dustyridge7 said:@ rustysurfer79
I’ve finally realized that the cheaper you buy the printer, the more you end up getting ripped off on ink.
You looking for a budget printer for school, college, or work that won't bleed you dry on ink? I'd definitely suggest looking into an HP with an Ink Tank System. Those things are lifesavers when it comes to keeping costs down.
Honestly, looking at the situation, third-party ink just isn't an option. If you let those fake cartridges run dry and the ink levels hit zero, you're basically asking for a clogged printhead. Not worth the risk.
And again, the originals don't last long.
Should I just grab any random printer and set up an Ink Tank System to refill myself, or is it better to just get something where the official cartridges aren't such a rip-off?
Thanks!🙂🙂🙂
Looks like someone finally figured out how the game is played.
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Hey, at the end of the day, everyone's gotta earn their own keep.
By the time you realize you basically just paid for someone else's lunch by buying a new printer, it’s way too late to start regretting it.
If you go the used printer route, that initial savings is basically gone the second it hits the trash. You'll just end up sinking all your money into repair bills and the daily headache of buying ink.
Look, if that makes sense now, maybe you’ll see why we picked these specific models. We didn't just grab whatever was on sale; we chose the gear that actually holds up over time, whether it's through easy servicing or just being reliable enough to handle daily use. At the end of the day, we're trying to make sure everyone wins here.
Look, from where I'm standing, there are actually plenty of high-quality, budget-friendly options out there for the average user. But honestly? For this kind of analysis to actually mean something, you’d probably have to bundle everything together into some sort of package deal to make it worth the hassle.
Look, if these packages just aren't doing it for you, don't sweat it. Just go find someone else who offers similar options but with a different setup.
Look, just hunt around for something in the $300 to $600 range. $267 Sales tax on similar packages.
Look, you’re getting a device that works perfectly right out of the box. We're talking about setups with permanent or semi-permanent ink tank systems that are super easy to find. You can grab enough refill ink to cover anywhere from 30 to 150 cartridges—whether you go with the official stuff or just pick up some reliable third-party replacements for current or even slightly older models.
Honestly, it's tough to say. Hard to give any real recommendation here.
For instance.
Lately, I've been testing out some Desktop ink on my HP Envy paired with an Ink Tank System. Honestly? It works like a charm. I’ve been using the Plug and Play setup for about two months now and haven't had any issues. But, if you try to do the exact same thing without the Ink Tank System—say, just grabbing a standard kit with the same amount of that Desktop ink—well, you're basically asking for trouble.
Why?
The issue isn't actually the ink itself. It’s about how that ink acts as a coolant for the printhead heaters. Since you don't have an ink level indicator anymore—which you *did* have on your old HP OfficeJet—it’s easy to run dry without realizing it. Those cartridges only hold about 3-5 ml per color, so they can empty out in a heartbeat. Once that happens, the heaters overheat, and while it might not happen immediately, you'll eventually fry a connection on the multiplexer and lose a color for good. If you're using an Ink Tank System and you're careful not to let any air get into the lines, those heaters stay constantly cooled by the ink, making life easy for the HP hardware. Sure, the printhead is going to wear out eventually regardless, but you can just grab a new one for $100 or $150 and keep moving. You'll still have your extra ink and your tank system ready to go. Just a heads up though: HP didn't make it easy; on their newer MP series, installing an Ink Tank System isn't exactly Plug and Play anymore. It's definitely doable, but expect to do a little tinkering and trial and error to get it right.
Second example.
If you’re mainly looking to print in black and white, you might just want to grab an HP with those HP 45 cartridges. You get about 40 ml of Black in there. Just for context, that Ink Tank System mentioned above holds 60 ml of Black, so honestly, the difference isn't a huge deal. But there is one catch: that HP won't even run without HP 78 ink. And a fresh set of HP 78 costs around... $83 Third-party stuff can be pretty hit or miss. Right now, the whole setup feels a little shaky. But look, if you figure out how to refill the HP 78 using bulk desktop ink—and we can put together a deal with the HP 78 cartridges plus three 100ml bottles of desktop ink for $67—things start looking different. Sure, we can't give a guarantee on those Chinese replacement cartridges, but having both color and Black options with huge capacity for cheap? That changes the game. We've actually seen people get over 40,000 color prints this way on that platform.
Still, it’s not for everyone, and it definitely isn't Plug and Play.
That first method was more or less Plug and Play.
HP is a whole other story; we've talked about this before. Basically, Plug and Play works with permanent cartridges, but setting up an Ink Tank System just doesn't pay off the way it does with a Canon.
There aren't any hard rules here. You can't generalize an entire brand. Everything varies from one model to the next. That's why we always say NEW MODELS ARE A TOTAL WILDCARD.
Only time will tell who ends up paying the premium in the long run.