Best Printer With Cheapest Ink | Tested and Reviewed for 2025

Why Should You Consider The Printer With Cheapest Ink

Printer ink costs add up over time

It's important to remember that you won't just be buying one set of  ink cartridges for your machine in its lifetime. It's likely you’ll be buying a good few sets depending on how much you print.

So the reason why printer ink prices are so important is because you will be paying it over and over again each time you’re low on ink, otherwise you won't be using your printer. The point of this being that over time these costs are going to add up, probably to be more expensive than the actual printer.

So it's important to consider the cost of ink when buying a printer as you could be saving an enormous amount of money each time you buy replacement ink, which adds up with time.

How much could you save on printer ink?

Take two colour printers which are identical, except one of the machines takes cartridges that are £10 more than the other. It may seem pretty small but across 4 colours this is a price difference of £40 per set, but most importantly this £40 extra would be paid each time you need to buy more ink.

So going with the printer with cheap ink will save you £40, times the amount of times you've had to refill ink. Which over the lifetime of a printer can seriously stack up and leave you wishing you choose a printer with cheap ink.

Laser Printer Cartridges Are Cheaper Over Time Compared To Inkjet Cartridges

Now, at first glance it looks like  laser printer cartridges are more expensive inkjet cartridges. While yes, the upfront cost of the replacement ink is higher, they last a lot longer which means per page the laser printer is much more cost effective.

Average cost of original inkjet vs laser printer cartridges

Laser Printers

• Cartridge Cost: £50 to £100 (standard); £100 to £200+ (high-yield)
• Cost Per Page: 2p to 5p (black and white); 7p to 15p (colour)

Inkjet Printers

• Cartridge Cost: £10 to £30 (standard); £20 to £50 (high-yield)
• Cost Per Page: 5p to 10p (black and white); 10p to 20p+ (colour)

(Above costs as per Printerland, June 2024)

Laser printers actually have a higher upfront cost for cartridges but are better value in the long run because of their lower cost per page. Inkjet printers have a lower initial cost for cartridges but can be more expensive over time because of their higher cost per page.

This is why inkjet printers often have the bad wrap of being bad for ink costs, which can sometimes be true, but not all the time because super cheap inkjet that's more efficient that a laser or others. So if you are looking to get a printer with low running costs, it's best you focus on laser printers and avoid inkjets.

Recycled Ink Cartridges Are A Great Way To Keep Ink Prices Low

Now, the best and only way I can reliably keep printer ink costs low is to use recycled cartridges.

These are the original manufacturer cartridges that have been refilled with ink, which actually saves me up to 40% on the originals. I do find that most original cartridges are overpriced, when honestly recycled ones do the job great and are way cheaper.

The fact they are made using the original cartridge is fantastic as it means I rarely get any issues with the printer reading the chip, or the cartridge physically fitting in the printer.

The difference between compatible and recycled cartridges

It's important to know these are different from compatible cartridges, which are made from scratch using cheaper materials and cheaper ink. As a result these compatibles are often even cheaper than its recycled equivalent thus keep costs down even further.

Recycled cartridges don’t have any issue fitting into printers as they actually use the original cartridge, meaning they have always been compatible with my printers and given me good quality prints.

While both compatible and recycled cartridges are fantastic ways to keep costs down, the recycled option is more reliable and a lot better for the environment. So that's my choice of cartridge for you.

Okay so in short if you wanted to keep printer ink prices low I would really recommend switching over to recycled cartridges. This way whichever printer you buy you’ll have lower running costs while keeping quality high and not having to deal with the any compatibility issues that compatible cartridges may present.

Printers That Save you The Most on Ink

Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850

Low running costs

Honestly this printer really is one of the most efficient I've used, with very low running costs of roughly  0.3p per page. The reason why it can be this cheap is because of its eco-tank technology. This is a tank inside the printer that holds ink rather than ink cartridges..

The  Epson ink cartridges for this machine are very cheap, the black being roughly £23 and colours around £18 on average for originals. The black prints 7500 pages and the colours 6000, based on a 5% page yield, which I think is great for the price of cartridges and works out less than a penny per page.

High quality

Now, as well as its fantastic low running cost thing this is a great all round printer. Being multifunction it can print, scan, copy, fax and print double sided at a great quality as well as get through large tasks quickly without wearing down.

