When you’re trying to pick a new printer, it can be challenging to make sense of how much it will cost for ink or toner over the machine’s life. Individual reviews on printers can help you decide which brand and model you can count on but which category of printers has the cheapest ink?
The printer category with the cheapest ink is the typically higher-priced monochrome inkjet style printer with an onboard ink tank. However, ink can still dry out as soon as 2 to 4 weeks, so ideally, you want to print at least one page once per week to keep everything fresh and prevent clogging.
That said, what if you want to print color pages? What if you don’t need to print every week and don’t want the hassle of remembering to print a page every week? What if you don’t need inkjet printing for photos? Low volume printing is where low-cost laser printers are an option.
Low-Cost Laser Printers as an Economical Solution
If I remember correctly, since 2006, I’ve used a Brother HL-2140 for all my printing at home. The HL-2140 is a simple monochrome laser printer that has served me well and continues to print like the day I opened the box. I ended up buying it because I got tired of continually refilling my ink cartridges and dealing with dried-up ink.
Originally I exclusively bought inkjet or Deskjet style printers. Mainly because they are a cheaper printer, and each ink cartridge is inexpensive. At least I thought it was cheaper.
What I found was that I often had to run and refill my cartridges or buy new cartridges. So I ended up having a set of cartridges that I rotated to keep enough ink on hand to ensure I didn’t get caught without; any empties I took in to get refilled.
I also had numerous issues with ink drying up, clogging the machine, and sometimes leaving me stuck, unable to print. When you refill cartridges, of course, they have been previously opened, so they have no seal. Therefore, when they are stored, they can dry up before you use them too.
You can only refill your cartridges so often before they get gummed up and won’t work correctly. Overall, the whole process was fussy and a headache.
That is when I made the switch to a laser printer. I was in college, so I didn’t have a lot of money at the time. I ended up having to pick the inexpensive HL-2140, but as it turned out, it was the right choice. So far, I’ve only replaced the toner cartridge twice, and it has never gone bad on me.
I’ve read some comments online that toner can spoil or get clumped up over time, but I’ve never experienced it. Every time I need to print something, my little laser printer is ready to go. In fact, small starter laser printers are so inexpensive and readily available now, I’ll never buy another inkjet style printer ever again.
The main reasons for my choice are:
- Small entry-level laser printers are inexpensive to buy.
- Laser printers, in general, can print many times more pages than inkjets without changing cartridges.
- In my experience, toner cartridges never go dry and can last for long periods without any printing problems.
- I like the print quality better. Inkjets can bleed ink, making a mess of your prints.
- You don’t have to let laser prints dry.
- The cost per page for laser printing can be lower than inkjet printing in some instances. (More on that below)
When I first made the switch, I was driven to explore other options than inkjets, primarily by gut feel. The monochrome tank-style printers on the market today didn’t exist, so my calculations led me to believe that laser printers were cheaper to operate per page than inkjets.
In preparing for writing this article, I spent a little time on the Office Depot website in the printer section and put together the information below. It validated my position, but it should also be helpful in your search for a new printer.
Inkjet VS Laser Monochrome Printers
The most significant price difference comes when monochrome inkjet printers get compared to today’s monochrome laser printers. On average, the monochrome inkjet printers with the onboard ink tanks cost $0.003/page. On average, the monochrome laser printers cost $0.05/page. That is a significant difference in cost.
The inkjet printers in this category cost more to buy initially, but the price will get made up over time if you print many pages. Of course, you need to be printing often to keep the ink from drying up or clogging the machine. Provided you print often enough, the monochrome inkjet printers with onboard ink tanks may be the right solution for you.
| Laser Printer | Price | Yield | $/Page | Inkjet Printer | Price | Yield | $/Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTR 1 | $99.99 | 1600 | $0.05 | PTR 1 | $279.99 | 6000 | $0.003 |
| PTR 2 | $99.99 | 1200 | $0.04 | PTR 2 | $279.99 | 6000 | $0.003 |
| PTR 3 | $109.89 | 1000 | $0.05 | PTR 3 | $349.99 | 6000 | $0.003 |
| PTR 4 | $139.99 | 1500 | $0.04 | PTR 4 | $329.99 | 6000 | $0.003 |
| PTR 5 | $142.99 | 1200 | $0.05 | ||||
| Average | $118.57 | 1300 | $0.05 | $309.99 | 6000 | $0.003 | |
| Median | $109.89 | 1200 | $0.05 | $304.99 | 6000 | $0.003 |
When I first switched to a laser printer, there weren’t any tank-style monochrome inkjet printers. All we had were inkjets that used the same small cartridges that are used in color inkjets today. Funny enough, the prices for toner and ink in these formats haven’t changed much.
