Best Printer for Infrequent Use

Despite numerous tech-based ways, your bossy boss wants you to print your documents and adopt a traditional office working style, right? Thus, these interval-based orders put you in a condition to buy a printer that can cost you less.

Consequently, if you are a student or a parent who is bombarded with the teacher’s bundle of assignments to print every week or two, you probably in a confused state to handle this up and down situation, see also how laser printer work.

Similarly, what if your boss or your child’s teacher asked to make prints of the respective work so, he or she can either appreciate your working potential or just punish your child for not doing the task.

A stressful situation, for obvious!

There might be other reasons as well that could lead you to have a silent companion placed at the corner of your home or office to help you tackle various situations.

For instance, defining your future as a printer owner, a terrifying incident would be a ‘Drying Out’ of a printer’s cartridge (the only helpful integration that makes a printer–”A Printer”).

Yup, that’s right!

Plus, you would have to run to the market in an urgent situation and spend more bucks buying these pricey cartridges.

However, you can also go for inexpensive printer cartridges that could end up compromising the working capacity of your printer in the long run.

Moreover, in this tech and a busy world, you might find it hard to keep using your printer to avoid drying its ink.

See how your printer misses you! Jokes apart, let’s come to the actual point. Therefore, there’s good news for you! Any guesses, oh my bad, you guessed already.

So, I have collated a list of the best printers for infrequent use to help you deal with unexpected orders from your boss or your child’s teacher.

All the printers added in today’s review are well-researched to identify specific properties for infrequent use. The printers mentioned below don’t bother you in terms of functionality, even if you use them after a period.

Now, let’s get your hands on the 6 best printers for infrequent use.

 

Name	Feature
HP Office Jet 3830 Printer (Editor’s Choice)	Wireless printing, AirPrint, touchscreen.	Check Price
HP Office Jet Pro 9015 Printer	Print remotely using HP Smart app.	Check Price
HP LaserJet Pro M29w Printer	Print speed 19 ppm, Scan files directly to PDF.	Check Price
Brother L2350DW Printer	Print wirelessly from your desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet.	Check Price
Canon G3260 Printer	Print both documents and photos on a variety of paper types.	Check Price
Dell E310DW Printer	Print up to 27 pages per minute.	Check Price

 

1. HP Office Jet 3830– All-in-One Wireless Printer

For starters, we have the printing giant HP. So, if you’re debating a good printer for your infrequent printing needs, then the HP office Jet 3830 fits the bill.

The 3830 printer has a hassle-free and intuitive installation process. The printer comes in black color with a sleek design and compact footprint that can easily fit your desk and even merge with your home decor.

The 2.2-inch touch screen on the front is the printer’s prime interface which is quite responsive. Like other HP printers, the Office jet has a glass scan bed that can scan up to A4-sized pages.

Besides, the printer has an ADF at the top, scanning up to 35 pages once prompted. You can scan documents to multiple devices, whether to a phone using HP smart app or to your PC using HP easy program.

What’s more, the app saves time and hassle with the option of combining multiple scanned pages as a single document or PDF.

As with other HP printers, you can also use the flatbed to make as many as 50 copies at a time and even send faxes. It also has a USB port in case you decide to skip the wireless connection this one time.

The Office jet provides a decent monochrome output at 8.5 ppm, which is relatively good for an inkjet. The colored prints come up at 6 ppm, which are crisp and bright.

The only downside is the open paper tray. I live in a dusty environment, and I felt that the paper sitting in the tray for an idle period caught the dirt.

However, this isn’t as big of an issue and not enough reason to leave the HP office jet 3830. So if you’re looking for a decent printer that can print well and has a document feeder – I would recommend the 3830 any day.

 

 

2. HP Office Jet Pro 9015– All-in-One Wireless Printer

HP has always been a premier player in the printing industry. Whether you’re looking to invest in a small home printer or want one for your office – HP has got you covered.

With an integrated printer, scanner, copier, and fax system, the HP 9015 is everything you need from A to Z. The installation is pretty easy with an adjustable touch screen and simple app setup, and you can start printing wirelessly in a matter of minutes.

You will get top-notch, crisp monochrome prints for your assignments or office documents and colored printouts for flyers, cards, labels, and posters for everyday usage.

Speaking of prints, it has a faster output at 22 ppm, and the ink cartridge yields 2000 neutral-colored pages and 1600 colored ones. And for infrequent usage, it would last you a long time.

On top of that, the HP app predicts when you need a replacement cartridge and sends them over, even before you notice you’re running out of ink.

What’s more, you can save money and time with HP’s instant ink program, which can save you many bucks in the long run.

