Top 10 Compact All-in-One Printer for Home Office Use

Having printers in the home used to be difficult due to their massive size. However, I have found it easier to use a compact all-in-one printer now, even at my home office, as it fits perfectly on my desk.

Whether you need to print your work documents quickly or need to send scanned copies to your colleagues, having an all-in-one printer in your home office certainly has its perks.

Choosing the best all-in-one printer requires consideration of factors like size and type, printing speed, print quality, connectivity, compatible devices, running cost, etc.

When buying office equipment like a printer, you need to ensure they perfectly match your needs, or you might need to buy a new one faster, which can cost you extra money.

This article will guide you on choosing the best compact all-in-one printer for your home office.

Is There a Compact All-in-One Printer?

There are different brands of all-in-one printers offering three in one and four in one features with print, scan, copy, and even fax.

However, these printers tend to be larger and used as desktop printers for large offices.

Compact printers are small in size and generally portable. Some models like HP Office Jet 250 Mobile All-in-One Printer are compact and all-in-one.

Other all-in-one models are also smaller, but it would be a stretch to call them compact. However, they are small enough to fit well in your home office.

How to Choose the Best Compact All-in-One Printer?

There are many attributes to the quality of a printer like speed, size, connectivity, etc. However, choosing the perfect printer for your home office can be difficult due to the many choices.

So, here are some features with details to help you choose.

1. Size of the Printer

Size is the most important factor to consider before choosing the printer. Compact printers are usually small sizes; some even fit your laptop bag for portability.

When choosing printers for home office, you should consider your home office size and the desk’s size.

A printer of size around 7.8 x 14.96 x 3.6 inches is compact enough for even a small desk and is excellent for your home office.

To learn about desk size, read the article, What is the Right Size Desk for your Home Office?

2. Type of the Printer

Inkjet and Laser printers are both great for printing but serve different purposes. You might be confused about which type of printer to choose even before getting to the brand.

So, here are some brief details on both;

Inkjet Printer

Inkjet printers can print great quality and accurate colored prints. So, it is best if you need to print more photos and colored pictures.

However, using an Inkjet printer can be pretty expensive. The printers are not very pricey, but the ink can cost a lot.

Single cartilage can cost you anywhere from $50 – $100. Besides, you need to make sure none of the cartridges has run out as the printer won’t print even if the single cartridge is empty.

Laser Printer

Laser printers work best for you if you have to print out lots of black and white texts as it also has lower running costs.

These printers work by using static electricity on the printer’s rolling drum. This static electricity draws out the ink, which is melted to create prints.

Laser printer cartridges cost comparatively higher. However, they last longer than ink cartridges used in Inkjet printers. It has better text quality and speed. But, if you want to print images, Inkjet printers better serve the purpose.

To pick between the two types of printers, you need to decide the purpose of printing, i.e., if you need to print better pictures or more texts.

3. Printing Speed

For most printers, the printing speed is measured in ppm (page per minute), generally 15-20 in black and white. The printing speed requirements depend on your frequency of use.

If you need to print pages often and in bulk, you should choose a printer with high ppm, preferably 30-40. But, if you do not need to print as often, you can use the printer with average speed.

4. Cost Per Page

The cost per page is different for every brand and type of printer. Generally, laser printers have 5 to 8 cents cost per page for monochrome printing, whereas 12-15 cents is required for laser printers.

5. Print Quality

Print quality is measured in dpi (Dots per inch). Higher dpi means high-quality pictures and clearer texts. Most good printers offer a print quality of 1200 dpi, which produces vibrant images.

Inkjet printers usually have a dpi of 300–720, while laser printers have a dpi of 600 to 2400.

6. Connectivity for the Printer

Checking the printer’s connectivity is essential before buying it to match your preferred methods.

• USB connections allow you to connect your PC or laptop with equipment directly and use them to print.
• Ethernet connections are rarely required in home offices. But, they allow wired connections to the internet.
• Wi-Fi connection is the most commonly available connection mode used to print from any device connected to Wi-Fi directly.
• NFC (Near-Field Communication) lets you print from any device nearby by connecting your device to the printer by simply touching the NFC option.
• Cloud printing allows you to access files in Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., and print them directly.
• SD card slots are rare, but they allow you to navigate the SD card and print from it. This is particularly useful for printing photos from cameras.

7. Compatible Devices

You need to check if the printer you want to buy is compatible with your device. For instance, if you have a Mac or iPhone, make sure it works with the Apple Air Print feature.

