Ultimate Guide for  Buying printers in kenya-2021

With thousands of printers from different brands hitting the market selecting the most suitable that fits all your needs can be a daunting task.

By examining the key factors of what need to be considered when buying a printer in Kenya, we have developed a guide to helping you make an informed decision.

Before You Buy a printers here the highlights you should consider

• Your Print Volume and Requirements; Consider how many printouts you have every day. For volume printing you may need a cost conscious printer such as ink-tanks with faster and duplex printing setup.
• Print Speed,- if you do volume printing you will need a faster printer for simple office print out and home printing needs you will need a standard printer
• Number of Users – Network Printers can be used by all computers and Even Phones within the same network therefore suitable for Offices Whilst USB Printers are suitable for single office user and prominent  for Home use
• Color or Black and White Printers, These depends on your printout applications
• Paper Size that you need to print. 

The Printer Technologies that Exist

Cartridge printers– can be cheap to buy up front, but that comes with a huge delayed cost of cartridge replacement.

Laser Printers – Laser printing is a digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs)

Inkjet Printers– Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper and plastic substrates

Multifunctional Ink-Tank Printer- Ink tank printers holds the capability to store large amounts of ink and is recommended for continuous prints

Dot Matrix Printers

Dot matrix printing, sometimes called impact matrix printing, is a computer printing process in which ink is applied to a surface using a relatively low-resolution dot matrix for layout

Inkjet Printing

Advantages of Inkjet Printing

• Great for photos and image-heavy documents. Inkjet printers do a better job of blending smooth colors than laser printers.
• Inkjet printers have a low start-up cost. Printers are less expensive than laser printers and inkjet ink cartridges are cheaper than toner cartridges.
• Inkjets can print onto many types of paper, including glossy photo paper, textured stationery and even some fabrics.
• Almost no warm-up time is needed before printing.
• Inkjet cartridges can be refilled and reused, cutting down on waste and saving money.
• Inkjet printers tend to be smaller, lighter and easier to maintain than laser printers.

Disadvantages of Ink-Jet Families

• Inkjet ink is bit expensive
• Inkjet ink is water-based, so prints are susceptible to water damage and fading.
• Ink cartridges need frequent cleaning. Although printers perform this maintenance automatically, it wastes lots of ink.
• Inkjet printing are still very slow compared to laser printing. High volumes are a challenge with inkjets.
• Some inkjet printers will produce gray, fuzzy text if printing on plain office paper.
• Inkjet printers for home use have low-capacity paper trays of around 50-100 sheets. Output trays are nearly nonexistent. This might be a problem if you print a lot.

Laser Printing

Advantages of Laser Printers

• Laser printers print faster than inkjet printers. They are the best choice or High volume Printers
• Laser printers produce perfect sharp black text. Suitable for offices that do mostly text printing with occasional graphics. Laser printers have quality print outs and handle small fonts and fine lines far better than inkjet.
• Laser printers are better prepared to handle high-volume print jobs.
• Price-by-price comparisons favor laser printers over inkjet printers for documents that aren’t graphically complex. Although they’re more expensive, laser toner cartridges print more sheets relative to their cost than inkjet cartridges and are less wasteful.

Disadvantages of Laser printers

• Laser printers work faster, they take time to warm-up.
• Toner is cheaper in the long run, upfront costs for laser printing are more and Toner leaks are a nightmare.
• Laser printers can’t handle a variety of paper or printing materials like inkjets. Anything heat-sensitive cannot be run through them.
• Home laser printers can handle simple graphics, but smooth photographs are a challenge. If you want to print photos, go for inkjet.
• There are some compact laser printers on the market, but in general, laser printers are bigger and heavier than their inkjet counterparts.

Multifunction Ink tank Printers

These printers come with refillable ink tanks instead of the costly replacement cartridge system.

