The Complete Guide to Printers and Scanners — What They Do Not Tell You on the Box

The Hidden Cost of Printing — Why the Price on the Box Is Misleading

This is the most important section in this entire guide. If you read nothing else, read this.

The purchase price of a printer tells you almost nothing about what it will actually cost you to own and use. A printer that costs very little to buy can cost many times its purchase price in ink or toner within the first few years. The printing industry has long operated on a model sometimes compared to razors and blades: sell the printer cheaply and make the profit on the consumables you must keep buying to use it.

The true cost of owning a printer is the purchase price plus the cost of all the ink or toner you will buy over the printer's lifetime. This is called the total cost of ownership, and the differences between printer types are dramatic.

A traditional cartridge-based inkjet printer might cost very little to purchase, but replacement ink cartridges can cost a significant amount each year — sometimes exceeding the original purchase price of the printer annually. Over five years, you might spend several times the printer's purchase price on ink alone.

A monochrome laser printer costs more to buy but uses toner that lasts far longer. Annual toner costs are typically a fraction of what cartridge-based inkjet owners spend on ink.

An ink tank printer costs the most up front but uses refillable reservoirs filled from inexpensive bottles of ink. Annual ink costs can be remarkably low — sometimes barely noticeable — making the total cost of ownership the lowest of any printer type over a period of several years.

The lesson is simple: always consider cost per page and annual consumable costs, not just the sticker price.

Inkjet Printers — How They Work and What They Really Cost

How They Work

Inkjet printers spray tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper through microscopic nozzles in the print head. They produce colour output by mixing four inks — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) — and they can produce photographs, graphics, and text on a range of paper types.

The Advantages

Inkjet printers are compact, quiet, inexpensive to purchase, and capable of printing colour and photographs. They handle a variety of paper sizes and types, including photo paper, card stock, and envelopes. For colour printing, particularly photographs, a quality inkjet produces results that laser printers struggle to match.

The Costs and Problems

Traditional cartridge-based inkjets have three significant drawbacks.

First, ink cartridges are expensive relative to their yield. A set of replacement cartridges can cost a substantial fraction of the printer's purchase price, and they may print only a few hundred pages before needing replacement. The cost per page for a cartridge-based inkjet is typically several times higher than for a laser printer or ink tank printer.

Second, ink dries out. If you do not print regularly, the ink in the cartridges (and in the print head nozzles) can dry and clog, leading to poor print quality and wasted ink during the cleaning cycles the printer runs to clear the blockage. Infrequent printers often find themselves throwing away half-used cartridges because the ink has dried out since the last time they printed.

Third, printers use ink for maintenance. Even when you are not printing, many inkjet printers periodically run cleaning cycles that consume ink to keep the print heads clear. This maintenance consumption means you are paying for ink you never use for actual printing.

These issues make traditional cartridge-based inkjets the most expensive type of printer to own over time, despite being the cheapest to buy.

Ink Tank Printers — The Revolution in Affordable Printing

Ink tank printers (also called supertank or megatank printers) solve the fundamental cost problem of cartridge-based inkjets. Instead of small, expensive cartridges, they use large, built-in reservoirs that you refill from inexpensive bottles of ink.

How They Differ

A single set of ink bottles for a tank printer costs a fraction of what a set of traditional cartridges costs, yet prints many times more pages. The reservoirs hold enough ink to print thousands of pages before needing a refill. Annual ink costs for a tank printer are typically a tiny fraction of what a cartridge-based inkjet owner spends — some estimates put the annual ink cost at less than the price of a single replacement cartridge for a traditional inkjet.

The Trade-Offs

Tank printers cost more to purchase than cartridge-based inkjets — typically two to three times as much. This higher upfront cost is recovered through dramatically lower ink costs, usually within the first year or two of moderate use. The initial setup can be slightly messier than inserting a cartridge (you squeeze ink from bottles into the reservoirs), but modern designs have improved this significantly.

Who Should Buy a Tank Printer?

