Printers With the Cheapest Ink: Every Ink System Ranked by Cost Per Page
The cheapest printers to run are the ones built around cheap cartridge systems, and the spread is 40x. Ranked by the real cost per page we track: Brother super-high-yield ink (LC20EBK, ~$0.010/page) is cheapest, followed by laser toner systems ($0.023–$0.063 — Brother TN229-class, HP 414X/218X/134A LaserJets, Canon imageCLASS), then office inkjet systems ($0.032–$0.074 — HP OfficeJet Pro 9010/8710 on 962XL/952XL, Epson WorkForce on DURABrite). Consumer systems cost 3–10x more: HP DeskJet/Envy cartridges (63XL, 67XL) run $0.096–$0.150 per page and small Canon PIXMA cartridges $0.097–$0.41. To decide if a dearer printer is worth it, divide its price premium by the per-page savings — that is your break-even page count.
By OutletPicks Editorial, Independent price-comparison desk 7 min read· updated 7/10/2026profile ↗
What printer ink & toner costs per page
Live price terciles across the 53 printer ink & toner products we track, by real cost per page.
| Tier | Cost / page | Example pick |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $0.010–$0.044 | EPSON 127 DURABrite Ultra Ink Black… ($0.035/page) |
| Mid-range | $0.048–$0.086 | HP 206A Black Toner Cartridge | Works… ($0.063/page) |
| Premium | $0.090–$0.42 | Canon PG-285 Genuine Black Ink Cartridge ($0.12/page) |
A printer is a one-time purchase; its cartridge family is a subscription you cannot cancel. Two machines sitting side by side at similar prices can differ by 40x in what a page costs you — and the sticker on the shelf says nothing about it.
We track the real cost per page of every major cartridge system — price divided by rated page yield. Here they are ranked, mapped to the printer families that use them, with the break-even arithmetic for deciding how much printer to buy. (For the cartridge-by-cartridge table see the printer ink cost per page guide; for the technology comparison, laser vs inkjet.)
Every ink system we track, ranked by cost per page
| Ink system | Printers that use it | Cartridge we track | Cost / page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Brother super-high-yield ink (LC20E) | Brother INKvestment MFC-J all-in-ones | LC20EBK, ~$23.99 | ~$0.010 | | Brother TN229 toner (compatible set) | Brother HL-L3220/L3280/L3300, MFC-L3720/L3765/L3780 | TN229XL 4-color, ~$69.97 | ~$0.023 | | HP 414X high-yield toner | Color LaserJet Pro M454/M455, MFP M479/M480 | 414X black, ~$235.89 | ~$0.031 | | HP 962XL ink | OfficeJet 9010, Pro 9010/9020 series | 962XL black, ~$63.89 | ~$0.032 | | Epson DURABrite ink (127) | WorkForce WF-3520/3540/7520 generation | Epson 127 black, ~$33.99 | ~$0.034 | | HP 952XL ink | OfficeJet 8702, Pro 7720/8210/8710/8720 | 952XL black, ~$70.89 | ~$0.035 | | HP 218X high-yield toner | LaserJet Pro 3201, MFP 3301 | 218X black, ~$114.89 | ~$0.036 | | Epson DURABrite ink (252XL) | WorkForce WF-3620/3640/7610/7710/7210 | Epson 252XL black, ~$39.99 | ~$0.036 | | Canon 067 toner (compatible 2-pack) | imageCLASS MF653/MF654/MF656, LBP632/633 | Canon 067 black x2, ~$49.99 | ~$0.037 | | Epson 822XL ink | WorkForce Pro WF-3820/4820/4830 | Epson 822XL black, ~$47.99 | ~$0.040 | | Canon PGI-280 ink tanks | PIXMA TR8520/8620, TS6xxx–TS9xxx series | PGI-280 pigment black, ~$19.00 | ~$0.042 | | HP 134A toner | LaserJet M209, MFP M234 | 134A black, ~$64.89 | ~$0.059 | | HP 206A toner | Color LaserJet Pro M255, MFP M282/M283 | 206A black, ~$84.89 | ~$0.063 | | HP 910XL ink | OfficeJet 8010/8020, Pro 8020/8030 | 910XL black, ~$56.89 | ~$0.069 | | HP 923 ink | OfficeJet 8120, Pro 8130 | 923 black, ~$36.89 | ~$0.074 | | HP 902XL ink | OfficeJet 6950/6960, Pro 6970 | 902XL black, ~$62.89 | ~$0.084 | | HP 63XL/65XL ink | DeskJet 1100/2100/2600, Envy 4500 | 63XL/65XL black, ~$28.89 | ~$0.096 | | Canon PG-275XL ink | PIXMA TS3520/3722, TR4720/4722 | PG-275XL black, ~$38.96 | ~$0.097 | | HP 62XL / 64XL ink | Envy 5540–7640, Envy Inspire/Photo | 62XL or 64XL black, ~$62.89 | ~$0.105 | | Canon PG-245 ink | PIXMA MG2420/2920, MX492, TS3120/3320 | PG-245 black, ~$25.00 | ~$0.139 | | HP 67XL ink | DeskJet 1255/2700/4100, Envy 6000/6400 | 67XL black, ~$35.89 | ~$0.150 | | Canon PG-260XL ink | PIXMA TS5320/6420, TR7020 | PG-260XL black, ~$40.99 | ~$0.410 |
Three clean bands emerge. Under $0.045 per page: Brother's super-high-yield ink, all the high-yield laser toner, HP's OfficeJet Pro 9xxx-class ink, and Epson's WorkForce DURABrite systems. $0.05–$0.09: entry laser toner and mid-tier OfficeJet ink. $0.10–$0.41: the consumer DeskJet, Envy, and small-cartridge PIXMA systems — the cheapest printers to buy and the most expensive to own.
