How much money do you spend on printer ink, and how does that stack up with the cost of the machine?
If you’re like most people, you’re probably swinging a little bit – probably not a number you’d like to think about. Because all too often, we fail to account for the cost of cartridges in our printer purchases. We’re moving on to the model that appears to be the most expensive up front, and look no further.
This is a problem.
The truth is that buying a printer more than the price. Make and model are just as important, as different printers are designed for different use cases. This in turn relates to ink costs – to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth, you first need to understand your needs and what type of printer is best suited for them.
For the sake of posterity, we’ll keep it in our top three most famous positions.
Printer types and features to consider when buying
inkjet printers Work by spraying small ink drops on the page. It is one of the oldest types of printers and also the most common. Usually best suited for home users who need to print in color but don’t want to spend a lot of money up front, they tend to be better at transferring high-quality images onto the page.
Inkjet printers use cartridges that have an inexpensive upfront cost compared to their alternatives. The trade-off is that they have lower page yield and therefore require you to spend more on frequent replacements. Of the three printers we discuss here, these generally have the highest cost per page, and as such, you should avoid the cheapest inkjet printers, as they tend to use less efficient and more expensive cartridges.
laser printers Use heat with a special toner. It is well suited for home offices and business users who have incredibly high print volumes. Laser printers tend to be very good at printing monochrome and color business documents, but are less suitable for photographs.
Although ink cartridges are often expensive, they are usually able to print thousands of pages before a replacement is required. Another advantage that laser printers have over other printers is that said cartridges will not dry out if not used for long periods of time.
ink tank printers They work similar to inkjet printers, except that they use ink bottles instead of ink cartridges. Although they are usually quite expensive, they combine the best features of laser and inkjet printers, with high print quality and the ability to print thousands of pages at a very low cost per page. Ink tank printers are a good choice for users who need to print a wide range of color document types in large volumes.
They also have a similar disadvantage to inkjet printers, in that if an ink tank printer remains unused for long periods of time, its internal parts may end up clogged with dry ink. For this reason, you should avoid buying an ink tank printer if you print infrequently.
Regardless of the type of printer, you also have to calculate what you want (or need) in the machine – features worth considering include:
- All-in-one models which combines print, copy/scan and fax functions.
- print speed. Do you care how fast the printer is running or is it just working?
- Double-sided printing. This can help you save a significant amount of paper, making the printer more cost-effective in the long run.
- Automatic document feeder. For users who usually rely on high-volume prints, this feature is arguably a must – it allows you to print multi-page documents without having to manually replace each page or fetch it into the printer.
- Paper tray capacity. If you tend to have large-format or larger prints, you’ll need a larger capacity paper tray.
- Supported media. Is the printer only capable of printing on paper, or can it also accept photo papers, labels, envelopes, and/or cards? What kind of media do you need to print on most frequently?
- paper size. Most printers tend to use letter-size, legal-size, or tabloid-sized paper. They also tend to support different types of paper, so this shouldn’t be a problem unless you need to print documents of an unusual size.
- printer size. Consider how much space you have before purchasing your printer. Does it fit your desk? Do you need to place it in a specific area of your office?
- Ease of use. What quality of life features does the printer offer? Examples may include touch screen functionality, mobile printing, companion software, and so on.
The secret to saving money on printer ink
It is important to understand that not all printer inks are created equal. Some cartridges offer better long-term value than others, even those made for the same type of printer. To ensure that you save the most money, you need to pay attention to two metrics we’ve already mentioned: cartridge yield and cost per page.
For example, a high yield cartridge may cost more up front, but the cost per page is much lower compared to a standard yield cartridge because it is filled with more ink. Buying in bulk can significantly reduce costs. The biggest secret to cost-effective printing?
Buy compatible non-OEM cartridges, especially if you purchased them in a bundle or kit.
This is where LD products come in A leading online aftermarket printing supplies company (Opens in a new tab)LD stocks thousands of high quality non-OEM cartridges for every major printer brand. These cartridges provide the same yield and quality as proprietary toner and toner, but at a price part of cost. Each cartridge also comes with a lifetime warranty.
To help steer this point home, just take a look at the table below – showing three of LD’s top picks for printers, and how their prices compare to property prices.
Buying a printer can be overwhelming and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. By understanding your needs, knowing the different types of printers, and having a good understanding of how cartridges work, you can not only simplify the buying process, but you can also save a lot of money while you’re at it.
