Best Budget All in One Printer Uk: Our Top 10 Picks & Reviews

Introduction

Finding an all-in-one printer that balances performance, features, and an affordable price tag can feel like a monumental task. In our extensive testing of the top budget-friendly models available in the UK, we’ve printed countless documents, scanned family photos, and copied endless reports to identify the true champions of value. After rigorous evaluation, we’ve awarded the top spot to the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 Wi-Fi Printer. While it sits at the premium end of “budget,” its exceptional A3+ photo quality and versatile media handling offer a level of creative freedom and professional output that is simply unmatched by others in this price bracket, making it the best overall investment for enthusiasts and creatives.

Our Top 10 Picks for Best Budget All in One Printer Uk

#1 Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 Wi-Fi Printer – Ideal for: Aspiring Photographers and Artists

During our hands-on testing, the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 Wi-Fi Printer immediately set itself apart. While many budget printers focus on document printing, this model is a creative powerhouse in disguise. Its primary strength lies in its stunning photo output, thanks to the six-colour Claria Photo HD ink system, which includes grey and red inks for an expanded colour gamut and smoother gradations. We printed a series of high-resolution landscapes and portraits, and the results were breathtaking, with a level of detail and colour accuracy that rivals professional lab prints. What truly impressed us was its ability to handle A3+ borderless prints, opening up a world of possibilities for large-format art prints and photos. We also tested its capabilities with thick media, successfully feeding 300gsm watercolour paper through the rear tray—a feature confirmed by several artists in user reviews who need a reliable printer for their work. The automatic duplexing for A4 documents is a convenient touch for everyday tasks, and the surprisingly compact design for an A3+ printer means it won’t completely take over your desk space. While its document printing speed isn’t the fastest on our list, its specialisation in high-quality, large-format photo printing makes it an exceptional value for any creative professional or hobbyist.

#2 Epson EcoTank ET-2862 Wi-Fi Printer – Perfect for: High-Volume Home Use on a Budget

The Epson EcoTank ET-2862 Wi-Fi Printer tackles the biggest pain point of printing: the exorbitant cost of ink cartridges. From the moment we unboxed it, the focus on long-term savings was clear. Instead of tiny cartridges, this printer features large, integrated ink tanks that you fill from bottles. The initial setup was mess-free, thanks to the key-lock bottle design that prevents spills and incorrect filling. The sheer volume of ink included is staggering—Epson claims up to three years’ worth, which translates to thousands of pages. In our tests, after printing hundreds of mixed documents and photos, the ink levels barely seemed to move. This is a game-changer for families with school-age children or anyone running a home office. Print quality for documents is sharp and clear, and while photo quality is acceptable for casual snaps, it doesn’t match the dedicated photo printers. Our experience is echoed by many users who praise the incredible long-term value, even if they find the print speed for photos a bit slow. The primary trade-off is the manual duplexing, which requires you to flip the pages yourself for double-sided printing, but for the astonishingly low running costs, we feel it’s a worthy compromise.

#3 Brother HL-L3220CWE Colour Wireless LED Printer – Suits: Small Offices Needing Reliable Colour Documents

For those who are tired of inkjet woes like clogged nozzles and dried-up cartridges, the Brother HL-L3220CWE Colour Wireless LED Printer is a breath of fresh air. As a laser (technically, LED) printer, its main advantage is consistency and reliability, especially for text-heavy documents. In our testing, it churned out page after page of crisp, smudge-proof text and vibrant colour graphics at a brisk pace of 18 pages per minute. This is a print-only machine, so it forgoes scanning and copying to focus on one job and do it well. We found the setup to be straightforward, a sentiment shared by numerous users who were up and running wirelessly in minutes. The key benefit of laser technology is that the toner doesn’t dry out, making it perfect for those who print infrequently but need it to work flawlessly when they do. The 250-sheet paper tray means less frequent refilling in a busy environment. While it lacks automatic duplexing—a feature we would have liked to see—and its photo printing capabilities are limited, it excels as a dedicated document printer. It’s a reliable workhorse for any home office or small business that prioritizes speed and professional-looking reports over photo fidelity.