That means that comparatively speaking, a monochrome inkjet printer used to cost approximately $0.09/page, and a laser monochrome printer used to cost roughly $0.05/page. I don’t remember the exact numbers I calculated at the time, but they were similar. It really opened my eyes!
Injet Monochrome VS Inkjet Color
I found the low price of monochrome inkjet printers with onboard tanks to be quite surprising. $0.003/page compared to color inkjet monochrome prints at $0.09/page isn’t even in the same ballpark.
That means if you’re trying to decide between a monochrome inkjet printer and a color inkjet printer, the amount of monochrome printing that you’re going to do should have an impact on your decision. It may even drive you to consider a laser color printer.
It does make sense, though. The cartridges used with a typical inkjet printer are not very big, have onboard electronics, and are made from substantial plastic. The number of materials and the type of materials involved significantly increase the cost to make it. Since they’re small, you need to buy them or refill them often.
For the strictly monochrome inkjet printer with a tank, well, it has a tank. All of the nozzles and electronic control for them are onboard the printer. So you buy a bottle of ink and top off the tank. Turns out, ink by itself is cheap.
| Mono Inkjet | Price | Yield | $/Page | Color Inkjet | Price | Yield | $/Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTR 1 | $279.99 | 6000 | $0.003 | PTR 1 | $99.99 | 180 | $0.10 |
| PTR 2 | $279.99 | 6000 | $0.003 | PTR 2 | $49.99 | 190 | $0.11 |
| PTR 3 | $349.99 | 6000 | $0.003 | PTR 3 | $79.99 | 200 | $0.07 |
| PTR 4 | $329.99 | 6000 | $0.003 | PTR 4 | $79.99 | 150 | $0.13 |
| PTR 5 | $129.99 | 350 | $0.06 | ||||
| Average | $309.99 | 6000 | $0.003 | Average | $87.99 | 214 | $0.09 |
| Median | $304.99 | 6000 | $0.000 | Median | $83.99 | 195 | $0.10 |
Laser Monochrome vs Laser Color Printers
The good news here is that when you’re printing using a laser printer, it doesn’t matter if it prints monochrome or color. So you can expect the cost for monochrome pages to be approximately the same on either machine. At the time of this writing, monochrome laser printing costs, on average, $0.05/page.
This price point is good to know if you’re considering upgrading to a color laser printer. You can decide whether you need color or not and evaluate the cost of color laser printing without worrying about a change in monochrome printing cost.
Color Inkjet vs Color Laser Printers
Color inkjet vs. color laser printing is where I found the most interesting information. As it turns out, It’s cheaper to print in monochrome on a color laser printer for $0.05/page than a color inkjet printer for $0.09/page. However, it’s cheaper to print in color on an inkjet printer for $0.14/page than on a laser printer for $0.18/page.
In addition to this, color inkjet printers typically give you the best photo prints. I don’t print photos, but if you do, perhaps that’s a consideration.
| Laser Printer | Cost | B&W $/Page | Color $/Page | Inkjet Printer | Cost | B&W $/Page | Color $/Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTR 1 | $119.99 | $0.06 | $0.18 | PTR 1 | $99.99 | $0.10 | $0.13 |
| PTR 2 | $199.99 | $0.04 | $0.17 | PTR 2 | $49.99 | $0.11 | $0.18 |
| PTR 3 | $249.99 | $0.05 | $0.25 | PTR 3 | $79.99 | $0.07 | $0.13 |
| PTR 4 | $279.99 | $0.03 | $0.12 | PTR 4 | $79.99 | $0.13 | $0.14 |
| PTR 5 | $299.99 | $0.05 | $0.18 | PTR 5 | $129.99 | $0.06 | $0.14 |
| Average | $229.99 | $0.05 | $0.18 | $87.99 | $0.09 | $0.14 | |
| Median | $249.99 | $0.05 | $0.18 | $83.99 | $0.10 | $0.14 |
For me, the choice is still evident. I enjoy the crispness of laser prints, I don’t print photos, and I don’t print at home often. So to me, the difference between $0.14/page and $0.18/page is negligible. It’s even possible to buy a laser printer that is less to operate per page than an inkjet model.
When I’m ready to buy a color printer, I’ll pick a laser color printer with a preferred toner cost. Until then, I’ll stick to my reliable little laser monochrome printer.