Printer: How to Buy the Right One
The price on the box is the least important number when buying a printer. What actually drains your wallet is ink or toner over the years you own it, and manufacturers know it — the cheapest printers are often the ones designed to sell you the most expensive cartridges. Buy on cost per page, not sticker price.
Key takeaways
- Cost per page (ink / toner) is a priority — see why below.
- Inkjet vs laser is a priority — see why below.
- Tank vs cartridge ink system is a priority — see why below.
- Decide the job first, then buy the minimum that does it well for the next few years.
This is the classic razor-and-blade trap: a printer sold near cost so the maker profits on the consumables forever after. A bargain inkjet can cost more to run in a single busy year than a pricier model with affordable ink or a refillable tank. Before you compare features, look up the cost per page for the cartridges or toner each printer uses — that single figure separates a genuine bargain from a money pit.
Once cost per page is in view, the big decision is inkjet versus laser, and that comes down to what and how much you print. Laser excels at fast, crisp, low-cost text in volume; inkjet handles colour and photos better and costs less up front. Add the practical questions — single-function or all-in-one, wireless and duplex — and you can buy a printer that's cheap to live with, not just cheap to buy.
What actually matters when buying a printer
Cost per page (ink / toner)
This is the number that decides the true cost of ownership, and it's the one shoppers skip. Divide the price of a cartridge or toner by the pages it yields to get cost per page, then multiply by how much you print. A cheap printer with pricey, low-yield cartridges can cost far more over a year than a dearer model with affordable ink. Look up real-world page yields before you buy, not the printer's sticker price.
Inkjet vs laser
This is the fundamental fork. Laser printers fuse toner powder for fast, sharp, smudge-proof text at a low cost per page, making them ideal for documents and higher volume — and the toner doesn't dry out if left for weeks. Inkjets lay down liquid ink, handling colour and photos far better and costing less up front, but per-page costs run higher and unused cartridges can clog or dry. Match the technology to whether you mostly print text or colour and images.
Tank vs cartridge ink system
How a printer holds ink hugely affects running cost. Refillable tank systems (often branded EcoTank or similar) ship with bottles of ink you pour in, slashing cost per page and suiting anyone who prints a lot — they cost more up front but pay back quickly. Standard cartridge printers are cheaper to buy but pricier to feed. If you print regularly, a tank model usually wins on long-run economics; for very light use, cartridges are fine.
All-in-one vs single-function
An all-in-one adds scanning, copying and often faxing to printing, which most homes and small offices want — a built-in scanner is invaluable for paperwork and rarely costs much more. A single-function printer can be a touch cheaper, faster and more compact if you genuinely only print. Decide honestly: most buyers benefit from the scanner, but don't pay for fax and document feeders you'll never touch.
Wireless & mobile printing
Modern printers connect over Wi-Fi so any device on your network can print without cables, and mobile standards like AirPrint and Mopria let phones and tablets print directly. Confirm the printer supports the platforms your household uses, and check that setup is straightforward — a flaky wireless connection is a daily source of frustration. A wired USB or Ethernet option is a useful backup if your Wi-Fi is unreliable.
Duplex (two-sided) printing
Automatic duplexing prints on both sides of the paper without you flipping the stack, halving paper use and making documents look more professional. It's a quiet money- and waste-saver if you print multi-page documents often. Some budget models offer only manual duplex, which is fiddly. If you print reports, handouts or anything lengthy, automatic two-sided printing is worth seeking out and barely affects the price.
Duty cycle & speed
Print speed (pages per minute) and the monthly duty cycle — the volume a printer is built to handle — matter most for busy households and small offices. A printer pushed well beyond its rated duty cycle wears out sooner. For light home use these figures are rarely a constraint, so don't overpay for an office-grade workhorse you don't need; for steady volume, choose a model rated comfortably above your typical monthly page count.
