In our business, clients are constantly asking for printer recommendations for machines that use inexpensive printer supplies.
So we have decisive to put together another in depth study, on which new inkjet printer provides the best bang for your buck, based on your printing habits.
This year’s printer review developed a short list of economical printers in comparison to our last evaluation. If the existent trend proceeds (and it likely will), the choices for low cost printers which use inexpensive furnishes and have problem free performance may be limited. As we’ve observed the trend we’re seeing is that in general, the newer the printer, the littler the cartridge and the more costly the ink per milliliter.
(This info is current as of January 2011)
Most new printers give rise to superior images specifically described in DPI (dots per inch) from 6000 x 1200 to 4800 x 1200. This means that solution is not a good point of analysis amidst brands and models since they all manufacture high quality images (for each and everyday printing).
This is not a review on photo printers per se, if you are looking for a printer that will be used for printing full size pictures exclusively, this is not an article that will help you.
Here’s how we reached our determinations on finding the least costly inkjet printer model to own?
First, we chosen printers best suitable for printing text/color with an occasional photo thrown into the mix. Printers may be multifunction or standard, but we were predominantly concerned with the printer and supply costs.
Next, we annihilated printer models, that cost over $200 or any printer models that have well known problems. For this reason most of the Dell and Epson NX series printers were not considered.
A printer must be available as “new” from Amazon.com and have at least 10 user ratings to qualify for review consideration.
Once that list was created, the printers were evaluated in the following areas.
1. Cost for cartridges- The cost for both black and color cartridges on cost per ml (cost based on ASAP inkjets selling price)
2. Cost of printer- The intermediate syndication price you would suppose to pay.
3. Ratings from users- Star rating 0 – 5 stars from Amazon.com (5 being the best rating)
4. Cartridge reliability- Our own assessment of the most authenti aftermarket cartridges available
LEAST EXPENSIVE PRINTER CARTRIDGES
This is the cost of the ink only. This does not consider printer rating, printer cost or other costs of operation (such as alternate printheads). If you are a very high volume user of ink, this is an necessary section for you.
“Page yield” data cannot be relied on because you will most likely not get the same page yield from an inkjet cartridge as the manufacturer claims. Manufacturer listed page yield data does not account for variances in coverage area, font type, font size, spacing, printing frequency, or environmental conditions etc. Page yields amid dissimilar makers also cannot be equated fairly, because they do not use the same benchmarks. In other words, page yield cannot be replicated or verified on inkjet printers.
This is why we choose to focus on the cost per ml (milliliter) of ink in each cartridge to determine value (cost per volume of ink contained in the cartridge). Milliliter volume is absolute, equal, and verifiable.
Judging only on cost for ink, the lowest price BLACK text printing with an aftermarket cartridge is the HP 940XL series black high capacity cartridge. This cartridge was ranked original with a super low cost per ml of.22 cents! The HP 920XL series black was second with.42 cent per ml cost. The Brother LC-61 black compatible was third at.46 cents per ml.
Most EXPENSIVE after market cartridge, black ink – Canon PG-210XL $1.33 per ml
For color printing, these cartridges rated at the top. The Kodak 1810829 (Kodak 10 color) came in introductory with.20 cents per ml, which is plainly amazing, for color! The Brother LC-61 series cyan, magenta and yellow was in second place with.39 cents per ml. The 3rd place goes to the Canon CLI-221 series cartridges at 1.00 per ml.
Most EXPENSIVE after market cartridge, color ink – Canon CL-211XL $1.69 per ml
COST OF PRINTER
Printers had to have an intermediate marketing price of $200 or less. Because printer life has decreased to roughly 4 years or so, we felt an investment of more than this could mean a poor ROI (unless you are printing very big volumes, then you may make a case for spending more).
The least pricey printer that made the list was the Canon PIXMA iP2702 for $40.00 (but it also uses the most highpriced cartridges.
RATINGS FROM OWNERS
We wanted to present unbiased quality data on what persons thought of each of the printer model reviewed. To do this, we gleaned the star ratings listed from printer owners on Amazon.com to determine their level of satisfaction.
