Best Printer for Students 2026: Budget-Friendly Picks for Uni & School

Buying the wrong printer at uni gets expensive fast, especially when cartridges dry out between deadlines. The right one can keep running costs down and spare you last-minute trips to the library.

These six options cover everything from 3,000-word essays and colour biology diagrams to the occasional 2am print job before a deadline.

What to Look for in a Student Printer

Four practical points matter when you’re buying a printer for uni:

Cost per page trumps purchase price every time. A £40 printer with expensive cartridges will cost you more over three years than a £150 EcoTank. The total cost table below shows why.

Compact size matters when your entire desk is 60cm wide and already buried under textbooks. Most student printers should be under 45cm wide, or you’ll be balancing it on your bedside table.

WiFi and mobile printing means you can print from your laptop, phone, or tablet without faffing about with USB cables. Every printer on this list supports wireless. In 2026, anything that doesn’t is frankly not worth considering.

Mono vs colour: If 90% of your printing is essays and notes, get a mono laser and don’t look back. If you need colour for coursework diagrams, presentations, or the occasional photo, then you’ll want an inkjet or ink tank printer.

If you barely print at all, our guide to the best printer for infrequent use focuses specifically on preventing ink waste.

The Best Printers for Students at a Glance

Printer	Type	Price (approx.)	Cost Per Black Page	Colour	Scanner	Best For
HP DeskJet 2820e	Inkjet	£68.55	~10p (cartridge) / free via Instant Ink	Yes	Yes	Light use
Canon PIXMA TS3750i	Inkjet	£34.99	Varies by cartridge	Yes	Yes	Simple & compact
Epson EcoTank ET-2861	Ink tank	£149.99	~0.3p	Yes	Yes	Lowest running costs
Brother DCP-L2620DW	Mono laser	£205.74	~2.2p (XL) / 3.75p (standard)	No	Yes	High-volume essays
HP LaserJet M110w	Mono laser	£74.97	~4p	No	No	Ultra-compact laser
Canon PIXMA TS5350i	Inkjet	£67	~4.5p (black XL)	Yes	Yes	Best mid-range

1. HP DeskJet 2820e - Best for Light Use

Price: £68.55 on Amazon UK | Type: Colour inkjet | Functions: Print, scan, copy

At under £70, the DeskJet 2820e is one of the cheapest all-in-ones worth buying. It prints, scans, copies, connects via WiFi, and supports HP Smart App printing from your phone. It covers the basics without a large initial outlay.

The catch, and it’s a big one, is cartridge costs. Replacement HP 305 cartridges run about £12 for black and £15 for colour. Each black cartridge does roughly 120 pages, which works out to about 10p per page. Replacement costs add up quickly at that rate.

HP Instant Ink offers a free tier of 15 pages per month, or 50 pages for £2.49/month. For light student printing, such as the odd form, recipe or train ticket, the free tier might be enough. If you print more, look at the paid plans, although a different printer may work out better. If you’re deciding between an HP or Epson model for uni, our Epson vs HP printers comparison covers running costs and reliability side by side.

Beyond the ink costs, print quality is just “adequate.” It is fine for essays, but photos look a bit rubbish. If you leave it unused over Christmas, the nozzles will clog.

Verdict: Cheap way to get a printer in your room. But if you print more than a handful of pages each week, you’ll end up spending more on ink than the printer cost. Best if your budget is tight and you barely print.

Buy the HP DeskJet 2820e on Amazon.co.uk

2. Canon PIXMA TS3750i - Best for Simplicity

Price: £34.99 on Amazon UK | Type: Colour inkjet | Functions: Print, scan, copy

Canon’s entry-level all-in-one is my preferred budget pick over the HP, and the cheapest printer on this list. It connects wirelessly and supports the Canon PRINT app. A PIXMA Print Plan subscription is available, but you are not locked in. You can simply buy cartridges as you go.

It uses Canon PG-545 and CL-546 cartridges. Choose the XL cartridges instead of the standard ones. They bring the cost per page down noticeably and offer a proper saving over a term.

Print quality is decent for documents and photos alike, with borderless photo printing supported. It has scan and copy functions built in, handy when a mate needs a copy of something.

The main drawback is the same clogging issue as any inkjet. Leave it over summer and you’ll come back to a useless paperweight unless you print a test page before you go. It also doesn’t support duplex printing, despite what some listings imply, so factor that in if double-sided matters to you.

