The best printer for home in Australia: ink tank vs laser vs inkjet
Which home printer is cheapest to run, not just to buy, the best ink tank and laser printers at Australian stores today, and when a cheap inkjet is a false economy.
In this guide
The cheapest printer to buy is often the most expensive to own. Many low-priced inkjets are sold close to cost because the ink cartridges are where the money is. So the right question isn't "which printer is cheapest?" but "what will it cost me per page over the next few years?"
The three kinds of home printer
Ink tank (EcoTank, MegaTank, Smart Tank): refillable tanks you top up from bottles. More expensive up front, but the ink costs a fraction of cartridges per page, and a set of bottles lasts thousands of pages. Best for families and anyone printing in colour regularly.
Laser: uses toner. A mono (black only) laser is the cheapest way to print lots of text, and toner doesn't dry out if you print rarely. Colour lasers are good for documents but not photos.
Cartridge inkjet: cheap to buy, good photo quality, expensive to run. Fine if you print a few pages a month, but cartridges can dry out between uses.
The best ink tank printers
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HP Smart Tank 5105 All-In-One Printer3 stores · cheapest at JB Hi-Fifrom$299 - 2
Epson EcoTank ET-2910 4 Colour Multifunction Printer3 stores · cheapest at The Good Guysfrom$299 - 3
Canon MAXIFY GX1060 MegaTank3 stores · cheapest at Costcofrom$379.98 - 4
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 6 Colour Multifunction Printer2 stores · cheapest at digiDirectfrom$1,037.95 - 5
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 6 Colour Multifunction Printer2 stores · cheapest at Harvey Normanfrom$998 - 6
HP Smart Tank 7605 All-in-One2 stores · cheapest at Harvey Normanfrom$678 - 7
HP Smart Tank 7305 All-in-One Printer2 stores · cheapest at Harvey Normanfrom$578 - 8
Canon MAXIFY GX7160 MegaTank2 stores · cheapest at Costcofrom$799.99
The best laser printers
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Brother A4 Mono Laser Printer5 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$165 - 2
Brother Professional Wireless A4 Mono Laser Printer4 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$499 - 3
Brother Compact Mono Laser Multifunction Printer4 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$249 - 4
Brother Professional Compact Mono Laser Multifunction Printer4 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$349 - 5
Brother Colour Laser LED Multi-Function Printer4 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$489 - 6
Brother Color Laser Printer4 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$529 - 7
Brother Compact Colour LED Wireless Multifunction Printer4 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$589 - 8
Brother Professional Hi-Speed Mono Laser Printer3 stores · cheapest at MSYfrom$309
Which one should you get?
- Mostly school and work documents, black and white: a mono laser.
- Homework, colour handouts and the occasional photo: an ink tank.
- Photos as the main job: a photo ink tank (six colours) or a dedicated photo printer.
- Hardly ever print: a mono laser (toner doesn't dry out), or consider printing at a local print shop.
Features worth having
- Automatic double-sided printing saves paper.
- Wi-Fi and phone printing (AirPrint for iPhone, Mopria for Android).
- A scanner and copier ("all-in-one" or "multifunction") if you scan documents. An automatic document feeder (ADF) helps for multi-page scans.
Where to buy
Printers are sold by the big chains, the PC stores and directly by HP. Ink and toner prices vary between stores too, so check the cost of a replacement set before you buy. Every printer is on the printers page.
