Can anyone recommend a good but inexpensive printer which does not use costly ink cartridges?

Question

My epson 680 & 740 printers have ink cartridges that are very cheap to replace. I am researching on the internet to buy a new printer & have looked at lots of makes & read lots of reviews. When I then look on websites for replacement inks, even pattern ones. they are all much more expensive these days. Does anyone know of a new printer that has ink cartridges under £5 each. UK answers please

Answer 1

I know printers very well (over 7 years of experience selling printers and supplies). I can tell you that right now the best printer with good printing, and inexpensive cartridges are Brother MFC 210C. Great printer. I have it, recommended to like 4 people and all were very happy about it. And look how inexpensive the cartridges: http://www.printcountry.com/Brother-MFC_210C-printer/42218.htm

Answer 2

Your cartridges are cheap because of the age of your printers. Up until last year I could buy black and colour cartridges for my old epson, think was a 680 or 640 for £6 each. I currently have an hp psc750 all in one printer. HP cartrdiges last for ages, you can re-fill them or buy the cartridges cheap from asda.

I would suggest you look around for a printer you like and then see how much the cartridges are from somewhere like asda or tesco. Anyone reading this please don't buy your cartridges from pc world. You just being ripped offf most of the time. Mail order are pretty cheap as well but problem with epson is that they use a chipped cartridge and don't always work.

Answer 3

Hi. I had the very same concern a couple of years ago. I decided to find which printer has the cheapest replaceable cartridges.
I already knew that inkjets are ink GUZZLERS whereas laser printers can go on one cartridge for years (for me at least printing on average 2 pages a day).
So I can only advise for black and white printers. I figure the rare occasions that I need colour, it will still be cheaper for me to take a graphic file to see someone else and borrow theirs.

I eventually found a great little laser printer...
an OKI B4100 available here: http://www.oki-shop.co.uk/index.php?section=products&dept=PRI&group=MLP&terms=4100

Their B/W cartridges cost between £20 and £35 pounds
Just google for "toner oki B4100" and you will find lots of people selling them. But two years in and I'm still using my first one.
The printer cost me £128 in Jan 2005 but I reckon that
had I bought an inkjet back then instead, I would have paid more money than that for printer plus many high-priced replacement cartridges.

So its done me well now for 2 years and still going strong.

However, if you can get hold of a Panasonic KXP-6100 or KXP-6300, or KXP-6500, then you are lucky b*gger. They are a bit old these days but my one (my previous laser printer) lasted for years - 5 or 6 I think. When it was finally on its last legs the repair man confirmed "they just don't make them that good any more". Brilliant it was. (Let me know if you find a second one on ebay or something and I'll pay good money for it)

Also I had a Dell inkjet for a short while and tried to get some non-proprietery ink cartridges for it. I came across "Hornet Computer Supplies" www.hornetcs.co.uk. They seem to specialise in trying to get round the tricks that Dell and other manufacturers do to ensure you use their own brand of toner. They've seem to have every toner design and ink-type covered to "get round" this "brand protection". One cartridge cost £5 and the one I got came with a syringe and a few other odds and ends to inject into the proprietary cartridge.
Sadly for me, Dell's system was too smart and totally ignored the new full cartidge. So it's not guaranteed, but worth a shot (unless you have a Dell)

Good Luck

Answer 4

Well...heres a cheap deal...for your current printer..
http://www.continuousink.com/proddetail.asp?prod=epson4
Breaks down at £16 for system + £20 for ink, an Epson cart takes 13 ml, £20.00=600ml
About forty pence a cartridge.
For the future, stick with CISS.....

Answer 5

buy epson R220 great printers, also prints on discs
a full set of ink tanks (6) from www.ukdvdr.co.uk costs less
than £5.

Answer 6

I have an Epson Stylus CX4700, the cartridges are individual, so you only have to buy the one you need. Its great, i like it a lot.

Answer 7

Epson C46 does good photos too, i pay £5 total for both my colour an my black cartridge

Answer 8

I bought a Minolta Magicolor 2430DL laser color printer (under $300.).
Refill toner for 4,500 pages costs $30. per color

Answer 9

Mine is a lexmark, got it from dixons only £30 Does a great job.