Today’s question is from Stephanie:
We’re in the market for a new home printer but we don’t need it to print photos — just basic documents and coupons. Are there any printers that you would recommend? Are there any particular brands that print coupons better than others?
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Jennifer A says
I purchased a new HP Laser-jet P1606dn last year to print out my coupons and things that were not color and have fell madly in love with it. I have only changed the ink once so far as it lasts a very long time. It is a little pricey (currently $179.98) the toner runs $79.98 (average yield is 2100 pages) but so worth it for the durability and production that it offers.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Printers/HP-LaserJet/CE749A?HP-LaserJet-Pro-P1606dn-Printer
Sarah L says
We have an HP printer, scanner, copier, it’s about 2 years old, and replaced a previous printer/scanner/copier also by HP which was about 6 years old before ink was too hard to find for it, and the scanner bit the dust. Both were bought at Black Friday Walmart sales for $30-40, and were by far the best of the printers we’ve ever had. If you can hold out, Black Friday always has TONS of great deals on printers.
PollyS says
Even though I’m late adding a comment, I want to add that I LOVE our Samsung ML2850 laser jet.
We paid about $180 for it 4 years ago and cartridges cost us about $60 every 9 months. But I’ll add that we have a home business and I print A LOT of coupons. So your mileage would probably be better.
Laser jets print so much more crisp and clear than ink jets. And cost so much less and has NO mess whatsoever.
I am definitely an evangelist for my Samsung.
Rachelle says
Get a laser printer! Your savings in ink using toner will pay for the printer in no time, as one cartridge prints over 10,000 pages clearly! Try to get one used from a business closing its doors or upgrading. We got a brother three-in-one for $60, and it came with a toner cartridge. In the six years we have had it, we have printed a lot for my work, couponing, homeschool, and my husband’s law school and we have only purchased toner once! And always check eBay for toner! 🙂
CJ says
Dont get an Epson 7400 series. Mine has 4 separate color cartridges and it uses up all colors even if you only print in black, and you cant use refillable cartridges in it. If I dont print anything for a week or so, I have to then run the nozzle cleaner which uses up about half of the ink in each cartridge. Seems like I am forever buying cartridges even though all I print is a few coupons a month.
Rebekah says
Hi Stephanie,
I have an Epson Workforce 435 for my home office printer.
I am a stay-at-home office manager for a small construction company and I print from this printer DAILY.
It has, by far, been the best inkjet printer I have ever purchased.
I would give it 5 stars for ease of use, price of ink refills (which was a big part of why we bought it). Replacement ink for black is approximately $12 at Target and the color refill is approximately $25 for all three colors which is exceptionally cheap.
I owned a mid-size construction company in Arkansas for approximately 10 years and used various brands and types of printers, both inkjet and laser.
This Epson is the one I recommend from now on for small printing documents.
Like I said, I print on this printer daily and only need to replace my ink cartridge about every 5-6 weeks so I feel like it is economical both with the initial purchase and replacement ink. I bought mine at Target.
BTW. It is a multi-function printer and the scan function is easy to use as well.
I also agree with other posts about the HP e-printer. I have an Ipad and it will not link to my Epson printer. But it is great if you are hooking it up to a pc
charla says
Irecommend HP printers mid price level , thats what I have had the most success with
Kiersten says
My husband is in purchasing for a computer services company so it is his job to search out cost effective computer products. When we were in the market for a new printer we were sick of buying all the costly color cartridges that somehow kept getting used up even though we almost always printed in black & white. My husband talked to one of the reps he works with to find out what would be the most cost effective overall – not just the cost of the printer, but a cost effective cartridge. She recommended an HP LaserJet P2015. It is a huge office-sized printer that only prints in b&w. The cartridge costs $80-100 (can’t remember exactly), but one cartidge lasted us two years and that was with my husband printing out his 400 page dissertation several times. My husband also recommends looking for refurbished computer equipment. We bought our printer refurbished on Amazon at maybe 40-50% of the retail price and it came with a partially used cartridge for free.
Terry says
I would also consider a printer that you can get a continuous ink system for. It is an extra cost in the beginning, but saves you much. HP’s have been good printers for us.
Candy Johnstone says
Has anyone with ink jet printers used CISS ink systems? So far it looks like only the printers that have each color separately will work. I have a facebook friend that is a couponer and homeschooler and she said she prints thousands of pages before running out of ink.