Although galore printer manufacturers had machines with 3.5 to 4.5 star ratings, a heap of brands ranked better than others, as to be expected.
As a whole, it was evident that Canon printer owners were happier than any other group, with the buy of their machines. Although the intermediate price for a new Canon printer was more than HP, Brother or Kodak, some humans swear by them and are more than willing to plunk down the extra money.
The Canon printers are amongst the most authenti and lasting printers on the market and their quality puts them at #1 for ratings alone. The printer furnishes costs vary dramatically from model to model, so be conscious of this before buying.
Out of the 72 printers surveyed, 7 of the top 10 printers were Canon printers receiving a 4.5 out of 5 star rating.
The most reviewed and most eminent rated printer was the Canon Pixma MP 560 receiving 532 reviews. This printer, uses the PGI-220 and CLI-221 cartridges, which are rated right around the middle in terms of cartridge cost.
In second place was Brother showing strong client support for most of their printer models presently available. Brother has been around for years but have never had a big presence in retail centers.
CARTRIDGE RELIABILITY
In terms of reliability, it was close. After much thoughtfulness and debate we have concluded that the Brother LC-61 series cartridge has edged out the contest in performance. While the Kodak 10 series and Canon PGI-220-CLI-221 series both have splendid records of problem free use and good to splendid economy, the Brother LC-61 beat all three in one category; simplicity.
The LC-61 ink cartridges do not use a microchip to commune with the printer like the Kodak or Canon cartridges. With no electronics and a simple sponge reservoir, there is very little that may go faulty with this ink cartridge. It is no more than a plastic box of ink; simple, economical and reliable.
BEST INKJET PRINTER FINAL SUMMARY
Considering all of the information: cost of supplies, (cost of printer, ratings for printer owners and ratings of the cartridges) these printers do well in galore categories but perhaps not in all.
Best high volume inkjet printer: – HP OfficeJet Pro 8000 4 stars (about $100) * HP OfficeJet Pro 6000 3.5 stars (about $70)
The HP 920XL and HP 940XL series cartridges are cheap, huge and for the most part reliable. The problem is that this type of printer have a tendancy to go through printheads which may be in regards to $100 per set. If you print 1000 pages or more per month, this is a outstanding printer for you since the cost will be offset by the low cost per ml in the cartridges.
Best low volume inkjet printer: – Canon PIXMA iP2702 4.5 Stars (about $40.00)
This was a tough question to answer since this printer uses the most pricey cartridges. However, if you need a printer that will not be employed very often, such as for a vacation home, a backup, or for grandma’s house (if she does not print much), this is a low cost unit that is rated well. Again, this would be a good choice for very low volumes of printing.
Best overall printer to own – Brother MFC-295CN multi function 3.5 stars (about $75) * Brother MFC-J265 w multi function 3.5 stars (about $75)
Although the Brother printers do not tend to print envelopes or heavy photo paper very well due to the bottom feeding paper tray, the value for the dollar can not be beat taking into account all factors, for the intermediate user over a amount of time of 4 years.
These machines use the same printhead engineering science and deliver inexpensive, quality printing in both black and color. They use the LC-61 series cartridges and have an splendid track record using the higher capacity compatible cartridges from ASAP inkjets.
Best overall printer Runners up – In runner up for great all around printing would be one of the following Canon printers that use the PGI-220 and CLI-221 cartridges.
* Canon PIXMA MP620 4 stars (about $100)
* Canon PIXMA MP990 4 stars (about $100)
* Canon PIXMA MP560 4.5 stars (about $100)
These Canon machines are very well built and other than a little higher intermediate cost for the printer and supplies, are closely perfect.
We don’t trade printers at ASAP inkjets but we do undertake to help persons make good conclusions when looking to buy one.
If you are in need of a new printer now, or have been on the fence with regards to getting a new one, you may want to act sooner since printer models do not stay around for long.
Lasts a REALLY long time!
Nice ink, wish they recycled