Anyone who prints regularly in colour — school projects, home documents, business materials, photographs — will save money with a tank printer compared to a cartridge-based inkjet. Tank printers are also excellent for households that print irregularly, because the large ink reservoirs are far less prone to drying out than small cartridges.

Leading manufacturers of ink tank printers include Epson (EcoTank range), Canon (MegaTank range), and Brother (with refillable ink tank models). Epson's EcoTank series is particularly well-regarded and consistently earns high satisfaction ratings from owners.

Laser Printers — Reliability, Speed, and Low Running Costs

How They Work

Laser printers use a completely different technology from inkjets. Instead of liquid ink, they use toner — a fine, dry powder made of plastic particles and pigment. A laser (or LED array) draws the page image onto a photosensitive drum, toner powder sticks to the charged areas of the drum, and the toner is then fused onto the paper using heat and pressure.

The Advantages

Laser printers produce exceptionally sharp, crisp text — noticeably sharper than most inkjets. They print fast, particularly for text-heavy documents. Toner does not dry out (because it is already a dry powder), which means a laser printer that sits unused for months will produce perfect output the moment you need it — a significant advantage for infrequent printers. Toner cartridges have high page yields, keeping the cost per page low. And laser printers are generally more reliable and longer-lasting than inkjets.

The Trade-Offs

Laser printers are larger and heavier than inkjets. Monochrome (black-and-white) laser printers cannot print in colour. The purchase price is higher than a basic inkjet, though comparable to a good ink tank printer. Photo printing on a laser printer does not match the quality of a good inkjet or dedicated photo printer.

Who Should Buy a Laser Printer?

Anyone who primarily prints text documents and does not need colour printing at home. This includes many home users (who mostly print forms, letters, recipes, and homework), home office workers, and small businesses that produce reports, invoices, and correspondence. A monochrome laser printer is one of the most sensible technology purchases you can make — it is fast, reliable, inexpensive to run, and produces razor-sharp text every time.

Colour Laser Printers — When You Need Colour Without the Ink Headaches

Colour laser printers use four toner cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to produce colour output using the same laser-and-toner technology as monochrome lasers.

Colour lasers produce good-quality colour output for charts, presentations, marketing materials, and general business documents. They are fast, reliable, and — because they use toner rather than ink — immune to the drying-out problems that plague inkjets. The cost per colour page is typically lower than a cartridge-based inkjet, though not as low as an ink tank printer.

The trade-offs are size (colour lasers are substantially larger than monochrome lasers or inkjets), purchase price (higher than most other printer types), and photo quality (good for business graphics but not matching a quality inkjet for photographic prints).

Colour laser printers are best suited to offices and businesses that need reliable, high-volume colour printing for documents and presentations. For home users who only occasionally need colour, a monochrome laser supplemented by occasional colour printing at a local print shop may be more practical.

Photo Printers — Museum-Quality Prints at Home

For photographers and anyone who wants to print photographs at home to a standard that matches or exceeds professional printing services, dedicated photo printers use advanced inkjet technology with six, eight, or more ink colours to produce prints with exceptional colour accuracy, smooth gradations, and archival longevity.

Dedicated photo printers from Canon (PIXMA Pro and imagePROGRAF series) and Epson (SureColor series) can produce prints on a range of fine-art and photographic papers at sizes from 4×6 inches up to A3+ or wider. The best models produce prints that are virtually indistinguishable from professional laboratory output and can last decades without noticeable fading when displayed under glass.

Photo printers are a specialist purchase for people who print photographs seriously and regularly. The printers and their inks are expensive, and the cost per print is higher than ordering prints from an online printing service. The advantage is immediate control over the printing process, the ability to use specialist papers, and the satisfaction of producing a physical print from your own image.

For more on photography and cameras, see our Cameras and Photography Buying Guide.

Portable Printers — Printing on the Move

Portable printers are compact, lightweight devices designed to print from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone while travelling or working away from the office. They run on built-in rechargeable batteries and typically connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Portable inkjet printers produce full-colour A4 or Letter-sized prints and are useful for business travellers who need to print contracts, invoices, or presentations on site. Portable thermal printers (which use heat-sensitive paper rather than ink) are even more compact and are popular for printing labels, receipts, and shipping documents.

