Which Printers Have the Cheapest Ink? A Real 2026 Cost Breakdown

Printer ink is, by weight, one of the most expensive liquids on earth. A standard inkjet cartridge yields 200 to 400 pages and costs $20 to $40 — that works out to roughly $2,700 per liter, more expensive than most fine wines and many pharmaceutical compounds. But not all printers are equally guilty. Some have figured out how to make ink genuinely affordable — we're talking less than a penny per page — while others are built specifically to extract maximum revenue from replacement cartridges. We ran the numbers on 10 of the most popular printers sold in 2026 so you can see the real cost of ownership before you buy, not after.

Why Printer Ink Costs More Than You Think

The pricing strategy behind cheap printers and expensive ink is well-documented, and it's known in business circles as the "razor and blades" model: sell the hardware at a low margin (or even a loss), then make the real profit on consumables. A printer manufacturer that sells you a $79 inkjet expects to recoup the real margin through years of cartridge sales. The hardware is almost the free part — the ink is the product.

This is why the sticker price of a printer is nearly meaningless as a value indicator. A $79 HP DeskJet might actually cost you $350 over two years of normal home printing, once you add up the cartridges. Meanwhile, a $299 Epson EcoTank could cost less than $340 total over the same period — because after the initial outlay, the ink is almost free.

The math gets worse when you factor in so-called "starter" cartridges. Most budget printers ship with partial-fill cartridges that hold 30 to 60 percent of a normal cartridge's ink. You'll need to replace them within weeks of opening the box — so your real out-of-pocket cost starts higher than the listed cartridge price suggests. This is a deliberate practice across HP, Canon, and Epson's entry-level lines.

There's also the hidden cost of ink that evaporates or gets consumed during maintenance cycles. Inkjet printers regularly run self-cleaning cycles that purge ink through the print heads to prevent clogs. These cycles consume ink even when you're not printing. Printers that sit idle for weeks (common in home use) trigger more frequent cleaning cycles, wasting ink you've already paid for. Laser toner, by contrast, has no equivalent issue — it doesn't evaporate, degrade, or get consumed during standby.

Understanding the cheapest printer ink options means looking beyond the per-cartridge price to the true cost-per-page across the printer's full lifecycle. That's what we've done here.

How We Calculate Cost Per Page

Cost per page (CPP) is the clearest way to compare ink costs across different printers, but it needs to be calculated consistently to be meaningful. Here's our methodology.

For inkjet cartridges: We take the retail price of the highest-yield cartridge variant available (XL or XXL where offered), divide by the ISO-rated page yield published by the manufacturer, and express the result in cents per page. ISO yield is measured at 5% page coverage — a standard that approximates typical text document output. For color pages, we average the cost across all color cartridges consumed per page.

For EcoTank and MegaTank systems: We use the retail price of the replacement ink bottles, divided by the manufacturer's published bottle yield, to derive the cost per milliliter of ink, then convert to cost per page using Epson's and Canon's published ml-per-page consumption data.

For laser toner: We use the high-yield toner cartridge retail price divided by the ISO-rated page yield. For color laser printers, we calculate a blended cost assuming a standard mix of approximately 80% black pages and 20% color pages, since most color laser users don't print 100% color.

Annual cost projection: We model annual costs assuming 500 pages per month (6,000 pages per year), which reflects moderate-to-heavy home or home office use. This is intentionally above average to reveal long-term cost differences. At lower volumes, tank-based printers show less advantage; at higher volumes, the savings compound dramatically. All prices sourced from Amazon retail in April 2026.

One important note: we exclude subscription services from the base CPP calculation. Subscriptions like HP Instant Ink change the economics significantly and are covered separately in the subscription section below. The CPP figures in our main table reflect buying consumables at retail without any subscription plan.

The 10 Printers With the Cheapest Ink (Ranked)

Here are the 10 printers we analyzed, ranked from cheapest to most expensive ink cost per page. The differences are dramatic — from less than a penny per page to nearly a dime.

