Things to consider when buying low ink cost printers
By Andrew Yeung
Printers themselves tend to be reasonably priced, it is the recurring cost of ink and toner cartridges that tend to burn a hole in the pocket. The printer could cost something in the region of $50 but buying the cartridge could actually cost you more! This is a clever thing that printer manufacturers do; they price the printer low, knowing that by doing so the printer is an easy purchase. But, this also makes the buyer commit to future cartridge purchases.
Obviously you want to be able to bring down that recurring cost of printer cartridges by not only finding the right supplier, but also buying the kind of printer that uses the least amount of ink in the first place. Here are some pointers to keep in mind about printers in general and cartridges in particular:
Laser over ink jet
The fact is, laser printer cartridges are more economical to use, they last longer and turn out to be more affordable. Inkjet printers typically use more ink than lasers, which uses a less amount of toner compared to how much ink an inkjet uses. According to analysts, laser printers yield better printing cost ratios per cartridge than do inkjet printers. However, the printer itself typically costs more than an inkjet printer so it follows that you have to consider your own printing needs before deciding.
What are your printing requirements?
Consider how much printing you’re going to do. Is the printer for the home or for an office? If it’s for the office, is it to be the home office with few printing requirements or a medium size setup with a lot of printing to do? If you require high volumes of printing you need to consider a laser printer – a bigger initial investment but lower recurring costs. If you need to print low volumes and occasionally, ink jets would be a better bet – an economical initial purchase and lower recurring costs not because of cheaper cartridges but because of low print volumes.
If you print about a 100 pages a week, pick a higher end machine that has a larger capacity cartridge, which will not need refilling as frequently.
Other factors to consider
Your print settings are something else to consider; unless you need a formal printout, use draft settings. Higher print resolutions use more ink or toner so the cartridge last for a shorter duration.
Finding affordable ink and toner cartridges is another factor to consider; it goes without saying that compatible cartridges are way more economical to use than branded cartridges. Subscribe to our mailing list and like us on Facebook in order to save up to 80% on ink & toner every time you replace your cartridges.