Portable photo printers (from brands like Canon, Fujifilm, and HP) produce small-format prints (typically 4×6 inches or smaller) directly from a smartphone — ideal for printing snapshots at events, parties, or while travelling.

The trade-offs for all portable printers are slower speed, lower print quality compared to full-sized printers, and limited paper capacity. They are supplements to a main printer, not replacements for one.

All-in-One Printers — Print, Scan, Copy, and Fax

An all-in-one (also called a multifunction printer or MFP) combines a printer with a scanner, a copier, and sometimes a fax machine in a single device. This is the most popular category for both home and office use because it saves space and money compared to buying separate devices.

All-in-one printers are available as inkjet, ink tank, and laser models. The scanner built into an all-in-one is typically a flatbed scanner with a lid (you lift the lid and place the document face-down on the glass) and may include an automatic document feeder (ADF) that allows you to scan, copy, or fax multi-page documents without manually feeding each page.

For most homes and small offices, an all-in-one printer eliminates the need for a separate scanner. The scanning quality of a good all-in-one is adequate for documents and casual photo scanning. However, for high-volume document scanning or high-quality photo and film scanning, a dedicated scanner outperforms the scanner built into an all-in-one.

Printers for Home Use — What Most Households Actually Need

Most households print text documents (forms, letters, homework, recipes, tickets) with occasional colour output (school projects, photographs, charts). The majority of home printing is black-and-white text.

For homes that print regularly, a monochrome laser printer is the most practical and economical choice. It produces sharp text quickly, toner never dries out, running costs are low, and the printer will last for many years with minimal maintenance. If you occasionally need colour, use a local print shop or an online printing service for those rare jobs.

For homes that need colour printing regularly, an ink tank all-in-one offers the lowest cost of ownership. The higher purchase price is offset by dramatically lower ink costs, and the built-in scanner and copier cover most household needs.

For homes that print very infrequently (perhaps a few pages per month), a cartridge-based inkjet is the least expensive option to purchase — but be aware that the ink may dry out between uses, and the cost per page is the highest of any printer type. An ink tank printer is often a better long-term choice even for infrequent printers, because the ink in the reservoirs is far less prone to drying out than ink in small cartridges.

Printers for Home Offices and Small Businesses

Home office and small business printers need to be reliable, fast, and economical to run. Downtime, poor print quality, and high consumable costs are direct costs to your business.

A monochrome laser all-in-one is the workhorse choice for home offices that primarily produce text documents, invoices, and correspondence. Fast, sharp, reliable, and inexpensive to run.

A colour ink tank all-in-one is ideal for home offices that need regular colour output — marketing materials, client presentations, proposals — without the high running costs of a traditional inkjet or the bulk and expense of a colour laser.

For businesses with higher print volumes or multiple users, a colour laser all-in-one provides the speed, reliability, and network connectivity needed for a shared office environment. Look for models with automatic duplex (double-sided) printing, a high-capacity paper tray, and an automatic document feeder for the scanner.

Printers for Larger Businesses and Workgroups

Larger offices with multiple users sharing a single printer need a device that can handle high volumes reliably, print quickly, and connect over the office network. Business-class laser printers and multifunction devices from manufacturers like Brother, HP, Canon, Xerox, and Kyocera are designed for this environment.

Key features for business printers include high monthly duty cycles (the maximum number of pages the printer is designed to handle per month), large paper trays (250 sheets or more, with optional additional trays), automatic duplex printing, fast print speeds, network connectivity (Ethernet and Wi-Fi), secure printing (requiring a PIN or ID card to release a print job, preventing sensitive documents from sitting uncollected in the output tray), and support for managed print services.

The cost per page for business-class laser printers is typically the lowest of any printer type, because their high-yield toner cartridges are designed for volume.

Subscription Printing Services — Are They Worth It?

Several printer manufacturers now offer subscription services where you pay a monthly fee based on the number of pages you expect to print, and the company automatically ships ink or toner to you when the printer's connected sensors detect that supplies are running low.

