Home printers are currently working overtime for many people, with more of us than ever working from home. That means stock is hard to find along with decent deals but we’ve searched high and low for the best discounts.
If your printer can’t cope or you’re sick of high ink costs, buying a new printer can solve the problem. We’ve rounded up the biggest bargains, and we also explain what to look for when buying a new printer.
With more demand than usual, printer deals are hard to find but we’ve search high and low for the best prices.
Best printer deals right now
What to look for in printer deals
It’s important to keep in mind that the price of the printer is just the beginning. You’ll also need to consider ink costs. Often what looks like a great value printer can turn out to be expensive in the long run because of expensive ink. Some manufacturers, including HP, now offer ink subscriptions which give you a fixed price for a certain number of prints per month, which makes it easy to know how much you’ll be spending.
Most modern printers are multifunction all-in-one devices that can scan and copy documents in addition to your standard printing capabilities. Some include a fax machine, too.
You can find printer reviews by category – choose from budget, laser, laser colour, inkjet and all-in-one models
Look out for Wi-Fi-enabled printers, as these are incredibly useful for when you need to print from your phone or a laptop. Also, consider whether they have USB ports or memory card slots for easier photo printing.
There are lots of different types of printers available, which can make it really tricky to decide which is right for you. It’s worth first noting that the printer market moves very slowly, so don’t be afraid of buying last year’s model.
Inkjet vs Laser
These are the two main printing technologies. An inkjet printer sprays tiny dots of ink onto paper and are generally cheaper than laser printers (though you may pay more in cartridges in the long run).
Laser printers, on the other hand, use a powdered ink called toner. The paper gets electronically charged to attract the ink into position. It’s then fused with heat onto the page. Laser printers work best for text and generally for printing quickly at high volume.
In terms of colour printing, inkjet printers can produce high-quality images but are usually slower. Colour laser printers, while faster than inkjets are more expensive to buy.
Ink cartridges might look cheaper than toner cartridges, but consider the cost per page: toner can often print 1000 pages or more, but ink might last only 100-200 pages. You can also use third-party toner which is much cheaper than genuine toner from Xerox, Samsung and others. Just make sure using it doesn’t void your warranty.
For more advice on which printer to buy, visit our best printer round-up.
Where to find printer deals
We’re bringing you our carefully curated list of the best printer deals right here, but here are a few retailers you can check out for yourself for printer deals:
If you’re hoping to catch one of Amazon’s limited-time Lightning Deals, we’d recommend signing up for the 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime. Not only will this get you free next day delivery, but you’ll also get access to Lightning Deals 30 minutes earlier than non-Prime members.
Where to find ink cartridge deals
Cartridges can be expensive in the long run, but you can score a deal if you know where to look. Aside from checking the retailers mentioned above, there are a couple of other places worth looking. It’s also well worth experimenting with third-party cartridges which can work out at a fraction of the price. We’ve had good success with third-party toner from Amazon and eBay.
Groupon often has discounts popular brands such as HP, Canon and Epson. .
eBay is another place to check, though ensure you buy from an authorised reseller or a trustworthy source with a strong track record of positive reviews and ratings. See cartridge deals on eBay.