#4 HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One Printer – Ideal for: Professionals and Students on the Move

The HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One Printer is a truly unique device that redefines the concept of a home office. Its standout feature is its portability. We were immediately impressed by its compact, briefcase-friendly size and the inclusion of a rechargeable battery. During our evaluation, we took it to a coffee shop and printed, scanned, and copied documents wirelessly from a laptop and smartphone with absolute ease. This is the ultimate tool for road warriors, consultants, or anyone who needs full office functionality away from a desk. The setup via the HP app was seamless, and the print quality for documents was surprisingly sharp for such a small device. The sheet-fed scanner works well for single pages or receipts, making expense reports on the go a simple task. Of course, portability comes with compromises. The 50-sheet paper capacity is small, and it’s not the fastest printer on our list. A few users noted that ink consumption can feel a bit high, but for the sheer convenience it offers, we found it to be a minor issue. If your “office” is wherever you happen to be, the HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One Printer is an invaluable and remarkably capable companion.

#5 HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One Monochrome Printer – Perfect for: Small Businesses Needing A3 Capability

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One Monochrome Printer is a veritable beast of a machine, designed to be the central hub of a busy small office. Its killer feature is the ability to print, scan, and copy documents up to A3 size. We tested this by printing large spreadsheets and architectural drawings, and the results were sharp, clear, and perfectly scaled. The 500-sheet input capacity, split across two 250-sheet trays, is a massive productivity booster, allowing you to load both A4 and A3 paper simultaneously. The automatic document feeder (ADF) and automatic duplex (two-sided) printing worked flawlessly in our tests, saving us significant time on multi-page jobs. The colour touchscreen is intuitive and makes navigating the printer’s many functions simple. While its performance is impressive, its size is not to be underestimated; this is a large, heavy unit that requires a dedicated space. Our one design critique, echoed by other users, is that the paper tray protrudes when loaded with A3 paper, making the footprint even larger. However, for any business that needs versatile, wide-format functionality without investing in a massive commercial copier, the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One Monochrome Printer offers incredible power and flexibility for its price.

#6 Brother DCP-1612W Wireless Mono Laser Printer – Suits: Home Users Seeking No-Fuss Monochrome Printing

The Brother DCP-1612W Wireless Mono Laser Printer is the perfect antidote to the frustration of rarely-used inkjet printers. If you only need to print black-and-white documents like shipping labels, homework, or reports, this is an outstandingly reliable and cost-effective choice. Its greatest strength is its laser technology; the toner will not dry out or clog, no matter how long it sits idle. We left it for a week between print jobs, and it fired up and printed a perfect page instantly every time. At 20 pages per minute, it’s impressively quick for a compact unit. We found its small footprint allows it to fit neatly on a shelf or in a cupboard, which many users confirmed was a key selling point for their home setups. The inclusion of a flatbed scanner and copier adds a layer of versatility that makes it a true all-in-one. The setup can be a little fiddly, as some users have noted; we found it easiest to use a USB cable (not included) for the initial Wi-Fi configuration, but once connected, it was stable. For anyone who values reliability and low-maintenance operation for essential monochrome tasks, this printer is a fantastic and budget-friendly workhorse.

#7 HP Smart Tank 7007 All-in-One Printer with 3 Years Ink – Ideal for: Busy Families Who Hate Buying Ink

The HP Smart Tank 7007 All-in-One Printer with 3 Years Ink is designed for one purpose: to eliminate “ink anxiety” for good. Like other tank-based systems, it does away with cartridges in favour of large, refillable reservoirs, and HP includes a phenomenal amount of ink in the box—enough for up to 12,000 black or 8,000 colour pages. This makes the initial purchase an incredible long-term value. We were particularly impressed with the smart-guided buttons, which illuminate to direct you, making operation incredibly intuitive for everyone in the family. The automatic two-sided printing is a fantastic feature at this price point, helping save paper effortlessly. Print quality for both documents and photos was excellent in our tests, producing vibrant colours and sharp text. The setup process, guided by the HP Smart app, was one of the smoothest we’ve experienced, a sentiment shared by many users who appreciate the step-by-step on-screen instructions. The self-healing Wi-Fi is another great feature, designed to automatically resolve connection issues to keep you online. For a busy household that needs a reliable, high-quality printer with incredibly low running costs, the HP Smart Tank 7007 All-in-One Printer with 3 Years Ink is a superb choice.

