Have you just taken up photography? Maybe you’re stepping up to the next level, or possibly you’re still using your smartphone to explore what’s possible. Maybe you aren’t even that serious about photography at all, but you love to document your life as you see it. Maybe your friends and family litter your camera roll and, short of uploading to Facebook and Instagram, you aren’t really sure what to do with them.
The good news is, whatever your ability, whatever the concept behind your shots and however serious you are, the answer is simple - home printing.
Taking charge of your own shots with a nifty home set up is the best way to instantly get gratification - and a little something to decorate the walls too.
Our shortlist of the best budget photo printers gives you the ability to create prints to at least A4 size, as well as smaller 4x6 shots and anything in-between. They’re all simple to set up and use, and honestly, seeing your photos in the tangible print form is one of the best feelings a photo can illicit - take advantage of that feeling and get to work now… it’s going to be a long night, you may need some coffee.
You can obviously spend more if you're looking for an advanced photo printer to use at home, but for our budget list, we've aimed at anything under the £200 mark.
Starting with the very reasonably priced HP Envy 5010, or 5055 in other territories, this is an A4 printer that allows you to also scan and copy - a bonus for productivity. It comes with Wi-Fi, so you can print from your computer, tablet or smartphone and rattle out up to 10 shots per minute.
Best Value
Dominating the lower price points, HP's 7134 is another A4 printer that gives you printing, scanning and photo-copying capabilities. It allows for Wi-Fi printing direct from computers, smart devices and the cloud, but also lets you print straight from an SD card. It creates high-quality prints and can rattle out a colour print from 18 seconds.
Epson's first entry on this list, this A4 printer really looks the business. It can copy and scan, comes with a 10.9cm interactive touchscreen and features a top-loading paper feeder. The 5-colour Claria Premium dye ink set gives great results, while Wi-Fi means you can print from any device with a connection, welcome to the big leagues.
Running into something a bit more capable, this Epson Expression marks the start of our A3 printers. The price is higher, but so is the quality and resolution - it scans and copies too. It offers a large touchscreen, six-colour Claria Photo HD inks and you can use the included Wi-Fi to print from your desktop or use the iPrint or Creative Print apps to print direct from Facebook, create greeting cards and even more.
Yes, this Canon Pixma is tipping the cost scales a bit, but it's a great step up from the A4 printers we've just looked at, perfect if you're serious, but on a budget. It comes with a six-colour ink system, including grey for toning, prints up to A3 and produces high-quality images at a respectably rapid speed. If you want class prints and are willing to speed a little bit more, check this out.
William Lobley is a Content Writer and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in gaming, technology, and the outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.
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