Budget printer with low ink cost (1 Viewer)

[Jim517]

We're looking for a cheap printer with low ink cost, less than $100. Any recommendations ? Thanks.

 

[Lord Dalek]

If you want a low ink cost printer, don't bother with one for under a 100 dollars. Consider an Epson Ecotank instead.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Do you need color? If not, I would look at a laser printer instead of any ink jet. You should be able to get a Brother brand for around $120, and 3rd party toner cartridges are much cheaper and last longer than ink cartridges - - plus they don't dry out.

 

[DaveF]

Best printer 2023: just buy this Brother laser printer everyone has, it’s fine

Do you really want to think any more about printers than this?

www.theverge.com

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I'm not sure why anyone would manufacture ink-jet printers anymore. They once were 25% of the cost of a laserprinter, but that's not true anymore.

 

[JohnRice]

I haven’t owned an inkjet in at least 15 years. Once I could get a laser for $100 and generic toner for $15. I do prefer HP printers though.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I just went over and checked at Amazon. It appears nobody makes a monochrome (black and white) ink jet printer anymore. All ink jets shown were for color printing.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I bought my Canon d1120 back in 2010 for $395, and it's still going strong. Equivalent models now being sold with full-up scan capabilities (Canon MF455dw) go for $280. The sheet feeder on the d1120 is failing now but I can still scan manually.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I haven’t owned an inkjet in at least 15 years. Once I could get a laser for $100 and generic toner for $15. I do prefer HP printers though.

We have two HP laser printers, and one Brother. All three work well, and I can find inexpensive 3rd party toner cartridges for all of them.

I still have a Canon i860 color inkjet printer, but it rarely gets used, and once it dies I will not replace it. Whenever I need to print photos, it's almost always an enlargement and I use an online printing service.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Even if you must have color printing, laser *might* still be the way to go these days unless you definitely need photographic printing... although the initial cost won't be cheap and they are bulkier and heftier than B&W lasers (though probably not quite as much as they used to be).

I went w/ an Oki-Data MC362w color AIO laser some years ago, and that may have been the cheapest ever, decent quality color AIO laser (at well under $300 when I bought it from Amazon)... though it's definitely a tad finicky (and the OEM toners are very expensive, but 3rd party toners are readily available and reasonably priced). I/we don't print much and didn't need it for photo printing, so it served us fairly well despite its finicky-ness (mainly w/ it staying online and readily accessible over wifi networking). Like all color AIO lasers of that era, it's definitely a beast -- it's about as big and heavy as many decent, 12"-or-so subwoofers (in say the $600-1K range)...

Not sure if Oki still makes any similar, entry level-ish models nowadays, but if not, I'd probably look into Brother's offerings. HP should, of course, also be worth checking as well though they'll probably be more expensive than Brother...

_Man_

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Searching around I found an older Canon laserprinter model MF3010 is being sold for as low as $80 with toner cartridge. Just do a search on the model number. The user manual has a copyright date of 2013 so it's been in production for a decade. I don't know anything about it other than the cheap price for a printer/scanner laserprinter.

Canon ImageClass MF3010 review: Canon ImageClass MF3010

Canon ImageClass MF3010

www.cnet.com

Canon imageCLASS MF3010 Review

The Canon imageCLASS MF3010 is a budget all-in-one monochrome laser printer. It has a basic flatbed scanner with no automatic document feeder or duplex scanning ...

www.rtings.com

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Best printer 2023: just buy this Brother laser printer everyone has, it’s fine

Do you really want to think any more about printers than this?

www.theverge.com

This is the one we have and it works just fine. It’s our first laser printer. We previously had inkjets but the problem always was that we could go months without printing and the ink would just dry up from bring unused for so long. We got this printer a couple years ago and whether we use it frequently or infrequently, it just snaps into action when you ask it to print something with no hassle or fuss.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Another option, if you also need a scanner, would be this HP Laserjet M29w multi function printer for around $150 at Amazon (refurbished). It has a small footprint, too. I bought one for our South Carolina condo, where my desk space is limited.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Look, Laser printers can get very expensive if you're planning on printing more than just text. The low end ones are not designed for photos or art at all.

