5 Best Printers For Occasional Use in 2023

It’s no secret that we don’t use printers as frequently as we did once. But there are still instances where having a reliable printer at home or in a small office can be incredibly convenient.

Whether you’re printing legal papers, documents, or occasional school projects the best printers for occasional will save you time, and money. They will print you everything you need without you moving out of your house.

With a wide array of printer models in the market, choosing the right one for your occasional printing needs can be challenging.

• Connectivity Technology: The first thing you need to consider in a printer for occasional use is the type of connectivity technologies it offers. Most printers nowadays are WiFi enabled, and almost all of them have USB ports. A WiFi connection is a must if you buy the printer for office use, where you need to print multiple pages and have multiple users at once. Some of the printers also have Bluetooth in addition to WiFi and USB. It’s also a convenient way of wireless printing. But keep in mind the range coverage of Bluetooth is much lesser than WiFi.
• Max Print Speed: The printing speed of a printer is measured in PPI or Page Per Minute. The maximum printing speed widely varies from model to model. An inkjet printer can have two different ppm ratings if it’s color-focused. For example, an inkjet printer can print 10 to 20 pages per minute in black-and-white and 5 to 10 pages per minute in color.
• Input/Output Capacity: The input capacity refers to the number of pages a printer can hold in its feeding tray. In contrast, the output capacity is the number of pages a printer can hold in its output tray before you need to remove them. As a general guideline, the input or output capacity should exceed your printing needs. For an occasional user, an input/output capacity of 50 to 100 pages is considered to be enough.

Today in this article, we will explore the key factors to consider when buying a printer for occasional use in our “Buying Guide” and recommend top-tier printers tailored to those needing a printer for infrequent use.

Best Printers For Occasional Use Table

Best Printers For Occasional Use Reviews

1. HP Deskjet 3755 Printer

Are you someone working with a low budget and a tight workspace? Then the HP DeskJet 3755 is our best pick for you for occasional use. The all-in-one inkjet printer can print, copy, and scan and comes with in-built WiF that lets you print remotely from your PC, laptop, smartphone, and other WiFi-enabled devices.

The DeskJet 3755 slow printing speed–prints 8 ppm in black and 5.5 ppm in color– limits it for light-duty use only, but it performs extremely well in the intended use. For example, the printer prints high-quality texts with details and photos with great color accuracy.

The printer also has a USB port and supports Apple AirPlay and Morpia print services. It has a 60-sheet input tray and a 25-sheet output tray which is passable for infrequent use. The printer supports various paper sizes from letter, and legal to envelope sizes.

With this printer, you will get 4 months of free ink after enrollment with HP Ink. It’s also compatible with the HP smart app which allows you to scan directly from your smartphone. Overall, this is an ideal choice if you want a small, snazzy, affordable printer for light-duty use.

Best Features

• Inkjet printer
• Print, copy, scan
• USB, WiFi
• 60-sheet input tray, 25-sheet output tray
• Prints 8 ppm in black and 5.5 ppm in color
• HP Smart App compatibility

Pros

• High-quality prints
• Small and compact
• Affordable
• WiFi-enabled
• Works with Alexa

Cons

• Slow at printing
• No auto-feeder or duplex printing

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2. HP ENVY 7255e printer

If you are ready to pay extra bucks for great features like duplex printing, then you can opt for the HP ENVY Inspire 7255e. The WiFi-enabled printer supports wireless printing, copying, and scanning. Even supports the HP+ app which lets you scan directly from your smartphone.

The printer has a very decent printing speed of 10 ppm in color and 15 ppm in black-and-white, which is good enough for occasional printing. It comes with a 125-sheet input tray and a 60-sheet output tray, which is also adequate for home use and student’s homework.

One of the striking features of this printer is auto duplex printing which prints on both sides of the paper without you filling the page. As far as the printing quality goes, the HP Envy provides you with detailed text and vibrant photos. There’s even a separate photo tray that supports 4×12” panoramic photos.

The printer includes a flatbed scanner and a 2.7” wide color touchscreen for easy navigation. You will get 3 months of free ink delivery upon HP+ sign-up. Overall, the HP Envy 7255e series makes a great candidate for light-duty printing and photo-centric environments.

Best Features

• Inkjet printer
• Print, copy and scan
• USB and WiFi
• Prints 10 ppm in color and 15 ppm in black
• Duplex printing
• Flatbed scanner
• 7-inches color touchscreen
• 3-months of free ink

Pros

• Great looking photos
• Supports panoramic photo sizes
• Easy to navigate
• Easy to set
• Value for money

Cons

• No automatic document feeder

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3. Canon TS302 Printer

When it comes to reliable printing solutions, you trust a brand that you know and trust like Canon. Their TS302 inkjet printer can be a great addition to your home for occasional use.

The printer has multiple wireless printing methods, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and simple USB connections. The printer also works with Apple Airplay, Mopria prints services, and more importantly, Alexa for a hands-free printing solution.

