Post Brexit, we have noticed a 20% increase in the price of genuine printer ink cartridges. So much so that we have struggled to purchase new stock at reasonable prices for our trade counter customers in Louth. In particular, HP and the cheaper Canon range of printers have become very expensive to replenish with ink using OEM cartridges. Maybe why our Eco-Fill refill kits remain so popular?
If you were looking to buy a new printer, the first question I would ask is, "What type of things are you looking to print?". Often customers just need a printer for occasional home use; for printing receipts and holiday tickets. In these instances I currently point them in the direction of the Epson Small-In-One range. We currently sell the XP-247, XP-345, and XP445 models, all offering mobile printing, while only occupying a small desktop footprint.
With prices below £70 you get a 'cheap and cheerful' machine that offers a decent quality of print with low running costs using compatible ink products. These printers require four Strawberry 29 / 29xl series ink cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, and yellow) costing approximately £35 and £69. Up until recently compatible 29 series cartridges were very expensive for these machines, and refillable versions were unavailable. Fortunately now, a set of compatible cartridges retail at around £15 per set. Refillable replacement 29 cartridges are still a little pricey at £26 however.
Epson make it clear that these printer models are intended for home use, and are not designed for heavy duty printing. If you print more than say a hundred pages per month then begin to look at their Premium range.