Stephanie says
I hope you see this comment since I’m way down the list, … I’m someone whose spent $1000’s of dollars personally on printers and printing supplies – and someone who’s worked out of a home office, & at times in a Fortune 500 company office, for 15+ years. I personally print 500+ pages/month. Many of those pages are legal documents which need to look professional, are some of are just fun – recipes, photos of homes, etc. So over the years I’ve definitely realized what’s a good value printer wise, and WHAT’S NOT….. So here it goes (not trying, to sound negative, but I can’t emphasize enough about the faults of some printers types & the financial trap you end up in)…..
Unless you replace your PRINTER every 2 months, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PRINT (or DON’T print), it’s the INK CARTRIDGE/TONER price that you need to worry about, NOT THE PRICE OF THE PRINTER!!!!
Ink jet cartridges have a computer chip in EACH INDIVIDUAL INK CARTRIDGE that tells the printer when you are low on ink AND it’s also programmed to tell the computer some RANDOM DATE TO SHUT DOWN (90+/- days from install) which forces you to REPLACE YOUR CARTRIDGE, EVEN if it’s 95% FULL. I’ve had multiple brands of machines that just shut down when they “THINK” the cartridge is out of ink. (ok, I know I’m going to get some comments saying this is not true but I print just enough color to keep the ink flowing – 2-3 pages/week (limited color per page) and every ink cartridge on my Epson photo printer shuts down like clockwork, about 3 months from the day I install the cartridge.) I can hear the ink still inside the cartridge when I shake it!!! WHY DO YOU THINK MANUFACTURERS PAY YOU (or your child’s school) $2-3 PER CARTRIDGE TO RECYCLE IT – it’s not the ink or plastic they want, it’s the Computer Chip!!!
Worse yet, MANY brands of INK JET PRINTERS won’t print AT ALL – EVEN IN B&W – if ONE cartridge is out of ink. So even if your printer software shows the black cartridge is 95% full – TOUGH LUCK – you can’t print, even in B&W, if the Cyan cartridge says it needs to be replaced.
Not trying to sound like a downer here, but I’ve spent a TON of $ on printers and cartridges – including always having 2 printers set up at a time (a laser jet & a color ink jet – to reduce costs – HA HA HA) & I’m tired of all the games the manufacturers play!!!
1st – Buy a Laser printer NO MATTER WHAT. Costco sells basic B&W Brother version for $99-$129.
2nd – If the only things you HAVE to print in color are photos, get a B&W Laser Printer & send your photos to CVS, TARGET, etc. – even at 39 cents/photo it is WAY cheaper to have them print them (& the quality is a WHOLE lot better) than if you print them on your own NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF PRINTER/BRAND you own!!!
3rd – If you HAVE to print a fair number of color documents each month (OTHER THAN high quality photo printing) – spring for the low end color Laser printer. I guarantee it will save you $ in the long run.
4th – If you mostly print B&W, but occasionally need a color print – buy a B&W Laser printer & see if your library has an off-site printing program. Mine does so I can “print” my color document directly to their printer (download their software, if needed) and I can pick it up at the library & pay 10 cents/page to use their Laser color printer. Or better yet, save your photo/doc to Pinterest, Dropbox, Amazon Cloud, or any other “Cloud”/Web based server and go to the library & print it in color directly from one of their computers – no downloaded software needed – & you have the original on your “cloud” if you need it.
5th – LAST RESORT- If you need photo quality color prints, or your print enough color docs AND you CAN’T print them at your library or you CAN’T afford a laser jet – then call your local Office Supply store & see what BRANDS of ink jet cartridges they refill. Buying new cartridges is CRAZY expensive. So at least buy a printer that has refillable ink cartridges.
Hope this helps!!! Don’t want to sound like a crazy person – but you can’t believe how much money I’ve “thrown away” trying to “save” money by “HAVING” to print color
For Printer Brand Recommendations – Here’s what I think:
HP – Want to love them, but these suckers ALWAYS manage to break down right after the warranty expires (or start making HORRIBLE noises, printing crooked, etc.) I wouldn’t expect it to last more than 1 year.
EPSON – EXCELLENT print quality, but these printers are THE WORST as far as “registering” that your ink cartridge is EMPTY (even with enough use that you know the cartridge hasn’t dried up & there’s still ink left.) Printers WILL NOT WORK if 1 cartridge is out of ink (even if the others are full & you only try to print B&W). I wouldn’t be surprised to see this company charged with a class action lawsuit in the near future. Honestly, I can’t recommend this brand NO MATTER HOW YOU PRINT.
BROTHER – My favorite (because there’s nothing better.) Print quality is Good/Great but not Fantastic. Cartridges/toner last better than most. Machines last FOREVER!!! I keep trying for something better (print quality wise since I’m a perfectionist) and I’m always disappointed with other brand’s quality or their horrible ink price/printed page.