If this wasn’t enough, the office jet pro is a smart printer. Albeit smart is the new cool, but the 9015 truly has those Smart features that enable me to get my tasks done faster and eliminate stressful situations in day-to-day operations.

There are times when you’re short on deadlines, and wireless connectivity gives you a hard time. However, we have good news! You no longer have to face this with the HP 9015 because it comprises “self-healing wireless connectivity.”

What does that mean? This means that in situations when you face connectivity issues, the printer will fix itself. You read that right!

With all its modern-day features, this printer performs quite well, is a bargain for the price, and I cannot recommend it enough.

However, I’m still on the fence about certain factors, such as the touch screen I mentioned earlier, displays off-and-on erratic behavior.

And while you can scan documents directly, it has issues scanning to a USB drive and cannot be assigned through the smart tasks menu.

 

 

3. HP LaserJet Pro M29w– Wireless Laser Printer

Another HP clan member – The HP LaserJet Pro M29w, is a reasonably priced laser printer. You cannot ignore HP’s goodwill while deliberating over printer brands. The market leader has built a good repo with its laser and inkjet printers alike.

The HP LaserJet Pro M29w is a multifunction printer that lets you print, copy and scan documents.

This model comes primarily in a classic white color which looks elegant resting on any space. With a tiny footprint, this neat-looking machine is also the world’s smallest laser printer.

According to the HP website, the M29w is 30 percent smaller in heft and girth than its predecessor. The setup is also quite simple for a LaserJet, and it will start working in no time.

What’s more, it passes the muster of infrequent usage as it’s ideal for people who need to print fewer than 1000 pages each month.

Thanks to the mobile printing technology, you can scan your documents on the go with your Smartphone and print from the Cloud with your preferred apps such as google drive, Dropbox, or iCloud.

For increased productivity, laser technology also enables you to print fast with a speed of 19 pages per minute, with the first output in your hand in less than 9 seconds. As far as the results are concerned, the m29w churns out decent black printed copies.

Although it lacks the touch-screen, you can always use the HP app to carry out tasks, simplifying copying and scanning with a single touch. Besides, this is a no-nonsense, noiseless printer that gives you results without warming up its gears as with other inkjet printers.

So should you buy the HP laserjet pro M29w? I’d say if you’re homeschooling your kids or working from home and need your documents and assignments printed now and then. I recommend you get your hands on this HP laserjet printer for infrequent use.

 

 

4. Brother Compact Monochrome L2350DW–Wireless Printing

Quick Overview

As the name implies, The Brother compact L2350WD is a small laser printer that offers wireless printing through your smartphone or laptop. At first glance, you notice the unique gray-colored prosaic design that gives it a 90s vibe.

Funnily enough, this compact plastic printer weighs a ton, so you have to be mindful of the placement. The machine’s primary interface is a single-line LCD screen that sits at the top, consisting of simple menu navigation.

Moreover, the device installation was a breeze, and the printer was up and running in no time. Once setup is complete, you can link it with any device that supports a Wi-Fi connection, whether a laptop, PC, smartphone, and even a Linux computer.

The L2350DW comes with two paper trays, each with a capacity of 250 sheets. In addition to this, the second paper tray can handle envelope-sized sheets as well, which comes in handy if you want to print it for your office use.

The slanted output tray has the full capacity 100 printed pages, which practically helps as the L2350D churns out prints with speed.

Another feature that takes an edge over other inkjet office printers is the ink, which prints around 1200 dual-sided pages before it runs out, ultimately reducing printing costs.

I particularly enjoyed the voice control feature that offers pairing with Alexa to carry out routine printing tasks.

So what are the cons to this Brother printer, you ask? If you want an all-in-one printer to save you the inconvenience of getting different devices, you may want to skip on this.

Although it lacks a scanner and a copier, it’s agreat printer for the price. All in all, the L230DW will fulfill your need for an infrequently used efficient printer that produces sharp, high-quality black prints every time.

 

 

5. Canon G3260 Wireless Supertank Printer

Whether you bought a camera, scanner, or printer -Canon has been a household name for decades. Keeping up to its name, the Canon has various choices for a personal printer.

So, if you want to avoid the hassle of going out for your infrequent printing necessities or wish to update your office or home printer – the G3260 is the answer.

The G3260 all-in-one wireless printer keeps affordability in check while allowing you to print effortlessly on the go. The printer comes with a refillable ink tank system that churns an output of 6000 black and 7700 dyed pages with a solo set of ink bottles.

You can also save up to $1,175 each year, as it yields results that are 30 times more than what you get from a standard print cartridge.