Also, check if the printer works mainly through a smartphone or tablet or if it should be connected to a PC to work.

8. Input and Output Trays

Printers have output and input trays to hold your papers. If you have to print in bulk, you should choose a printer with an input tray at the back so your paper won’t bend.

Besides, some printers also have a multi-tray feature which is useful if you have different colored or sized papers.

You will also need to know the holding capacity of the trays as some trays can hold up to 200 pages while some can only hold 20-50.

9. Running Cost

Most of the expenditure on the printer is on their ink rather than their buying cost. You can calculate the running cost of the printer yourself by calculating the cost per page and dividing it by the ink’s price by page yield.

Other than the ink cost, the printer’s running costs are as follows.

Factors	Running Cost
Buying price	$30 – $8,000
Ink cost	$60 and $120 a year
Energy cost	About $7.84 per year
Maintenance	$30 to $200 per year

Top 10 Compact All-in-One Printer for Home Office Use

Here is the list of the top 10 compact all-in-one printers for home office use.

Best all -in-one compact printers	Features
HP OfficeJet 250 All-in-One Portable Printer $649.99	Battery included with 90 minutes charge time. One-year limited hardware backed by HP customer care.
Canon PIXMA TR7520 All-In-One Wireless Printer $304.99	Provides airprint service Output tray capacity-rear paper tray With features like the 3. 0" LCD touchscreen.
Canon Pixma TS6320 Wireless All-In-One Photo Printer ‎$289.99	With an auto expandable output tray. Save 10 percentage on all ink reorders with Dash Replenishment.
Pantum M7102DW Laser Printer Scanner Copier 3 in 1 $311.10	Fast and high definition printing up to 33ppm(A4) / 35ppm(Letter) in black and white. Drum and toner are available separately.
HP Tango X Smart Wireless Printer $199.00	Very compact and easy to use. Provides Voice-activated, hands free printing.
Epson EcoTank ET-2750 Wireless Color All-in-One Printer $349	Easily print from iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and smartphones. Comes with Genuine Epson Ink for Genuine Epson Quality.
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless Color Photo Printer $219.99	Excellent picture quality It is designed for productivity at home 30 page auto document feeder.
Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Wireless Color All-in-One Printer $698.94	Cartridge free printing Saving on replacement ink 250-sheet paper tray for high productivity
Epson Workforce WF-2830 All-in-One Wireless Printer $99.99	Compact multi feature printer Epson cartridges only, not third party cartridges.
HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer $119.99	Inexpensive multi functional printer Works with Alexa and provides airprint service.

1. HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One Printer

Features	Print, Scan, and Copy
Charging Time	Within 90 minutes while the printer is off
Battery life	500 pages of printing
Paper sizes supported	Letter, legal, statement, executive, envelopes
Paper capacity	50 pages
Print resolution	4800 x 1200 dpi
Speed capacity	8 black and white pages per minute
Connectivity	USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
Warranty	One year

HP has always been top in electronics production with support services available via social media and online sites. This HP Inkjet printer is portable and fast and has all features like scanning, printing, copying, which is a lot for its size.

Many portable printers are available for purchase; however, HP OfficeJet 250 has a better edge due to its battery. HP OfficeJet 250 printer has comparable quality to full-sized desktop printers with top-quality printing of high-resolution pictures and texts.

It offers the speed capacity to print eight black and white pages per minute while doing it with no noise production. It is a bit heavier than other mobile compact printers. However, its extra specifications certainly make up for the weight.

Pros

• Portable and fast printing.
• No noise level while printing.
• Color touchscreen
• Fast charging battery
• High yield cartilage
• ENERGY STAR Certified
• 10-page automatic document feeder

Cons

• Heavier as compared to other portable printers weighing over six pounds.
• USB cable is not included.
• It doesn’t include a modem, so it is unable to fax.
• Fingerprints are easily transferred due to glossy surfaces.
• No output tray included.

2. Canon PIXMA TR7520 All-in-One Wireless Printer

Features	Printing, scanning, and faxing
Paper sizes supported	Letter, Legal, U.S. #10 Envelopes
Paper capacity	20 sheets
Print resolution	4800 x 1200 dpi
Speed capacity	8.8 pages per minute in black and white
Copy Speed	27 seconds
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, USB
Warranty	One-year Limited Warranty

This all-in-one printer is perfect for the home office with scan, print, and even fax features.