Advantages of Ink-tanks

• Long term cost of Ink Tank Printers is less:, as mentioned above, ink cartridges can be a bit expensive to afford, The paper yields for the toners is very low compared to Ink tanks Inktanks yield is still  a maximum of 250-700 pages. However, with the ink tank printer, one can easily print around a thousand pages. You can buy them for personal use and let your entire family use it without thinking about any ink cartridge replacement costs.
• Ink doesn’t dry out in Ink Tank Printers: The heads of the ink tanks are made airtight so that the ink-filled inside them neither dry nor evaporates. Due to this reason, it will be possible for you to use the printer all year long without much of a refilling. However, in ink cartridges, if you do not operate the printer frequently, the ink will dry over time, and all your money will get simply wasted. This is the biggest cons of printers with ink cartridges, and ink tank printers help you overcome this problem.
• The ink that is supposed to be filled in the ink tanks is not costly: Even when you print a huge number of pages with ink tank printers, you still do not have to worry about the money that you are required to pay on the ink. They generally come in a set of four primary colors and cost much less than you expect

Disadvantages of Ink Tank Printers

• Savings are realized much later after the printer’s purchase: Initially, you won’t feel like you are saving money with the ink tank printers. Instead, the cost of operating the printer will come out to the same as other types of printers. Additionally, we have also noticed that ink tank printers are generally costlier than other regular printers. For this reason, many people skip buying the ink tank printers as they think that the initial investment is too high for them after comparing it with the cost of other different printers.
• Refilling the tanks of ink can be difficult for some people: when you first get along an ink tank printer, you will be delighted to use it again and again. However, when all of the ink is finished, the tank will require to be filled up. Now since the filling holes in the tank are tiny, you will need to have a lot of practice for the process. Additionally, you might also have to buy separated ink injections to fill without creating a colorful mess around the printer. After all, the ink is hard to get rid of, and it might also stain the table surface that you would have used to place the printer on.
• You will have to purchase four different colors of ink: For an ink tank printer, you will have to buy all the four primary colors of ink and not just the universal one. This is because, generally, ink tank printers have different tanks for different colors. This also requires you to handle and store them safely. Because if you lose or miss any of them, the printing will miss a few colors. Additionally, you have to keep an eye on the ink levels and fill it carefully without drying the ink head.

Dot Matrix Printing

Advantages of dot matrix printer:

1)     Can print on multi-part forms or carbon copies

2)     Low printing cost per page

3)     Can be used on continuous form paper, useful for data logging

4)     Reliable, durable

Disadvantages of dot matrix printer:

1)       Noisy

2)       Limited print quality

3)       Low printing speed

4)       Limited color printing

Our Recommendations

Best Printers to buy in Kenya

When choosing a Printer, there is a variety you can choose from depending on your printing needs. This is a reviewed list of best Printers for a variety of printing needs from Documents to Professional or Monochrome printers.

We highlight a few Best Home Office Printers, Best Small and Medium size Office printers and selected Enterprise printers. We also consider the printing needs like High Quality Photo printing and Drawing too.

When deciding which Printer to Buy, besides the basic features we look for in a printer including print quality and speed also consider the long view. Factors like ink cost, the volume the printer is built to handle, print speed, Connectivity features, inkjet or laser and maybe price.

Inkjet vs Laser Printers, which printer is right for you? We have the following printers in the list.

Why we say they are the best:

Great print quality

• Productivity minded features like an automatic document feeder
• scan/copy/fax capability
• Excellent photo printing thanks to a five-ink tank system.

Best for Medium Business and Offices: High Printing Needs.

The high print quality and speedy two-sided printing got our attention, but the affordable purchase price and low ink costs really sweeten the deal, saving you money throughout the life of the printer.

• Brother Inkvestment MFC-J995DW
• Brother MFC-L2750DW, no color but speedy with clear prints.
• Epson Eco Tank Pro ET-5850
• HP Neverstop Laser 1001nw, high volume text printing.

Best Home Office Printer:

1. Canon Pixma TR8620.
2. Canon Pixma TR8520 Wireless Home Office All-In-One Printer.
3. HP Envy Pro 6452 All-in-One
4. HP Tango X, best for smart homes
5. Brother MFC-J895DW

Best Photo Printer in Bulk:

• HP Envy 7855
• Canon Pixma iP8720

Best Printer for Small Business (Micro office and Small Workgroups): Low to Medium printing requirements

• Brother HL-L8360CDW
• Canon Pixma G7020 MegaTank All-in-One
• Epson EcoTank ET-4760 All-In-One Printer, low cost long term printing.
• HP LaserJet Pro M15w
• HP DeskJet 3755
• Epson Workforce Pro WF-3730

Best HP Home Printers in Kenya

• HP Envy 6055 All in One
• HP Deskjet 3755 All in One
• HP Deskjet 2755 All in One
• HP Envy 6055 Pro All in One.
• HP Deskjet 2130 All in One
• HP Deskjet 2630 All in One
• HP Deskjet 2320 All in One.
• HP Laserjet Pro M102a
• HP Envy Photo 7155 All in One.

