Printers · Guide
Ink Tank vs Cartridge: The Real Cost Difference
This is the most misleading price comparison in consumer electronics, and the reason is simple: a printer's sticker price barely predicts what you'll actually pay for it.
The five-year math
Consumer Reports models a $128 cartridge printer at roughly $543 over five years once replacement ink is counted. A refillable tank printer, by contrast, runs around $5 a year in consumables per that same modeling — a gap that makes the "cheap" printer, in practice, the more expensive of the two.
Our two tank printers
- Epson EcoTank ET-4800 — the complete package (ADF, fax, Ethernet) with tank-ink economics.
- Epson EcoTank ET-2803 — the same ink economics, without the office features, with ~2 years of included ink.
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Frequently asked questions
Why are cartridge printers so cheap to buy?
Because the business model makes its margin back on replacement cartridges, not the machine. Consumer Reports models that accumulated cost at roughly $543 over five years for a $128 cartridge printer — the cheap printer is, in practice, the expensive one.
How much does a tank system actually save?
Per Consumer Reports' modeling, the range runs from about $65 to $259 a year across the machines they test — with refillable tanks at the low end of that spread. The Epson EcoTank ET-2803 ships with roughly two years of ink from the factory, pushing the first consumable spend out even further.
Do ink tanks last forever?
No, but they're refilled with ink bottles instead of replacing a whole cartridge, and the cost per milliliter of ink is much lower. The print head itself is still vulnerable to drying out if the machine sits unused for a long time, tank or cartridge — that's a separate issue, covered in our inkjet vs laser comparison.
See the full printer ranking → or the inkjet vs laser comparison →