So it's not like you have to forgo decent print quality to achieve those low running costs, this machine offers great performance at low running costs.

Although, the one downside is this machine has a pretty high initial price, it may seem high but just remember over time it becomes worth it from the money you’ll be saving on ink.

I used recycled ink bottles for this machine so I get this ink even cheaper than the originals, so I would highly recommend doing the same.

Brother MFC-L8690CDW

Using originals cartridges

Alright this is one that I really want people to know about as It can save you an absurd amount of money.

Okay so perhaps buying a  BROTHER MFC-L8690CDW printer seems like an unlikely choice for cheap toner cartridges, as if you look at the Brother toner prices you can expect to pay around £750 for a set of high yield cartridges, which will give you 4000 pages on the colours and 6500 on the black.

The cost per page can add up, it's around 2.7p for the black and 5p on the colour. Now, although this is quite expensive, it's still cheaper than other printers. But where do the real savings come from?

Using recycled toner cartridges

Your probably now sat there wonder why I’m suggesting this printer is great for low running costs. The answer is a simply one, using recycled cartridges is how.

Recycled high yield TN-423 cartridges cost roughly £65 for the black and £60 for the colours. As these offer the same page count as the originals, that gives me a cost per page of 1p for the black and 1.5p for the colours.

That may not seem like likes but that makes them roughly 3 times cheaper than their original counterparts, thus making what was an expensive printer to run, a pretty cheap one!

This printer is just a great example of how it's possible to save using recycled cartridges, but actually you get them for most models so you can do this with almost any printer.

Best Budget Printer With Cheap Ink | CANON PIXMA TS3350

Alright so if you're not someone who prints a lot, and are not too concerned about achieving highest of quality and just need a cheap printer with low running costs then the  Canon Pixma TS3350 is well suited for you.

While this is an inkjet which typically isn't that great for ink, this machine is actually surprisingly good. For the recycled black inkjet you’ll get around 400 pages for roughly £16, and the colour cartridge will give you 300 pages for the same price.

Yes the cost per page isn't great, the actual price for the  Canon ink cartridges are cheap and assuming you don't do much printing, they should last you for a long time. If you can make these cartridges last you’ll have a very low running cost.

Now remember, this is a perfect buy for someone who does a very small amount of printing as its a budget machine that can be very cheap if you use it occasionally. 

Pros and cons of the CANON PIXMA TS3350

Pros

• The Canon PIXMA TS3350 is budget-friendly, making it a great option for those looking for an economical home printer.
• Honestly, its compact size is perfect for small spaces, such as home offices or student rooms, where space is at a premium.
• This printer is wireless which is fantastic, allowing you to print from your smartphone, tablet, or computer without the need for cables and it supports mobile printing apps like Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.

Cons

• The printing speed is relatively slow, which may be a pain for anyone who needs to print large documents, although it's a similar speed to many more expensive models.
• Alright so the print quality is decent for text documents and simple graphics but honestly not much else. Which is understandable for its budget price.

My Advice

Now, while the Canon TS3350 can be a great budget option for cheap printer ink it does depend on how much you print. The cost of the cartridges are low but if you're burning through them the cost can add up and actually become expensive.

Given this is a budget printer itself and the cost of cartridges is low, you can keep your printing costs to a serious low if you're just an occasional user, making this printer a great budget option with cheap ink costs.

In Conclusion

Okay so there it is folks, that's a look at the best printers with cheap ink.

Remember that choosing the best printer with the cheapest ink means you’ll have to think of both initial costs and long-term running expenses. As we've seen, the cost of printer ink can quickly add up, often passing the cost of the printer itself over time. This makes it very important to think about ink prices when choosing a printer.

In short, laser printers do have higher upfront costs for cartridges, but are a lower cost per page and are generally more cost-effective in the long run compared to inkjet printers. For those who print a lot, investing in a laser printer can lead to massive savings.

Using recycled ink cartridges is a fantastic way to keep printing costs down. They provide substantial savings without sacrificing print quality or compatibility, making them an excellent choice for budget-conscious users.

In summary, understanding and planning for the cost of ink can lead to significant savings and ensure you get the most value from your printer over its lifetime.

Blog Author: Simon Cross is the engaging and knowledgeable voice behind the insightful articles on printers and printer consumables at IJT Direct, an ecommerce store renowned for its comprehensive selection of printers, printer consumables, and hardware. View Simons author page to find out more about him.