Get the prints you need for less than $100 with these affordably priced printers.
Now that most everything is instantly accessible on our smartphones, many consumers are printing a lot less than they were even just ten years ago. When a print job does pop up however, it is nice to have a reliable machine in-house so you can print right away without hassle. With so many printer options available, there’s no need to invest in something expensive if you only print occasionally. Here, we explore four highly rated printers under $100 that provide quality prints at an affordable price point.
Best Printers at a Glance
- Best Home Printer: Canon® PIXMA TS6420
- Best Budget Printer: Canon® PIXMA TR4520
- Best Laser Printer: Brother® HL-L2300D
- Best Photo Printer: Epson WorkForce Pro WF-2830
Best Home Printer
Canon® PIXMA TS6420– Buy on Amazon*
Canon’s PIXMA TS6420 is an economical all-in-one machine offering print/scan/copy functions and a 1.4” color display for easy navigation. Compact and wireless-ready, conveniently print from your smartphone using Canon PRINT app or through Apple® Airprint® directly from your iPhone.
An automatic duplex option saves paper and money, letting you instantly print on both sides of the page. Print speeds of up to 13 ppm make it somewhat slower than other models mentioned here, but a bit of patience pays off.
Customers agree it produces a solid color print with its two ink cartridges (black and tricolor). Cartridge replacement is relatively inexpensive too at $31.99 for an original PG-260XL high yield black ink cartridge and $31.99 for each high yield CL-261XL color cartridge.
LD brand compatible cartridges offer will offer an even better value when they are available. Since this is a newer printer model, they are not out quite yet but you can sign up to be notified when they are released here.
Best Budget Printer
Canon® PIXMA TR4520 – Buy on Amazon
The TR4520 is a newer model PIXMA that is perfect for compact workspaces needing reliable text, color and photo prints. Capable of producing high quality 4”x6” borderless photos in under 70 seconds, quickly print photos from your phone, social media or laptop in just a couple of taps.
A two-ink system combined with a print resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi provides enhanced detail to photos, offering sharper quality and a wider color gamut. The printer includes a front paper tray that’s fits 100 sheets of copy paper or up to 20 sheets of photo paper. Canon’s print app can edit photos and add filters to any photo. Choose to print with the app or print with a number of other popular options like AirPrint, Google Cloud Print and Windows 10.
Two ink cartridges in black and tricolor are required to print. Canon sells the PG-245XL high yield cartridge for $26.99 and the CL-246XL high yield tri-color cartridge for $30.99. LD brand compatible Canon PG-245XL high yield cartridges are only $20.99 and Canon CL-246XLcartridges are just $21.99 each.
Best Laser Printer
Brother® HL-L2300D – Buy on Amazon
Yes, you can actually find a laser printer for less than a hundred dollars! Brother’s HL-L2300D is a reliable, low-cost monochrome laser printer, offering print speeds of up to 27 ppm and a duty cycle of up to 10,000 pages. This printer only prints in black but it’s great option for home and office users that print documents frequently. An automatic document feeder lets you print on both sides of the page and the paper tray can handle up to 250 sheets of paper. One downside is the printer does not have Wi-Fi capability and does not come with a USB cable, but you can pick one up here.
Toner cartridges are offered as a standard or high yield cartridge size, with the TN-630 cartridge printing 1,200 pages the high yield TN-660 printing 2,600 pages. Additionally, a drum unit is required to operate this printer, but it typically only need to be replaced after the use of 3-4 toner cartridges.
Save more with an LD brand compatible cartridges and drum units, our compatible TN-660 toner cartridge for $27.99 and compatible DR-630 drum unit for $21.99.
Best Photo Printer
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-2830
The Workforce Pro WF-2830 is a recent Epson model that’s a perfect complement to any small business. If you want a printer that does it all AND prints a decent photo, this Workforce Pro is a solid choice. Capable of producing rich text, quality graphics and brilliant images, you get print speeds of up to 10 ppm black and 4.5 ppm in color. A 100-sheet paper tray means less time reloading paper and a built-in scanner offers high-resolution copy and scan functionality. Additionally, this printer includes fast double-sided printing, as well as the ability to handle borderless documents with ease.
