This Printer Type Costs $8 Or Less A Year To Refill - But There's A Catch

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Inkjet cartridge printers have been called a scam, a cartel, and many other hyperbolic and incorrect statements. This burning hatred is, in part, based on how some brands keep finding new, unsavory ways to monetize their products, like HP and its controversial subscription printer. Negative sentiment has been brewing for a while, however, stirred by overpriced proprietary ink cartridge systems that never seem to last as long as they're supposed to. If you, too, long to be free of the "inkjet racket," you'll be happy to know that plenty of printing systems do not use ink cartridges at all, even if they come with downsides of their own.

There are two alternatives to inkjet printers: toner-based laser printers and refillable tank inkjet printers. Laser printers are usually more reliable, as they don't clog up like inkjets do, but ink tanks have the best price-to-prints ratio. According to Consumer Reports, a good-quality tank inkjet can cost as little as $3 or $4 per year, or a little over $10 for a four-color refill — and that's for color printers. 

Black-and-white laser printers come close, with some costing as little as $10 per year, but ink tanks are by far the cheapest option for color printing. Non-ink tank color printers generally cost at least $30 a year, and many will set you back well above $50 annually. These numbers might make an ink tank printer sound like a no-brainer, and perhaps it is. But before you start shopping for one, you may want to be aware of some downsides — including a much bigger cost elsewhere.

If you print lots of pages all the time, and especially if you need multiple colors and high-quality prints, a good ink tank printer is probably the best choice for you. If you print much less frequently, a laser printer may serve you better, as both cartridge inkjets and ink tank printers are subject to clogging. You will need to perform regular maintenance to extend an ink printer's lifespan, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of tank printers. That said, some machines have some self-maintenance functions, making the problem more manageable.

Another downside of ink tank machines, and one that you can't really get around, is the price. If you want a feature-rich model with fast, auto-duplex color printing, an integrated high-res scanner, and good self-maintenance, prepare to spend at least $300 on something like the Brother MFC-T580DW. You will, of course, end up paying way more if you want high-quality prints.

Having said that, it's important to consider just how much you may save over time. An average user may save only $40 a year with an ink tank compared to a cheap ink cartridge machine, but even that could be enough to make the ink tank model cheaper in the long run. The savings will be even better if you print a lot. Of course, this logic only works if you actually need a new printer; if you already have a decent cartridge printer that still works fine, this investment will be a little harder to justify.