The jargon, decoded
Specification sheets are full of terms designed to sound impressive. Here is what the ones that matter actually mean in plain language.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cost per page | Cartridge or toner price divided by its page yield. The single best measure of what a printer truly costs to run. |
| Inkjet | A printer that sprays liquid ink. Best for colour and photos; lower up-front cost but higher cost per page. |
| Laser | A printer that fuses toner powder. Fast, crisp text at low cost per page; toner doesn't dry out if unused. |
| Ink tank / EcoTank | A refillable reservoir filled from ink bottles. Higher up-front price, far lower cost per page for heavy use. |
| All-in-one | A printer that also scans and copies (and sometimes faxes). The common choice for homes and small offices. |
| Duplex | Automatic two-sided printing, halving paper use and giving documents a more professional, finished look. |
How much should you spend? Budget tiers
There is no single 'right' price — only the right price for what you need. These tiers show what your money realistically buys.
| Tier | Typical price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $60 – $120 | A basic cartridge inkjet all-in-one for occasional home printing and scanning. Fine for light, infrequent use — but watch the cost per page closely, since the cheapest models often pair with the priciest ink. Best for those who print only a few pages a month. |
| Mid-range | $150 – $350 | The value zone: either a refillable ink-tank printer that's cheap to run for regular colour and photo printing, or a monochrome laser all-in-one for fast, low-cost text. Add automatic duplex and reliable wireless here. This tier usually delivers the lowest long-run cost for steady users. |
| Premium / office | $400 + | Colour laser all-in-ones and high-yield tank models built for volume, with higher duty cycles, faster speeds, larger paper handling and document feeders. Worth it for a small office or anyone printing heavily every week — overkill for a household that prints a handful of pages. |
Browse current printer listings on Amazon →
A simple decision flowchart
If you only remember one thing, let it be this: match the purchase to how you'll really use it. Follow the path that fits you.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
1. Buying on printer price, not cost per page
The classic razor-and-blade trap: a cheap printer can cost far more over a year through expensive, low-yield cartridges. Look up the cost per page for each model's ink or toner and multiply by your print volume before deciding. The cheapest printer is frequently the most expensive to own.
2. Choosing inkjet for high-volume text
If you mainly print black-and-white documents in any quantity, an inkjet's per-page cost adds up fast and unused cartridges can clog. A monochrome laser prints faster, crisper, cheaper per page, and its toner survives weeks of idleness. Match the technology to your actual workload.
3. Ignoring tank systems for regular printing
Sticking with cartridge printers because they're cheaper up front backfires if you print often — the ink quickly outspends a refillable tank model. For anyone printing regularly, a tank printer's higher purchase price pays back in months through dramatically lower cost per page.
4. Letting an inkjet sit unused
Inkjet ink dries in the nozzles when a printer goes weeks without use, causing clogged heads, wasted cleaning cycles and faded output. If you print only occasionally, a laser printer avoids the problem entirely; if you stick with inkjet, run a page every week or two to keep it healthy.
When is the best time to buy?
Printers see their best prices during back-to-school season in July and August, when retailers heavily promote home and student models, and again during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in late November for the year's deepest discounts. Tank-system and laser all-in-ones in particular drop during these events. Remember that the bargain is only real if the replacement ink or toner is affordable — a discounted printer with costly cartridges is still a poor long-run deal.
Tip: our seasonal sale calendar maps the cheapest months for every major category, and the discount calculator tells you what a sale price really works out to.
Frequently asked questions
Inkjet or laser — which printer should I buy?
It comes down to what you print. Choose a laser printer if you mostly print black-and-white text, especially in any volume: it's faster, the output is crisp and smudge-proof, the cost per page is low, and the toner won't dry out if the printer sits unused. Choose an inkjet if you print colour documents or photos, since inkjets reproduce images far better and cost less up front. Many households are better served by laser for documents than they expect.
Why is printer ink so expensive?
Because many printers are sold under the razor-and-blade model: the printer is priced near cost, and the manufacturer makes its profit on the ink cartridges you buy for years afterward. That's why a cheap printer can quietly become the most expensive one to own. To avoid the trap, always check the cost per page before buying, and consider a refillable ink-tank printer, which has a higher up-front price but a far lower running cost for regular printing.
Are ink-tank (EcoTank-style) printers worth it?
For anyone who prints regularly, usually yes. Tank printers ship with bottles of ink you pour into a refillable reservoir, which dramatically lowers the cost per page compared with cartridges. They cost more to buy, but for steady users that premium typically pays back within months through cheaper ink, and you refill far less often. For very light, occasional printing, a standard cartridge printer can still be the more sensible choice.
Should I get an all-in-one or a single-function printer?
Most homes and small offices are better off with an all-in-one, because the built-in scanner and copier are genuinely useful for paperwork and rarely add much to the price. A single-function printer can be slightly cheaper, faster and more compact, but only makes sense if you're certain you'll never need to scan or copy. Just avoid paying extra for fax machines and document feeders you won't actually use.