1. Epson EcoTank ET-3850 — ~$0.01 per page

The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 sits at the top of the cheapest printer ink rankings, and it's not a close contest. Using Epson's 502 ink bottles (approximately $13 each, yielding ~1,900 pages for black or ~650 per color bottle), the effective black CPP is under a penny. Color is slightly higher but still among the lowest in the inkjet category at around 3 cents per page. For a household printing 500 pages per month, the ink cost over 12 months is roughly $120 — compared to over $500 for a standard cartridge printer at the same volume. The ET-3850 is a full all-in-one with scanner, copier, and ADF, making it our top overall recommendation for cost-conscious users. The upfront cost of ~$299 pays for itself within six months for regular printers.

2. Epson Expression ET-2850 — ~$0.01 per page

The ET-2850 is Epson's more compact EcoTank offering, and it shares the same ink bottle system and near-identical CPP as the ET-3850. The difference is form factor and features: the ET-2850 lacks an ADF and has a smaller footprint, making it the right choice for lighter home users who want EcoTank economics without the bulk. At roughly $229, it's also $70 cheaper upfront. Black CPP is essentially identical to the ET-3850 — under 1 cent per page — making it one of the best cheapest printer ink values available for occasional home printing.

3. Canon MegaTank G7020 — ~$0.01 per page

Canon's MegaTank line is their answer to Epson's EcoTank, and the G7020 is the flagship model. Like the EcoTank, it uses large refillable ink tanks rather than cartridges. The GI-20 ink bottles yield approximately 6,000 pages for black and 7,700 for color — spectacularly high yields that push the CPP into sub-penny territory for black and about 1 cent for color. The G7020 adds fax and an ADF, making it a direct competitor to the ET-3850. If you prefer Canon's ecosystem, the G7020 delivers the same cheapest printer ink economics as Epson's best. It's available for around $299 to $349 depending on retailer.

4. Epson WorkForce WF-7840 — ~$0.03 per page

The WorkForce WF-7840 uses standard high-capacity cartridges rather than tanks, but Epson's high-yield options bring the CPP down to a respectable 3 cents per page for black. The WF-7840 earns its place on this list because it prints up to 13×19-inch wide-format pages — a capability no EcoTank or MegaTank model matches. For users who need wide-format output along with affordable ink, this is a niche but valuable choice. It's a full all-in-one with ADF, duplex scanning, and strong wireless performance. At around $300 to $350, it's priced competitively for what it offers.

5. Brother HL-L2350DW — ~$0.02 per page

The Brother HL-L2350DW is a monochrome laser printer with genuinely exceptional toner economics. The TN760 high-yield toner cartridge (approximately $34 at Amazon) yields 3,000 pages, putting the black CPP at just over 1 cent per page — comparable to the best EcoTank models for black printing. The key difference: this is toner, not ink. It never dries out, never clogs, and doesn't degrade during storage. For black-and-white document printing, the HL-L2350DW has among the cheapest ink (technically toner) costs of any printer in 2026. It doesn't print color, which is its only real limitation.

6. HP LaserJet Pro M255dw — ~$0.03 per page (black)

Color laser toner is more expensive than mono toner, but the HP LaserJet Pro M255dw manages its costs well for a color laser. Black CPP runs around 3 cents with the high-yield W2210X cartridge. Color CPP is higher — around 15 cents per page when all four toners are factored in — but color laser CPP is inherently more expensive than mono. The real comparison is against color inkjet: at 15 cents per color page, it's pricier per page than EcoTank, but there's no risk of clogging, no drying out, and no ink waste during maintenance cycles. For moderate-volume users who need reliable color, the total cost of ownership is often lower than it appears from the CPP alone.

7. Canon PIXMA TR4720 — ~$0.05 per page

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 uses the PG-275XL (black) and CL-276XL (color) cartridges, which bring the CPP down to approximately 5 cents for black and 11 cents for color. That's significantly more expensive than EcoTank options, but the TR4720 costs only $89 upfront — a fraction of EcoTank pricing. For households printing under 80 pages per month, the monthly ink cost difference between the TR4720 and an EcoTank is only a few dollars, which means the TR4720's lower purchase price can take years to become disadvantageous. It's a reasonable choice for light printers who don't want to commit to the EcoTank upfront cost.