CANNON – I personally haven’t used this brand. I have family members who have. Same issues as most ink jets – high cost of ink cartridges & they dry up (or the printer claims so) and it refuses to print. May be slightly better than Epson – check to see if your local Office Depot/Max/Staples refills these.
Hope these comments help!
Carol says
I was so glad to see this question and excited to read the comments. I had a Lexmark years ago and it worked really well for about 2 years then the carriage was off kilter and I lubricated it with dielectric grease that is used for spark plugs. It lasted me ’til it was about 7 years old. My desktop died and I was without a computer for 2 years. I gave the printer to my brother. I bought an Epson Stylus NX100 for $28 at Target in 2010. I totally agree with Stephanie. I thought I was getting such a wonderful deal. It literally drinks ink. The larger cartridges # 69 (black) only last about a month when printing coupons. They are $17.99 at Staples. I’ve been using my monthly $20 recycling money to buy them. A full color replacement pack with 2 blacks is up to about $60 at Sam’s. Rarely you can get them on sale at Target. They are not refillable. I also have problems with it not feeding the paper properly and I lose coupon prints because of this. It is supposed to be really good for photographs. I tried printing on generic photo paper and my daughter’s hair turned out like Medusa. Unfortunately my daughter purchased the NX125 and is having the same problems. Do not buy an Epson! Thanks for all the other comments as I am in the market for a better, more efficient printer.
Heather says
I would highly recommend checking the price of ink before purchasing a printer. I have found that Brother offers very inexpensive ink cartridges.
WilliamB says
Hewlett-Packard has a long and strong track record in printer hardware, and a long and strong reputation for being easy to install software. They’re more upfront than lower-quality printers but a good long-term deal.
Laser printers cost less per page but much higher up-front cost. Ink jets are less up-front but more per page. If you’re going to print a lot, seriously consider a laser printer. If you don’t print much, maybe lean toward an ink jet.
This is the sort of gear that Consumer Reports is excellent at reviewing, including long-term cost taking into account the cost of ink.
If you print coupons then be aware that ink jets can mess up the bar codes by printing them just a little off from printing standard. I’m lucky in that my supermarket will enter them by hand but not all will do so.
Christy says
I always recommend HP printers. I’ve used the other major brands in the past and would never buy anything but an HP now.
Theresa says
I recently posted on my blog this fantastic deal on an Epson Wireless printer. Here’s the post:
http://www.myfavedeals.com/2012/07/amazon-epson-wireless-all-in-one.html
It’s only $99, free shipping, and is from Amazon with awesome reviews.
There are many features including:
Print and share from anywhere — get instant wireless printing from iPads, tablets, smartphones and more; supports Email Print and Epson iPrint app, plus Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print
Fast two-sided documents — easily copy, scan or fax your two-sided original
Built-in wired and wireless networking — easily share your all-in-one with others; built-in Easy Epson Wireless makessetup, networking and printing fast and easy
7.8″ touch panel — lights up only the buttons you need; includes a 3.5″ LCD
Quickly scan and archive with included OCR software — scan important documents and save them as JPEGs or PDFs
Sharp documents — laser quality black text delivers crisp, high quality proposals and brochures
PC-Fax — fax documents directly from your computer
Front USB port — insert a thumb drive and upload files directly to your PC
High-speed faxing in black and color — as fast as 3 sec per page; speed dial storage up to 60 numbers; fax memory up to 180 pages
Protect important documents — smudge, fade and water resistant prints; documents rival those from a laser printer
Save energy — uses up to 70% less power than laser printers
Product protection you can count on — one-year limited warranty; phone support, without charge, for the life of the product; plus, get free templates and “how to” tutorials
Terri says
We have an HP Photosmart C4740 Printer/Scanner/Copier which was not only inexpensive but we have used for 3 years with absolutely no problems at all and since I work from home, it is used daily. Got it at Wal-Mart where it is cheapest. It is super-easy to set up and trouble free. I use it with our Dell Inspiron 17 laptop. I often get the ink on sale at HP for cheap on sale. It does everything we need and didn’t cost a bundle (well less than $100).
shannon says
I know I recently read an article about this. They said that Kodak printers were more expensive but the ink was way cheaper. You definitely want to price the ink before buying. How much do the cartridges cost and how many pages per cartridge do you get. I even read that Century Gothic is the most economical font to use.
Grace says
I have a Brother laser black/white 2240 printer, and just purchased another one for my husband’s computer. Reg price $119 or so, on sale at Office Max and Staples regualarly for $59. Toner cartridege costs around $70 and lasts for 6 months. Love this printer for printer for printing documents and coupons!!!
