Back to School Printer Recommendations

With the back-to-school period well underway, here are InkOwl's top picks for the best household printers of 2018. Although we carry cost-saving solutions for all types of printer, not every printer on the market is built alike. This list is specially curated for printers that are easy and affordable to refill.

The recommendations:

1. BROTHER Inkjet Printers: for general household use with our easy and inexpensive refillable cartridges for Brother.

2. Select models of EPSON Inkjet Printers: for general household use including photos for display with of our high-quality, color-matched inks.

3. Black-and-white Laser Printers (especially BROTHER, HP): for a low-maintenance solution

1. BROTHER Inkjet Printers
Top choice for general household and student use

Brother-brand inkjet printers are our standard recommendation for households and students. This is because Brother inkjet printers can accept our refillable cartridges, including our optional extra-long cartridges for added refill convenience. These printers are among the least expensive in terms of initial printer cost, refillable cartridge cost, and ink cost. Your ink cost per page can be as little as 0.2¢/page. The only drawback with Brother printers is that aftermarket ink for Brother is not fade resistant, meaning that photographs printed with this ink will have to be kept away from natural light (a photo album is fine).

Recommended models:

2. EPSON Inkjet Printers
Top choice for household use including photo display

For households looking for a versatile printer that can also produce high-quality, long-lasting pictures for display, Epson inkjet printers are the gold standard. Epson's pigment-based Durabrite inks and dye-based Claria inks are formulated with a wide color gamut and a high resistance to UV exposure. Our replacement Premium Pigmented (for Durabrite) and Fade Resistant (for Claria) ink sets are color-matched to the originals, which ensures that you will continue to obtain to the same quality even once you begin refilling. When selecting a specific model for purchase, please check on the availability of our refillable cartridges for Epson, as they are not yet available for the most recent models.

Please note that refillable cartridges not yet available for the most recent models. The models below have reliable and proven refilling options available...

Recommended models:

3. Black-and-White Laser Printers
Top choice for convenience and low maintenance

The key advantage of a laser printer is the relative lack maintenance required. Even if you don't print often, you will not need to perform cleanings of any kind. This is a major advantage if you print irregularly. Furthermore, the cartridge capacity is big, including our laser compatible cartridges.

However, laser printers are significantly more expensive than an equivalent inkjet model, which is why printer companies still manufacture black-and-white (monochrome) laser printers. A black-and-white laser printer will usually retail for about the same as a color inkjet printer. Full color laser printers are quite costly and generally not advised.

The most reliable and least expensive printers to refill at this time are Brother laser printers as well as select HP models (see the list below). We recommend reviewing our instructional refill videos for any models you may be interested in. We also offer a full array of laser compatible cartridges for a simpler alternative.

Note that for color printing, inkjet is a far superior choice compared to laser. Color laser printers are significantly more expensive both in initial price and in toner costs compared to inkjet printers. In addition, the quality of laser printed color images and photographs is not as high as with inkjet.