Working from a spare bedroom or a converted corner of the dining table changes what a printer needs to do. You scan receipts, copy tax forms, and occasionally print photos for a school project. The right machine handles all three without eating your desk or your weekends. Below, six solid options cover everything from craft-grade sublimation to true portability.
How The Shortlist Stacks Up
Epson SureColor F170 Dye-Sublimation Printer (SCF170 Bundle)
Epson SureColor F170 Dye-Sublimation Printer (OEM)
Epson EcoTank ET-2720 All-in-One Supertank (White)
Epson EcoTank ET-2720 All-in-One Supertank (Black)
Canon Pixma TS6320 Wireless All-in-One
P1 Pro Portable Inkless Thermal Printer
The Picks, Examined More Closely
The Epson SureColor F170 in this SCF170 bundle lands as a real workshop tool rather than a paper-pushing desktop machine. Dye-sublimation printing works by turning solid ink into a gas that bonds with polyester-coated surfaces, so shirts, mugs, and mousepads come out sharp instead of sitting on top like a sticker. You get a full set of starter ink, thermal tape, and both 8.5″ x 11″ and 8.5″ x 14″ paper included, which removes the usual scramble to source supplies on day one.
For a craft business running from a spare room, the 8.5″ x 14″ paper size handles slightly larger transfers without forcing you into a wide-format unit. The bundle also ships with a sublimation starter kit, so a first-time user can test fabrics and blanks before committing to higher-volume production.
What Works In Its Favor
- Bundled ink, paper, and tape cut startup friction for new sublimation users.
- 8.5″ x 14″ paper support beats the standard letter limit on most home units.
- Dye-sublimation output feels soft and permanent on fabric, with no raised texture.
- Compact footprint fits on a small workbench next to a heat press.
Things To Consider
- Limited to polyester-coated or poly-blend blanks, so cotton apparel is off the table.
- Sublimation ink and transfer paper are recurring consumables that add to monthly running costs.
Key Specs
Who It Suits Best
Side-hustle crafters, Etsy sellers, and small-batch apparel shops that need vibrant, repeatable transfers without renting studio space.
Consider Something Else When
The Canon Pixma TS6320 fits better if your priority is sharp photo printing and everyday document tasks rather than fabric and merchandise.
Where the SCF170 bundle leans into supplies, this OEM version of the Epson SureColor F170 prioritizes the box-and-paperwork experience. It arrives factory-sealed from an Epson authorized partner, with the documentation and full manufacturer support intact. For a shop that bills clients for printed merchandise, that paper trail matters when something goes sideways mid-month.
The hardware itself runs on the same compact 8.5″ x 11″ format and uses genuine Epson sublimation ink, which carries OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certification for textile safety. Translation: the ink has been tested against harmful-substance standards, so it suits apparel and gift items that touch skin.
What Earns Its Place
- OEM packaging and documentation preserve the full Epson warranty path.
- OEKO-TEX certified ink supports printing on apparel, mugs, and accessories worn against skin.
- Compact chassis fits a 8.5″ x 11″ workflow without dominating a desk.
Worth Noting
- Bundled starter supplies are slimmer than the SCF170 version, so first-job consumables cost extra.
- Letter-size paper tops out at 8.5″ x 11″, limiting larger transfer designs.
- Sublimation workflow still requires a heat press, sold separately.
Made For
Studio owners and Etsy sellers who want factory-fresh packaging and certified ink for skin-contact merchandise.
Look Elsewhere When
The Epson SureColor F170 SCF170 bundle is a better fit if you need thermal tape, paper, and a starter kit in the same shipment.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 flips the script on ink ownership. Instead of cartridges, it uses refillable ink tanks fed by bottles, which keeps running costs dramatically lower for document-heavy homes. The “supertank” approach removes the small-but-frequent cartridge run that breaks up your week, and the all-in-one chassis adds scanning and copying without a second appliance.
Set in a clean white shell, this version suits a bright workspace or a kitchen counter where you don’t want a black box dominating the room. Wireless connectivity means laptops and phones feed it directly, and the included ink reportedly lasts a long stretch before a refill is needed.
Where It Excels
- Refillable ink tanks sidestep the cartridge treadmill that drives up ongoing costs.
- Built-in scanner and copier consolidate three machines into one footprint.
- Wireless setup works smoothly with phones, tablets, and laptops.
- White finish blends into light-toned home offices and craft rooms.
Trade Offs
- Not built for high-volume sublimation or specialty media workflows.
- Refilling bottles takes a steady hand; spills on the white surface show up immediately.
Feature Snapshot
Right Fit For
Hybrid workers and households that print school forms, tax documents, and casual color pages without wanting to babysit cartridges.
Another Choice May Suit
The Canon Pixma TS6320 serves better when photo quality and a five-ink color system matter more than refill cost.
The black-cased sibling of the ET-2720 reviewed above runs on identical supertank mechanics, refillable ink bottles, and wireless printing. What changes is the visual mood: the dark finish hides fingerprints and dust, which makes it a sensible pick for a busy family desk where multiple people touch the machine daily.
Inside a shared space, the three-function design covers the basics without extra appliances. Scan a permission slip, copy a recipe, print a boarding pass, all from one compact box that sits quietly in the corner.