Deana says
I love my Brother HL-2240 black and white laser printer. I can print thousands of pages of coupons. I print A LOT of coupons and one toner cartridge lasts me about 3-4 months. I order non-oem cartridges from Amazon and they work perfectly. The cost per toner cartridge…. 10 BUCKS. This is a printer I would recommend to anyone! The cost effectiveness is outstanding and the print quality is awesome.
Sonja says
I would definitely go with a laser printer. If you are going to want to make copies or scan I’d get a multifunction one. I have a Brother DCP7065DN that I bought for $120 at Staples on sale. It can copy and scan and it duplexes automatically and we can print from anywhere in the house through our network. It startles me when the printer suddenly turns on when my husband is printing from another part of the house. We just bought this one recently to replace our 6 year old Brother DCP7020 that no longer would feed paper though automatically and we had gotten tired of manually feeding it. We’ve only had the new one about a month and we’ve already printed 971 pages on it. I can’t remember how many pages the old one had on it. We print A LOT for my husband’s school, our homeschool, coupons, etc and I love that we only have to replace the toner about once a year. (I’ve found that walmart.com has the cheapest prices on replacement toners, at least for real Brother ones.)
If you don’t need to copy or scan you can usually pick up a Brother laser printer on sale for about $50. Definitely go for a laser printer!!
Crystal says
I have the HP b210 all in one wireless printer.. I love it it even has its own coupon link and snapfish, oh and coloring pages and activities. It is touch screen and the ink is about 10 a cartridge.
Judie says
I have always bought HP printers and not necessarily the “expensive” ones. One for under $100 and an inkjet should serve you well. However, the ink for them is a tad too high, if you ask me. My daughter invested in a Kodak printer this last Christmas that cost her only $35 on a deal and the ink is about half what you pay for HP ink. Let us know what printer you decide to buy, where you got it and how the ink is going to run. Happy Shopping!
Lisa says
I have an HP printer/scanner/copier
here is the current model at Walmart for $39 – http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Deskjet-1051-All-in-One-Printer/20691359
I love it, you can do everything and save money!
KimH says
Im with everyone who suggests a Lazerjet. We have an ancient HP Lazerjet 5MP model but its been working like gold for over 16 years.. and M’honey just told me he bought it used.. Now THAT is a good printer.
Since I’ve been couponing (serious coupon printing) in the past 51/2 years, we’ve replaced the toner cartridge 3 times. You seriously save some BIG money with them if all you’re printing is black & white documents.
I’ve been thru 2 Canon inkjet printers and now have an Epson Artisan 800. I dont use it much but mainly for photos and wifi capabilities. But it goes thru the ink if you arent careful. I sure wouldnt use it for printing coupons, though occasionally one will go thru it for some odd reason Either way, its a good printer, just not for everyday coupon printing.
Joy says
I have a wireless HP color Laser Jet CP1025. Best investment ever! I never have problems with my coupons scanning at grocery store. One time, a cashier complimented me on how nice my coupons looked and scanned! Plus, you can print form your iPhone or iPad on it.
I recycle my toner cartridges at Staples and turn the reward $s you get back to buy more toner if needed. The replacement cartridges run between $30-$50, but last way longer than inkjet.
Did you know that you can save on using your ink, by not turning it on and off all the time? Every time you turn it back on, it recharges which wastes the ink and/or toner.
Victoria@Snailpacetransformations says
When we need a new printer we always head straight to the ink aisle, pick out the least expensive black ink cartridge we can find, and then head over to the printer aisle and ask the sales associate what printer takes that ink. Why? because we found most printers to be of similar quality but we have found ink cartridges to really vary in price and that can add up over time!
Kelly A. says
We have an HP Laserjet 1505n. While they do run about $200-$300, this will save you a lot in terms of ink. I used to print my coupons on a color inkjet and seemed like I was buying $30 worth of ink at least once a month. The ink cartridge for this laserjet will last 2-3000 pages, and while the HP replacement ink is $80, I buy the generic with my Amazon gift card from Swagbucks for around $20. Good luck in your choice!
KATIE says
I’ve gone through so many printers through the years. My favorite is a Brother printer. It doesn’t seem to matter which one. The prices for the ink are so low. just buy generic on amazon and you are going to be blown away by the quality (you’ll start printing everything you ever dreamed of).
I got the all in one, and it’s fantastic. I’ve been through HP – major crap in comparison to a brother. I’ve had canon, epson and more. I’d never return to any of those brands again.
The photo quality is the same as costco with generic ink.
