The 6 Best Printers With Cheap Ink - Winter 2023 Reviews

The best printer with cheap ink we've tested is the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850, an all-in-one model with a refillable ink tank. A full tank yields thousands of prints, so you won't have to refill it often, and replacement ink is cheap, so it won't cost much to maintain over time. It produces very high-quality black and color documents, and it's fast, pushing out 25 black or color pages per minute. As for photos, they look detailed and colorful but a tad grainy. The scanner is equipped with an automatic document feeder so you can quickly process long, multi-page documents, and it can scan double-sided sheets, albeit in two passes. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB, and you can also print directly off a USB flash drive. It works with Epson's Smart Panel mobile app, which lets you print, scan, copy, and perform maintenance tasks right from your smartphone.

If you're specifically looking to print photos and want better print quality, get the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550, one of the best all-in-one printers with cheap ink we've tested. It has a wider color range and produces photos with less grain. Plus, it supports wide format paper sizes up to 13" x 19", which is great for making posters. However, it doesn't have an ADF, prints slower, and its document printing quality isn't quite as good as the ET-5850. If you don't need wide format printing, you can go with the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 variants. It performs identically but only supports up to 8.5" x 11" paper.

If you don't need a premium model like the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 above, get the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 instead. It's also a supertank model that yields thousands of prints, so you don't need to worry about high maintenance costs. It has the usual USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity options, along with support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. As for its print quality, black documents look amazing, but color documents come out a little washed out. Its printing speed is decent as it churns out 15 black or seven color pages per minute. Unfortunately, it lacks duplex scanning and isn't ideal for photo printing, as printed pictures look grainy with inaccurate colors.

If you want something more affordable than the Epson EcoTank ET-3850, consider the Brother MFC-J4335DW, one of the best printers for home use with cheap ink we've tested. Unlike our picks above, this model uses ink cartridges. It yields roughly 2,000 black and 800 color prints, which isn't as good as supertank models but still outstanding, and you can get XL cartridges that'll last longer. It prints quickly at 17 black or 15 color pages per minute and supports automatic double-sided printing. The scanner processes up to 20 pages per minute through its automatic feeder and produces high-quality scans; however, it doesn't support duplex scanning.

Our pick for the best budget printer with cheap ink is the Brother MFC-J1205W. It's very similar to our mid-range pick, the Brother MFC-J4335DW, but as it's a more affordable model, it does come with some tradeoffs. Like most Brother printers, the cartridges are a bit expensive compared to other budget printers; however, it's still a cost-effective option since you can get a lot more pages out of the cartridges, meaning you won't have to replace them too often. There are a few compromises: it can't automatically print double-sided, the scanner lacks an automatic feeder, and there aren't any high-yield cartridges available for this model. That said, it's still a good choice if you're only looking for a budget printer with cheap ink and don't mind losing some features.

The best color laser printer with cheap toner we've tested is the Canon imageCLASS MF743Cdw, a sturdily-built all-in-one with tons of features. You get plenty of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and you can also print directly off a USB flash drive. Its ADF-equipped scanner produces high-quality scans, processes double-sided sheets in a single pass, and has an optical character recognition feature that lets you scan documents into text files for quick keyword searches.

The toner cartridges yield a large number of prints, around 3000 black and 2000 color. The cartridges are expensive, but since you don't need to replace them often, the cost per print remains very low. They also contain the drum, saving you the trouble of replacing the drum separately. On top of that, the printer accepts third-party toner, which might be cheaper. It takes longer than most laser printers to warm up, but once it starts, it prints very quickly at 29 black or color pages per minute.

If you only print black and white documents, we recommend the Brother MFC-L2750DW. This well-built all-in-one model has a scanner with an automatic feeder to process multi-page documents, extendable hinges to accommodate thick items, and single-pass duplex scanning capability. It yields around 2000 prints from a single black toner cartridge, and you can get an XL cartridge that'll last longer. It also accepts third-party toner. You have to replace the drum separately, but it's usually good for about 12,000 prints, so you likely won't need to do it too often. It warms up fairly quickly and prints quickly at 36 pages per minute.

As with most Brother printers, there are many variants of this printer with minor differences in features and performance, so if you want to save money, you can get a cheaper model like the Brother MFC-L2710DW, which lacks duplex scanning and prints slightly slower. You can also find bundles that include a longer-lasting XL toner cartridge, like Brother MFC-L2690DWXL, which might be cheaper than buying the cartridge separately. You can see all the variants and their differences in our full review.