To answer this question, we need to know what file do you print the most?
When one is asking for the best printer for home use with cheap ink, we often recommend looking at ink by cost per page instead of ink price. This is because cost per page (cartridge price divided by its page yield) shows the cartridge's cost-efficiency.
Photos
We have recommended this before in what printer is best for photo albums. For home photo printers, we would recommend Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000. This printer is budget friendly while being able to print professional photos. It even has a 6-ink system including Grey for greyscale pictures.
One can print photos up to A3 paper size or 13 x 19 inches.
Upon purchase, the ink cartridges included are HD-312 (CMYK) and HD-314 (Grey and Red).
For OEM XL Black ink, it has a cost per page of $0.038 while each OEM XL Color ink has a cost per page of $0.026.
If you want to budget more, look for its compatible cartridges to make it the best printer for home use with cheap ink. For compatible XL Black ink, it has a cost per page of $0.022 while each compatible XL Color ink has a cost per page of $0.014.
Text
Laser printers are often recommended for text-printing needs due to its higher page yields at lower costs.
For home use, we'd recommend Brother HL-L2350DW for its budget price as the best home laser printer. It has a Recommended Monthly Duty Cycle of 2,000 pages and a Maximum Paper Size of up to A4.
It has a starter toner of 700 pages.
For its OEM standard size cartridge, it has a cost per page of $0.036.
For its compatible standard size cartridge, it has a cost per page of $0.024.
But if one would need a best all-in-one home printer with a copier and a scanner, Brother HLL2390DW which is similar to the mentioned printer above.
Text with Colored Images
Some users may not print photos but will need colored documents. Or their printing needs are both photos and text.
Inkjet printers create better image prints. But laser printers can print faster and their cartridges have higher page yields.
If you choose inkjet printers, we would recommend Epson EcoTank ET-2550 as the best all-in-one home printer. It has a 2-year worth of ink supply and a Recommended Monthly Duty Cycle of 150 pages.
If you choose color laser printers, we would recommend multi-function Brother HLL3290CDW. Its included ink upon purchase is 1,000 pages per cartridge as the best home laser printer.
Each standard size OEM color cartridge has a cost per page of $0.056. Its OEM black cartridge has a cost per page of $0.041.
Its compatible cartridges have a lower cost per page: $0.035 for color cartridges and $0.033 for its black cartridge.
Looking for cheap ink cartridges? Feel free to check our brand printer pages for remanufactured HP toner and ink, Epson ink and toner, Brother ink and toner, Canon ink and toner, Lexmark ink and toner or other cheap printer ink cartridges and search for your printer model through the list provided.