Gina says
We have a Brother wireless color laser printer and we love it. I will warn you it was expensive, but it has the possibility of being a lifetime printer. They have it on sale at Costco this month. Which will make it alot more affordable. Also the toner can be refilled, a definite plus. You have to watch out for that, because of them cannot be. The cartridges end up as much or more than a new printer. Hope that helps and good luck.
crystal williams says
I absolutely love my lexmark x4650 wireless printer, I love everything about it, I’ve had it for two years and would miss it if it died. Its nice because we can all printer from any computer and the ink is not very expensive, it also is a copier and scanner which uses all memory cards, also usb. It really is nice and quiet and fast.
glen says
Similar to other responses, I’d stay away from inkjet and get a laserjet printer that uses toner. I just pulled out my extra printer, a Brothers laser that was a few years old, and just ordered a toner refill for $6.50! And I’m estimating, since it says it’s good for 2500 pages, I’ll get about 2000 from the refill! And that’s lots of coupons!!! lol
So before you decide, always look and see what your toner or ink costs will be to give you an idea what your future cost will be. Again, imo, I’d stick with a laser if you’ll be using it for coupons. But I’d only stick with a laser printer if you can get a refill for it – you’ll save that much more.
And thanks for your blog, it’s helped us out immensely with saving $$$. 🙂
trinity says
I have a 50% off code for some dell printers if you are interested. email me at [email protected] if interested.
Christie says
I don’t know one to recommend, but here’s what I know about a couple brands: I had a cheapo Lexmark all-in-one that lasted me years (until it couldn’t keep up with my operating system upgrades anymore), however the ink prices were insane! I replaced it with a Kodak ESP all-in-one b/c supposedly the ink was dirt cheap. It is sufficient I guess. The ink is cheaper (although it has gone up from $10 a pop for black to $13 in the last year and Kodak mandates the ink prices so no sales on these); however, even printing in B&W, it still uses up the color ink and won’t print at all if either catridge empties. It eats through the ink fairly quick in my opinion, so I really don’t think switching saved me much. I have had issues with paper jams as well, missing out on some coupons b/c the paper misfed and only half the page printed. Looks like after reading this I may be due for an HP this Black Friday =)
Elizabeth Kielma says
I totally agree with you on that one. I read reviews and thought it was a great deal, but it seems to go through ink like crazy and I don’t even really print out that much. Yeah, the ink cartridges are less expensive than other printers, but the amount you have to buy makes it cost alot more.
Shelly says
We recently bought my daughter an Epson small in one. It has been a good printer for her and doesn’t seem to use the ink too fast. It was also really easy to set up the wireless printing. It cost us about $40. We purchased my husband an HP laser jet printer and that one costs about $99. It is a good one and I can get toner for it for about $22. In the last year we have only used one toner. We also have an older Canon printer we got a good deal on it. The ink isn’t too expensive I purchase it at Abacus Private. It does print very well everything from photos to documents to coupons. I don’t remember the cost of it but we have never paid over $150 for any of our printers. It also works very well with my Mac computer. The other printers work well with the Mac and PC machines.
Amanda says
I would highly recommend a Canon printer, and here’s why – I buy off-brand ink off Amazon for about $8 for a 12 pack. I’ve found most other brands don’t have off-brand ink available that cheaply (which is where the big expense comes in). My printer takes 4 color cartridges as well as a main black, and I can get 2 full sets plus 2 extra blacks for $8. I don’t print pictures at home, so the printing is great – then I recycle my empty cartridges for $2/each at Staples! So I’m actually sort of ‘making’ money on my ink (which I use my credit generally to buy paper). I homeschool my kids and print a TON of stuff on my printer, and can do so incredibly cheaply. I have told my tips to a lot of my friends, but none of them can find ink for their brand printer as cheap as I can for my Canon. Besides the fact I’ve been very happy with my printer in general (it also copies and scans and has a document feeder) – wait til a good sale on the printer, but you will save TONS in the long run on ink by going with a brand that has cheap non-OEM ink. Oh, and every now and then I get a dud cartridge that the printer won’t recognize, but I don’t worry about it since it cost me about .75 – I just throw it in my recycle bag.
Chelsea F. says
I could kiss you Amanda! (figuratively of course! lol)
How brilliant!
Bella says
Can you share your Cannon printer model/ink #. Thanks!
Amanda says
I have a Canon MX860. We’ve had it at least 2 years now, so they probably make an updated/newer version – it’s an inkjet, and is wireless (which I love love love!). We got it when Staples was running a ‘recycle your old printer and get $50 towards a new one’ deal, plus had store credit, plus a sale, so I think we paid around $80 for it (full price was about $200).