Best Under Ksh.8,000: HP ENVY 6055

The HP ENVY 6055 is an all-in-one printer for folks who are on a tight budget for their home or office. This printer still packs plenty of features to keep your home or office productive.

When used with the HP Smart app, this printer lets you use your tablet or smartphone’s camera to scan documents and photos.

The ENVY 6055 has both dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities for easy and fast connection to desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. This printer has automatic double-sided printing to help keep costs down by saving paper and ink.

Best for Photo Printing: HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer. This photo printer connects directly to your phone’s gallery or social media for convenient printing no matter where you are.

The Sprocket uses Bluetooth connectivity and has an ultra-compact design that makes it perfect for taking to parties or family gatherings. You can create collages, photo albums, or other creative projects.

The Sprocket app allows you to customize your photos with text, emojis, and decorative borders for a unique touch.

HP Envy Photo 7155 All in One.

HP’s Envy Photo 7155 being another excellent choice for photo printing. It allows you to print vibrant and richly detailed pictures from a diverse range of sources, including social media platforms and your smartphone’s camera roll.

For connectivity, the Envy Photo 7155 use: Wi-Fi 802.11bgn, USB 2.0, Bluetooth LE, SD card slot too.

As it’s an “all-in-one” device, HP Envy Photo 7155 incorporates the ability to scan and copy documents (and photos) too

Best HP Home Office Printers in Kenya.

• HP Laserjet Pro M102a
• HP Envy Photo 7155 All in One
• HP Ink Tank 315
• HP Laserjet Pro MFP M130a
• HP Ink Tank 415 Wireless
• HP Laserjet Pro MFP M130fw
• HP Laserjet Pro MFP M130nw

The HP OfficeJet 3830 is the perfect choice for those looking for a printer to use in a professional or home office.

Best Portable: OfficeJet 250. The HP OfficeJet 250 portable printer is an excellent choice for mobile professionals and telecommuters. Its lightweight and compact design is tailor-made for storing in a backpack, travel bag, or even in the car for quality printing on-the-go.

This printer has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct printing capabilities for printing from smartphones and tablets with or without an internet connection. The integrated lithium-ion battery and AC power adapter give you multiple power options for printing no matter where you are.

Best Under Ksh.10,000: HP DeskJet 3755.  A great all-in-one printer that doesn’t cost you a fortune. At this pricepoint, the HP DeskJet 3755 has enough features that will suit any home or small office.

This printer can also print directly from a mobile device without an internet connection with Wireless Direct capabilities.

Best Small and Medium Business Printers

HP Officejet 7612wfe All in One

HP Neverstop Laser 1000W printer

HP Officejet Pro 7740 All in One

HP Officejet Pro 7720 WIreless All in One

HP Color Laserjet Pro MFP 180nw

HP Color Laserjet Pro MFP 181nw

HP Laserjet Pro M227sdn MFP

HP Neverstop Laser MFP Wireless 1200W

HP Laserjet Pro MFP M428fdw Wireless

HP Laserjet Pro MFP M428fdw

HP Laserjet Pro MFP M426fdn

HP Laserjet Pro MFP M479 fdn Laser

HP Laserjet Pro MFP M479 fdw Wireless

HP Laserjet Pro MFP M477fnw Color WIreless

Best All-in-One: HP OfficeJet Pro 9015: The powerful, versatile OfficeJet Pro 9015 is the best HP printer for office professionals, telecommuters, and small business owners. This unit features copy, fax, scan, and print capabilities for top-notch performance no matter the project.

