Printer that does not waste ink or w/cheap ink replacements

dragonjud

dragonjud

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So, I currently have a Cannon MP series printer. I love the reliability and the quality, but I've decided I've gone through my last set of ink cartridges. Spending about $80.00 in ink everytime it runs out has cost me several times its original price.

So, asking for any recommendations on a moderately priced Laser printer or even a Bubble Jet that is less wasteful.
 
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[quote name='dragonjud']So, I currently have a Cannon MP series printer. I love the reliability and the quality, but I've decided I've gone through my last set of ink cartridges. Spending about $80.00 in ink everytime it runs out has cost me several times its original price.

So, asking for any recommendations on a moderately priced Laser printer or even a Bubble Jet that is less wasteful.[/QUOTE]

Ink is the gas of Printers... without them (and paper) your screwed...they know this, that's why you end up paying more for ink than the printer itself over time and they make money off of this. 3rd party/refillers are a waste and from what I have been told not really worth it.
 
I have a Canon MP620B that cost around $100 on eBay. The ink cartridges are rather small, but they seem to last a long time. It has two different black cartridges and it uses the (bigger and cheaper) pgi220bk cartridge for black and white copies and such so you save some money there. I got a set of 3 of those Canon cartridges for $40 on eBay (not knock-offs, original box and everything).
 
Wait until the Brother 2140 black & white laser is $50 at staples and buy it. The ink toner that it comes with should last 1500 pages and you can buy legit replacement 2600 page ones for like $40 something at Newegg.

Also, google how to "extend" the life of the ink toner.
 
I have an HP P1006 laser. It has been a workhorse but the toner carts are pricey and not rated to last as long as the Brother.

The Brother 2140 is $80 right now (no tax and free shipping). I would try it if I were in the market.
 
I use a Canon MP450...I think the trick for ink conservation here was to A) Let the color cartridge run out and never replace it, and B) Don't print anything other then text files with white backgrounds. I also don't pay any attention to that ink is low warning indicator--it's only time to replace when the print quality is actually affected.
 
Samsungs make some awesome laser printers, and the toner carts can be refilled. I have my starter cartridge going strong after 3 years, and 2 refills later. each refill I get at least 3000 pages. No issues.

You can usually find one for around $50 if you wait.
 
I'm going to echo the prior sentiments about a B&W laser for text documents or graphics that don't need color. For color, most low-end printers about as throw-away as they get these days, since you can buy another one for the price of a new set of cartridges.

A better long-term plan would be a color laser, which would get you the better of both worlds between laser page quantity with toner and color output.

I have a Dell laser printer and an HP MFC color printer. Everything that doesn't need color goes to the laser, color goes to the inkjet. When one dies, I'll replace both with a color laser MFC and reduce my printer footprint by 1 device.
 
Check your local Walgreens. They refill both black and color ink cartridges for $12.99 each at the photo center. (Not all stores refill ink, click "Find a Store" in the link below")

They don't refill Canon or Epson ink cartridges though. So make sure they support your next printer/cartridge before you buy it.

Also take one cartridge in at a time b/c when you get it back you'll get a coupon for 50% off your next refill.

--
Cheap Ass Gamer won't let me post a link since I'm new. Just google 'Walgreens ink refill'
 
I've had a dell color laser 1320c for awhile now. I like it, though I wouldn't go trying to print photos with it. I got it a long time ago refurb for like $169.
 
Depends on what Canon model you have. If yours is the type where the ink cartridges are JUST ink containers (no integral print heads etc.) then they are trivial to refill, and that will make them much cheaper than ANY manufacturer's carts. I've been refilling a PIXMA series for about 3 years, thousands of prints and hundreds of photos on a single refill kit I bought for about $50. I still have about 1/3 of the ink remaining and the prints have been just as good as with official Canon carts.

Also note that lasers are the kings of cost/print. However, even expensive color lasers can't produce photo output that is as good as a cheap color laser. My $200 Canon inkjet absolutely nukes my $1500 Konica color laser for photo quality. However, for things that don't need to look top notch, the Konica costs about 5 cents per color page.
 
[quote name='Revenantae']Depends on what Canon model you have. If yours is the type where the ink cartridges are JUST ink containers (no integral print heads etc.) then they are trivial to refill, and that will make them much cheaper than ANY manufacturer's carts. I've been refilling a PIXMA series for about 3 years, thousands of prints and hundreds of photos on a single refill kit I bought for about $50. I still have about 1/3 of the ink remaining and the prints have been just as good as with official Canon carts.

Also note that lasers are the kings of cost/print. However, even expensive color lasers can't produce photo output that is as good as a cheap color laser. My $200 Canon inkjet absolutely nukes my $1500 Konica color laser for photo quality. However, for things that don't need to look top notch, the Konica costs about 5 cents per color page.[/QUOTE]

I used to screw around with the refill kits and knock-off cartridges, but after a while, the printer heads got messed up and it wouldn't print yellow or red... everything came out black and blue... it made for some interesting prints. (no, running the print-head cleaner did not work)
 
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