For the ink, you would basically want to look on Amazon for the model number of the ink for the printer you are considering, and besides the name brand it will list off all the non-OEM types. You can get all sorts of package combinations, but here is what I ordered the last time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A6IVAI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01. So my ‘model’ black ink is PGI-220BK, and the color is CLI-221, but it looks like this pack would work on all Canon Pixma printers.
Again, it may be possible to find ink this cheap with other brand printers, but based on what my friends have told me, no one without a Canon has been able to get it as cheap as I can. I didn’t know this when I purchased my Canon, but am very thankful that this is the case!
Jenni says
Oh my goodness. I have an MX870 and have been paying for their regular cartridges, but I just checked out the link and it looks like the cartridges are compatible. Thanks so much for this tip!
Sarah T. says
When researching for a new printer, I took the availability of non-OEM ink into account more than the actual cost of the printer. Ended up with a Kodak ESP Office 6150 which I’m VERY pleased with. While their OEM ink is cheaper than most, I figured with what I was saving between OEM and non-OEM, it doesn’t take too many refills to pay for the printer. I DIDN’T know you could recycle your non-OEMs at Staples- good to know!
About the Kodak, I love the scanner- it will scan multiple photos at once into separate jpeg files. The printer is much faster than our previous Brother AIO inkjet- it was as slow as molasses. I like the network capability so that I don’t have to be plugged in. And it prints well, since it’s made for photos specifically. I use it for coloring sheets for the kids mostly and coupons.
Sara says
I have a Canon Pixma printer and I also purchase the cheap off brand cartridges from Amazon. I have had one that leaked and one that didn’t work, but for how cheap they are and how well they print, I don’t mind a few duds in the mix.
glen says
Now that’s being cheap! And that’s being brilliant! When you get paid to print….enough said. 🙂
Deidre Jane says
I LOVE my Kodak ESP 3250. The ink is much cheaper, and lasts longer than the cartridges for our old HP. It also has a draft print function that prints coupons just as well with less ink. You can choose color or black and white printing, and the colors are much truer than any other printer we’ve had.
Lynne says
Definitely consider getting a black/white laser printer. We chose a Brother multi-function printer, and scored $100 off on sale at Staples last winter, which made it cheaper than the color inkjets. I love the color printers, but the inks dry out faster than I can use them. (I tried to “save” color ink by using b/w settings, but I kept having to buy new cartridges just to print a couple of color pages.) MUCH more cost effective to print in b/w, and the laser toner doesn’t dry out. When I need something in color, I can either upload (or take a memory stick) to a local office supply store.
Ellie Wofford says
I think the most important part of buying a printer is the ink cost! I’d recommend you find ink that is a good price & then find out what printers use it! We have an ancient Lexmark (seriously, I think it’s at least 8 years old) that the ink is only about $11 on Amazon. The bad thing? Only 1 laptop we have will hook up to it! (The others are too new!) But yeah, I’d focus on ink cost since it’s the repetitive part!
Liz says
I agree completely. My husband brought home a printer that someone gave him for free. We have spent tons on ink for that free printer. When that dies – I am definitely going to look up ink cost before I purchase anything. Plus – I can tell the difference between HP and generic ink so I don’t think that is a fair comparison.
Brandy says
If you have money to invest, you should go with a laser. I would personally avoid Epson because their ink is crazy expensive and you can’t refill them or by an off brand. I have the cheapest Target HP printer (I think it was $25) and I am very satisfied with it. It isn’t wireless, though we could have gotten that feature for a bit more if it is important to you.
A.R says
Hi,
Could you also tell us where you purchase the ink cartridge for ur HP printer and how much it costs? thanks in advance!
Brandy says
http://www.inkforcheap.com 🙂
Kris says
We have a Lexmark and love it. Always factor in the cost of replacement ink/toner when comparing overall prices.
Susan says
This is tough question to answer because it really depends on individual needs/wants.
I’d echo other commenters … for coupons and documents, go with a laser printer. They are reasonably priced nowadays, and a toner cartridge lasts a long time. You’ll replace ink cartridges for inkjet printers far more often than you’ll need to replace a toner cartridge.
I have an Epson ink jet and a Brother laser printer and I use them both, but for coupons and regular documents, I prefer the laser. For photos I almost always use a printing service, but for the occasional photo that I’ll want to print, kids school work or other documents that need to be in color, I use the ink jet. The Epson is a 3-in-one, so I use it for scanning and photocopying too, whereas the laser printer doesn’t have that capability.
Unless you use a desktop computer than never travels from your desk, I’d pay a little more for a wireless printer. The convenience is worth it, especially if you have more than one family member (and therefore more than one computer) using the printer.