Best Laser Printer: HP LaserJet Pro M477fdw. Laser printers offer blazing fast print speeds and high-volume capacity that is perfect for allowing office professionals, entrepreneurs. The HP LaserJet Pro M477fdw has copy, scan, and fax capabilities, making it a productivity hub in your home office or  office.

It features a 50-page capacity automatic document feeder for quickly scanning multi-page documents, and it has a 300-sheet capacity input tray for fewer paper refills.

The LaserJet Pro M477fdw can print up to 28 pages per minute.This printer also has automatic double-sided print capabilities to save paper on large print jobs.

It has both Wi-Fi and direct wireless connections to print from laptops, tablets, and smartphones with or without an internet connection. The 4.3-inch color touchscreen simplifies controls and makes it even easier to print, scan, copy, or fax documents.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9025. HP’s OfficeJet Pro 9025 is definitely among the finest “all-in-one” (AIO) printers you can buy. It’s rated for print speeds of up to 24ppm/20ppm (black/color), and delivers sharp prints at an output resolution of up to 1200dpi.

HP LaserJet Pro M15w( Black and White).

Best Enterprise Printers

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise m553dn

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553n

Best for Organizations: HP LaserJet Enterprise M553dn:

Laserjet Enterprise M553dn is a business-grade printer that is very robust, fast, and capable of regularly handling high-volume printing jobs. It can print from sleep mode in just nine seconds. It supports the fastest two-sided printing in its class.

With two standard input trays having a combined capacity of 650 sheets and a 250-sheet output bin, the LaserJet Enterprise M553dn is truly meant for heavy-duty printing tasks. It has a print speed of up to 40ppm (color and black) and a monthly duty cycle of up to 80,000 pages.

Network admins can use the  ‘JetAdmin’ web app, to manage networked printers, set printing policies, and do a lot more. HP LaserJet Enterprise M553dn uses USB and Gigabit Ethernet for connectivity, with support for mobile printing solutions like HP ePrint included in the mix as well.

Incredible printing speed

Upgradeable memory for better performance

No Support for Wi-Fi connectivity

Epson Printers to Buy in Kenya

Epsons is one of the biggest trusted brands not only globally but in Kenya too. This review focuses on all the best Epson printers you will find in Kenya but only highlight ones that we consider to be the best depending on the printing needs.

So, if you’re looking for a printer for your home or home office, or a heavy-duty office printer for your business (or everything in between), then there is a device that’s ideal for you in this Epson printers compilation

Best Home Epson Printers in Kenya

Best Home Office  Epson Printers in Kenya

Best Small and Medium Business Printers in Kenya

Epson Printers in Kenya

Epson EcoTank L3150 Wi-Fi All-in-One Ink Tank  Wireless Printer   Ksh. 23,000

Epson EcoTank Monochrome M2140 All-in-One Ink Tank Printer  Ksh. 26,500

Epson ITS L3060 WiFi Print Scan Copy Printer  Ksh. 23,000

Epson L382 Multifunction Inkjet Printer  Ksh. 18,500

Epson L4160 Wi-Fi Duplex All-in-One Ink Tank Printer  Ksh. 37,000

Epson L5190 Wi-Fi All-in-One Ink Tank Printer with ADF Ksh. 41,000

Epson L6170 Wi-Fi Duplex All-in-One Ink Tank Printer  Ksh. 46,000

Epson EcoTank L3150

Meet Epson’s next generation, cartridge-free printer. This 3-in-1 is easy-to-use, compact and has Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct capabilities.

Features:  All in One ( Print, Scan, Copy) Coloured ,WI-FI Connectivity

Connectivity:  USB, WiFi, Wi-Fi Direct

Ink Technology:   Dye Ink

Print Speed:  33 ppm(Black)/ 15ppm (Colour)

Printing Resolution:  5.760 x 1.440 DPI

Printer Type: inkjet Printer.

Category: Home , Office

Epson EcoTank Monochrome M2140

This 3-in-1 EcoTank can help reduce your printing costs. It includes a LCD screen, double-sided printing and 250-sheet tray.

Features:  All-in-One ( Print, Scan, Copy) Monochrome ,WI-FI Connectivity

Connectivity:  USB, WiFi, Bluetooth.

Ink Technology:   Dye Ink.