The small yet capable printer prints slowly but the results are detailed and vivid. You can expect a fairly decent speed of 7.7 ppm in black-and-white and 4 ppm in color, which we think is good enough if you print occasionally. It comes with a 60-sheet input tray which is standard for infrequent use.

The maximum size of paper it can handle is 8.5″ x 26.6″, and it also supports borderless printing. The printer is pretty lightweight for its size and hence portable. The only downside is that there’s no automatic document feeder or duplex printing feature. But again, it’s a great budget pick from one of the top-notch printer brands.

Best Features

• Inkjet printer
• Print, copy, and scan
• Prints 7.7 ppm in black and 4 ppm in color
• 60-sheet input tray
• Alexa compatible

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Great quality prints
• Affordable
• Easily portable

Cons

• Prints slowly
• Higher running costs

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4. HP DeskJet 2755e Printer

If you don’t print very often but value quality printing then the HP DeskJet 2755e is a great option for you. The printer is designed keeping modern connectivity in mind, featuring built-in WiFi, Bluetooth for wireless printing, and USB 2.0 for times when wireless printing isn’t available.

Also, the printer supports Apple AirPlay and Mopria print services plus HP+ mobile app that lets you print documents and photos directly from your smartphone. The printer has a decent printing speed, which prints 7.5 ppm in black and 5.5 ppm in color. And it’s best for 100 prints a month.

The DeskJet 2755e has a 60-sheet input tray and a 25-sheet output tray, limiting its usage. However, the printer supports different paper sizes including letters, legal, 4×6”, 5×7”, and 8×10”. You will also get an automatic document feeder with DeskJet 2755e which will handle your printing and scanning tasks without any delay.

As far as the print quality is concerned, the 2755e version is impressive. It produces high-quality prints with vivid colors and accuracy. It’s also capable of borderless printing. It comes with a flatbed scanner and a 1.7-inch mono-touch display. Lastly, you will get a 3-month subscription to HP Instant Ink.

Best Features

• Inkjet printer
• Print, copy and scan
• WiFi, Bluetooth and USB
• Prints 7.5 ppm in black and 5.5 ppm in color
• 60-sheet input tray and 25-sheet output tray
• Automatic document feeder
• 7-inch mono touchscreen display

Pros

• The print quality is impressive
• Comes with an automatic document feeder
• Feature-rich mobile app
• Multiple connectivity options

Cons

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5. Brother MFC-J1010DW Printer

Brother printers are known for their affordable ink cartridges and low maintenance cost. This Brother MFC-J1010DW wireless inkjet printer is a great choice for occasional home and office use. This printer offers Apple AirPlay and Mopria print services along with WiFi and USB connectivity.

The printer has a fantastic printing speed of 17 ppm in black and 9.9 ppm in color which is more than sufficient for infrequent home and office use. There is a 150-sheet adjustable paper tray and features like duplex printing and an automatic document feeder which is another bonus point.

It prints quickly and produces high-quality black-and-white and color prints and the running cost is also relatively low because the ink cartridges are fairly cheap. The scanner also does a great job of digitalizing photos. And with the automatic document feeder, you can quickly process multi-page documents.

The duplex printing saves on paper costs and produces high-quality professional-looking documents. Though the printer misses out on an LCD display the physical buttons are still good enough.

Best Features

• Inkjet printer
• Print, scan and copy
• WiFi and USB
• Prints 17 ppm in black and 9.9 ppm in color
• 150-sheet paper tray
• Duplex printing and automatic document feeder

Pros

• Good printing speed
• Fax modem included
• Decent paper handling
• Has duplex printing and ADF

Cons

• Color prints can get expensive over time

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Buying Guide For the Best Printers For Occasional Use

Printing documents, photos, and school projects for occasional use is both convenient and cost-effective. Whether you print invoices, family photos, official documents, or school assignments, choosing the right printer is crucial.

Printers for occasional use should have inks or toners that don’t need frequent replacements to avoid drying out or clogging.

Here’s a buying guide on selecting printers for occasional use mentioning all the factors you need to consider.

1. Connectivity Technology

Connectivity technology is the first thing that you should consider in a printer be it for regular or occasional use. Today most printers come with a variety of communication technologies, WiFi and USB being the most common.

2. USB Ports

Most of the printers have a USB port. It’s primarily USB Type-A. It allows you to connect the printer directly with external hard devices like smartphones, cameras, and tablets and lets you use the printer’s menu screen to print files directly from them. Digital cameras supporting PictBridge printing make this process even easier. Remember that most printers for occasional use don’t support USB Type-C ports.

3. WiFi

The majority of the printers designed for occasional use support WiFi. This lets you connect the printer directly to your home or office network. You have to provide the printer with your WiFi credentials during setup and then you can send printing tasks by downloading software on your computer, phone, or other devices, no physical cable is needed. It’s one of the most convenient ways of wireless printing. WiF-enabled printers provide the best solution to homes and offices with multiple users and devices.

