Auto duplex printing + ink refill recommendations?

Since my trusty HP OfficeJet has likely kicked the bucket for good, I’m on the hunt for some solid advice. I need an inkjet printer that handles automatic double-sided printing and—this is the big one—actually has affordable third-party ink cartridges available. I’ve been scouting out some of the newer Canon models with auto duplexing, but from what I can gather, finding compatible replacement inks for those specific units is still a massive headache. I'm definitely open to other brands if you guys have any recommendations that won't break the bank at the supply store! 🙂

Steven Nelson8 said:Since my trusty HP OfficeJet has probably kicked the bucket, I'm looking for some advice on a new inkjet. Ideally, something with auto double-sided printing where I can actually find cheap third-party ink. I checked out some of those newer Canon models with auto duplexing, but from what I can tell, there aren't any compatible refill inks available yet. I'm open to other brands too if you guys have any solid recommendations. 🙂

Why would they even bother making third-party ink for brand-new Canons when just buying the official refill sets is way more cost-effective anyway? 10 *

Steven Nelson8 said:Since my trusty HP OfficeJet has probably kicked the bucket, I’m looking for recommendations for an inkjet printer with auto duplex printing and easy access to third-party ink. I’ve been checking out some newer Canon models with auto two-sided printing, but from what I can see, there aren't any compatible third-party inks available for them yet. I'm open to other brands too if you have suggestions. 🙂

How long did that Canon actually last you, if you don't mind me asking?

rustysurfer79 said:Why would anyone even bother looking for third-party cartridges for those new Canon printers when buying a refill kit is ten times more cost-effective?

Well, turns out they’re actually still out there.

George Morgan67 said:If you don't mind me asking, how long did you actually get out of that Canon?

Just two and a half years. :-( I’m honestly pretty heartbroken about it.

Steven Nelson8 said:Since my trusty HP OfficeJet has likely kicked the bucket, I'm looking for recommendations for an inkjet with auto duplex printing and plenty of third-party ink options available. I've been checking out these newer Canon models with auto duplex, but from what I can tell, there aren't any compatible third-party inks for them yet. I'm open to other brands too if you have suggestions. 🙂

Epson Stylus SX-515/525/535

I was leaning towards Canon myself, but because finding cheap third-party ink is such a headache, I'll probably just grab an SX-535 or one of the two before it. Mostly sticking to the SX series since they're older enough that replacement inks actually exist and are way easier to find than for a Canon. At least, that's how it looks to me. This company does carry compatible inks for some Canon models.

It's a bummer that going with Epson means losing that direct CD/DVD printing feature—I could really use that. Canons tend to be slower, but they run quieter than Epsons, and for me, quiet operation matters more than raw speed.

Regarding the Epson, check out those inks too. The ones called Hummingbird.

Oh yeah, those Epson SX series printers tend to last quite a while. My neighbor's has been running for over four years; she doesn't print much, but she always uses third-party colors.

To make it easier to figure out which printer supports automatic double-sided printing, just google this

If you're interested in the ability to print directly onto a CD/DVD, try googling this

A buddy of mine, a retail manager for seven years now, has an HP LaserJet Pro. He’s been running third-party ink this whole time. Back when his kids were still in high school, he said he used the thing constantly. He couldn't tell me if it was from the X series or not, just that it was the 3850 model.

Let me know when you finally pull the trigger on a new one. I want to hear which model you went with and what made you pick it over the others.

Honestly, picking out a new printer feels as high-stakes as buying a house.

Any info you can share would be huge.

Hope my posts helped you out a bit.