The consumable, not the printer, is where the money goes.
Verdict
A high-yield toner cartridge prints thousands of pages and works out to a small fraction of a cent per page for text. Cartridge ink is dramatically more expensive per page and degrades if unused. Choose toner for text volume and for printers used in bursts; choose ink when you need colour or photos, ideally from a tank system rather than cartridges.
~$50
Check HP 67 Tri-Color and 67XL Black Ink Price| Brother TN760 High Yield Toner | HP 67 Tri-Color and 67XL Black Ink | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical yield | Thousands of pages | Hundreds of pages |
| Cost per text page | Very low | Much higher |
| Shelf life | Years, it is a dry powder | Dries out and clogs |
| Colour capability | Mono unless colour laser | Yes |
| Photo capability | No | Yes |
| Waste if unused | Minimal | Cleaning cycles consume ink |
Your printing is text and volume matters. High-yield toner is the cheapest way to put black text on paper at home, and because toner does not dry out, nothing is wasted between printing sessions.
Check Brother TN760 High Yield Toner on Amazon
You need colour or photographs, which toner in a mono printer cannot do. If ink is the answer, a tank system rather than cartridges is what brings the cost per page down to something reasonable.
Check HP 67 Tri-Color and 67XL Black Ink on Amazon
The number of pages at a standard 5 percent coverage, which is roughly a normal page of text. Anything denser, and certainly anything with graphics, uses far more, so treat published yields as a comparison figure rather than a promise.
Automatic cleaning cycles run to keep nozzles clear, and each one consumes ink. It is a real cost of owning an inkjet you use infrequently, and one of the strongest arguments for a laser if you print rarely.
Almost always, per page. Check the yield rather than assuming, but the higher-capacity version is usually significantly cheaper per page than the standard one.
Comparison based on published manufacturer specifications and the general consensus of owner reports. We have not tested these units side by side. Confirm current prices and specifications before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Our HP LaserJet Enterprise M507dn review covers the toner end of this in practice, and our Epson EcoTank ET-8550 review covers what happens when you remove cartridges from the equation entirely.