What Helps Most
- Dark casing forgives smudges in households where multiple people handle the printer.
- Supertank ink system keeps per-page costs low for school and work output.
- All-in-one design removes the need for a separate flatbed scanner.
Honest Caveats
- Print speeds lean toward the modest end compared to laser alternatives.
- Photo output is acceptable but not photo-lab quality.
- No automatic document feeder, so multi-page scans need hands-on page turning.
Best Suited To
Families and shared home offices where a low-fuss, dark-finished machine handles daily mixed tasks.
Where A Sibling Pick Shines
The white EcoTank ET-2720 may suit a light-toned studio better, while the P1 Pro Portable wins for anyone who prints mostly on the road.
The Canon Pixma TS6320 leans hard into the “all-in-one” label. Five individual ink tanks mean black text stays sharp while a dedicated photo blue helps smooth gradients in color prints. Replacing a single empty tank beats tossing a partially-used tri-color cartridge, which keeps waste and frustration low over time.
A 1.44-inch OLED display and a front-facing LED status bar make the machine feel modern without being flashy. You can check ink levels or job status from across the room, and the auto-expanding output tray keeps things tidy when not in use. Mobile printing support means you can fire a document over from a phone while dinner is on the stove.
Useful Strengths
- Five-ink system covers photo blue, which smooths skin tones and skies.
- OLED display and LED status bar read clearly from across a room.
- Individual ink tanks reduce waste and let you swap only what runs dry.
- Auto-expanding output tray keeps the desk clean when idle.
Points To Note
- Ink replacement costs run higher than supertank systems on a per-page basis.
- Photo paper adds a recurring expense for users printing snapshots often.
- Smaller paper capacity than bulk-document machines like the EcoTank line.
Quick Facts
Who Will Love This
Home users who split printing between tax forms and photo projects and want both jobs handled well in one machine.
Swap It Out When
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 (White) is a smarter fit for users who print hundreds of pages a month and care more about refill cost than photo depth.
The P1 Pro drops the traditional inkjet model entirely and prints using thermal technology, the same principle behind receipt printers, but applied to US Letter documents at 300 DPI. That means no cartridges, no ribbons, and no dried-out printheads if you leave the unit sitting for a month. You slide it into a backpack and forget about it until a contract needs signing.
Wireless connectivity covers iPhone, Android, laptops, and PCs through the CamScanner app, which bundles seven filters tuned for receipts, contracts, tax forms, and handwritten notes. Batch printing lets you queue a stack of pages and walk away. For remote workers, traveling nurses, and field consultants, that combination rewrites what “home office” means.
Key Advantages
- Inkless thermal printing removes cartridges and ribbons from the supply list.
- Pocket-friendly size travels in a laptop or carry-on bag.
- 300 DPI output reads cleanly on contracts, receipts, and notes.
- Native CamScanner filters optimize text clarity for common document types.
- Works with iPhone, Android, laptops, and PCs over wireless.
Some Limits To Know
- Thermal paper is a specialty consumable that costs more than standard printer paper.
- Prints only in monochrome, so color charts or photo work are out of scope.
- Not suited for archival documents, since thermal prints can fade under heat and light.
Whose Shelf It Belongs On
Remote workers, traveling professionals, and hybrid employees who print mostly text documents away from a fixed desk.
Skip It When
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 in either color is the better anchor for a stationary home office that needs color, scanning, and copy functions daily.
Factors To Weigh When Choosing Home Office Printer Scanner Copiers
Match The Format To The Output
Pick a printer that prints the sizes you actually use. Most home offices run on US Letter, but craft users often need legal-size or specialty media. Sublimation printers like the Epson SureColor F170 line open up apparel and merchandise printing, while thermal units like the P1 Pro stick to monochrome documents. A mismatch here forces workarounds that eat into your time.
Decide Ink System First
Supertank systems trade a higher upfront cost for cheaper per-page printing, which pays off fast in document-heavy homes. Cartridge-based photo printers like the Canon Pixma TS6320 cost less to buy but more to run, with the trade-off being sharper photo output. Thermal printers sidestep both by using specialty paper that doubles as the consumable, which works well for receipts and notes but not for color projects.
Look At The Three Functions Together
A genuine all-in-one saves desk space, but the depth of each function matters. The EcoTank ET-2720 series prints, scans, and copies without an automatic document feeder, so multi-page scans become manual work. Photo printers may print beautifully but copy slowly. Spec your daily tasks first, then compare machines against those scenarios.
Key Considerations Across These Picks
Where Shoppers Go Wrong
The most common mistake is buying a cartridge machine for high-volume text printing and watching ink costs balloon within three months. Another misstep is assuming “all-in-one” means equal excellence in print, scan, and copy. Each function gets a budget, and trade-offs follow. Measure your monthly page count honestly before deciding which side of the ink-system debate you land on.
When Paying More Pays Off
Higher-tier picks like the Epson SureColor F170 bundle or the OEM version justify the cost through bundled supplies, certified inks, and full manufacturer support. For a casual user, that premium rarely pays back. For a side-hustle or studio, the included paper, thermal tape, and warranty paperwork can offset the difference inside a single quarter of operation.