Best RGB Compact Printer: Canon PIXMA TS6520 Leads

The best RGB compact printer for most desks is the Canon PIXMA TS6520, a 15.3 lb wireless all-in-one with duplex printing and a three-year manufacturer warranty. If your priority is portability rather than colour, the 1.3 lb Tatouhom M9 is the alternate pick, though it prints monochrome only and cannot stand in for a colour machine. Compact does not always mean colourful, and this shortlist splits along exactly that line.

Best RGB compact printer at a glance

What buyers compare that does not actually decide it

Most shoppers hunting for the best RGB compact printer compare page-per-minute figures and headline resolution. Those numbers matter for volume work, but they do not decide a small-desk purchase. The real deciders are three: footprint, colour capability, and cartridge economics.

Footprint sets the ceiling on where the printer can live. A 5.55 x 6.97 x 15.9 in HP DeskJet 3755 tucks under a monitor riser. A 9.6 x 15.7 x 16.2 in Xerox C240 does not. Colour capability is a binary in this set: the Tatouhom M9 is thermal and prints black only, so calling it an RGB machine misreads the listing entirely. Cartridge economics decide the long game, because a cheap printer with a two-cartridge hybrid ink system runs a different total cost than a laser with high-yield toner.

Here is the trick with "compact" as a keyword. Amazon returns everything from a 1.3 lb pocket thermal to a 35.9 lb desktop laser, and both are compact in their own category. The reader has to pick the class first.

Note on the keyword itself: none of these listings names an RGB print mode as a specification. Every colour inkjet handles RGB image files as a matter of course, so the qualifier is more about colour output than a specific mode. I have used the word carefully throughout because the input does not verify a dedicated RGB feature on any of the five.

How I screened five listings for a compact desk

I started with the five listings supplied and read every specification and feature bullet against a single question: would this fit and function on a shared home desk. The screening ran in three passes.

1. Class check. Four of the five are all-in-ones or colour printers; one, the Tatouhom M9, is a monochrome thermal. That one stays in the set as the portability pick, but it cannot win a colour comparison.
2. Footprint check. Dimensions were compared directly. The HP DeskJet 3755 has the smallest cabinet at 5.55 x 6.97 x 15.9 in. The Xerox C240 has the largest at 9.6 x 15.7 x 16.2 in.
3. Warranty and recency check. Two Canon models carry a three-year manufacturer warranty and 2025 release dates. The HP is a 2016 model listed as renewed, with a 90-day warranty called out in its own feature bullet.

Those three passes produced the ranking. The Canon TS6520 wins because it clears all three tests, adds duplex printing per the listing, and carries the lowest sales rank in the set at 291 within its category, meaning it moves faster than any other pick here.

1. Canon PIXMA TS6520 — Best overall

A 2025 all-in-one that handles duplex, colour and scanning inside a 15.3 lb cabinet with a three-year warranty.

Best for: a home office that needs colour, scanning and duplex on one desk Skip it if: you print fewer than a dozen pages a month

The TS6520 is the only pick in this set that combines a current release year, a three-year manufacturer warranty and duplex printing in one listing. Its 6.7 x 14.8 x 14 in cabinet is not the smallest here, but it is smaller than the Xerox laser and it earns the space with more functions. Canon lists a two-cartridge hybrid ink system for both documents and photos, and the specification sheet records dual-band Wi-Fi at 2.4GHz or 5GHz. Sales rank sits at 291 in its category, the strongest position of the six, and only one seller lists it, so stock behaviour matters if you need it fast.

Against the rest of this set, its trade-off is weight and running cost. Inkjets need cartridge refills, and the TS6520 is heavier than the HP by roughly three times. For an occasional-use household, that is a lot of hardware sitting idle.