Also, just my experience, but I print a lot of coupons, and the laser printed ones always scan with no problem. I have a lot more difficulty at checkout counters getting ink-jet coupons to scan.
Another thing that may or may not be an issue for you depending on your circumstances … you know how the coupon-printing programs will print automatically once you click “print?” My Epson inkjet has the capability to send prints to queue, whereas the laser printer does not. I work full time outside the home but often jog through the couponing blogs on my lunch hour (like I’m doing now. 🙂 ) If I find a hot coupon that I think will disappear before I can get home to print it, I can print it to my Epson, and it will stay in the queue ready to print out once I get home and my computer is within range of my home network. This is really nice for when I’m traveling too, which I do quite frequently. But if I accidentally send it to the laser printer from a remote, it don’t wait for me. It will try to print right then, and if the computer is not connected it won’t ever print and I will lose it. So … if I was in the market for a printer, I would look for the queueing ability.
Another little thing … the Epson allows me to see the page as it’s printing out, whereas the laser does not. This comes in handy with coupons — sometimes a coupon will print at the top of the page followed by a big ‘ole ink-wasting ad. With the ink jet I can hit the cancel button and the page will spit out with just the coupon and not the ad. But the laser will print the whole page. I hate to waste ink like that because it is so expensive, but laser toners are more economical so it doesn’t bother me that much.
Hope this helps.
chantal says
Great information Susan. Thank you
Chrystal @Sea of Savings says
HP Printers are really good and you can usually find good deals on them all the time. The cartridges aren’t priced bad and last a long time as well.
Anna says
Just pick up a usb printer at a thrift store. The best finds will be at local thrift shops, as opposed to a chain. Check to make sure it has the usb cable and to see if it has any new ink with it.
J says
We have a HP and I love it. Simple, easy and best of all it cost $39
Leaha says
I paid $89.99 for Brother MFC-J825DW on sale from Newegg.com – it is a wireless inkjet with scanner and fax, because I want the ability to print in color. You can buy the generic off-brand of inks for $5 per color on ink various sites, so it isn’t too bad. I have been pleased with it thus far.
I would do research on the exact printer model you decide on before purchasing, some printer models (even brand name ones like HP!) have a bad habit of breaking down or having problems. There are the good and the bad. Sometimes it’s better to spend $10 or $20 more to save the hassle of a printer messing up after owning it for 5 months or having a printer that eats up ink more than it should.
Carrie says
I’m not sure if you need it right away, but if not, we purchased 2 HP printers on Black Friday last year at Walmart. One was $20 and the other was $40 I believe. The more expensive one is wireless, but that’s really the only difference. They copy, scan, and print and they are the best little printers we’ve ever had! I’m not sure if they will have the same ones this year, but I’d definitely recommend waiting if you can! I’ve seen the same one we purchased for $20, selling at Walmart for $70!!
A.R says
Hi,
Could you also tell us where you purchase the ink for these printers and how much it costs? thanks in advance!
Carrie says
The ink for both of the HP printers is HP61. You can buy the 2 pack (1 black and 1 color) at Walmart for $29, or about $15 each. The page yield is 190 for black and 165 for color. I haven’t tried, but you may be able to have them refilled at Walgreens for less.
casandra says
i have refilled my ink cartridge at Walgreens and they ripped me off! Got an HP21/22 printer on black friday for $39 and it works great. I go through a good deal of ink because i print homeschool stuff but other than that i love it. if you can wait for a good deal!
Candy Johnstone says
Walgreens can’t refill HP61. At least my Walgreens said they couldn’t. Just FYI.
Vee says
Our Costco refills a lot of HP cartridges at the photo center. I think color is 10.99 and black is 9.99. Mine are both XL size.
lori says
I have to agree with the other replies regarding black & white laser printers. The toner cartridges are $50-$65 each (best deals online), but they last for 1000+ prints. I have the Brother HL-2240 laser printer which often goes on sale for $60 or so. Right now you can get it at Staples.com for $59.98 plus free shipping. I highly recommend it.
http://www.staples.com/Brother-HL-2240-Mono-Laser-Printer/product_886402
Kay says
My Epson printer was cheap (free I think, after rebate) and I pay for it now in ink. I would recommend that you carefully research ink usage of any printer before buying.
Ryan says
I probably have the same printer. I bought refillable ink cartridges when I first got it and have saved a bunch on ink.
Kristel says
I second that. The Epson printer we had cost us a small fortune in inkt. About $40 – $50 for one and it would last us between 1 to 2 months (color ones a little longer then the black one). A year ago we switched to a Brother MFC-495CW printer and now we pay about $20 in cartridges (after market ones from Amazon) a year. I use it mainly for coupon printing on fast normal and never had any problems with the quality. This is the best switch we ever made.
