When you're picking a wireless printer and scanner, the first fork in the road is usually money: do you pay more now for a machine that bundles its own ink supply, or pay less today and handle ink as you go? The HP Smart Tank Plus 651 and the Epson Expression Home XP-4205 land on opposite sides, and both cover the everyday basics of scanning and copying.
Quick verdict
If you print a lot and don't want to think about cartridge changes, the HP Smart Tank Plus 651 earns its higher up-front price with a multi-year ink bundle. If you'd rather keep the initial spend low and still get wireless scanning and copying, the Epson Expression Home XP-4205 is the budget pick. The real difference is about USD 119 at checkout.
At a glance
| Model | Price | Connectivity | Listed features | Relative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP Smart Tank Plus 651 | USD 174.99 | Wireless, USB 2.0 | Scanner, Fax, Copier | |
| Epson Expression Home XP-4205 | USD 56.12 | Wireless | Copier, Scanner |
Where each product wins
- HP Smart Tank Plus 651 wins for heavier printing: the tank-style design bundles ink in the box and adds fax, which can be handy in a home office.
- Epson Expression Home XP-4205 wins for a low entry price and hands-free convenience with voice printing.
Product notes
HP Smart Tank Plus 651 Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank Printer Scanner
The HP Smart Tank Plus 651 is built around not worrying about ink for years. It ships with 3 years of Original HP Ink bottles, rated for 8,000 color pages and 6,000 black pages, and that included supply is a major reason to choose it over a cartridge model. The feature set also includes fax, which can be handy in a home office, and Wireless plus USB 2.0 gives you a wired fallback for more stable office-style printing. The limitation is the higher upfront investment: this is a significant buy, and it makes sense only if you'll actually work through the included ink. If you print only occasionally, you'll be carrying a larger entry cost for a supply that will sit unused.
Epson Expression Home XP-4205 Wireless Color Printer with Scanner and Copier
The Epson Expression Home XP-4205 keeps the starting cost close to the ground, making it an easy pick for a small home office or student desk. Automatic 2-sided printing cuts paper use without manual page flipping, and voice-printing support through Alexa and Siri lets you start a job from another room. Epson's individual ink cartridges mean you replace only the color that runs out, which can make consumable purchases feel more controlled. The limitation is the ink cycle: because this is an individual-cartridge printer rather than a tank system, you'll be managing replacements more often, and heavy-volume users may hit that point sooner. For light or medium printing, that trade-off is easy to live with.
Final choice by use case
Choose the HP Smart Tank Plus 651 if you print multiple times a week and want the convenience of an already-included ink supply. Choose the Epson Expression Home XP-4205 if you want a small upfront outlay and automatic two-sided printing. In short, the HP is the long-haul pick; the Epson is the smart starter.