Verdict: Cheapest printer here, and no subscription nonsense if you don’t want it. My go-to budget recommendation for students.

Buy the Canon PIXMA TS3750i on Amazon.co.uk

3. Epson EcoTank ET-2861 - Best for Running Costs

Price: £149.99 on Amazon UK | Type: Ink tank | Functions: Print, scan, copy

At £150, the EcoTank ET-2861 is expensive for a student printer. It costs more upfront but has by far the lowest running costs here. Instead of cartridges, you fill refillable ink tanks from bottles. The ink that comes in the box prints up to 4,500 black pages and 7,500 colour pages.

That’s roughly 0.3p per black page, not 3p or 30p. Over a three-year degree, a student printing 100 pages per month would spend about £10 on ink with the EcoTank vs £150+ with a budget inkjet.

The ET-2861 also supports WiFi, double-sided printing, and Epson Smart Panel for mobile printing. Its black text print speed is a decent 10.5 pages per minute, quick enough for last-minute essay panics.

Its size is the main drawback. It’s wider and deeper than the budget inkjets because of the ink tank reservoirs hanging off the side. Measure your desk before buying because this won’t fit on a narrow shelf. While it handles infrequent use better than cartridge inkjets, it can still clog if you leave it untouched for a couple of months.

Verdict: If your parents or student loan can stretch to £150, this is the smartest long-term investment on this list. You’ll barely spend anything on ink for the entire degree. Also worth reading our laser vs inkjet comparison to see how EcoTank models stack up against laser alternatives.

Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2861 on Amazon.co.uk

4. Brother DCP-L2620DW - Best Mono Laser for Students

Price: £205.74 on Amazon UK | Type: Mono laser | Functions: Print, scan, copy

If you don’t need colour, and most essay-writing students genuinely don’t, this is the one I’d buy. The Brother DCP-L2620DW prints crisp black text at up to 32 pages per minute, scans and copies, and connects via WiFi and USB.

The main advantage for students is that toner never dries out. You can go home for the entire summer, come back in September, and it’ll work perfectly. First page, first time. No cleaning cycles, no wasted ink, no swearing at 2am before a deadline. Entire cartridges can be lost to dried-out inkjets, and that is money down the drain.

The starter toner cartridge prints around 700 pages. Replacement TN-2510 cartridges cost ~£45 for 1,200 pages (3.75p per page), or ~£65 for the high-yield TN-2510XL at 3,000 pages (2.2p per page). At student printing volumes, one XL cartridge could last an entire academic year.

Automatic duplex printing is included, which halves your paper consumption. That is a genuine saving when you’re printing off 50 pages of lecture slides for revision.

For more on why laser printers suit home users, see our guide to the advantages of laser printers.

The obvious limitation is its lack of colour. If your course needs colour diagrams or you want to print photos, look elsewhere. It is also chunkier than the budget inkjets and weighs about 7.2kg.

Verdict: My number one pick for most students. Fast, reliable, no drying-out drama, and cheap to run. If you mainly print essays and notes, stop reading here and buy this.

Buy the Brother DCP-L2620DW on Amazon.co.uk

5. HP LaserJet M110w - Most Compact Laser

Price: £74.97 on Amazon UK | Type: Mono laser | Functions: Print only

Want a laser but your room is tiny? The LaserJet M110w is one of the smallest laser printers you can buy. It weighs just 3.8kg and fits on a bookshelf with room to spare.

It prints up to 20 pages per minute with sharp text output. WiFi and HP Smart App are supported. Like the Brother, toner won’t dry out between uses, making it brilliant for students who print sporadically.

Running costs are noticeably higher per page than the Brother, but you’re paying for that smaller footprint.

The trade-off is that this model is print-only, with no scanner or copier. If you need to scan coursework or copy pages, you’ll have to use your phone camera and an app like Adobe Scan. Not ideal, but workable.

HP will also push its Instant Ink subscription during setup. You don’t have to sign up. It’s a laser printer, so you can buy toner when you need it.

Verdict: The best laser printer for cramped student rooms. If you’ve got a bed, a desk, and about 35cm of shelf space, this fits.

Buy the HP LaserJet M110w on Amazon.co.uk

6. Canon PIXMA TS5350i - Best Mid-Range Inkjet

Price: £67 on Amazon UK | Type: Colour inkjet | Functions: Print, scan, copy

The TS5350i sits between the budget TS3750i and more expensive options. You get a larger OLED display, borderless photo printing, duplex printing, and noticeably better build quality. It feels like a proper printer, not a toy.

