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Printers are one of the few product categories where the sticker price is almost irrelevant to what you’ll actually spend. Manufacturers routinely sell printers near or below cost, because the real business is in ink and toner. Here’s what to check so you don’t end up with a $60 printer that costs $40 every time you refill it.
1. Check the cost-per-page before you check the printer’s price
This is the single most important number and the one least likely to be on the box. Look up the cartridge price and its rated page yield, then divide — that gives you a real cost-per-page you can compare across models. A cheap printer with expensive, low-yield cartridges can easily cost more over two years than a pricier printer with efficient ink.
2. Ink vs. laser depends on what you actually print
Inkjet printers are cheaper upfront and handle photos and color well, but ink can dry out if you print infrequently, and per-page costs are often higher. Laser printers cost more upfront but have a much lower cost-per-page for text documents and don’t dry out from inactivity — a better fit if you mostly print black-and-white documents sporadically.
3. Watch for “starter cartridges” that ship with new printers
Many new printers ship with a half-full “starter” cartridge rather than a full one, meaning your first real ink purchase comes sooner than expected. This isn’t usually disclosed prominently — check reviews or the product’s fine print for starter cartridge yield if this matters to your budgeting.
4. Check whether the manufacturer locks out third-party or refilled cartridges
Some manufacturers use firmware updates or chip verification to block cheaper third-party or refilled cartridges from working, sometimes rolled out after purchase via an automatic update. If keeping ink costs low long-term matters to you, search “[printer model] third-party cartridge blocked” before buying to see if this has been an issue for that specific model.
5. Subscription ink plans can help or hurt depending on your volume
Ink subscription programs (charging a flat monthly fee based on pages printed rather than cartridges) can lower costs for people who print a predictable, moderate volume regularly. They’re a poor fit for infrequent or highly variable printing, where you’d be paying for a tier you don’t consistently use. Match the plan to your actual printing habits, not your printing aspirations.
6. Wireless reliability varies more than people expect
A printer that constantly drops its Wi-Fi connection or requires re-pairing after every router restart turns a simple task into a recurring annoyance. Check recent reviews specifically for wireless reliability complaints, since this varies significantly even within the same manufacturer’s lineup and isn’t something you can judge from specs alone.
The short version
Calculate real cost-per-page before comparing sticker prices. Choose laser for frequent black-and-white text printing and inkjet for occasional color and photo work. Check for starter cartridges and third-party cartridge restrictions before buying. Match subscription ink plans to your actual print volume, not an assumption about it. And check recent reviews for wireless reliability, since that varies more than the spec sheet suggests.