You’ll need to replace four individual 822 ink cartridges, which are available in both a standard and high yield size. Cartridges can be replaced as needed and are offered in black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.
Since this is a newer printer, LD brand compatible 822XL cartridges aren’t available quite yet but we will keep this article updated and let you know the moment they become available! You’ll get the exact same page yield as the original Epson at a fraction of the price!
Smart Ways to Save
Consider compatible cartridges
If you are buying original brand ink for your printer, there is a good chance you’ve already spent more on the cartridges than the initial price of your printer. Why? Most printer manufacturers have used the razor and blade marketing model for years, sell the razor (or in this case, the printer) for cheap and the blade (printer cartridges) for a premium. Compatible cartridges are a smart, low cost alternative that offer a comparable print quality and page yield for a fraction of the price. LD Products sells thousands of alternative cartridges for every major printer brand. Keep your office budget in check and make the switch to compatibles today!
Buy high yield cartridges
Printer manufacturers sell most cartridges in a standard yield and high yield cartridge size. If you print frequently, we recommend going with the high yield version. High yield cartridges are filled with considerably more ink, giving you more prints per cartridge and a better value in the long term. Let’s look at the 902 cartridges again. A standard yield original HP 902 black ink cartridge sells for $17.99 and prints approximately 300 pages. The high yield 902XL costs slightly more at $38.99 but prints 825 pages. High yield compatible cartridge are the best way to cut costs, you get the same benefits as an original brand high yield cartridge, for a lot cheaper price point. Our LD brand HP 902XL black cartridge sells for $15.99 and prints the same yield as the original!
Buy in bulk
Stock up and save! Bulk discount prices aren’t just exclusive to Costco® or Sam’s Club® members. LD Products sells bulk sets for all of their most popular cartridges and if you print a lot, it makes sense. Many consumers are worried that if they buy in bulk, an unused cartridge might go bad or expire. As long as they are kept in the proper storage environment, unused cartridges can last for up to two years after the purchase date. We recommend storing your bulk cartridges upright in a cold, dark place like a cabinet. Cartridges that are stored on their side or upside down can cause print quality issues due to the ink shifting to one side of the cartridge.
You don’t need to spend a lot to get a reliable printer, you just need to know what to look out for. To make the best buying decision, take the total cost of operation in to consideration. Whatever printer you’re considering, be sure it’s cartridge costs are acceptable for your budget so there aren’t any surprises when it’s time to replace them. We will be keeping this list of budget friendly printers up to date. If you have a question about a particular printer or have a suggestion of your own, leave us a comment below!
Read Next:
*Savings based on price comparison between remanufactured/compatible cartridge prices on www.LDProducts.com and OEM cartridge and printer prices from Amazon and Staples. All prices effective as of June 6, 2023. OEM names are registered trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse LD Products.
I have to scan, print and copy a bunch of simple liine drawings that are 9x 12 inch. My question is: Is the scan bed 9×12 inch or larger ?
I am a Canadian ‘snowbird’ that resides at a Cottage in Ontario for the summer, and spends about 5.5 months in Florida for the winter. The cottage is not heated in the winter and very cold temperatures will occur in it. I used to have 2 identical inkjet printers, one at each location. I would transport the ink cartridges back and forth to keep them from drying out. Most of the time even that did not work. Lately, I switched to two identical Laser printers, thinking I would have to do the same. However for the past 2 years, I left the cartridges in the printers and … guess what! Both printers worked after sitting for 5 to 6 months, and being subjected to high heat and humidity (in florida) and extreme cold (in ontario). Something that would not have happened with ink cartridges.
IF you travel for extended time periods I highly recommend using Laser over ink printers.