Whether you've started to run low or are now completely out of ink, you can be in for a nasty surprise when it comes time to replace your cartridges or bottles. Some ink bundles can cost up to your printer's original price, making refills costly. Printers themselves can also have a low page yield, so you're stuck constantly replacing your ink cartridges if you want to keep printing, which can quickly add up over time. Additionally, finding a printer with cheap ink isn't only about the cost of new cartridges but also about how cost-efficient their cartridges are over time. Generally, the most cost-effective printers are a bit more expensive, but if you are a frequent printer, dishing out the extra money upfront is often worth it, thanks to the much larger page yields. You'll also notice that some of our picks are laser printers, which use toner instead of regular ink. They're usually more costly on average to purchase, but they're an ideal choice if you don't want to deal with clogging issues. If you want to learn more about the difference between the two technologies, you can consult our Laser vs Inkjet article.
Below are our recommendations for the best printers with cheap toner or ink. You can also check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best photo printers, and the best all-in-one printers.
We've tested over 170 printers since 2020 with one goal in mind: to give you reliable, unbiased reviews that help you choose the right printer for your needs. To keep things fair, we purchase every product ourselves from major retailers, just like you would. Each printer then goes through a thorough, standardized testing process that evaluates all the key factors you should consider when buying a new model. From build quality and cost per print to color accuracy and overall performance, we provide as much detail as possible to guide your decision.
Want to learn more about our methods? Look at our How We Test Printers article for a deep dive into our testing procedures.
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Best Printer With Cheap Ink
Build Quality8.0Black-Only Printing Cost0.006 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.027 US$/printEstimated Black Page Yield4,921 printsEstimated Color Page Yield2,532 printsDocument Quality9.0Scanning8.1See all our test resultsPrinting Speed8.5The best printer with cheap ink we've tested is the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850, an all-in-one inkjet model. If you're looking to save on ink costs, a supertank printer is the way to go, as they use large refillable ink tanks instead of traditional ink cartridges. A full tank yields thousands of prints, and replacement ink is cheap, resulting in low recurring costs. This model produces high-quality black and color documents, and it does so quickly, pushing out 25 pages per minute. Photo printing isn't its forte, as printed pictures look quite grainy, a common drawback of office-oriented models. The scanner supports automatic double-sided scanning, allowing you to process multi-page and double-sided documents quickly.
If you want a model that produces higher-quality photos, 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, it prints more slowly, and its document printing quality isn't quite as good as the ET-5850. You can get the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 variants if you don't need wide-format printing. It performs identically but has a smaller 8.5" x 11.7" flatbed scanner and only supports up to 8.5" x 11" paper.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Printer With Cheap Ink
Build Quality7.5Black-Only Printing Cost0.004 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.014 US$/printEstimated Black Page Yield6,764 printsEstimated Color Page Yield3,766 printsDocument Quality9.0Scanning8.5See all our test resultsPrinting Speed6.6Our best upper mid-range pick is the Epson EcoTank ET-3950, an all-in-one supertank printer that delivers high-volume performance at a low running cost. This printer is the successor to our previous mid-range pick, the Epson EcoTank ET-3850. It includes many little improvements that add up to a better all-around printer. The automatic document feeder now supports duplex scanning, a useful addition for handling multi-page documents. Color accuracy has also been improved for better photo printing.
The ET-3950 also uses refillable ink bottles with excellent yields. The ink is affordable and lasts for thousands of pages, which makes it ideal for large or frequent print jobs. It offers USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connections, as well as support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, so printing from any device is simple. The ET-3950 produces sharp black documents and good color prints, though colors can appear slightly muted. Photos look detailed and vibrant, but accuracy is still too unreliable for professional use. Scanning quality is decent, even if the results are slightly overexposed. The printer can clog if left unused for long periods. Print speeds are fair, with a single page in about 25 seconds and up to 17 black or seven color pages per minute.
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Best Mid-Range Printer With Cheap Ink
Build Quality6.5Black-Only Printing Cost0.003 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.011 US$/printEstimated Black Page Yield6,650 printsEstimated Color Page Yield4,255 printsDocument Quality9.0Scanning6.2See all our test resultsPrinting Speed5.7If you don't need an automatic document feeder, the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is an excellent choice. It delivers the same excellent print quality and outstanding page yields as the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 for a lower price. You'll be able to print thousands of pages before you need to refill your tanks. Its scanner tends to overprocess files, leading to a loss of detail, but this can be remedied by using the high-quality photo mode. It's also decently quick at 13 black-and-white pages per minute. Overall, if you're willing to deal with the clogging issues that come with an inkjet printer, this is an excellent all-around pick.
If you don't need color and mainly print documents, you should also consider the Brother MFC-L2820DW. While it's a laser printer that technically uses toner and not ink, this well-built model has a scanner with an automatic feeder for multi-page documents and extendable hinges to accommodate thick items, but no single-pass duplex scanning. It yields around 1,300 prints from a single black toner cartridge, and a longer-lasting XL cartridge is available. It also accepts third-party toner. You have to replace the drum separately, but it's usually good for about 16,000 prints, so you likely won't need to do it too often. It warms up quickly and prints at 33 pages per minute.