Pros:

• Duplex printing built in per the listing
• 3-year manufacturer warranty, longest here
• 2025 model with dual-band Wi-Fi
• Strongest sales rank in this set
• Two-cartridge hybrid ink for photos and text

Cons:

• At 15.3 lb, three times the weight of the HP
• Inkjet cartridges add ongoing cost
• Only one seller lists it

2. Canon PIXMA TS4320 — Best for families

The entry-priced Canon all-in-one with the same three-year warranty as the top pick.

Best for: households sharing one printer for homework and forms Skip it if: you need automatic double-sided printing

The TS4320 is the sibling of the winner: same 6.7 x 14.8 x 14 in cabinet dimensions, same 2025 release, same three-year manufacturer warranty, and the same two-cartridge hybrid ink system Canon lists across the pair. Weight is not stated on this listing, which is one reason it sits second rather than first. What separates it from the TS6520 is what the listing does not mention: duplex printing is not called out here, and that is the feature that most often decides a family purchase where school printouts and forms pile up.

At the entry price position in this set, it is the cheaper way into the Canon feature stack. Wi-Fi is dual-band per the listing, and scanning and copying come as standard. Sales rank sits at 1,010 in its category, well behind the TS6520 but still active. The trade-off is a plainer feature list for a lower spend.

Pros:

• 3-year manufacturer warranty
• 2025 model, same cabinet as the winner
• Dual-band Wi-Fi per the listing
• Entry-tier price in this set

Cons:

• No duplex printing named in the listing
• Weight not published
• Sales rank well behind the TS6520

3. Tatouhom Inkless Portable — Best budget pick

A 1.3 lb thermal printer for monochrome documents on the move, not a colour machine.

Best for: students and travellers who print black-and-white on the go Skip it if: you need colour output of any kind

The Tatouhom M9 is the lightest and cheapest pick in the set. It weighs 1.3 lb, measures 1 x 10 x 2 in, and prints on 8.5 x 11 in and A4 thermal paper per the listing. Tatouhom describes the connection as Bluetooth via the DocPrinter App, with support for iPhone, Android and tablets. There is no ink and no toner, because thermal printers burn the image onto heat-sensitive paper, and Tatouhom leans on that as the cost-saving pitch.

Two caveats decide the fit. First, this is a monochrome printer, so it does not belong in a colour comparison at all. It earns its place here because a compact-printer search will surface it, and readers deserve to know what they are looking at. Second, thermal paper fades over time, which matters for anything you plan to keep. Warranty is one year. Sales rank sits at 83,390 in its category, the slowest of the set.

Pros:

• 1.3 lb, easily the lightest pick here
• No ink or toner costs, ever
• Prints letter and A4 sheets per the listing
• Bluetooth pairing via a named app

Cons:

• Monochrome only, not a colour printer
• Thermal prints fade over time
• Slowest seller of the five
• 1-year warranty, shorter than either Canon

4. HP DeskJet 3755 — Most versatile

The smallest cabinet in the set, listed as renewed with a 90-day warranty callout.

Best for: a small desk where the printer must double as a scanner Skip it if: you want a current-generation model with a full warranty

The DeskJet 3755 has the smallest cabinet here at 5.55 x 6.97 x 15.9 in, and at 5.13 lb it weighs a third of the Canon TS6520. HP lists it as a compact all-in-one with copy, scan, wireless printing and Apple AirPrint, plus Instant Ink readiness. Quoted speeds from the listing are up to 8 ppm ISO black and up to 5.5 ppm ISO colour, with the first colour page out as fast as 18 seconds. Supported paper covers 3x5 in through 8.5x14 in including No. 10 envelopes.

Two facts frame the pick. The specification sheet lists a 2016 release, so this is the oldest design in the set by nearly a decade. The listing is a Renewed unit backed by a 90-day warranty per its own feature bullet, with the specification page separately noting a one-year limited hardware warranty. The trade-off is real: a smaller, cheaper cabinet at a premium price position, older platform, and a shorter warranty than either Canon.

