The thing with printers is that they are usually not too expensive. The real costs come with the never-ending need to buy new ink cartridges. But there are some models and tactics that allow consumers to save some money.
For example, some costs can be avoided with the right printer settings. Dietlinde Quack of Germany's Institute for Applied Ecology notes that printers can be told to only print in black and white, or to use draft mode when printing.
Such steps will cut down on ink used. Also, consider cartridges cheaper than the manufacturer's own replacement products. These can either be refillable original cartridges or rebuilt versions.
If saving money is your goal, try to avoid printer models that have a disposable print-head built right into the cartridge.
"Rebuilding this kind of cartridge is technically difficult," says Michael Wolf of German consumer testing group Stiftung Warentest, noting the difficulty of getting them clean and refilled.
But there are other cartridges that are essentially just canisters full of ink. In this version, the print-head is a part of the printer itself, and opting for a no-name cartridge can result in real savings.
"Here you see a lot more savings when you use ink from other sources," says Wolf. Compared to original-manufacturer cartridges, using rebuilt single-colour tanks from third parties can sink printing costs by up to 90 per cent, reported Stiftung Warentest.
But beware: Even some of these cartridges will include a chip that electronically monitors the cartridge's status.
"This can make life hard for people using refilled cartridges, because, when the printer notices a foreign cartridge, it will report that the cartridge is empty, even if that's not the case," says Wolf.
There is debate about whether printers benefit from only using ink made by the original manufacturer.
Manufacturers note they have quality standards and have developed environmentally friendly and more secure technology, says Isabel Richter, who heads the environment and sustainability division of German IT industry association Bitkom.
Manufacturers note they can only vouch for the quality of their machines if official ink products are used.
Stiftung Warentest says its reviews find some refillable cartridges that produce to the quality of the name brand, while others are significantly worse.
Wolf said he recommends printers with separate tanks for both black ink and each of the inks for the three primary colours. After all, one never uses all the inks at the same pace.