Looking For a Printer with cheap running costs - Please Recommend...

[pc-nas]

Hi guys,

My old Epson R240 has given up on me and due to it's age, it doesn't work well with Windows 10 & the head keeps clogging up, wasting lots of ink, hence I think it's time for an upgrade.

I'm looking for a decent Printer colour inkjet or laser which I can share for myself and my partner to do their office work and for me to print out odd occasion photos. It must meet the following criteria:

• 
  VERY CHEAP RUNNING COSTS
  BE ABLE TO GET CHEAP COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGES/TONERS
  NETWORKED &/or WIRELESS
  DOES NOT END UP WITH REGULAR BLOCKAGES
  REASONABLE PHOTO PRINT-OUTS FOR ODD OCCASIONS
  PREFERABLY - ALL-IN-ONE
  

Can you recommend any?

Thank you.

 

[dudeman509]

I have been extremely happy with the Brother HL series. They come with wireless and duplex support, but no scanner if that's a necessity.

 

[pc-nas]

Thanks Dudeman. What's the printer's running costs and is it colour laser?

I've found a DCP-9020CDW for under £200, but not sure if this is a good printer.

 

[dudeman509]

I have replaced the toner cartridge ONCE in my HL-2270DW in ~3, maybe 4 years, and it's used for ~50 pages/month. Other than that, it's been absolutely maintenance-free and downright reliable. It will sometimes drop the WiFi connection (our power blinks a lot), but turning it off and back on fixes that easily.

I don't know much about their copier units (I also have a HP inkjet that I hate for that), but the HL-3170CDW unit is a color version of my printer that has pretty high review ratings as well.

 

[pc-nas]

Ahh right. The only issue with the 2270DW is that it's mono colour and I need a colour printer. From research the Brother DCP-9020CDW seems to be the most popular choice for people due to cheap compatible toners and all-in-one functions. Is there any printer with similar features to the DCP-9020CDW that you can think off which is better?

 

[ron2456]

I use the canon pixma e510, its running cost is pretty low. Although its an inkjet. You may also look at canon Inktank printers. Whenever the colour runs out I refill it.

 

[pc-nas]

Hi Ron,

After researching, it seems for me inkjets are a no-no. The reason being is that if you are an occasional user, like me, then it's common for inkjet printers to get clogged - this is what's been happening to the R240 I have and I've wasted loads of money.

I only have one option and that is to buy a colour laser with which I can use compatible toners and that should hopefully save me a fortune.

 

[ron2456]

If you just do a single page a week like me, just to keep the nozzles clean it will be okay. 2years with this printer and not a single clogged head.

 

[dudeman509]

Do you leave the inkjet on when not in use? My HP doesn't see much use, but it goes through a cleaning cycle every now and then. Haven't had that one clog in ~2 years either.

From a quick Google search, it doesn't appear that particular Brother is sold here in the US? Come to think of it, I do have a friend with a black-and-white all-in-one Brother that they love as well. I'd imagine the color ones are pretty good units.

My only qualm with my particular unit is that sometimes the B&W graphics quality is nowhere near as good as it is from our MUCH more expensive office HP Laserjets, but they're at least $1000 printers...and this wasn't.

 

[ron2456]

Nope I just switch it when needed. And I try to print atleast one page a week with little colour and nlack in draft mode so that the nozzles don't get clogged

 

[dudeman509]

Nope I just switch it when needed. And I try to print atleast one page a week with little colour and nlack in draft mode so that the nozzles don't get clogged

If it isn't clogged now, Try leaving it on for a bit before you purchase anything.

People kept turning off our plotter at work...since I covered up the power button with a piece of paper that says do NOT turn me off (unless I crash), it hasn't clogged up once even though it's used once every month or three.

 

[techiebee18]

Have a look on the list below if you are searching for a printer that has cheap running cost. These printers are really affordable based on research and testing. The cost per page is very cheap on these printers. You will find more bucks left over on your purse even after you purchase.

HP OFFICEJET 4650

The HP Officejet 4650 is an all-in-one printer packed with duplex and borderless printing. You can connect this printer to a network using an Ethernet cable and Wi-Fi network. It can print up to 6.8 pages in color and 9.5 pages in black for a minute. The HP Instant Ink Service gives a discount on the purchase of high-yield ink cartridges.

CANON PIXMA MG6820
The Canon PIXMA MG6820 is a low-cost printer that is capable of printing on both sides. It can print in color up to 9.7 pages per minute and black up to 15 pages per minute. You can also use Canon’s app to print from your mobile. The replacement ink cartridges are available in a very low cost even in combo packs as well.

EPSON WORKFORCE PRI WF-3720

Here is the Epson all-in-one printer that holds up to 35 page in an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). This printer supports NFC technology for a direct connection to mobile. It prints up to 20 sheets per minute in black and 10 sheets per minute in color. The Epson printer is also included with a fax component.

BROTHER MFC-J460DW

The Brother MFC-J460DW is a compact all-in-one printer suitable for your home office. It meets all your needs like print, copy, scan, and fax. The printer assures to print up to 12 pages per minute in black and 6 pages per minute in color. You can avail a free suite of apps for your mobile from Facebook, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

DELL E310DW

The Dell E310DW is a simple printer that deals printing only with black ink. This printer can print up to 27 pages per minute. You can print documents and pictures from cloud services using the Dell Document Hub cloud service. This printer is in-built with automatic two-sided printing.