4. Bluetooth

Some printers support Bluetooth connectivity, another wireless printing method. It can be useful for printing directly from your smartphone or tablet where you don’t have a WiFi connection. But Bluetooth often has a limited range compared to WiFi-enabled printers.

5. Max Print Speed

You don’t need a superfast printer for occasional use. However, the printing speed is still very important. Printers for occasional use are generally inkjet printers which are slow at printing but provide better-quality color prints.

The speed of a printer is measured in PPM or Page Per Minute. It determines how fast a printer can print. It’s common for an inkjet printer to have two different PPM ratings. One is for black-and-white printing, and the other is for color printing. Depending on the model, an average inkjet printer can print 10 to 20 PPM in black-and-white while color printers are slower at 5 to 15 PPM speed.

There is another factor that can have an impact on the printing speed, which is duplex printing or two-sided-printing. This printing method requires an additional mechanism to print on both sides of the paper, which might somewhat slow down the printing speed.

6. Input/Output Capacity

The input capacity of a printer refers to the amount of paper it can hold in its paper tray or feeder. For occasional use, a printer with a standard paper capacity ranging from 60 to 100 pages is considered sufficient.

Some printers come with a multipurpose tray or manual feed tray which allows you to print on special media like envelopes or labels. This is a handy feature for occasional printing needs. Some printers also have an ADF or automatic document feeder which allows you to scan and copy multiple pages simultaneously.

The output capacity is the number of printed pages the printer can hold in its output tray before you need to remove them. As a general guideline, ensure your printer’s output tray can accommodate more sheets than you typically print daily. For occasional use, choose a printer with an output tray that can at least hold 50 to 100 printed pages. It’s generally adequate for occasional use.

7. Paper Handling

Make sure the printer you buy supports the page sizes that you frequently use, including standard-size paper, legal size, and other unconventional sizes like envelopes and photo paper. Also, check the printer’s paper capacity to ensure it can handle the volume of printing you require without frequent manual paper feeding.

If you deal with legal-sized papers, make sure your printer can accommodate this paper size because it’s not common for every printer. There are printers with a separate scanner feeding tray that allows you to scan large documents, which can be beneficial for some.

8. Print Quality

The print quality largely depends on the quality of the ink, the printhead, and the driver. However, the print quality is expressed in DPI (dots per inch). The DPI should be your basic lookout.

The DPI refers to the number of individual dots of ink or toner a printer can place within one square inch of paper. The higher the DPI the sharper and clearer the image.

For occasional use, a printer with 300 to 600 DPI is fine for text and basic graphics. But there are printers with higher DPI capabilities. You can find inkjet printers with 1000 or higher DPI resolution. A printer with a higher DPI value will print images with more details and sharpness.

However, it’s not useful for every user. If you primarily deal with texts or simple graphics a printer with low DPI value may still provide you with satisfactory results.

9. Warranty

Warranty is an important consideration when purchasing a printer, even for occasional use. A warranty provides the user protection and peace of mind in case the printer malfunctions during the coverage period.

Most printers come with a standard warranty ranging from 1 to 3 years. This usually covers the defects in materials and workmanship.

Review the warranty terms and conditions before purchasing your printer. This typically covers hardware issues and manufacturing defects. However, most warranties don’t cover consumables such as ink or toner cartridges.

Printers For Occasional Use – FAQs

Conclusion

Having a printer at home or office is essential, even though you only use it on occasion. Whether it’s for printing documents, photographs, or school projects, every house needs a printer at hand. A printer saves you time and money and offers the most convenient way to print anything you need without you stepping out of your house. The inkjet printers are best for occasional use because they are inexpensive, can print almost anything, and their ink doesn’t dry out too soon. While buying a printer for occasional use, you need to consider a few factors like connectivity technology for your convenience, printing speed, and input/output tray capacity.

We hope our buying guide has provided you with all the information that you would need before purchasing a printer for occasional use, and that finding the right printer has been easier for you. However, if you’re still confused, here are our top three recommendations for you.

• If you are low on budget and tight in space, then the best printer for you is the HP Deskjet 3755 Printer model. It has all the features necessary for occasional use, like WiFi, USB, Apple AirPlay, and Mopria print services. It has a slow printing speed of 8 ppm in black and 5.5 ppm in color, which is good enough for the occasional printing of invoices, school projects, and family photos.






• If you want features like Duplex printing to save paper costs then you should opt for the HP ENVY Inspire 7255 Printer series. The printer comes with a decent printing speed and supports wireless printing. Moreover, it has a separate photo tray that supports panoramic photos. Overall, it’s a great printer for light-duty printing and photo-centric environments.






• If you want a simple printer that serves the purpose, then the Canon TS302 Printer is a great budget pick. The simple printer supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB connections. It prints slowly, but the results are well-detailed and accurate in color. It comes with a 60-sheet input tray which reduces the need for manual paper feeding.