New York, NY – We bring to you today some advice about how to keep your printing costs down with a list of 12 of the latest printers who offer the convenience of low-cost replacement consumables. If you buy the right printer to meet your needs the first time around and are smart about what and how you print, then you should have no problems saving money.
The same basic principles we have discussed before at Castle Ink still apply. As a quick reminder though here is a quick run-down:
Cheap printer = expensive ink
Print in draft mode as much as possible/practical
Print multiple pages per sheet/duplex when possible
Print less, share electronically more (via PDF, Google Docs, etc.)n B-510DN. It is more expensive than the first two models at $599, but it’s consumables are on par or cheaper than even some laser printers. The black ink, in standard size, costs just 1.3 cents per page and each of the colors costs just 1.4 cents. If you go with the high-yield models, the black ink costs can be reduced to as little as 0.87 cents per page and the color 0.9 cents per page. It also offers users two separate input trays and will automatically duplex pages.
Inkjet MFPs
While you likely won’t find much difference in price per page between single-function inkjets and MFP/AIOs, there are more MFP models whose ink is priced competitively. Another way to look at it, as PC World notes, is that the scanners that are part of these models may save you by converting documents to PDFs, thus removing the need to print everything.
The first MFP recognized by PC World is the Kodak ESP 7250. Kodak has made an effort to keep their costs of ink low, and have spent money on a nationwide advertising campaign to get the word out. Our only problem with their ink claims, is that at the end of the day, a tricolor cartridge is still a tricolor cartridge no matter how cheap, and if one ink runs out, you still have to replace the cartridge. Admittedly, it is easier to stomach if the ink costs less, but it is still replacing an entire cartridge. Black prints will run the user about 2.35 cents per page and color prints from the tricolor cartridge cost 4.28 cents, according to PC World’s calculations. The high-yield black cartridge will lower the cost somewhat to 2.2 cents per page, but that is not as much of a difference as other printers/manufacturers.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are almost always going to have a higher cost per page than laser printers, but that doesn’t mean you have to get gouged. One thing to watch out for, especially with low-cost inkjet models is the tricolor cartridge. As most, if not all, of you reading this know, with a tricolor cartridge, when one ink runs out, you can either replace the whole cartridge, or deal with whatever substitute color your printer can muster from what’s left. We have found an increasing number of printers nowadays, are offering individual ink cartridges. If you buy a printer for $49, you’re not going to find that, but if you spend say, $100, your chances are greatly improved.
The first printer recognized by PC World is the Canon Pixma iP4700. Briefly, this printer offers the convenience of five separate ink tanks as well as automatic duplexing of your output. The black pigment cartridge, a PGI-220 will run about 4.3 cents per page and each of the dye-based color cartridges (CLI-221s), according to PC World, will cost between 2.6 and 2.8 cents per page so a four-color page will run 12.2 cents. The other black cartridge is used only for photos and will last for around 665 photos (2 cents per). Canon does not give page yield information on their website, but it is rare for color to be less expensive than black. It is worth noting that Canon is nice enough to send standard-sized cartridges along with the printer so you won’t have to run to replace them quite as fast.
The next printer up is the HP Officejet Pro 8000. It is more geared towards small office/business environments where PC World says you will see greater savings for inkjet models. These types of printers (as the 8000 does) will offer a high-yield cartridge which lowers your cost per page. The PC World reviewer notes that it comes with “two standard input trays and one optional one” but that is not noted on the HP website. HP says that it comes with one input tray. With the standard ink cartridges, the cost per page for black prints is 2.6 cents per page and 2.2 for color prints. If you go with the high-yield ink, the cost per page is 1.6 cents and 1.9 cents for black and color, respectively. Other highlights of the Officejet 8000 are its wireless printing capability and standard automatic-duplexing.
Canon’s Pixma MX870 was the third MFP selected by PC World for its low cost per page. It features a five-cartridge ink system with one pigment-based black cartridge and four dye-based color cartridges. The black pigment cartridge, a PGI-220 will print roughly 524 pages and runs $14.99. The color cartridges, on the other hand, cost somewhat less at $12.99/cartridge (CLI-221s) and each yields at least 510 pages. Those figures, then, add up to a cost per page of 4.62 cents for black and 2.5 cents per color which adds up to 12.4 cents for both. The Pixma MX870 also gives users the added bonus of automatic duplexing and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Other noteworthy printers PC World included in this collection, but did not describe in detail were three of Lexmark’s newest MFPs, the Platinum Pro 905, Prestige Pro 901, and the Prestige Pro 805. The Prestige Pro 805 has been discontinued, a representative from Lexmark told us and the Prestige Pro 901 is the replacement. As he put it, “It is basically the old 805, plus a fax machine.” Regardless, all of those printers can use Lexmark’s 105XL black cartridge which yields 510 pages, but costs $4.99.