8. Canon PIXMA TS6420a — ~$0.06 per page (color)

The Canon PIXMA TS6420a uses a 5-ink system for superior photo quality, and the cost of that extra precision is a slightly higher CPP than 4-ink competitors. Color pages run around 6 cents per page with XL cartridges — above the budget range but justified by the photo quality improvement. Black pages are around 5 cents. For a photo-focused home printer, this is acceptable: if you're printing vacation photos and want them to look genuinely good, the 1 to 2 extra cents per page versus a budget inkjet is worth paying. For document-heavy use, a cheaper option makes more sense.

9. HP DeskJet 4155e — ~$0.08 per page

The HP DeskJet 4155e is the printer that best illustrates the "cheap printer, expensive ink" trap. At $79, it's one of the most affordable printers on the market. But without an HP Instant Ink subscription, the standard 67XL cartridges yield about 200 pages for black and 200 for color, at prices that push the CPP to around 8 to 10 cents per page. At 500 pages per month, that's $40 to $50 in ink every month, or $480 to $600 per year — more than six times the annual ink cost of the EcoTank ET-3850. The HP Instant Ink subscription can dramatically reduce this cost, but it comes with strings: you're locked into HP-branded ink, locked into a monthly fee, and limited in how many pages you can print without penalty.

10. HP ENVY 6055e — ~$0.09 per page

The HP ENVY 6055e is similarly positioned to the DeskJet — low purchase price, higher ongoing ink costs. At approximately 9 cents per black page and 12 cents per color page without a subscription, it's among the most expensive printers to run at high volume. HP designs this printer specifically around the Instant Ink subscription model: on the $5.99/month plan (100 pages), the effective CPP drops substantially, making it workable for light users. But for anyone printing 200+ pages per month outside a subscription, the cost escalates quickly. Know your usage before you buy.

Full Cost Comparison Table

All costs based on retail pricing in April 2026. Annual cost assumes 500 pages per month (6,000 pages/year), no subscription. Color CPP uses blended rate for mixed printing. See our cheapest ink per page guide for full methodology details.

Annual costs assume 80% black / 20% color mix. Subscription pricing not included. Prices sourced from Amazon April 2026.

Inkjet vs Laser: The Real Cost Comparison

The inkjet versus laser debate is often framed around print quality or speed, but for most users the real differentiator is economics. Here's how the two technologies compare when you look at total cost over time.

Inkjet (traditional cartridges): Low upfront cost, high ongoing cost. A standard inkjet in the $79 to $129 range will run you $400 to $600 per year in ink at 500 pages per month. The cartridges are small, the yields are modest, and the cost-per-page figures are punishing at anything above light use. The one scenario where traditional inkjet makes sense is very low-volume printing — say, under 50 pages per month — where even expensive ink only costs you $20 to $30 per year in absolute terms.

Inkjet (EcoTank / MegaTank): Higher upfront cost, dramatically lower ongoing cost. At $229 to $349 for the printer, you pay a real premium on day one. But monthly ink costs drop to $10 to $15 for moderate printing — a savings of $30 to $40 per month over traditional cartridge printers. Over 24 months, the EcoTank pays for its premium price difference many times over. For users printing 100+ pages per month consistently, tank systems are almost always the right economic choice.

Monochrome laser: Moderate upfront cost, very low ongoing cost for black printing. The Brother HL-L2350DW costs ~$129 upfront and runs at 2 cents per page. At 500 pages per month of black printing, that's $120 per year in toner — similar to the EcoTank for black. The advantage over EcoTank: toner doesn't degrade with inactivity, and there are no color consumables to manage. The disadvantage: no color capability at all.

Color laser: Higher upfront cost, moderate per-page cost. The HP M255dw at ~$249 upfront runs black pages at 3 cents and color pages at around 15 cents. At 500 pages monthly with an 80/20 black/color split, annual running costs are around $324. That's significantly more than mono laser or EcoTank, but you get vibrant, durable, smudge-proof color output and the maintenance-free benefits of laser technology. For users where color quality and reliability both matter, color laser is the best-value technology in 2026.

The bottom line: EcoTank wins for color inkjet users who print regularly. Mono laser wins for document-only users who print sporadically. Traditional cartridge inkjets only make sense for very light users or those with a subscription plan. For the full analysis, visit our cheapest ink per page guide.