You can easily print from your Android or iOS device and use Canon’s Message in the Print app to include hidden text, animations, etc., to the images.

It can print good quality colored pictures and supports prints with no borders from 4/6 inches to 8.5/11 inches. However, its operational costs are a bit high. It costs approximately 8.7 cents to print black and white pages and 18.7 cents for colored pages.

Pros

• Auto 2 Sided printing
• ADF for scanning and faxing
• Easy setup through smartphone or tablet
• AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, auto power On/Off
• Dash Replenishment to save Ink
• Works with Alexa

Cons

• High running cost
• Slow printing
• It consumes a lot of ink.

3. Canon Pixma TS6320 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer

Features	Printing, scanning, and copying
Paper sizes supported	3.5” x 3.5” (Square), 4” x 6”, 5” x 5” (Square), Letter, Envelope, Legal
Paper capacity	200 sheets
Print resolution	4800 x 1200 dpi
Speed capacity	15 paper per minute in black and white
Copy Speed	19 seconds
Connectivity	Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Warranty	one-year Limited Warranty

This all-in-one printer is suitable for home offices with moderate printing needs. Printing good-quality photos are its specialty. It is bulkier as compared to compact printers. However, it can fit well on your home office desk.

However, using this printer is expensive, costing you about 4-6 cents per monochrome page and 25-27 cents for a colored page.

Pros

• OLED display and LED status bar
• Auto expandable output tray
• Dash Replenishment
• Voice-activated printing
• Sample ink cartridges are included

Cons

• No automatic document feeder
• Larger size
• It can not provide a higher print volume.
• No support for USB or SD cards
• High printing cost

4. Pantum M7102DW Laser Printer Scanner Copier 3 in 1

Features	Printing, copying, scanning
Paper sizes supported	A5 paper, Letter
Battery life	1500 pages of printing
Paper capacity	250 sheets
Print and scan resolution	1200 x 1200 dpi
Copy resolution	600 x 600 dpi
Speed capacity	33 paper per minute
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
Warranty	One-year standard warranty

Pantum M7102DW is a high-quality laser printer that provides good scanning, printing, and copying features.

It has no print heads, which can clog with infrequent use. So, if you need to use the scan feature often but not the print function, this printer is very suitable for you. It comes with easy steps for installation.

The printer has received some backlash regarding fitting the Letter size papers for printers. However, the Letter sized papers can be easily fit using the extension at the back of the paper tray.

Pros

• High-speed operation
• ADF scan
• Easy installation
• Auto two-sided printing
• It comes with separate drums and toner
• Sometimes paper jams

Cons

• Low Resolution
• High cost
• It can scan one side at a time.

5. HP Tango X Smart Wireless Printer

Features	Printing, copying, and scanning through phone
Paper sizes supported	Letter, Legal, Envelope
Paper capacity	20 sheets
Print resolution	4800 x 1200 dpi
Speed capacity	20 paper per minute in black and white
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Warranty	One-year standard warranty

If you want to scan, print, and copy directly using your smartphone, HP Tango X is the best option for you. This printer is only 20.6 x 14.84 x 10.4 inches so that it can fit well even on your small-sized home office desk.

It is very compact, so you can also take it with you anywhere. The fabric covering the HP Tango X printer also disguises its appearance and gives it a sleek, professional look.

Pros

• Dual band wi-fi
• Easy to Setup
• HP Instant Ink Eligible
• Cloud print enabled
• Optional HP high-yield cartridges
• Voice-activated printing
• Air print compatible

Cons

• Scanning and copying can only be done through phone
• Only prints borderless prints less than 5/7 inch
•  No USB port

6. Epson EcoTank ET-2750 Wireless Printer

Features	Printing, copying, and scanning
Paper sizes supported	Envelopes, Paper (plain), Labels
Paper capacity	100 sheets
Print resolution	5760 x 1440 dpi
Speed capacity	10.5  paper per minute in black and white
Scan resolution	1200 x 2400 dpi
Copy speed	7.7 cpm in black or 3.8 cpm color
Connectivity	Wi-Fi
Warranty	One-year standard warranty

Epson EcoTank ET-2750 Wireless is the best printer to use inexpensive ink. The printer includes enough ink to print up to 6500 pages in black/5200 pages in color.

This printer is equipped with large tanks that can fill large volumes of ink so that your cost of ink is reduced. The printing cost is 0.3 cents per black page and 0.8 cents for colored pages.