Pros:

• Smallest cabinet in the set at 5.55 x 6.97 x 15.9 in
• 5.13 lb, second-lightest here
• Handles envelopes and 8.5x14 in paper per listing
• Apple AirPrint support named

Cons:

• 2016 release, oldest platform in the set
• 90-day warranty on the Renewed listing
• Premium price position for older hardware
• Slow sales rank at 54,554

5. Xerox C240 — Best premium

A colour laser with a 2026 release date, aimed at consultants printing up to 1,500 pages a month.

Best for: a home business printing colour reports every week Skip it if: your desk cannot spare a 9.6 x 15.7 in footprint

The C240 is the only laser in this comparison and the heaviest by a wide margin at 35.9 lb. Xerox positions it for consultants and educators printing up to 1,500 pages a month per the listing, with letter speeds quoted at up to 26 ppm and high-yield cartridge support named as the running-cost story. The 9.6 x 15.7 x 16.2 in cabinet is the largest in this set, so "compact" here is relative to office lasers rather than to inkjets.

Wireless is dual-band Wi-Fi with Apple AirPrint and Mopria per the listing, and Xerox names its Easy Assist App for setup. The specification sheet lists a 2026 release, making it the newest listing in the set. Warranty is one year. This is a print-only unit, not an all-in-one, so if you need scanning or copying on the same device, this is not your pick. Sales rank at 39,466 sits mid-pack, and only one seller lists it.

Pros:

• Laser output, colour graphics per listing
• Highest quoted page speed here, up to 26 ppm
• Dual-band Wi-Fi, AirPrint, Mopria named
• Newest listing in the set

Cons:

• 35.9 lb, more than double any other pick
• Print-only, no scanning or copying
• Largest cabinet footprint here
• 1-year warranty, shorter than either Canon

Does a compact printer really do colour well?

Yes, with a caveat this shortlist makes clear. Four of the five picks are colour machines: three inkjets and one laser. The fifth, the Tatouhom M9, is thermal and prints black only, so it should not enter a colour comparison at all. That matters because "compact printer" searches on Amazon mix all four types.

For photo-adjacent work like school projects, greeting cards or product listings, inkjets are the sensible default here. Canon calls out a two-cartridge hybrid ink system on both PIXMA models for sharp text and vivid colour. For business documents where colour graphics need to look consistent page after page, the Xerox C240 laser is the more defensible pick, with quoted speeds up to 26 ppm at letter size.

The compact-printer trap is expecting a colour photo printer inside a pocket-sized cabinet. It does not exist in this set. You either take the desk footprint or you give up colour.

How much space will one actually take?

Dimensions across the five are wider than most shoppers assume for "compact":

• Tatouhom M9: 1 x 10 x 2 in
• HP DeskJet 3755: 5.55 x 6.97 x 15.9 in
• Canon PIXMA TS6520: 6.7 x 14.8 x 14 in
• Canon PIXMA TS4320: 6.7 x 14.8 x 14 in
• Xerox C240: 9.6 x 15.7 x 16.2 in

Two things worth calling out. First, the two Canons share cabinet dimensions exactly, so if the TS6520 fits your desk, so does the TS4320. Second, the Xerox is nearly as tall as the HP is wide, and it weighs 35.9 lb, so the surface underneath it needs to be more than a folding table.

Add clearance. Every printer here needs paper input space at the back or top and output space at the front. The listings do not specify how much, but plan on at least a hand's width above and in front of the cabinet before you commit to a spot.

What the listings do not tell you about ink

The listings across this set are cheerful about ink and quiet about consumables. Here is what you would need to check on the Amazon page itself before you buy.

• Cartridge model numbers. Canon lists a two-cartridge hybrid ink system but does not name the cartridge on either PIXMA page here. Refill costs live on those cartridge model numbers, not the printer specification.
• Page yields. None of the four colour printers publishes a page-yield figure on this specification sheet. Xerox says the C240 "supports high-yield cartridges" without naming a page count. That is the biggest unknown at purchase.
• Instant Ink eligibility. The HP DeskJet 3755 listing names Instant Ink readiness. Whether the plan is still available on a 2016 renewed unit is a question for the product page, not this article.
• Thermal paper cost. The Tatouhom saves on ink and spends on paper. Thermal rolls or sheets are the running cost, and the listing does not quote a price per sheet.