Ink Subscription Services: Worth It?

HP Instant Ink is the dominant subscription service in the printer ink market, and it's worth examining honestly. Here's how it works: you pay a monthly fee and get a fixed number of pages per month. HP monitors your ink levels remotely and ships replacement cartridges automatically before you run out. If you print fewer pages than your plan allows, unused pages roll over (up to a cap). If you print more, you pay for extra page blocks.

The cheapest plan is free — 10 pages per month. The next tier is $0.99/month for 15 pages. For moderate home users, the $4.99/month plan (100 pages) or $6.99/month plan (300 pages) are the most popular. At 300 pages per month for $6.99, that's about 2.3 cents per page — genuinely competitive with tank system economics, and cheaper than retail cartridge pricing.

When Instant Ink makes sense: If you print predictably, within a plan tier, and are comfortable with a subscription, Instant Ink can genuinely reduce costs. It also removes the friction of remembering to buy ink — the cartridges just appear before you run out. For HP printer users who print under 300 pages per month consistently, it's often the most convenient and cost-effective option.

When Instant Ink doesn't make sense: If your printing is irregular — sometimes a lot, sometimes nothing — the subscription becomes waste. You pay for pages you didn't use, with limited rollover. If you cancel the subscription, your HP+ printer requires HP-branded ink for the device's lifetime, which can leave you stuck if you go off-plan. The lock-in is real. If you print over 500 pages per month, the per-page cost of Instant Ink plans is often higher than EcoTank alternatives. And if you value flexibility — the ability to use third-party ink, no monthly bill — a subscription is the wrong choice.

Epson and Canon don't currently offer comparable subscription programs at scale in the US market. Brother has no subscription model at all, which is one reason their printers appeal to users who want straightforward ownership without recurring fees.

How to Cut Your Ink Costs in Half

Even if you're not ready to switch printers, there are practical strategies that can cut your ink spending significantly right now.

Always buy the highest-yield cartridge available. Standard, XL, and XXL cartridges all contain the same ink — the XL and XXL versions simply hold more. The cost per page drops substantially when you buy higher-yield cartridges. On an HP 67 vs. 67XL: the standard yields 120 pages at ~$21 (17.5¢ CPP), the XL yields 200 pages at ~$26 (13¢ CPP). That's a 26% cost reduction for buying up. Always check for higher-yield variants before purchasing standard cartridges.

Print in draft mode for internal documents. Draft mode uses significantly less ink per page — typically 40 to 60 percent less — while still producing perfectly legible text output. Reserve standard or high-quality mode for documents that will be read by others. Make draft the default in your print settings and switch up only when needed. This alone can cut your black ink consumption nearly in half.

Print duplex (double-sided) automatically. This cuts your paper consumption by 50%, which also indirectly reduces ink use per physical page of output. Enable automatic duplex printing in your printer's default settings. Most modern printers support this, but many ship with simplex as the default. It's one of the easiest, most impactful changes you can make.

Switch to a tank printer at your next replacement cycle. If your current printer is a traditional cartridge model, commit to switching to an EcoTank, MegaTank, or equivalent tank system when it's time to replace. The upfront price is higher, but the lifetime ink cost difference is measured in hundreds of dollars over two to three years of regular use. Check the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 and the Brother HL-L2350DW for the best options in each category.

Avoid printer standby modes that trigger cleaning cycles. Some inkjet printers run automatic head-cleaning cycles when they detect the printer has been idle for a set period. You can often adjust these settings in the printer's utility software. Reducing the frequency of automatic cleaning cycles can meaningfully reduce ink waste — especially if your printer sits unused for days at a time.

Use the right paper for the job. Cheap, absorbent paper wicks ink and requires higher ink density to produce acceptable output. Quality printer paper — 20lb or 24lb, 92+ brightness — uses less ink to produce the same visual quality. The paper cost difference is small; the ink savings can be meaningful over thousands of pages.

For a complete comparison of the cheapest printer ink options by printer model and consumable type, see our detailed cheapest ink per page breakdown. If you're in the market for a new printer and want to find the best all-in-one printer with low running costs, we've ranked those separately with total cost of ownership as a primary criterion.