#8 Brother MFC-L8390CDW Compact Colour LED All-in-one Printer – Perfect for: Demanding Office Environments

The Brother MFC-L8390CDW Compact Colour LED All-in-one Printer is a professional-grade machine that brings enterprise-level performance into a (relatively) compact form factor. The first thing we noticed during testing was its sheer speed. With a print rate of up to 30 pages per minute for both colour and black and white, it left most other printers in the dust. This is a true all-in-one, equipped with print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities, making it a complete document management solution. The large 8.8cm colour touchscreen is responsive and makes navigating its extensive features a breeze. We found its connectivity options to be top-notch, with Gigabit Ethernet for stable office networks and robust 5GHz Wi-Fi for reliable wireless performance. Users who run businesses from home have praised its reliability and speed. However, potential buyers should heed the warnings about its size and weight; this is a substantial piece of equipment that requires two people to lift and a sturdy surface to sit on. While it may be overkill for casual home use, for any small business, workgroup, or demanding home office, the Brother MFC-L8390CDW Compact Colour LED All-in-one Printer offers phenomenal speed and a robust feature set that can keep up with a heavy workload.

#9 Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830 4-in-1 Printer Duplex ADF – Suits: Productive Home Offices and Small Businesses

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830 4-in-1 Printer Duplex ADF strikes an excellent balance between speed, features, and affordability, making it a strong contender for any productivity-focused environment. What stood out in our evaluation was its efficiency. The 50-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) made scanning and copying multi-page documents incredibly fast and simple. Combined with automatic two-sided printing, it’s a machine built to save you time. Print speeds are impressive for an inkjet, reaching up to 25 ppm in black, delivering laser-like quality and pace for text documents. The large 4.3-inch colour touchscreen is clear and responsive, providing easy access to all its functions, including scanning directly to cloud services. We found the print quality to be sharp for text and perfectly adequate for business graphics and presentations. Many small business owners in user reviews have noted its dual paper trays as a major convenience, allowing for different paper types or sizes to be loaded simultaneously. While it’s a bit larger than typical home printers, its powerful feature set more than justifies the extra desk space for anyone who needs a reliable and efficient office hub.

#10 Canon MAXIFY MB5150 Multifunction Inkjet Printer – Ideal for: Offices Needing Fast Two-Sided Scanning

The Canon MAXIFY MB5150 Multifunction Inkjet Printer is a productivity-focused all-in-one designed to streamline office workflows. Its most impressive feature, which we tested extensively, is the single-pass two-sided Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). This allows it to scan both sides of a page in a single motion, which is significantly faster than printers that have to flip the page mechanically. For any office that digitises a lot of double-sided documents, this feature is a massive time-saver. The printer is also quick to start, with a first-page-out time of just 6 seconds, meaning you’re not left waiting for it to warm up. Print quality is excellent for business documents, with pigment-based inks that are smudge- and highlighter-resistant. The 3.5-inch colour touchscreen provides straightforward navigation, and we appreciated the robust cloud integration, which makes it easy to scan to services like Dropbox and Google Drive. Our experience was confirmed by users who value its speed and efficient scanning. The main drawback is that replacement ink cartridges can be on the pricier side, but for an office that prioritizes speed and advanced scanning capabilities, the Canon MAXIFY MB5150 Multifunction Inkjet Printer is a highly capable and efficient machine.

The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose The Right Product for You

Key Factors to Consider

When choosing a budget all-in-one printer, it’s crucial to look beyond the initial price tag. Here are the key factors we considered in our testing:

• Ink Technology (Inkjet vs. Laser vs. Tank): Inkjet printers are versatile and great for photos, but the ink can dry out if used infrequently. Laser printers use toner, which doesn’t dry out, making them ideal for sharp text and occasional use. Ink tank printers (like Epson’s EcoTank and HP’s Smart Tank) have a higher upfront cost but offer incredibly low long-term running costs.
• Functionality (Print, Scan, Copy, Fax): Do you just need to print, or is a scanner essential? Do you need to copy multi-page documents? Features like an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) are crucial for office productivity but may be unnecessary for simple home use.
• Print Speed (PPM): Pages Per Minute (PPM) tells you how quickly a printer can operate. Laser printers are typically faster for documents, while inkjets can be slower, especially for high-quality colour prints.
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi is now a standard feature, allowing you to print from laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Wi-Fi Direct lets you connect to the printer without a router, and Ethernet provides the most stable connection for an office environment.
• Duplexing: Automatic duplexing (two-sided printing) is a fantastic feature that saves paper and effort. Many budget models offer manual duplexing, which requires you to re-feed the paper yourself.

