How to Buy a New Printer Without Breaking the Bank

You can buy a new printer without breaking the bank by choosing one that matches your real workload, comparing the cost of supplies before you buy, and looking at reconditioned and sale options. The goal is the lowest total cost, not just the lowest price tag.

Many buyers focus only on the price at checkout. That works for a printer used a few times a month, but in a busy office the toner or ink you buy over the following years can far outweigh what you paid for the machine. A printer that costs a little more up front but uses higher-yield supplies can end up much cheaper to own.

Here are the main ways to save:

• Buy for the pages you actually print, with sensible room to grow.
• Compare cost per page across the printers on your shortlist.
• Choose laser or inkjet based on what and how much you print.
• Skip features you will rarely use.
• Consider reconditioned printers, current deals and price matching.

Size a printer by estimating how many pages you print each month, how many people share it and whether you need color. A printer matched to your workload lasts longer and costs less to run than one that is too small or far too large.

A duty cycle is the maximum number of pages a printer is designed to handle in a month, a ceiling rather than a target. The recommended monthly volume is the comfortable everyday range, and it is much lower. Buy against the recommended range; our guide to duty cycle versus recommended monthly print volume explains the difference.

An undersized printer works hard every day, needs supplies more often and wears out sooner, so the savings disappear. An oversized one ties up money in capacity you never use. As a general guide, a personal desktop printer suits one or two people, while a shared office printer should be chosen for the whole team's combined volume. If spec sheets are confusing, read printer specs in plain English.

Quick sizing questions

• Roughly how many pages do you print in a typical week, and how many in your busiest week?
• Will the printer sit on one person's desk or serve a whole team over the network?
• Do you print long documents that would benefit from faster speeds or two-sided printing?
• Is your volume likely to grow in the next couple of years?

For regular text printing, a laser printer is usually cheaper to run than an inkjet, because toner cartridges typically produce more pages than ink cartridges. Inkjets can suit light, occasional use and photo printing.

Laser printing uses a laser, a light-sensitive drum and powdered toner fused to paper with heat; see Wikipedia's laser printing article. Inkjet printing sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink onto the page; see Wikipedia's inkjet printing article.

If almost everything you print is black text, a black-and-white laser printer is hard to beat for value.

There is one middle option worth knowing about. Refillable ink tank printers use bottles of ink poured into built-in tanks instead of small cartridges. They usually cost more to buy than a basic inkjet but much less per page, which can suit home offices that print a fair amount of color. For busy shared office printing, laser remains the usual choice.

Cost per page matters more than the price tag because supplies are the biggest ongoing expense for most printers. Two printers with similar prices can have very different running costs.

Cost per page is the supply cost of printing one page, calculated by dividing the price of a cartridge by the number of pages it is rated to print. Do this for every supply the printer uses, such as toner and a separate drum, and add the results together.

• Check rated page yields in the product details for each cartridge.
• Look for high-yield cartridges, which usually cost less per page than standard ones.
• Check whether the drum is separate. Separate drums and toner let you replace only what is worn.
• Watch out for starter cartridges. Some new printers ship with lower-capacity cartridges, so budget for a full replacement sooner.

Browse replacement supplies in our toner and drum collection, and read how to save ink before you hit print for everyday habits that stretch every cartridge further.

Reconditioned printers can be an excellent way to save, especially when you want a business-class machine on a smaller budget. The key is to read each listing carefully so you know exactly what you are getting.

A reconditioned printer is a used printer that has been inspected, cleaned and restored to working order before being sold again. Business-class printers are built for heavy use and long service lives, so a well-reconditioned one can serve an office for years.

Browse reconditioned printers and check the condition notes, included cartridges or trays, and the coverage on each listing. Compare them with new office printers to see which gives you the best overall value.

Before choosing a reconditioned model, confirm that toner and other supplies for it are still readily available, since a bargain printer is only a bargain if you can keep it running. It is also worth checking that the printer works with your current computers and operating systems, and that it has the connections your office needs, such as network or USB.

You can usually skip color, fax, extra paper trays and premium extras if you do not use them every week. Each feature adds cost to the printer, and some add running costs too.

• Color: if you rarely print in color, a black-and-white printer is cheaper to buy and run. A small color printer can handle the occasional job.
• Fax: skip it unless your clients or partners still require faxes.
• Extra trays: one main tray plus a manual feed is enough for most small offices.
• Large touchscreens and apps: nice to have, but not essential for everyday printing.
• Very high speeds: useful for busy shared printers, but unnecessary for one or two users.

Do not skip automatic two-sided printing if you print long documents. It saves paper on every job and often pays for itself. For more on common mistakes, see the worst printer advice you've ever heard.

Deals, closeouts, price matching and energy-efficient models can all lower the cost of owning a printer. A little comparison shopping often pays off.

• Check current printer and office equipment deals.
• Look at closeout items, which can include capable models being replaced by newer versions.
• If you find a lower price elsewhere, see how our price match works.
• Choose an energy-efficient model; the ENERGY STAR imaging equipment page explains how efficient printers are identified.

Think about the full purchase, not just the printer. Ordering a spare toner cartridge at the same time avoids a rushed, more expensive purchase when the first one runs out, and a surge protector helps protect your investment. Finally, look after the printer once it arrives: good paper storage, regular cleaning and timely supply changes all help it last.

Follow these steps to choose a printer that fits both your needs and your budget.

1. Count your pages. Estimate monthly black-and-white and color volume.
2. Count your users. Note how many people will share the printer.
3. Decide laser or inkjet. Use laser for regular text and inkjet for light or photo use.
4. List must-have features. Include duplex, scanning or network only if you need them.
5. Shortlist two or three printers. Include at least one reconditioned option if it fits.
6. Compare cost per page. Divide supply prices by rated yields for each printer.
7. Check deals and price match. Look for current offers before ordering.
8. Order spare supplies. Buy a replacement toner so you are not caught short.

The CopyFaxes team has helped businesses choose printers since 2002. Use the machine finder to filter printers by your needs, or contact our team with your monthly volume and budget, and we will help you compare new and reconditioned options.