In practice, buy the printer for the cabinet and the warranty, then check the cartridge or paper page before you commit to the ecosystem.

The verdict

The Canon PIXMA TS6520 is the best RGB compact printer to buy first from this shortlist. It carries the longest warranty in the set at three years, ships as a 2025 model, adds duplex printing per the listing, and moves faster than any other pick with a sales rank of 291 in its category. Two conditions flip the recommendation. First, if you need the smallest possible cabinet and can accept a 2016 platform sold as Renewed, the HP DeskJet 3755 fits a 5.55 x 6.97 x 15.9 in slot and covers scanning, copying and AirPrint from a 5.13 lb chassis. Second, if you print colour reports at genuine volume and the desk can hold 35.9 lb of laser, the Xerox C240 delivers quoted speeds up to 26 ppm and high-yield cartridge support.

The runner-up in the Canon line is the PIXMA TS4320, which shares the winner's cabinet dimensions, warranty and ink system for less spend, at the cost of the duplex feature. That is the exact advantage the TS6520 keeps: automatic two-sided printing on a current platform with the longest warranty in this set.

FAQ

Is a compact printer worth it for a home office?

Compact printer designs are worth it when the desk is small and the print load is modest. The Canon PIXMA TS6520 handles document and photo work at 15.3 lb inside a 6.7 x 14.8 x 14 in cabinet, and Canon's three-year warranty softens the running-cost question. Higher-volume home offices printing colour weekly are usually better off with the Xerox C240 laser, footprint permitting.

Does the best RGB compact printer need to be an inkjet?

The best RGB compact printer for photo-leaning work is an inkjet, and both Canon PIXMA models here fit that brief with a two-cartridge hybrid ink system per Canon's listing. For consistent colour on business documents at higher volumes, the Xerox C240 laser is the stronger pick despite its 35.9 lb weight. Choose the technology by what you print most weeks, not by the specification headline.

How does the Canon PIXMA TS6520 compare to the TS4320?

The Canon PIXMA TS6520 and TS4320 share the same 6.7 x 14.8 x 14 in cabinet, the same 2025 release, the same three-year manufacturer warranty, and the same two-cartridge hybrid ink system per Canon's listings. The TS6520 adds duplex printing, which the TS4320 listing does not name. If automatic two-sided printing matters, take the TS6520. If not, the TS4320 sits at the entry price position in this set.

Can a compact printer handle envelopes and legal paper?

Compact printer models vary widely on paper handling. The HP DeskJet 3755 listing specifies support for sizes from 3x5 in through 8.5x14 in, including No. 10 envelopes, so it covers legal and standard envelopes on paper. The two Canons and the Xerox do not publish a paper-size list on the specification sheets provided here, so check the Amazon product page for the exact size table before you commit.

What is the biggest mistake buyers make with compact printers?

The biggest mistake is treating "compact" as one category. This shortlist ranges from a 1.3 lb monochrome thermal to a 35.9 lb colour laser, and both are labelled compact by their sellers. Decide the class first: portable and monochrome, all-in-one inkjet on a desk, or laser for volume colour. Only then compare footprint, warranty and cartridge economics inside that class.

The right compact printer for you starts with two measurements: the free space on the desk in inches, and the number of colour pages you print in a month. Once those two numbers are on paper, this shortlist ranks itself. The Canon PIXMA TS6520 wins the middle of that map, where most home offices live, because it packs duplex, scanning, dual-band Wi-Fi and the longest warranty in the set into one 15.3 lb cabinet on a current 2025 platform. Open the Amazon page, confirm the cartridge model against your budget for the year ahead, and place the order with the desk measurement already done.

Last updated: September 11, 2026. Product availability re-checked.

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