6 Best Printers Under $50 (Budget Friendly & Efficient)

Best Printers Under $50

Many people need a printer regularly, but they do not purchase one because of the norm that printers are expensive. Smashing the widespread belief that printers are costly, many printers in the market are feature-loaded and are available for under 50 dollars. 

There are numerous printers today that focus on users with a tight budget. Either you can surf the web and look for the best printer under 50 dollars, or you can continue reading this article and save time. Here, we have curated a list of some of the best printers under 50 dollars for you. 

Best Printers Under $50 Reviews

1. KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Mini Printer

The first printer on our list of the best printer under 50 dollars is the Kodak Step wireless printer. Manufactured by Kodak, it is meant to be a mini photo printer that can turn your digital photos into printouts instantly. 

The unique selling point of the Kodak Step is its instant photo printing ability. You can connect the printer to any iOS or Android device via Bluetooth or NFC and print your photos directly. It kind of turns your smartphone into a polaroid camera. You can print absolutely anything via the Kodak Step mobile printer, be it photos, selfies, or social media posts. 

The results delivered are excellent. The Kodak Step works on the Zink Zero Ink Technology. It can print only on the Zink glossy photo paper that does not require external ink cartridges, toner, or ribbons to publish.

Zink Zero Ink is a technique that uses sticky-back photo paper coated with dye crystals. It is meant to deliver high-quality results that are affordable and durable. The Zink innovation saves you from the hassles of replenishing ink frequently. 

You can edit your photos via the free Kodak application and add stylish stickers, filters, and borders. You can modify your pics and alter their size and quality to get the best print possible. 

The speed of printing of the Kodak Step photo printer is below average. The printer is too slow and takes about a minute to print a page. Also, the device is not too rigid since it is designed to be portable. Thus, it would help if you were careful while handling this printer. 

Overall, the Kodak Step wireless printer is one of the best printer under 50 dollars for art as well as recreational purposes. Like any other device, it has some flaws, but you get a good deal for its price and portability.

Also, the battery on this printer is decent. You get a rechargeable battery that can print up to 25 photos in one full charge. 

Pros:

  • It is compact and portable. 
  • The print quality is excellent. 
  • You do not have to worry about ink replenishment at all. 

Cons:

  • The body of this printer is weak.
  • Zink paper is not available everywhere. 

2. Canon TS202 Inkjet Photo Printer

Next on the list of the best printer under 50 dollars is the TS202 Inkjet Photo Printer from Canon. It belongs to the PIXMA series of Canon printers explicitly designed to print high-resolution photographs. 

The TS202 is an introductory printer that gets the job done as an entry-level printer. It does not have any multipurpose functionality, which we are excellent with at this price point. Canon has provided a hybrid five-ink system that delivers better than expected results. You get enough detailing on the paper, along with decent color saturation. Small and fine prints are where the printer struggles. 

The TS202 comes with a dedicated rear paper tray which makes stuffing paper easier. You do not have to move or open the printer to insert sheets, and the tray’s capacity is also decent. You can stuff sixty standard sheets or ten sheets of glossy photo paper at a time. The output tray also has the same capacity. 

You get a USB cable included in the package in terms of connectivity. You can connect your printer to any Windows or macOS device through the USB cable. There is no mode of wireless printing on this printer. But moving the printer is not a big deal since it has a compact form factor and is lightweight. 

The Canon PIXMA TS202 is an entry-level PIXMA printer that justifies its price up to a point. If you need an inexpensive photo printer, the TS202 is one of the best printer under 50 dollars. 

Pros:

  • Technical support is excellent. 
  • It is compact, lightweight, and beginner-friendly. 
  • The print quality is good enough. 

Cons:

  • It does not provide good value for money. 
  • There are no wireless capabilities. 

