Cheapest Printer to run?

mrputney08

Ok, I'm finding this a bit of a minefield.
I need to replace my old Epson printer (lasted all of 6 years) and need a printer which I know will also take compatible inks which don't cost much to run. I also need a printer that is more solid than my Epson. I don't mind paying whatever for the printer as long as it is a good make and doesn't eat ink or dry up through irregular use, a good all rounder. I chose my old Epson because it has a separate cartridge for each colour, I understand a tri colour cartridge needs replacing more due to one colour running out faster than the other.
I have looked at write ups on various websites (don't ask as I have looked at so many trying to research I can't remember which was on which now), and found:




Epson RX420 - Apparently cheap to run and lasts.. apparently!
HP Deskjet 895c- Good machine but ink tri colour
Lexmark- Apparently economical in general?
Brother MFC-5895CW -ditto
Canon- Runs with compatible ink and doesn't dry up if used infrequently.
HP Deskjet 1510-Good review.




If anyone has any experience with their printer using ink that costs less than oil to buy I would be truly grateful!

Owain_Moneysaver

HP laser ...

althas

I always understood that Kodak were good cheap printers to run. Guess it depends what you want to use it for

Laser printers are powder so thats already dry. get a lot form a cartridge but will cost a lot to replace. But not much good for photographs

Stay clear of the tri colour ones for sure. you always end up throwing away half a full cartridge just because one colour uses up faster. I would think any ink jet would dry up with infrequent use, that the nature of the beast. Guess a quick turn on test page a week will counter that

mrputney08

HP laser I don't think would be good for what I need it for unfortunately. The Kodak review said the recent Kodak were not as economical as they claimed to be and there are better out there.
I use my printer mainly for printing legal paperwork and photos etc'. Yes, I think I'll steer clear of any tri colour cartridge printers, thanks.

R34GTT

If the majority of your printing is black and white then you could buy a refurbished HP LaserJet such as one of the 4000 series which will last you 1000s of pages before new toner is required. Very inexpensive to buy - around £40 including toner.

Then buy a separate ink jet printer (I don't have a strong recommendation on which model) just for photos and any colour documents.

deary65

I have the epson sx115 has lasted for years. Just bough replacement cartridges £1.49.
https://www.svp.co.uk/unbrand-high-quality-compatible-epson-t715-combo-ink-cartridges-slim-pack-t711-t712-t713-t714.html

mrputney08

Great price on the ink but need to bear in mind that that model Epson doesn't support Windows 8, so if I'm not going to upgrade my laptop in the near future it's definitely worth considering.


Good idea to have one printer for just the black and white and another for photos and other documents if it saves £'s in the long run.. but, on balance, I don't really have the room, (or the patience) to keep swapping over, so going to keep it simple and look for a one-for-all.

ashtonwn4

Hi mrputney08,

You're right. Trying to find the cheapest printer to run is a nightmare, but heres a few points you may want to consider.

1) Multi-colour cartridges dont neccessarilly need to be thrown away just because one colour has run out. It is possible to refill individual resevoirs.
2) If you print a lot of detailed imagery go for either Epson or HP. Kodak will produce a print comparable if not better but generally will be more expensive.
3) With regards to the printers you listed it is possible, with the exception of the Brother (or at least the last time I looked), to get compatable cartridges

At the end of the day it all depends on what you want a printer for. Like I said if its for detailed imagery then Epson, HP or possible Kodak. If it's mainly for text and block graphics then basically the world is your oyster. If you have a nectar card then have a look at Viking office supplies (I would post a link but forum rules forbid me from doing so). They may not be the cheapest but the actual difference in price is negligable plus you get nectar points plus freebies now and then.

Ashton

forgotmyname

Bought my Epson RX620 printer in 2005 or early 2006. Later in 2006 i bought a set of see through refillable cartridges and a full set of inks in bottles £20. I bought another set of topup bottles for around £10.

Some are getting low now. But i think thats decent value.

The issue with newer Epsons is they are made down to a price.. My mums 4000 or 4500 or something? Its a noisy and cheaply made machine. Bendy plastics and just crap all around.

She has issues with non genuine carts also. It sometimes goes through phases of rejecting them.

Only issue with mine is having to reset the service counter. Once or twice? i forget.

Esqui

Any printer that you can fit one of these to: http://www.cityinkexpress.co.uk/


I don't print often, but the £40 I spent on ink 4 years ago is still half full.

mrputney08

Thanks Ashtonwn4, forgotmyname, and Esqui, agree they don't make them like they used to.
Very helpful on the ink refills, many ink cartridges come with a chip and my current Epson requests changing cartridge at a certain point whether there's ink left or not, very annoying. I have tried changing a full cartridge chip and put it on an old one that I believe still has ink left just to see, and guess what? It registered as 'full' and printed lots more. (Hate the idea of chips, a conspiracy to get us to buy more cartridges methinks, grr).
So if I bought the inks and refilled them I think I would probably also need a chip resetter so that the chip would not automatically go through the motions it's programmed to do and tell you it's empty when you've just refilled it. These are not expensive to buy, so that's an option.