Printers - that are cheap to refill?

[JustOne]

My son needs to print out some of his school work so we need to get a printer

Obviously I'd like to get one that's easy to use/set up but also one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to fill up with ink


Options?



[thanks in adv...] :thup:

 

[Rooter]

You wont go wrong with HP in my opinion. just a quick look on tesco for example, they have the Deskjet 3055A (similar to what i have, colour photos, scan and copy too) for £39.50. Toners (there will be 2x 1 black and 1 colour) using non HP should be sub £20, i found they dont last as long and the fluid level features dont work, so HP original toners should be about £20 for the pair, I think they also do XL cartridges.. i dont bother personally..

When you buy a printer, be aware that most manufacturers will ship them with half full toners, so expect to buy toner sooner than later!!

 

[virtuocity]

Make sure that whatever printer you use that you change the settings when printing to "Fast Draft" or "Economical".

We have an Epson and it's cheaper than our last HP.

 

[Jimbooo]

If black and white is all that's needed, check out some cheap laser printers... the toners for those last yonks. We have a Kyocera Mita I think.

 

[G1BB0]

Epson all day long....

I have the new (ish) wf2530 which I got a couple of weeks back for 55 squid and get a set of compatibles for £8 delivered

bargaintastic :thup:

 

[MattM]

Printer ink is one of the most expensive liquids on the planet so whatever you choose it's going to be more than you want to pay.

For branded inks I think Kodak come out as the cheapest per page, but the printers haven't got the best reputation. I've used some non branded inks, and also refilled cartridges myself but results weren't great so I stick with Canon inks / printer now. I'm on my 3rd Canon printer over about 14 years so happy with their reliability if not the cost of the ink.

A black and white laser is a good shout though if you don't need colour.

 

[GreiginFife]

Kodak. Print quality is very high and ink cartridge replacements are reasonable (in comparison to Epson/HP/Canon etc) and last very well with what I would call moderate usage (I print 5-10 expense forms per week plus what ever the wife prints) last replaced the black 2 months ago and the colour at the start of Sept.

Edit: There are also companies out there that actually refill the existing cartridge. Theory is that you are not buying another cartridge and this is where the money is (control PCB) but not sure what they charge to do this versus the cost of the cartridge.

 

[chris661]

If black and white is good enough a laser is the answer. We have a little hp and for a compatible toner cartridge it will cost me €40 or so and that is good enough for around 2000 sheets roughly.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

I have an Epson, costs me under £6 for a full refill of compatible ink.

Best way is to check out the ink before you buy if you cant find it cheap let me know as I know a good website where I get mine.

 

[palindromicbob]

If the primary use is text based work and not photos then I'd follow Chris and get laser. I've had 3 inkjet printers in the last 7 years and all of them clogged because I wasn't using them regularly. The HP was fine because I just replaced the cartridges and that was the heads sorted but the 2 cheaper ones never printed right after clogging and replacing the heads was to expensive.

I have a colour Samsung laser I picked up from Argos. Used it for my wedding invites and it was also quiet good for some photos on quality plain paper. Used it again after 6 months and it worked the same as the day I first used it. Still plenty of toner left in the starter cartridges and I have printed about 300 pages with it.

Yes toner cartridges cost a lot to replace but they are worth it and last ages. Another advantage is the fact that the don't smudge.

 

[Beezerk]

I asked a similar question recently on another forum I visit, resounding answer was get a Canon.
I did (about £30 or £40) and it's superb, works over wi fi so I can hide it away when not in use.

 

[SyR]

Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a new printer, than just the replacement ink cartridges on their own.