't cheap. That said, for the novelty factor of taking a photo and printing it right out from a printer that fits in your pocket, it can be well worth the extra few bucks.

A printer at home can do more

If you do shell out on your own printer then you could go for an all-in-one option which prints photos but also serves you in other ways. This can be your go-to printer for text, graphics and more. Some even print labels for CDs and stickers and there are plenty with useful features like scanning and copying – making this a valuable home office addition.

It's also worth noting that some all-in-one printers use bulk ink tech meaning you can get a whole lot of prints for less.

How to save printer ink and print more efficiently is key to saving you money on your printer costs in the long run. Sure you might have got a great deal from our best all-in-one printers or best photo printers guides, but ongoing ink costs could be an area you can make a further saving.

Yes, you can simply buy cheap printer ink by using our best discount ink cartridges deals guide but if you're printing incorrectly you'll just end up buying more and more.

By getting your printing more efficient you can save money by making the ink you have last longer so you need not buy so much.

Here's everything you need to know about how to save printer ink and print more efficiently.

Buy printer ink in bulk

Before we get into how to save printer ink and print more efficiently, it's worth making sure you're buying the replacement ink cartridges as efficiently as possible. Sure you could pop into your local store and grab a few ink cartridges if you're in a rush, but ideally you can plan ahead. 

This way you can order your ink in bulk, to save money, knowing when you need it based on your need. So it's not just about finding the best discount ink cartridges and buying in bulk, but also about keeping track of your usage. 

Perhaps make a note in your phone of when you buy, and how much, so you can see how long that lot lasted. Then set an alarm so you're ready to top up next time, giving you time to shop around first to find the best deals.

Get a printer ink subscription

Another buying option that could save you money is to pay a subscription fee. In some printer cases, this is an option that allows you to sign up and pay a flat monthly fee.

HP Instant Ink, for example, charges a flat rate for the number of pages you print, rather than breaking it down by ink cartridge costs. This can be easier to keep track of and manage printer costs in the longer term.

Check your printer resolution

Your default printer setting may be a very high resolution. While this can look great it may not be necessary for what you're doing. Try a few different resolution settings to see how low you can go without sacrificing quality. 

Keep in mind, once you find this level, you don't always have to use it. But it pays to print low quality when you can then change the setting to high-resolution if you need – rather than the other way around which could waste ink.

Print in grayscale

While most printers will default to a color print mode, you can also select the grayscale option when you print. Even when printing in "black and white" you may find your printer uses more ink and also actually uses more than just the black ink.

By going for the grayscale option you make sure that only the black ink is being used and that it is kept to an efficient amount for the job.

Maintain your printer

Keeping your printer in optimal working order can actually save you ink and money over time. Print heads can get blocked up after lots of use which can lead to ink leakage. This ink need not be wasted.

Simply clean out your printer's standard nozzle every now and then and you'll find that an efficient printer is also an affordable one to run. The fact this also extends the life of your printer too is just a bonus.

Use the right font

Did you know different font types use varying amounts of ink? Yup, by printing off in whatever font the document may be formatted with could end up costing you on ink.

As a rough guide, Arial is one of the more popular default fonts yet it uses 27 percent more ink than Calibri, Century Gothic, or the classic Times New Roman.

Upgrade your printer

The newer your printer the more efficient it's going to be, is the general rule, as printer manufacturers are always bringing out more ink efficient models.

If you do want to upgrade, keep in mind it's worth going for a printer that uses separate color cartridges rather than a single multi-color option. This way you can replace each color as it's used up rather than needing to swap out a multi-color cartridge where there may still be other colors in there unused and wasted. 

Perhaps keep it efficient and go for one of the best compact printers to save on ink and desk space