It can be connected via Wi-Fi and is operated from both android and iOS phones.

Pros

• Auto 2-sided printing
• High-quality print
• Inexpensive ink cost
• Saves up to 80% on ink with low-cost replacement in bottles
• Good printing quality overall

Cons

• Non-touch display
• No Ethernet connection
• Using non-genuine ink could damage the printer

7. Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless Color Photo Printer

Features	Printing, Copying, and Scanning
Paper sizes supported	Legal, Letter, No. 10 (Envelope), DL (Envelope), C6 (Envelope), B5, A6, A5, A4
Paper capacity	100 sheets
Print resolution	5760 x 1440  dpi
Speed capacity	15.8 paper per minute in black and white/11.3 ppm in color
Scan resolution	4,800 x 1,200 dpi
Connectivity	Wi-Fi
Warranty	One-year standard warranty

Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless Color Photo Printer is a small-sized printer with built-in print, scan, and copy functions which is a great fit for home offices.

Its greatest function is high-quality photo printing and an automatic document feeder (ADF). The ADF enables double-sided copies and scans without the need for flipping.

Moreover, it can print labels on CDs and DVDs, a rarity for printers of such small sizes.

Pros

• Great photo quality
• 30-page auto document feeder
• Large 4.3 inches touchscreen
• ENERGY STAR qualified
• Print borderless up to 8″*10″

Cons

• Expensive running cost
• Slow printing speed

8. Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Wireless Color All-in-One Printer

Features	Print, Copy, Fax, and Scan
Paper sizes supported	A4, A6, A3, A3+, half letter, executive
Paper capacity	250 sheets
Print resolution	4800 x 1200  dpi
Speed capacity	Paper per minute in black and white
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet
Warranty	One year

Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Wireless printer is best for low running costs. The running cost of the printer ink is lowered without sacrificing its productivity.

It is also smaller in size but has a paper capacity of 250 sheets for paper drawer and 30 sheets for Automatic document feeder (ADF).

However, it has a monthly print volume capacity of 800 pages which is less for an expensive printer.

Pros

• Fast, affordable, and easy to use
• Cartridge-Free Printing
• Great Print quality
• Saves up to 90% with replacement ink
• Zero cartridge waste

Cons

• No automatic duplex scan
• Less print volume capacity
• Average print quality

9. Epson Workforce WF-2830 All-in-One Wireless Color Printer

Features	Print, Copy, Fax, and Scan
Paper sizes supported	Legal, Envelope
Paper capacity	100 sheets
Print resolution	5760 x 1440 dpi
Speed capacity	10 paper per minute in black and white
Scanning Resolution	1200 x 2400dpi
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB
Warranty	One year

It includes a flatbed scanner that is useful for scanning pictures and an  Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for multiple-page scanning.

However, the yield of black cartilage is not so good and needs to be replaced faster, which can cost you a lot.

Pros

• Works with Alexa
• Auto 2-sided printing
• Fast printing 10.3 ppm (black) and 4.5 ppm (color)
• 30-page auto document feeder

Cons

• High cost on ink
• No ethernet support
• Thin output tray

10. HP Deskjet 3755 All-in-One printer

Features	Print, Scan, and Copy
Paper sizes supported	Letter, Legal, Envelope
Print resolution	4800 x 1200 dpi
Paper capacity	60 pages
Speed capacity	8 black and white pages per minute
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Cloud Printing, USB
Warranty	One-year limited hardware warranty

HP Deskjet 3755 All-in-One printer is the best deal for its price and ease of use. This printer is convenient if you have a small home office with limited space.

You can print right from your phone using the HP Smart app. It also has a USB feature if you want to use it as a normal desktop printer.

The print quality is not that great for texts, but it prints photos well if you set it in a finer setting.

Pros

• Works with Alexa
• CartridgesENERGY STAR Certified
• Instant ink ready
• It saves space and can even fit in small space

Cons

• It doesn’t scan multiple pages at once
• Slow printing
• Small display
• No touchscreen display
• No auto document feeder

Final Verdict

To find the perfect printer for your home office, you need to consider the printer’s specifications like size, print quality, speed, etc.

Then, you can align them with your needs like printing frequency, the purpose of printing, the size of your home office, etc.

There are limited choices for a completely compact all-in-one printer. But, you can find good models with small sizes and all-in-one features that provide excellent money value.

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