Low-Cost Printers, High-Price Cartridges You think you’re getting a great deal on a printer, and then you go to replace a cartridge and find the replacement cartridge costs more than $100. Although manufacturers sell laser printers and inkjet printers cheaply, they keep the replacement toners and inks relatively expensive. This business model is how printer manufacturers make their money. You do have more cost-effective options, though, than buying the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges.

Let’s face it: buying a new printer can be confusing. Different printers serve different needs and fit different budgets. We decided to go all-out and pit the two main methods of printing against each other. Two will enter the PrintDome…But only one will emerge victorious! In This Corner…Laser Printers! Laser printers are “electrostatic,” meaning they use a laser beam to projects text and/or images onto a page. An internal rotating drum attracts toner particles to the page, which are then fused into place with heat.