The single cheapest system we track is an inkjet, not a laser: Brother's LC20EBK at about $0.010 per page — a ~$24 cartridge rated for 2,400 pages. And note how little the brand name tells you: HP spans $0.032 to $0.150 per page depending on the cartridge family, Canon $0.042 to $0.41.
The break-even formula
Cheap-to-run printers usually cost more up front. Whether that premium pays off is one division:
Break-even pages = printer price premium ÷ per-page savings.
Worked examples from the table:
- OfficeJet Pro (962XL, ~$0.032) vs DeskJet (67XL, ~$0.150): savings ~$0.118 per page. A $120 premium breaks even at roughly 1,000 pages — about a year at 20 pages a week.
- Brother INKvestment (LC20EBK, ~$0.010) vs small-cartridge PIXMA (PG-245, ~$0.139): savings ~$0.129 per page. A $100 premium breaks even at under 800 pages.
- Mono laser (HP 134A, ~$0.059) vs DeskJet (67XL, ~$0.150): savings ~$0.091 per page. A $90 premium breaks even near 1,000 pages.
Run your own two candidates through the unit price calculator. If your yearly volume clears the break-even, buy the machine with the cheaper system; if you print a few dozen pages a year, the cheap printer genuinely wins — with the caveat that idle ink dries out, while toner keeps.
How to choose the printer, backwards
- Pick the cartridge system first, then the printer. Look up the replacement cartridge's price and rated yield before you look at printer reviews.
- Under ~$0.04 per page is the good band. Brother super-high-yield ink, high-yield toner, OfficeJet Pro 9xxx, and Epson WorkForce all live there.
- Treat sub-$100 printers with suspicion. They are usually attached to $0.10–$0.41-per-page systems — the printer is the bait, the cartridges are the business model.
- XL everything. Within any family, the high-yield version is nearly always cheaper per page than the standard one — in our catalog Canon's PG-275XL (~$0.097) beats the standard PG-275 (~$0.106) and the pattern repeats across brands.
Every cartridge behind this ranking is tracked live, cheapest-per-page first, on the printer ink category page. Prices move; the method — rank the system, not the printer — is what stays true.
Top 5 cheapest per page right now
Live from the catalog, ranked by real cost per page — cheapest first.
As of July 23, 2026: the cheapest page we track is Brother LC20EBK Super High Yield Black Ink… at $0.010/page. Re-checked daily — the cheapest listings refresh first.
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Frequently asked questions
Which printer has the cheapest ink cost per page?
Among the systems we track, Brother machines that take the LC20EBK super-high-yield black cartridge print cheapest at about $0.010 per page (~$24 cartridge). Next come laser systems: Brother HL-L3220/MFC-L3780 class machines on compatible TN229XL toner at ~$0.023 per page, and HP LaserJets on high-yield toner at ~$0.031–$0.036. The cheapest office inkjet system is HP's OfficeJet Pro 9010/9020 family on the 962XL at ~$0.032 per page.
How do I calculate whether a more expensive printer is worth it?
Divide the printer's price premium by the per-page savings of its cartridge system. Example from our tracked prices: an OfficeJet Pro on the 962XL prints at ~$0.032 per page versus ~$0.150 for a DeskJet on the 67XL — savings of about $0.118 per page. If the OfficeJet costs $120 more, break-even is roughly 1,000 pages; print 20 pages a week and it pays for itself within a year.
Why is cost per page so different between printers of the same brand?
Because the cartridge family, not the brand, sets the price. In our catalog HP spans $0.032 per page (962XL, OfficeJet Pro 9010 series) to $0.150 (67XL, DeskJet 2700/4100 series) — nearly 5x within one brand. Canon spans $0.042 (PGI-280 PIXMA tanks) to $0.41 (PG-260XL) — about 10x. Always check the replacement cartridge's cost per page before choosing the printer.