When it comes to printers, the price of ink cartridges often becomes an important factor for both home and office users. While a cartridge may seem affordable at first glance, the true cost lies in the amount of ink you get for your money.
The price of an ink cartridge can be misleading, as a cartridge that costs €20 contains only 2 ml of ink, which can print approximately 100 pages. In contrast, a $50 cartridge can hold 20 ml of ink, allowing you to print 1,000 pages. While the $20 cartridge may seem cheaper, it may end up being more expensive in the long run due to the need for frequent replacement.
To shed light on actual printing costs, I researched 100 ink cartridges using publicly available information from the official websites of four major brands: HP, Canon, Epson and Brother.
The hidden costs of ink cartridges
To accurately analyze long-term printing costs, we assessed the price per liter of ink rather than focusing on the initial cartridge cost. This approach gives a clearer picture of how much users will spend over time because it takes into account ink volume and the total number of pages each cartridge can print.
Of the 100 cartridges surveyed, 31% were classified as cheap ($5000). Interestingly, Canon and Epson each had a 35% share of the cheap ink data, with HP accounting for the remaining 30%. This suggests that all three brands are making sure they have affordable options available.
However, Canon is emerging as the leader in affordability, offering the world’s cheapest original ink per bottle.
The The Canon GI-290 stands out at just $171.29 per liter, making it the most affordable option on the market. In addition, Canon’s GI-25 series sells for just $9.99 per cartridge, which translates to a price of $270 per liter, also making it one of the most affordable in the data surveyed. These low prices highlight Canon’s focus on providing cost-effective printing solutions, especially for consumers who print frequently and want to minimize their ink costs.
While HP is often seen as a cheap brand, the data tells a different story when you look at the cost per liter of ink.
HP dominates the affordable ink category, with 53% of its cartridges falling between $1,001 and $5,000 per liter. Canon follows in this range with 43%, while Epson and Brother each contribute only 2%. Interestingly, 18% of the inks surveyed are expensive and HP accounts for the full 18%. This means that the American technology company produces some of the most expensive ink cartridges in the world.
Although HP cartridges often sell for between $20 and $60, the price per liter can be extremely high, making these cartridges among the most expensive to use over time. For example, the HP 65 and 67 tri-color cartridges have a staggering price per liter of $9,995 and $9,495 respectively, the highest in the entire data set.
While some cartridges may seem expensive at first glance, they can provide significant savings for high-volume users.
Cartridges like the HP 32XL and Canon GI-290 have an exceptionally low price per page, effectively reducing costs to $0.00 in some cases. These cartridges are ideal for consumers who need to print large quantities of documents or photos, as they reduce the need for frequent cartridge replacements and save money in the long run.
High-capacity cartridges such as the Epson T636100 and Canon PFI-1000, which hold between 700ml and 800ml of ink, are also excellent choices for high-volume users. Although these cartridges have a higher initial cost, their large capacity reduces the frequency of replacements and minimizes costs in the long run.
Another interesting trend from the data is that black ink cartridges generally offer a lower cost per page and per liter compared to color cartridges.
Black ink is more commonly used for everyday document printing, which explains its lower costs. However, consumers who need color printing, such as for photos or graphics, face a much higher price per liter. For example, color cartridges such as HP 902 and Canon CL-276 have a much higher price per liter, especially for magenta, cyan and yellow ink.
Users who often need color printing may want to consider brands like Epson, which offers more affordable color ink options. For example, the Epson T664220-S cartridges in cyan, magenta, and yellow cost about $177 per liter, making them a reasonable option for those who need a balance between the cost of black and color ink.
The analysis reveals different strategies between the four brands: HP offers products in all three price categories (cheap, affordable and expensive), but the high price per liter for some cartridges indicates an emphasis on affordability in the short term term, at the expense of long-term affordability. savings. Canon, on the other hand, prioritizes cheap and affordable inks, making it the best choice for price-conscious consumers. Epson focuses primarily on the low-cost ink market, while Brother plays a smaller role overall and offers fewer options across the price spectrum.
If you print large quantities of documents or have a small business that prints a lot, ink tank printers are the right choice. They are designed for high print volumes, offer a lower cost per page and you don’t need to refill them regularly.