It uses Canon PG-560 and CL-561 cartridges. XL versions yield around 400 black pages for ~£18 (4.5p per page) and 300 colour pages for ~£20. That’s competitive for a cartridge printer.

WiFi, AirPrint, and Canon PRINT app support are all included. Photo output is noticeably better than the two-cartridge budget models. If your course needs colour charts or you want to print the odd photo, this handles it well.

It is still a cartridge inkjet, so you’ll still face clogging issues if it sits unused for weeks.

Verdict: A solid middle ground if you genuinely need colour printing but can’t stretch to an EcoTank.

Buy the Canon PIXMA TS5350i on Amazon.co.uk

Total Cost of Ownership: 3-Year Comparison

The purchase price is only part of the cost. Here’s what each printer costs over a three-year degree, assuming you print 50 pages per month (600 per year, 1,800 over three years):

Printer	Purchase	Ink/Toner (3 yrs)	Paper (3 yrs)	Total 3-Year Cost
HP DeskJet 2820e	£68.55	~£180	£18	£266
Canon PIXMA TS3750i	£34.99	~£100 (XL carts)	£18	£153
Epson EcoTank ET-2861	£149.99	~£5	£18	£173
Brother DCP-L2620DW	£205.74	~£40 (XL toner)	£18	£264
HP LaserJet M110w	£74.97	~£95	£18	£188
Canon PIXMA TS5350i	£67	~£80 (XL carts)	£18	£165

Paper estimated at £5 per 500-sheet ream from Amazon UK. Ink/toner costs based on XL or high-yield consumables where available.

The HP DeskJet’s low upfront price is eaten up fast by cartridge costs, making it one of the most expensive options over three years. The EcoTank is competitive even at moderate volumes and wins outright at higher ones. The Canon TS3750i and TS5350i are the cheapest overall thanks to low purchase prices and reasonable running costs. At 100+ pages per month, the EcoTank’s 0.3p black-page cost becomes even more significant, while the Brother remains the stronger choice for fast mono printing.

How to Choose

Pick the HP DeskJet 2820e if: Your budget is genuinely tight and you barely print anything.

Pick the Canon PIXMA TS3750i if: You want a simple, cheap printer with scanning and no subscription pressure. My budget pick.

Pick the Epson EcoTank ET-2861 if: You print 50+ pages per month and can afford the upfront cost.

Pick the Brother DCP-L2620DW if: You print mostly essays, want laser reliability, and never want to worry about dried-out ink. My overall pick.

Pick the HP LaserJet M110w if: You want a laser printer in the smallest possible footprint and can live without scanning.

Pick the Canon PIXMA TS5350i if: You need colour printing with decent photo quality at a reasonable price.

Tips for Student Printing

Use your uni’s printers for big jobs. Most universities offer free or subsidised printing quotas. Some give you 500+ free pages per year. Save your home printer for convenience jobs. Don’t print a 50-page dissertation at home when the library will do it for free.

Always buy XL or high-yield cartridges. The cost per page drops by 30-50% with larger cartridges. Standard-size cartridges are a false economy. Every time.

Print double-sided. Halves your paper costs and is required for many dissertation submissions anyway. The Brother DCP-L2620DW and Epson EcoTank ET-2861 do this automatically.

Set your default to draft mode. For lecture notes and rough drafts, draft quality uses way less ink and is perfectly readable. Save “best quality” for final submissions.

Keep cartridge printers active. If you use a traditional inkjet, print at least one page per fortnight to prevent nozzle clogging. Set a reminder on your phone. Laser printers don’t have this problem, while EcoTank models handle infrequent use better than cartridge inkjets. For more on this, check our guide to printers for infrequent use.

Final Recommendation

For most students, I’d pick the Brother DCP-L2620DW without hesitation. Toner never dries out (so it survives summer holidays), cost per page is low, and it handles essays and lecture notes at cracking speed. It’s the one I’d buy if I were starting uni tomorrow.

Need colour? The Epson EcoTank ET-2861 pays for itself within the first year of moderate use. On the tightest budget imaginable? The Canon PIXMA TS3750i gets the job done for well under £40. Just remember to print a test page every couple of weeks to keep those nozzles clear.