Most of the printers on the market today are very good. The main issue now is the operating cost.
We want a printer which gives good quality prints or copies at the least cost.
We all know the most expensive part of the printer is the consumable – the ink or toner!
If you think perfumes are expensive, you will be surprised to learn that the printer ink is in fact more expensive than perfumes.
So if you want to purchase a printer, have a good look at the cost of the ink or toner before you decide.
So what printers should we use? An ink jet printer or a laser printer?
The answer may surprise you
Ink Jet Printers
There is no doubt that ink jet printers have popularized printing in households. They are able to produce amazing color pictures and texts.
The best part is that everyone could afford an ink jet printer.
The ink jet technology became so sophisticated that it was possible to reduce the amount of ink in one sprayed drop to picoliter, which is very little.
A printer cartridge may contain only 6 ml of ink but is able to print 200 pages.
If 6 ml ink cost $30, then 1 liter of ink is worth about $5,000. Even brand perfumes do not cost that much.
It is expensive to print with ink jet printers. A printed page costs about 15 cents.
Making a few 8″ by 10″ color prints would quickly deplete the inks. It is much cheaper to print pictures at a print shop.
HP have released some ink jet printers which rival laser printers in consumable cost.
The HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One uses new ink cartridges which can print over 2,000 pages for $45. The cost per page is about 2 cents, similar to that for laser printing.
The Lexmark Prestige Pro805 printer costs even less to print than the HP printers. The cost per B&W page amounts to about 1 cent, cheaper than the laser printers.
It also has wireless connection.
These Lexmark printers and HP printers are the best ink jet printers in term of operating costs.
We highly recommend using those printers to keep cost low.
Laser Printers
Laser printers are more expensive but are generally cheaper to use.
The toner costs between $50 to $100 but can print thousands of pages (2,500 depending on brands) whereas an ink jet cartridge can do about 200 pages for $30 (except for the Lexmark high yield 105XL for the Lexmark Prestige Pro805 printer & HP940XL for HP Officejet Pro 8500 printer.
The prices of laser printers have also been going down. You can purchase one for $60.
According to Consumersearch the Samsung ML-2851ND Laser printer is the Best laser printer for small offices.
The Samsung ML-2851ND laser printer has excellent print quality for text. It is fast (over 25 pages per minute) and can print both sides of a page.
It is estimated that a print would cost about 2 cents. It has a TonerSave mode that extends cartridge life up to 40 percent.
It is however not suitable for graphics and photos.
It is compatible for both PC and Macs.
There are also color laser printers. They are a little more expensive than the monochrome printers.
The color toners are also more expensive but they are still cheaper compared to the color inkjet cartridges. A $60 toner might yield about 2,200 pages.
The Canon imageCLASS MF4370DN Laser All-in-One Printer is relatively inexpensive for a color laser printer.
The Canon MF4370DN laser printer can also scan, photocopy and fax. It is pretty fast (23 prints/min) and is able to print both sides of the paper.
Print quality is good for both B&W and color.
It has a built-in networking, which allows other computers in an office to use it.
It is very quiet and is energy effcient using only 3W.
You can also use substitute toners, which are 3 times cheaper ($18).
The printer is compatible to PC and Macs.
The Canon MF4370DN Laser All-in-One Printer would be a good choice for a small home office.
Our Advices
Our recommendation is to always find out first the cost of the inks or toners and the amount of pages it would print before making a purchase.
Our research shows that the cheaper a printer is, the more expensive the ink or toner.
It is better to invest in a more expensive printer and save in the long run.
Consumers Report All in one Printer Ratings
We have included the Consumer Report ratings for the All in one printers and they will give you an indication how much a color and black & white print would cost according to the printer used.
Click 
for Consumer Reports and Product Reviews.
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