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Best Budget Printer With Cheap Ink
Build Quality8.0Black-Only Printing Cost0.039 US$/printColor Printing CostN/AEstimated Black Page Yield1,273 printsEstimated Color Page YieldN/ADocument Quality8.5Scanning0.0See all our test resultsPrinting Speed8.3If you're open to using a laser printer with toner instead of an inkjet and don't need a scanner, get the Brother HL-L2460DW. It's a print-only monochrome laser model, so it lacks features compared to our laser printer pick below. Still, you can't go wrong with this unit for the price, as it prints quickly and delivers excellent document quality. In terms of page yield, a standard toner cartridge produces around 1,300 prints. If you anticipate higher print volumes, high-yield cartridges are available and can deliver up to approximately 3,000 pages. This model uses a separate drum unit. Fortunately, drum replacements are infrequent, and the process is quick and straightforward.
Unlike inkjet printers, there's no risk of clogging if it sits for long periods, which can help save time and money in the long run if you print infrequently, as you won't need to run maintenance tasks or replace ink cartridges before each print. If you want a budget printer with a feature set more similar to our other picks, the Epson EcoTank ET-2400 is a good alternative. It has a simple but effective flatbed scanner and prints excellent photos. It also has extremely high page yields and is very cheap to refill. It will, however, require more maintenance than this Brother laser printer. Unfortunately, it prints much more slowly and lacks an ADF. There's also no Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service support, so it isn't as convenient for all users.
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Best Color Laser Printer With Cheap Toner
Build Quality9.0Black-Only Printing Cost0.036 US$/printColor Printing Cost0.125 US$/printEstimated Black Page Yield2,311 printsEstimated Color Page Yield2,422 printsDocument Quality9.5Scanning9.4See all our test resultsPrinting Speed8.3If you want an all-in-one device and don't mind a bigger footprint, the Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw is our pick for a color laser printer with cheap toner. It's a great alternative to our main pick, the Epson EcoTank ET-5850, especially if you won't print as often. Since it's a laser printer, you won't ever have to deal with clogging. It prints up to 26 pages per minute in both black and color, producing extremely sharp documents. You won't have to spend much time on maintenance, either. Since it's an all-in-one, it covers just about everything a small office needs. The standard toner cartridges already offer a high page yield, and you can step up to XL cartridges for even longer life. The 075 toner cartridges last about 2,300 black or color pages, well above the advertised 1,300-page estimate. If you want even more mileage, the 075H high-yield cartridges push those numbers higher, with cyan, magenta, and yellow rated for up to 2,500 pages and black rated for up to 3,500 pages.
If you can find it in your region, the Brother MFC-L8905CDW is also an outstanding pick. It produces incredibly sharp documents, prints up to 32 pages per minute (black or color), and requires very little maintenance. Regular toner cartridges yield a large number of prints, and you can get XL cartridges that'll last even longer, with the TN437 yielding up to 9,000 black and 8,000 color prints. You'll have to spend extra to replace the drum, though you won't have to do so often, as it's estimated to last 30,000 prints. A separate drum unit is also less wasteful than an integrated one, as you won't have to throw out the whole toner cartridge if the drum gets damaged. Unfortunately, this model has become very hard to find. We're expecting similar performance from its successor, the Brother MFCL8930CDW, but we haven't had a chance to test it yet.
Notable Mentions
- HP Smart Tank 7602: If you print more color documents, the HP Smart Tank 7602 is a good alternative to the Epson EcoTank ET-3850. It produces higher-quality color documents, and its color page yield is significantly better. However, it isn't as good for photos, as its narrow color range makes photos look flat and lacking in detail. See our review
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Epson EcoTank ET-2840 Special Edition:
The Epson EcoTank ET-2840 Special Edition is similar to the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 and comes with two additional bottles of black ink, which is equivalent to roughly 8,600 prints, according to Epson's estimate. However, it has no automatic feeder and only supports manual duplex printing.
See our review -
HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2604sdw:
The HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2604sdw is a good alternative to the Brother MFC-L2820DW. Its refillable toner tank makes it cheaper, and this tank yields significantly more prints than the Brother. However, it doesn't print as quickly. Also, the drum isn't user-replaceable; you can only get it replaced by an authorized service provider.
See our review
Recent Updates
Feb 12, 2026:
Replaced the now-discontinued Brother MFC-J4335DW with the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 as our mid-range pick. While it's slightly more expensive, its print quality is great, and its page yields are even better. Also removed the Brother MFC-L8905CDW, which has also been discontinued, in favor of the Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw. We also removed the discontinued Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw from the Notable Mentions.
Oct 24, 2025:
Replaced the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 with its successor: the Epson EcoTank ET-3950. It adds duplex scanning and improves the color rendition for better photo printing.
Apr 23, 2025:
Minor text changes for conciseness and clarity. No change in recommendations.
Jan 23, 2025:
Verified that all picks are valid and available. No change in recommendations.
Oct 29, 2024:
We've verified that all our picks are available and represent the best choices; we've also made small edits for clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best printers with cheap toner or ink. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all our printer reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no printer is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.