The appeal is convenience — you never need to remember to buy ink, and the cost can be predictable and sometimes lower than buying cartridges individually. The concerns are that subscriptions lock you into the manufacturer's ecosystem, some subscription plans disable the printer if your subscription lapses (even if the cartridges still contain ink), and the per-page cost may or may not be lower than buying ink independently, depending on your print volume and habits.

If you print a consistent, predictable number of pages each month and value the convenience of automatic delivery, a subscription can work well. If your printing is irregular or you prefer to control your own purchasing, buying ink or toner independently gives you more flexibility. Always calculate the annual cost of the subscription and compare it to the cost of buying consumables yourself before committing.

Third-Party Ink and Toner — The Controversial Choice

Printer manufacturers strongly encourage (and in some cases attempt to enforce) the use of their own branded ink and toner cartridges. Third-party (compatible or remanufactured) cartridges from independent suppliers typically cost significantly less — sometimes a fraction of the price of genuine cartridges.

The arguments in favour of third-party consumables are straightforward: they cost less, they often perform adequately, and they reduce waste by reusing or refilling cartridge housings. Many third-party suppliers have established good reputations for quality and reliability.

The arguments against are that quality varies between suppliers, some third-party cartridges may produce slightly different colour output, and using non-genuine consumables may — in some cases — affect the manufacturer's warranty terms (though consumer protection law in many jurisdictions limits the manufacturer's ability to void a warranty solely because of third-party consumables).

If you choose third-party consumables, buy from a reputable supplier with good reviews and a returns policy. Avoid the very cheapest options, which are more likely to have quality issues.

Do You Actually Need a Separate Scanner?

Before buying a standalone scanner, consider whether you already have scanning capability. If you own an all-in-one printer, it includes a scanner. If you have a modern smartphone, its camera combined with a scanning app (built into most phone camera apps or available as a free download) can produce surprisingly good scans of documents, receipts, and casual photographs.

A dedicated scanner is worth buying if you need to scan large volumes of documents regularly (a sheet-fed scanner with an automatic document feeder is dramatically faster than an all-in-one's flatbed), if you need high-quality photo scans (a quality flatbed scanner produces significantly better results than a phone camera or all-in-one scanner), if you need to scan film negatives or slides (which requires specialist equipment), or if you need portability (a portable scanner lets you digitise documents in the field).

Types of Scanner — Understanding Your Options

Flatbed Scanners

The scanner equivalent of a photocopier: you lift the lid, place your document or photograph face-down on the glass, close the lid, and the scanner captures the image. Flatbed scanners produce the highest quality scans, handle fragile and irregularly shaped originals (old photographs, pages from bound books, artwork), and are the only option for scanning objects that cannot be fed through a sheet-fed mechanism.

The limitation is speed — you scan one page at a time, manually placing and removing each original.

Sheet-Fed (Document) Scanners

Designed for speed and volume. You place a stack of pages in the input tray and the scanner feeds them through automatically, scanning each page at high speed — some models handle 30 to 60 pages per minute. Many sheet-fed scanners offer duplex scanning (scanning both sides of each page in a single pass), which doubles effective throughput.

Sheet-fed scanners are the right choice for offices going paperless, accountants digitising receipts, lawyers archiving case files, or anyone who needs to scan multi-page documents regularly. They are not suitable for fragile originals, bound books, or high-quality photo scanning.

Portable Scanners

Compact, lightweight scanners — often USB-powered or battery-operated — designed for scanning on the go. You feed pages one at a time through the scanner, and the output is saved to your computer, phone, or a memory card. Portable scanners are excellent for business travellers, students, and anyone who needs to scan documents away from the office. They are slower and have lower capacity than desktop sheet-fed scanners, but their portability is their defining advantage.

Photo Scanners and Film Scanners

Specialised devices optimised for scanning photographs, negatives, and slides. Photo scanners typically offer higher resolution than document scanners (measured in DPI — dots per inch — with 600 DPI adequate for documents and 2400 DPI or higher preferred for photographs). Film and slide scanners can scan at very high resolutions (3200 to 6400 DPI or higher) to extract maximum detail from small film frames.

