Printers · Tool
Printer 5-year cost calculator
Sticker price is the least useful number in this category — Consumer Reports models a $128 cartridge printer at roughly $543 over five years once ink is counted. Enter your own monthly print volume to see the real total cost of our 3 printers, ink or toner included.
Total cost over 5 years (purchase + consumables)
CheapestEpson EcoTank ET-2803
$179.00 purchase + $37 consumables
$216
Epson EcoTank ET-4800
$219.99 purchase + $37 consumables
$257
Brother HL-L2465DW
$169.99 purchase + $180 consumables
$350
Per-page ink/toner values are derived from Epson's official 522 black ink bottle price ($13.99 / ~4,500 pages) and the Brother TN830XL high-yield toner cartridge (~$44.99 / ~3,000 pages) — adjust these to your own region's real prices, which vary by retailer. This calculation covers black-and-white printing only, not color ink cost.
Sources
- Epson 522 black ink bottle: epson.com
- Brother TN830XL toner cartridge: brother-usa.com
- Consumer Reports' 5-year cost modeling for the reference cartridge printer: cited in our main ranking.