New and Used Photocopiers

Since I have three students in the house—one in elementary school and two in college—we find ourselves constantly printing out lecture notes, study guides, and various assignments. It’s also quite handy to be able to bind everything up with some plastic comb binding once in a while, so I’m considering picking up a standard multifunction copier that can handle up to A3 size, along with a dedicated comb binder and hole punch.

Looking at our needs, I keep thinking about how much more we'll be doing through official government portals soon, which means a constant stream of documents to print. Between online lectures and digital handouts, the kids often prefer printing their study materials so they don't have to stare at a screen all day. Our volume isn't massive—maybe 400 to 500 pages a month, occasionally a bit more. A big factor for me, though, is where we live; we're pretty far out from the city, so we don't have easy access to a local print shop or FedEx Office. I really want to be self-sufficient.

Since I'm not running a business and can't just write off these expenses, I don't want to sink tens of thousands of dollars into this. I'm looking to stay within a budget of, say, roughly $300 to $400, and I'd love some advice or personal experiences regarding costs and reliability and overall quality.

I'm primarily looking at new machines, something like

https://www.amazon.com/example-printer-mb472dnw

https://www.staples.com/example-copier-price

I am also open to used equipment, perhaps something slightly higher-end. I'm not even dreaming about color printing right now... but does it make sense to buy a used photocopier? If so, what should I be looking for (besides the total page count and how soon the drum might need replacing)?

I’ve got an OKI at my office similar to the one you linked (it’s a 362dn or something close to that).
It’s a decent machine—tough, reliable prints, and the toner isn't too easy on the wallet.
Sadly, after just a few thousand pages, the drum gave out (cost me about $333). The tech told me it was because I used some cheap generic black toner that wasn't up to snuff, so I guess I need to stick to better quality stuff from now on.

Generally speaking, if you want classic photocopying, you need a laser printer—something like that OKI or maybe something beefier.
But honestly? Most people, even entire offices these days, don't really need that anymore since paper-to-paper copying is becoming a rarity.
Usually, you’re either printing something or scanning it to print later.
In those cases, you don't necessarily need a laser that kicks in instantly for copies; an inkjet works fine.

I used to have a Brother 3-in-1 inkjet (the 5910DW) for a long time, and I never felt the need to do high-speed paper-to-paper copying. You either scan 100 pages into a PDF and then decide whether to print it, or you just print some docs or study guides directly. For that, an inkjet is fine, even if it's a bit sluggish with the start-stop rhythm.

Price-wise, the best move is usually going with those EcoTank style printers that have become popular again lately. They're inkjets where you don't bother with cartridges; you just buy bottles and refill them directly. I think Epson, HP, and maybe a few others have setups like that.

Also: do you actually need A3 printing and scanning, or just printing?

wiredotter14 said:Also, do you actually need A3 printing and scanning capabilities, or just the printing part?

Thanks for getting back to me. Regarding the A3 requirement, I definitely need the ability to copy A3 directly onto A3—so that means both scanning and printing are essential. I also need to be able to upscale A4 documents to A3 size...

Mark Perez4 said:Thanks for the reply. For my needs, I need true A3 functionality—meaning scanning and printing at A3 size, plus the ability to upscale A4 up to A3...

A laser copier that handles A3 isn't cheap. Honestly, if you aren't cranking out hundreds of pages a day, it’s probably overkill.

I actually just picked this up for the office; I'm pretty sure it does both A3 scanning and printing.

https://www.staples.com/hp-officejet-pro-series-printer
Third-party ink is an option too, and it won't break the bank.

One tip: if you're doing heavy paper-to-paper copying (long documents), inkjet printers work better if you just scan everything to a PDF first and then hit print. It makes things much easier, especially for double-sided jobs, since most machines—even the laser ones—don't actually support automatic duplexing straight from the scanner.

I’m definitely not interested in an inkjet printer. When you’re cranking out 500 to 600 pages a month, you end up constantly swapping out ink cartridges or dealing with messy refills, and honestly, I just don't have the patience for that. There would also be those annoying times when I'm not even home and someone else has to deal with it—and I can't risk some clueless person making a complete mess trying to fix a cartridge. I’ve been around the block since the early days of computing, so while I’ve handled plenty of weird technical workarounds and DIY fixes over the years, I'd rather just avoid the headache entirely. For me, it's laser all the way.

The folks running tank printers just top them off every few thousand pages. Plus, you can always see exactly how much ink is left and refill it on the fly. If you go with an inkjet that uses standard cartridges, swapping them out is a breeze—just click and go.

Lasers are more reliable, sure, but they’re a pricey hobby if you need A3 scanning and printing. At that scale, the cost per page isn't any cheaper than ink.

wiredotter14 said:People who go with tank models get thousands of pages out of every refill, plus you can visually monitor the ink levels and top them off whenever needed. As for inkjet printers using standard cartridges, swapping those out is a breeze—just a quick click and you're set.

Lasers tend to be more reliable, though they can become quite an expensive hobby if you're looking for A3 scanning and printing capabilities, especially since the cost per page isn't necessarily lower than inkjet.

So, what's the actual damage when it comes to the ink costs?

A heavy-duty printer or a commercial-grade copier equipped with those large, refillable tanks is definitely going to come with a hefty price tag for everything else too. Plus, you have to deal with the much higher risk of mechanical failures or dried-up nozzles...

Wait, laser printing isn't cheaper than ink?? 🤔 🤔

To be honest, that’s news to me, but I guess we'll see...

Mark Perez4 said:And how much does that ink actually cost?

A massive printer or copier with those huge refillable tanks—everything else about them is going to be pricey too. Not to mention they're way more sensitive to breakdowns and clogged nozzles...

Laser printing isn't cheaper than ink?? 🤔 🤔

Honestly, first time I'm hearing that, but sure...

Original ink$21 for 127ml or 4,500 pages—which is the key part—is actually cheaper than laser. You can definitely find third-party stuff even cheaper.
https://www.printink.com/ink-for-epson...m_medium=click
I used an HP OfficeJet Pro for years where the ink cost about $3.25 per color / $5.00 for black. Even with these bottles, and those cheap unchipped inks, they're way cheaper than the cheapest laser printer. Ink ends up being cheaper than the paper you're printing on.

The whole bottle thing existed before, but back then you had to add an external tube system to replace cartridges. Now, it's just built right in from the factory.

Look up the prices and see what works for you. For example, check out https://copy-electronic.com/epson-eco...m_medium=click

For your few hundred pages a month, I think it makes more sense to go with something cheaper using cartridges, like the one I linked. It lists which compatible inks it uses; just search for them on Staples or Amazon to see the cost.

Or, if you've got more cash and care more about reliability than saving pennies, just buy a laser for $1.75+