Some flatbed scanners include a transparency unit — a light source in the lid that illuminates film negatives and slides from above, allowing the scanner to capture them. These dual-purpose flatbed scanners (such as the Epson Perfection V600 and V850) are popular with photographers who need both document/photo scanning and film scanning in a single device.

Scanning Documents — Going Paperless

The practical process of going paperless — converting paper documents into searchable digital files — requires a scanner with good OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. OCR analyses the scanned image and identifies the text within it, converting the scan from a simple image file (which cannot be searched or edited) into a text-searchable PDF or editable document.

Good OCR software makes your scanned documents genuinely useful — you can search through hundreds of scanned pages by keyword, copy text from a scan into another document, and file and organise your digital archive efficiently.

For going paperless at home or in a small office, a sheet-fed scanner with an automatic document feeder and bundled OCR software is the most efficient tool. Scan your incoming post, receipts, statements, contracts, and records, name and file the digital copies, and (once you are confident in your digital backup system) recycle the paper.

Scanning Photographs — Preserving Family Memories

Digitising old family photographs is one of the most rewarding uses of a scanner. Once photographs are digital, they can be backed up (protecting them against fire, flood, and fading), shared with family members, improved with photo-editing software (correcting fading, colour shifts, and damage), and printed as fresh copies.

For scanning photographs, a flatbed scanner with good photo-scanning quality is the standard tool. Lay the photograph face-down on the glass, preview the scan, adjust the cropping and resolution, and scan. A resolution of 300 DPI produces a file suitable for reprinting at the original size; 600 DPI allows enlargement to roughly double the original size before quality degrades visibly.

For scanning large collections of loose photographs, a dedicated photo scanner with a sheet feeder (such as the Epson FastFoto range) can process hundreds of photographs per hour — dramatically faster than a flatbed. The trade-off is that sheet-fed photo scanners handle only loose prints (not bound albums or fragile originals) and may be slightly less precise in colour and detail than a quality flatbed.

Handle old photographs with clean, dry hands. Remove them carefully from albums. If a photograph is stuck to an album page and will not come free without tearing, scan the entire album page rather than risking damage to the print.

Scanning Film Negatives and Slides — Rescuing Analogue Treasures

For more on film photography and the resurgence of analogue shooting, see our Cameras and Photography Buying Guide.

Millions of photographs exist only as negatives or mounted slides in boxes, envelopes, and carousels. These analogue originals are vulnerable to fading, physical damage, and deterioration. Scanning them produces high-quality digital files that preserve the images permanently.

Film scanning requires a scanner capable of handling transparent originals — either a dedicated film scanner or a flatbed scanner with a built-in transparency unit. The scanner shines light through the film (rather than reflecting light off its surface as with a print or document) and captures the transmitted image.

Resolution matters more for film scanning than for any other type of scanning, because a 35 mm film frame is very small (roughly 36 × 24 mm). Scanning at 3200 DPI or higher extracts sufficient detail to produce large, sharp prints from small negatives. Medium-format film frames are larger and require less resolution for equivalent output.

Dedicated film scanners (such as models from Plustek) offer the highest quality for 35 mm film but are limited to that format. Flatbed scanners with transparency units (such as the Epson Perfection V600 and V850) handle multiple film formats (35 mm strips, mounted slides, medium format) and also function as excellent document and photo scanners — making them the most versatile choice for photographers who work with multiple formats.

Portable Scanners — Digitising on the Move

For people who need to scan documents outside the office — during business travel, at client meetings, in libraries or archives — a portable scanner provides genuine utility.

Portable scanners are typically powered by USB from a connected laptop, weigh a few hundred grams, and scan a single page in a few seconds. Some models offer Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to scan directly to a phone or tablet without a computer. A few models include a rechargeable battery for completely wireless operation.

The best portable scanners produce document scans that are sharp, clean, and perfectly adequate for business use, OCR, and archiving. Photo scanning quality is functional but does not match a quality flatbed.