3. HP DeskJet 3755 Compact All-in-One Wireless Printer

Next, we have an all-in-one printer under 50 dollars from HP. The HP DeskJet 3755 can copy, scan, and print wirelessly. This feature-loaded printer has always been a popular choice in the HP printer under 50 dollars category. 

Being lightweight and compact, this printer is designed to save space. HP claims that the DeskJet 3755 is the smallest all-in-one printer globally. It is suitable for small offices and homes where one does not need to print a lot at once but uses a printer daily. The size of the DeskJet 3755 is so tiny that it can practically fit into any corner of your room. 

The print quality delivered by the DeskJet 3755 is excellent. You get high-quality printouts with great details. By tweaking the settings a bit, you can get even better results. HP recommends using only original HP cartridges with the printer. However, it supports generic ink as well. 

The cost of printing on this printer is a little high as it uses too much ink. You can reduce your printing expenses by subscribing to the HP Instant Ink Program. You get ink delivered to your home whenever ink levels are down.

Also, the cartridges are cheaper for subscribing to the program. HP provides four months free trial of the Instant Ink program, which can be continued further by paying a monthly fee. 

In terms of connectivity, you get wireless connectivity with WiFi 5.0. With the HP Smart application, you can print, scan, order ink, and access cloud storage directly from your smartphone. The DeskJet 3755 supports all primary cloud services and is compatible with Windows and macOS. 

Altogether, the HP Deskjet 3755 printer is the best HP printer under 50 dollars because of its wireless capabilities, quality of printing, and size. 

Pros:

  • The quality of printing is excellent. 
  • You get wireless printing for under 50 dollars. 
  • In addition to printing, you can scan as well as copy. 

Cons:

  • The cost of printing is relatively high. 
  • The printer prints a page with all the details about any software update, and there is just no way to stop it. 
  • The printer is not compatible with 5G networks. 

4. Epson Expression Home XP-4100 Wireless Color Printer 

Next on the list of the best printer under 50 dollars is the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 Wireless Color Printer. It is an all in one printer that can scan and copy, in addition to printing wirelessly. 

The Expression series from Epson is meant for printing photos, and so is the XP-4100. The quality it delivers is astonishing. You get rich and crisp images with the perfect amount of detail. The printouts are comparable to those produced by a printer from the near-100 dollars price range.

To ensure high-quality printing even at such a low price, Epson does not let you use generic or other brand ink cartridges with the Expression XP-4100. You can only use Epson cartridges with this printer. 

In addition to excellent printing quality, you get many such features that generally can not be found at such a price. You get support for auto-duplexing, a 2.4-inch color LCD, hands-free voice-controlled printing, and completely wireless functioning. Also, you get a large-sized paper feed tray with a maximum capacity of about one hundred sheets. 

In terms of connectivity, the XP-4100 has a lot to offer. You can connect your printer directly to your smartphone, iPad, or Android tablet. It is compatible with all primary cloud services and operating systems. Wireless printing works on WiFi 5.0, and WiFi Direct is also supported. 

Overall, the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 printer is one of the best all-in-one printers under 50 dollars. You get many modern features along with excellent print quality for a dime. The only area of concern is the build quality of the printer.

Pros:

  • It is a feature-loaded printer. 
  • The print quality is excellent. 
  • You get a lot of connectivity options. 
  • You get a large paper tray and auto-duplexing capabilities. 

Cons:

  • The build quality of the printer is not up to the mark. 
  • It is a noisy printer. 

5. Canon PIXMA TS3520 Compact Wireless All-in-One Printer

The penultimate printer on our list of the best printer under 50 dollars is the Canon TS3520 printer. It is a wireless, all-in-one printer from Canon’s PIXMA series of photo printers. 

The TS3520 is one model superior to the previously mentioned Canon PIXMA TS202 printer. You get better print quality, more features, and overall better performance for a marginal price increase. 

The print quality delivered by the TS3520 is excellent for its price range. The colors are saturated to perfection, and there is a clear distinction among different shades of the same color. Hailing from the PIXMA family of printers, the TS3520 is bound to deliver on the printing quality front. The blacks have depth, while other colors are vibrant and bright. 