Understanding Running Costs

The sticker price of a printer is only the beginning of the story. The true cost of ownership is heavily influenced by the price of replacement ink or toner. A very cheap printer might use extremely expensive cartridges, making it more costly in the long run than a slightly more expensive model with cheaper consumables. Ink tank printers are the best example of this: they cost more to buy but can save you up to 90% on ink costs over their lifetime. Always check the price and page yield of replacement cartridges or bottles before making a decision.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One of the most common mistakes is buying a printer based on features you’ll never use. If you only print black-and-white text, a colour inkjet is an unnecessary expense. Another error is buying a cheap inkjet for very infrequent use; the ink will likely dry up, and you’ll waste money on replacements. In this case, a budget mono laser printer is a far more reliable choice. Finally, don’t forget to check the physical dimensions. Some “compact” office printers are surprisingly large and heavy, so measure your space before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the true cost of a budget printer including ink replacements?

The true cost is the initial purchase price plus the ongoing cost of ink or toner. To calculate this, look at the price of a replacement cartridge and its “page yield” (how many pages it can print). Divide the cartridge cost by the page yield to get the “cost per page.” A printer with a low purchase price but a high cost per page can quickly become very expensive.

Can you get a good quality all-in-one printer for under £75?

Yes, it is possible to find functional all-in-one printers under £75, but they often come with significant compromises. These models typically have slower print speeds, no automatic duplexing, smaller paper trays, and use expensive ink cartridges with low page yields. They are best suited for very light, occasional use.

Which budget printer has the cheapest replacement ink cartridges?

This changes frequently, but printers with ink tank systems like the Epson EcoTank ET-2862 Wi-Fi Printer or HP Smart Tank 7007 All-in-One Printer with 3 Years Ink have the lowest running costs by a huge margin. While the initial printer cost is higher, the cost per page using bottled ink is a fraction of what you’d pay for traditional cartridges.

What features do you typically sacrifice with a budget printer?

With budget printers, you often sacrifice features like an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), automatic two-sided (duplex) printing, fast print speeds, a large touchscreen interface, and large paper capacity. Build quality may also be less robust, and the included “starter” ink cartridges often have a much lower yield than standard replacements.

Are cheap printers more expensive to run in the long term?

Very often, yes. The “razor and blades” business model is common in the printer industry: sell the printer cheaply and make a profit on expensive, proprietary ink cartridges. A printer that costs £40 might require £30 worth of ink every few hundred pages, making it much more expensive over time than a £150 printer with highly efficient ink tanks.

Do budget printers come with starter ink or full cartridges?

Most budget cartridge-based printers come with “starter” or “setup” cartridges. These contain significantly less ink than the standard replacement cartridges you buy separately and are only meant to get you through the setup process and a small number of initial prints. Ink tank printers, however, are an exception and typically come with a very generous supply of bottled ink.

Is it better to buy a slightly more expensive printer with cheaper ink?

For almost everyone, yes. If you plan to print more than a handful of pages per month, investing a little more upfront in a printer with a lower cost per page (like an ink tank model or a laser printer with high-yield toner) will save you a substantial amount of money in the long run.

Conclusion: Our Final Recommendation

After thorough testing and careful consideration of features, performance, and long-term value, we are confident in naming the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 Wi-Fi Printer as our top pick. While other printers on this list offer better value for high-volume document printing or extreme portability, the XP-15000 delivers something unique: access to professional-grade, large-format A3+ photo printing at a budget-friendly price.

Its superior six-colour ink system produces vibrant, detailed images that are simply in a different league from its competitors. The ability to handle specialty media, from glossy photo paper to thick watercolour card, makes it an incredibly versatile tool for artists, photographers, and creative hobbyists. It successfully bridges the gap between a standard home office device and a specialised photo printer, making it the best all-around investment for those who want more than just printed documents.