Printer Buying Guide: How to choose a printer that best fits your needs - Ink costs

Ink costs

If you regularly perform big print jobs — perhaps for a home-based business or a remote work situation that requires hard copies — then printing ink cost is a big factor to consider.

Ink cost can be measured per page, but efficiency depends on the printer model and how it’s designed. A powerful, expensive printer may only cost around 4 cents per black-and-white page and 8 cents per colored page. A more affordable printer (or cheaper cartridge) may increase these costs by a couple of cents, but it’s not an enormous difference unless you’re printing hundreds and hundreds of pages every month. Some printers will provide direct cost-per-print information you can look up to learn more, or you can divide the cost of toner cartridges versus the cartridge page yield from the cost per print yourself.

Subscription plans for a continued supply of printer ink can help cut costs for home businesses if necessary. Buying refilled cartridges or refilling them yourself is a tricky prospect: Many printers won’t recognize cartridges that aren’t new and purchased directly from the manufacturer.

Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/printer-buying-guide/