The printing speed of the TS3520 is also decent. You can extract a maximum of about eight sheets per minute at optimum settings. It is not the best but certainly not the worst at this price range.

Printing photos and graphics take a lot more time than expected, but the speed of printing while printing text-only documents is good enough. 

Setting up the TS3520 is fluid. You get a lot of connectivity options to go with. There is an option for wireless printing via WiFi 5.0. The printer is compatible with all primary cloud services like Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox. You can connect it to any Windows or macOS system via a USB cable and print. 

The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is one of the best wireless printer under 50 dollars for someone who desperately needs a wireless printer at a low price. The print quality is decent, while other features are also satisfactory. 

Pros:

  • The print quality is excellent.
  • The wireless connectivity works flawlessly. 
  • It is a massive upgrade over the TS202. 

Cons:

  • The speed of printing is unsatisfactory. 
  • The printer is extremely noisy. 

6. Canon MG Series PIXMA MG2525 Inkjet Photo Printer

The last printer on our list of the best printer under 50 dollars is the Canon MG Series PIXMA MG2525 printer. Another printer from the famed PIXMA series is an affordable inkjet printer. 

Designed to print decent-quality photographs, the MG2525 can surprise you with its printing quality. The product does not look that promising, but the quality it delivers is good.

You get sharp images and crisp text. It has a dual-pigment system wherein you get one color ink pigment and one black. Thus, the blacks are deep with a noticeable difference in different shades. 

The maximum printing speed of the MG2525 is eight pages per minute at optimum settings. While it is comparable to other printers on this list, we wish it could have been higher. Since this is not an all-in-one printer, you can expect print quality and print speed department improvements. 

The MG2525 is exceptionally lightweight and compact. It is designed to fit into any corner of your workplace. You can connect your printer to any Windows or macOS device via a USB cable in terms of compatibility. Sadly, there is no support for WiFi or any other wireless printing routine. 

You can print on plain paper, envelopes, cardboard, and even glossy photo paper. Thus, you get a lot of options in terms of print media. Overall, the Canon PIXMA MG2525 is a decent printer under 50 dollars for someone who wants to focus more on print quality and can compromise without other features. 

Pros:

  • The quality of printing is excellent. 
  • The form factor is minimal and space-saving. 
  • You can print on various print media. 

Cons:

  • There is no support for wireless printing. 
  • The printing speed could have been higher. 
  • It does not have a copier or a scanner. 

Are cheap printers worth it?

There can not be a definitive answer to this question because it depends on the user’s needs. Purchasing a cheap printer is worth it for student or home purposes. It is certainly not the correct decision to buy an affordable printer for a professional artist or office purposes. 

Cheap printers get the job done, but you can not expect finesse and sharpness on your printouts. Also, they can not be used under a heavy workload. Whereas if you are a student or need a printer for home purposes, you can get an all-in-one or a wireless printer under 50 dollars. 

Thus, if a cheap printer fulfills your needs, it is worth it. Otherwise, you should push your budget and go for a more expensive printer. 

Verdict

In my opinion, the best printer under 50 dollars is the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 printer. Along with excellent printing quality, you get a lot of features for an unimaginable price. There is support for scanning, copying, and wireless printing. 

The XP-4100 is the only printer with auto-duplexing. It has a large, 100 sheet-capacity paper feed tray. Thanks to wireless printing support, you get a lot of connectivity options. Also, there is support for hands-free voice-controlled printing.

There is no such printer in the market that provides you with so many valuable features at such a price. The only compromises are the build quality and noise levels, which can be ignored, given its features. Thus, the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is the best printer under 50 dollars. 

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Sumit Bagga is a blogger, writer, former music producer and a student of Advertising & Marketing in Commerce. He loves writing how-to guides, product/service reviews stuff.

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