With this canon printer, you can boost your productivity by printing, scanning, and copying on different types and sizes, including plain paper, documents, cards, and envelopes. Also, you can enjoy consistent borderless printing if that’s your thing.

Although it has a slightly broader LCD than what you find on the Brother L2350DW, I would have liked it better if it were more intuitive and user-friendly. However, the integrated ink tanks are not only simpler to fill; you can also easily see how much ink you have left.

Last but not least, this canon printer comes with two bonus ink bottles, which will be pretty useful if, out of the blue, you realize there’s no ink and you have a deadline at hand.

So is the Canon G3260 the best printer for you? My two cents – if you aim to use everything, including the copying, scanning, and wireless printing, and save the hassle of running out and about for your needs, the G3260 seems to live up to our expectations with the brand is a pretty good choice.

 

 

6. Dell E310DW– Wireless Monochrome Printer

The Dell E310DW is an average-looking laser printer. Whether you keep it in your office or at home, this fun-sized machine will fit on any desk surface and is light enough to be carried around your working space.

Also, if you’re on a tight budget, you should consider this Dell model. It’s reasonably priced, and the features are good value for money.

Although the printer delivers ordinary black graphics and photos, the text output is pretty good for day-to-day use. It prints at a good speed and will supply 27 pages per minute, and saves a bundle on paper with duplex printing.

Besides, it has a variety of connectivity options, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi direct. However, if you wish to use the Ethernet ports or the USB one day, it is possible with the Dell E310DW.

Having said that, I prefer using it with the mobile printing feature as this is the part where the printer really excels.

It lets you connect to your laptop and Android or iOS-enabled smartphones and manage your printer using the Wi-Fi direct or Wi-Fi connection.

If you wish, you can connect the printer with your iCloud app and access it with ease, wherever you are.

Now coming to the issues, the Dell E310DW is relatively slower than its competitors and has a lower text quality compared to other laser printers.

While I would not recommend the print for formal documents, it does a fair job at delivering outputs for at-home assignments or individual use.

Also, its paper handling capability deserves a mention that it can load 250 sheets at a time. Although it has some minor glitches here and there, I would still recommend the E310DW for infrequent personal use, first for the price and secondly for its dual printing.

 

Buying guide–Un ultimate route to best printer for infrequent use

Let’s break your scrolling!

I know you might be aware of your exact requirements related to a printer. However, few factors are essential to understand before buying a perfect companion for your office or college chores.

Therefore, when it comes to choosing a laser or inkjet printer, it’s important to differentiate between the two as laser printers are more expensive than inkjet ones.

The plus point of a laser printer is that its toner cartridge doesn’t dry than an inkjet printer’s ink that dries more often.

Thus, considering an expensive machine for the long run might not be a bad idea. But, keep track as the prices of the laser printers may get down really soon.

Moving to the most common factor yet essential to highlight is the color scheme you are going to print through the printer.

So, ifyou are up for monochrome (white and black) printers or color printers, make sure the monochrome prints are less expensive and extravagantly sharp. On the contrary, color prints may aim to empty your pockets.

Moreover, the paper holding capacity defines the printer you should buy. For instance, if your office work is to print documents on A4 size paper, then buying a regular sized printer will be the better choice, and you wouldn’t have to fill the paper tray every time you went to use the printer.

Lastly, how can we forget about the connectivity options right? As the era you and I live, is getting even advanced to avoid all the possible hassles in our ways. The wired connections are way too close in, causing irritation in the meanwhile.

Subsequently, most people tend to use wireless connections to reduce the hectic of connecting the printer through wires. Therefore, most adapted ways to connect the printer wirelessly with devices include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi direct.

Also, these wireless connections help you to operate your printing process more easily and quicker. Thus, don’t opt for a printer that lacks wireless connectivity options and works only on one or two alternatives.

 

FAQs

Which printer is easy to set and use? 

Among all the mentioned printers, the simplest printer to use is HP Office Jet Pro 9015 that easily sets up and gives quick prints within a limited price range. It also scans great and has apps for mobile devices and computers to ease setting up the machine, and you can easily connect wireless printer.

Can I use an ink tank printer for occasional purposes? 

Ink printers are usually not common as far as it’s concerned about the occasional purpose because the cartridges used in these printers might get dry, leaving the cartridges of no use (if not used more often). The plus point is that you wouldn’t have to spend more money than buying toners.

Should I opt for a laser printer for infrequent use? 

Yes, in fact, laser printing is quite affordable, and the laser printer prints more heavy pages within less time, making it a suitable choice for infrequent purposes.