Cost of Ownership — The Numbers That Actually Matter

To make this concrete, here is a simplified comparison of approximate total cost of ownership over five years for the main printer types, assuming moderate home use (roughly 100 pages per month, mixed black and colour).

The specific numbers vary by model, brand, and usage pattern — but the relative positions are consistent. The cheapest printer to buy is almost always the most expensive to own.

Connectivity — Wireless, USB, and Cloud Printing

Wi-Fi

Most modern printers connect to your home or office Wi-Fi network, allowing any device on the network to print wirelessly. This is the most convenient connection for households with multiple devices (phones, tablets, laptops, desktops) that all need printer access.

USB

A direct USB cable connection between the printer and a single computer. Simple and reliable, but limits printing to the connected computer.

Ethernet

A wired network connection found on business-class printers. Provides faster, more reliable network access than Wi-Fi and is standard in office environments.

Cloud and Mobile Printing

Most modern printers support printing directly from smartphones and tablets via manufacturer apps, Apple AirPrint (for iOS devices), or Mopria (for Android devices). Some printers support cloud printing services that allow you to send a print job from anywhere via the internet — useful for remote workers who need to print a document at the office before they arrive.

Choosing the Right Printer for Your Needs

Choosing the Right Scanner for Your Needs

Why Buying Through Amazon Is a Smart Option

Amazon carries printers and scanners across every category — from budget inkjets and entry-level laser printers through ink tank systems and business-class multifunction devices, to dedicated photo printers and specialist scanners. Ink cartridges, toner, ink bottles, photo paper, and accessories are all available, including both genuine manufacturer consumables and third-party alternatives. Customer reviews from home users, home office workers, small businesses, and photographers provide real-world feedback on print quality, reliability, ink costs, and long-term satisfaction. Amazon's delivery and returns process allows you to evaluate a printer at home and return it if it does not meet your expectations.

Amazon Marketplace Protections Explained

The A-to-z Guarantee

Covers every purchase made in Amazon's store, including items from third-party sellers. Protects delivery timeliness and product condition.

Amazon Renewed Guarantee

For refurbished printers and scanners, a minimum 90-day window for replacement or full refund.

Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)

Items stored and shipped from Amazon's own warehouses, with Amazon managing delivery, returns, and customer service directly.

Your Pre-Purchase Checklist

What Do You Actually Print?

Be honest about what you print and how often. If the answer is "mostly text documents, occasionally," a monochrome laser printer is almost certainly the right choice. If the answer is "school projects, homework, photos, and documents, regularly," an ink tank all-in-one provides the best value. If the answer is "almost nothing," consider whether you need a printer at all — a local print shop or library may serve your occasional needs more economically.

Calculate the Cost of Ownership

Before purchasing any printer, look up the cost of its replacement ink or toner cartridges and the expected page yield of those cartridges. Divide the cartridge cost by the page yield to get the cost per page. Multiply the cost per page by the number of pages you expect to print per year. Add this to the purchase price. Compare this total across the printers you are considering. The results may surprise you.

Do You Need Colour?

Many households assume they need colour printing but actually print in colour very rarely. If your colour needs are occasional, a monochrome laser printer supplemented by a local print shop for colour jobs is often the most economical approach. If you print in colour regularly, an ink tank printer is the most cost-effective colour option.

Do You Need Scanning?

If you only scan occasionally, the scanner built into an all-in-one printer (or your smartphone) is probably sufficient. If you scan regularly or need high quality (photo preservation, going paperless, film scanning), a dedicated scanner is a worthwhile investment.

Check Connectivity

Ensure the printer supports the connection method you need. Wi-Fi is essential for printing from phones and tablets. USB is fine if you will print only from one computer. Check compatibility with your devices' operating systems (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS).

Consider the Ongoing Commitment

A printer is not a one-time purchase — it is an ongoing relationship with a consumable supply chain. Choose a printer whose running costs you are comfortable with for years to come, and whose consumables are widely available and reasonably priced.