I'm gonna say it again...you want a reliable inkjet with the cheapest ink cost per yield? Get an Epson.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Jim never came back to tell us his requirements.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Look, Laser printers can get very expensive if you're planning on printing more than just text. The low end ones are not designed for photos or art at all.

I'm gonna say it again...you want a reliable inkjet with the cheapest ink cost per yield? Get an Epson.

Most of us were working on the premise "if you do not need color" (I even stated that in my first post). Laser printers are much more practical as long as you do not need to print photos and are okay with black and white. If you just need to print photos just occasionally, using a printing service is also more practical. Photography is a long time hobby of mine, and I rarely use my ink jet printer. As @Dennis Nicholls said above, the OP has not returned to this thread to answer our requirements questions.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

It really all depends when it comes to color printing (w/ laser), eg. exactly how much/often and what kinds you want/need...

But sure, if you want/need color printing quite often or the like, inkjet may still be best for that, especially if photo quality is desired.

I don't print often and only print in color very sporadically and have no problems at all w/ the costs (of 3rd party toners for my Oki laser). For the very infrequent printing I do, inkjet would never work well. Been there, done that, and probably never again... especially since I also often enough want/need the prints to be laser quality when I do actually print, not inkjet quality. Inkjets are just much more fussy in general to boot.

IF I ever get another inkjet, it will likely only be if I ever want to get into frequent large format printing of photo enlargements or the like -- yes, I had previously considered that on and off in the last couple decades, but find I just don't have enough desire/need for that...

Anyway, if color printing (of any kind) is not needed/desired at all, then definitely just go w/ B&W laser.

_Man_

 

[Clinton McClure]

The big problem with all-in-one inkjet printers is they perform maintenance cycles (spit/wipe/cap) every so often, even when sitting idle, so the dies on the printheads don’t end up with clogged nozzles. Even if you don’t print very much, the printer is still using small bits of ink that add up over time. I have an HP that was supplied by my job and it uses ink at about the same rate as other HPs, Epsons, and Canons that I’ve used in the past. The ink all seems to cost about the same as well. Sorry, I don’t really have any suggestions there.

Color laser printers are really the best way to go if you don’t need a built in scanner. It’s a higher cost up front but it pays for itself over time.

 

[Dennis_H]

I have a Brother HL-L3290 color laser that I got about a year ago as a refurb. Is not great for photography printing, but for all general purpose stuff, it has been great. It has a scanner, but no auto feed. I scan very little, so it is fine. No fighting with ink clogs. It just works. Also easy to print from phone. Check brother refurb page. https://www.brother-usa.com/promotions/refurbished#sort=relevancy&f:productcategory=[Laser Printers]

 

[BobO'Link]

Brother makes a good color all-in-one laser (actually LED - but it's essentially the same). Printer is ~$500 and a full set of *high capacity* toner (1 black, 1 cyan, 1 yellow, 1 magenta) will set you back ~$500. Overall cost per page is a bit less than with an ink jet printer.

Brother MFC L3780CDW Wireless Digital Laser Color All In One Printer With Refresh EZ Print Eligibility - Office Depot

Best for Small Businesses the Brother MFC L3780CDW wireless multi function digital color printer with copy scan and fax functionalities consistently produces pristine laser quality output on every page.

www.officedepot.com

People I've talked with who do lots of photo printing say ink jet printers do better for that purpose but I don't like them at all due to overall expense and the high likelihood of clogged print heads at some point. Depending on the model, clearing a head clog can be quite expensive.

Because of recent comments by the CEO of HP I would not recommend one of their printers at all - ink jet or laser.
source: https://www.wired.com/story/hp-ceo-ink-cartridge-hackers-dynamic-security/

It's important to protect our IP. There is a lot of IP that we build in the inks of the printers, in the printers themselves ... And what we’re doing is, when we identify cartridges that are violating our IP, we stop the printer from work[ing].

Basically - don't buy HP ink/toner and they'll brick your printer. They've done this with some already.

This is something we announced a few years ago that our goal was to reduce the number of what we call unprofitable customers. Because every time a customer buys a printer, it's an investment for us. We're investing [in] that customer, and if this customer doesn’t print enough or doesn’t use our supplies, it’s a bad investment.

They sell the printer below cost and expect you to be a cash cow by purchasing their overpriced ink/toner. They push a subscription model for ink/toner to try and lock you in forever. It rarely works to the consumer's benefit.