Print Speed:  39 ppm(Black)

Printing Resolution:  1,200 x 2,400 DPI

Printer Type: inkjet Printer.

Category: Home Office, Office Desktop, Office Workgroup

Epson ITS L3060

Ultra-low-cost and hassle-free printing solution for busy households needing a compact 3-in-1 with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct. Cartridge-free printing.

Features:  All-in-One ( Print, Scan, Copy)  , Colored, WI-FI Connectivity

Connectivity:  USB, WiFi, Wi-Fi Direct.

Ink Technology:   Dye Ink.

Print Speed:  33 ppm(Black), 15 ppm Colour.

Printing Resolution:  5,760 x 1,440 DPI

Printer Type: inkjet Printer.

Category: Home, Office Desktop

Epson L382

Multi-function printer with integrated ink tanks for cost-effective and reliable colour printing, copying and scanning.

Features:  All-in-One ( Print, Scan, Copy)  , Colored, WI-FI Connectivity

Connectivity:  USB, WiFi, Wi-Fi Direct.

Ink Technology:   Dye Ink.

Print Speed:  33 ppm(Black), 15 ppm (Colour).

Printing Resolution:  5,760 x 1,440 DPI

Printer Type: inkjet Printer.

Category: Home, Office Desktop

Epson  EcoTank L4160

Meet Epson’s next generation, cartridge-free printer. This 3-in-1 with Wi-Fi Direct is easy-to-use, compact and offers double-sided printing.

Features:  All-in-One ( Print, Scan, Copy)  , Colored, WI-FI Connectivity

Connectivity:  Memory Card, WiFi, Wi-Fi Direct.

Ink Technology:   Pigment black and Dye colour Inks.

Print Speed:  33 ppm(Black), 15 ppm (Colour).

Printing Resolution:  5,760 x 1,440 DPI

Category: Home, Office Desktop

We can’t fail to mention some of the best Epson printers highlights that have a high rating and recommendations.

Best Overall: Epson Expression Premium XP-830

Best Value for Money: Epson WorkForce WF-2760

Best Choice for Photo printing:

Epson EcoTank ET-7750

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830

Epson SureColor P600 Inkjet Printer

Best for Home or Small Office :

Epson EcoTank ET-3760

This all-in-one inkjet printer is very cost-efficient thanks to its outstanding super tank ink system, you will print many pages before the tanks need refilling. Also as a bonus the inks won’t cost much on refill.

It has great connectivity options,  you can print via Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet, and even directly from your mobile device. Also, you can use Epson iPrint app, which allows you to not only print, scan, and copy directly from your smart device but also to perform maintenance tasks like nozzle checks and verifying ink levels.

Epson EcoTank ET-4760 is also worth mentioning.

Best Connectivity Features: Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4720

Black and White Printing on a Budget: Epson EcoTank ET-M1100.

Other Epson printer you might find in the Kenyan market are:

Epson EcoTank L3050 Wi-Fi All-in-One Ink Tank  Ksh.22,000

Epson EcoTank L455 All-in-One Printer  Ksh.36,500

Epson L1300 A3 Ink Tank Printer Ksh.63,000

Epson L1455 A3 Wi-Fi Duplex All-in-One Ink  Ksh.115,000

Epson L1800 A3 Photo Ink Tank Printer  Ksh.75,000

Epson L3111 EcoTank Printer All-in-One   Ksh.17,500

Epson L565 Wi-Fi All-in-One Ink Tank Printer  Ksh.38,000

Epson L6190 Wi-Fi Duplex All-in-One Ink  Ksh.55,000

Epson L805 Wi-Fi Photo Ink Tank Printer  Ksh.37,000

Epson L850 Photo All-in-One Ink Tank Printer  Ksh.48,000

Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Inkjet Printer Designer   Ksh.22,000

Epson M3170 EcoTank Monochrome Wi-Fi Ksh.40,000

Shop for printers and Printing Supplies from TDK solutions Limited; we feature top trending Printer products from top brands such as HP- (Deskjets and Inkjets) / Epson –Eco tank Printers and Dot Matrix Printers, Canon’s Pixma Ink tank Printers and Kyocera Workforce Printers