PHILADELPHIA, WPVI — Your printer’s ink is running low. Ink replacement can be very expensive.
Consumer Reports shows how to save money on ink by selecting the right printer.
Consumer Reports’ Chris Raymond says that you should look for a printer that does not waste a lot ink in maintenance cycles. It also shouldn’t be expensive to replace the ink.
Consumer Reports tests printers by calculating both factors.
Inkjet printers with cartridges are notorious for their high ink prices and lack of reliability. However, one model that did well in CR’s tests had a low cost and moderate ink. Brother’s all-in-one is the model. Ink costs about $68 per year.
Ink costs are calculated based on a typical printer usage, which is approximately 30 pages of text per month and 10 pages of graphics. You can save money by printing in color. The upfront cost, however, is higher.
“Tank printers don’t use ink cartridges. “They have reservoirs you can refill with bottles ink”, said Raymond.
Comparing them to cartridges is a great deal. Epson EcoTank ink costs only $5 per year. If you keep it for a couple of years, this printer will be one of the cheapest in CR ratings.
You should choose a laser printer in black and white if you don’t want to print anything in color. Canon’s multi-function printer gets high marks, and toner costs only $13 per year.
CR recommends that no matter the type of printer, there are ways to conserve ink or toner. These include using draft mode, printing all-text versions of stories or changing to Times New Roman, which CR states will save you 27% on ink compared with Arial.
Suggested printers:
Brother MFC-J1010DW/$100
Epson EcoTank – ET-2400/ $250
Canon imageCLASS MF264dw /$150
Print ink for less with Digital Extra
Consumer Reports offers more information about printers, ink and other products:
Printers that are the cheapest for ink
Save money on printer cartridges
CR’s Printer Buying guide
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