Rose says
I also have an Epson I got it after I traded in my Brother printer at Office Max paid maybe an additional $20 and that was it. The ink is around $50 for the colors. It does last awhile. My husband is looking for another trade in your old printer for a new one. Look at the price of ink for that particular printer before you buy the printer. The printers may be cheap but the ink depending on how much printing your doing is whats going to add up.
Lee Patterson says
I have a brother printer. Let me say, these are not cheap printers, but they are excellent for coupons and documents (all I print). I have the 2270(?)DW meaning it’s wireless and does duplex printing by itself (saves money). It is super fast and super quiet. Toner usually runs about $45/drum but lasts me a long time – and I do a good bit of printing. I have had this printer for about 6 months, and I have only had to buy the toner once. It is great on coupons!
Cons: no color printing
I paid about $70 for mine on sale at Office Depot, and I used one of their $10 off $50 coupons. If you go this route, I’d wait for a sale and then hop on it. Stores run out quickly.
Marie says
I think we have a Lexmark all in one type printer and it has $5 black ink cartridges which is the lowest of any ink cartridges. I am sure you could ask someone at Staples or Office Depot which printer has the $5 black ink cartridges. They are not little half full cartridges either…..they hold a good amount of ink for lots of prints just like the more expensive cartridges.
Karen says
I got this one in a great deal about 1 year ago and LOVE it! Works beautifully and the inexpensive (but not cheap) ink is wonderful.
Mary says
Target clearances out their Lexmarks a few times a year. I got mine for under $25 and it came with a cartridge – addt’l cartridges run me around $20 but I get 100’s of prints and I get my ink at Office Max with rewards and turn in old cartridges. I have an all-in-one because I use the scanner alot – well worth the money.
If you are part of Office Max rewards, and aren’t in a hurry, I got an HP wireless printer from them after rewards for around $40 – gave it to a friend. Great deal on that, too.
asmith says
I have a brother laser printer and we love it. We have an more advanced model for coping, faxing, scanning etc. But the toner expense has been much cheaper than inkjet and I have had no problem with coupons scanning. We aslo have used the generic toner replacement w/o any problems eventhough Brother doesn’t recommend
Kathy says
We have the basic brother laser printer. I waited til it went in sale at office max. It was less than $50. We have saved so much on ink. There are videos online that tell you how to trick the printer when it thinks it needs more toner. We used the small toner that came with it for over a year. That is coupon printing, my husband in school printing for school, and me printing for home and work. My coupons always scan. Love it.
Ilyssa says
We have an HP LaserJet 1012. It does not use ink, it uses toner. We spent more than a traditional printer that uses ink. However, I print somewhere between 10-20 pages a day, and I only replace the toner once ever year or so. I get the toner on Amazon for $12-15.
Deb says
I have this same printer and love it. Rarely replace toner and use it quite a bit. Well worth the extra money upfront compared to some friends who are always buying ink. If you don’t mind black and white for everything, THIS is the way to go!
JD says
I also have this printer and highly recommend it (or similar HP Laserjets). I’m a college student & I’m always printing stuff out (approx 15 pages/day) along with coupons, but I only have to replace the toner twice a year at most. I also buy the toner on amazon for about $10.
Also, I prefer printing coupons on the laserjet printers because the coupons come out nice every single time.
TNK says
I use the previous model to this one, but they are basically the same model. Love it. We go to the local library or we send things we need printed in color to Kinkos. Saves me tons of money.
Karen says
I have an HP Laserjet also and highly recommend it. I use my SwagBucks money to purchase ink super cheap (usually free after Swag) off of Amazon.
Jacci says
If you have any type of Apple device (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch), I would highly suggest getting an HP e-printer. Ours cost $99 from costco and printers wirelessly from our Vaio comp. and all of our devices. My parents bought a different brand from the apple store and I cannot for the life of me figure how to link it to their devices. I tried to look online for guidance and everything I read said that HP is the closest thing to an apple compatible printer. It also has a copier that always comes in handy and the ink isn’t very expensive. The best perk is that we keep it on a shelf in the master bedroom closet and everything prints great wirelessly! We don’t even have a computer desk and no wires to connect!
Ashley says
I second this. I found our amazing little HP on sale for $79 a few months ago. The ink is super cheap (as far as ink is concerned) and my Super Husband added the printer to our network so we can print from any laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone connected to the internet. Best little printer I ever bought.
Jan says
I have a macbook pro and use an epson 800 artsian and love it.