Buying a printer: what matters

Start with what and how much you print: only text, or colour and photos too, a few pages a month or whole stacks. That decides the technology: ink cartridges, an ink tank or laser. Then decide whether you also want to scan and copy. Finally, compare more than the price of the printer itself: compare the cost per page over the years you will use it.

What and how much do you print?

Most bad printer purchases happen because the machine does not fit everyday life. So look back at the last few months:

• Little and irregular, such as the odd form or ticket: what matters is that the printer still prints reliably after weeks of rest.
• Regular text, for school, university or working from home: what matters is the cost per page and automatic double-sided printing.
• Lots of colour or photos: what matters is colour quality, photo paper and the cost of colour ink.

Make a rough estimate of how many pages you print a month. You will use that number later to work out running costs.

Ink cartridges, ink tank or laser?

Inkjet printers with cartridges are usually small and handle colour and photos well. The ink sits in small cartridges that you buy often. On some models the print head is part of the cartridge, on others it is built into the printer.

Ink tank printers also use ink, but they have large tanks that you refill from bottles. The printer usually costs more to buy, and the ink per page usually costs less. That pays off if you print regularly.

Laser printers use toner powder that is fused onto the paper. They print text quickly and sharply and suit larger volumes. Colour lasers exist too. For photos, inkjets are the usual choice.

One point counts against ink if you print rarely. If an inkjet sits unused for a long time, its nozzles can dry out and clog, as Epson explains in its support pages. On top of that, the printer uses ink for cleaning cycles, and that ink never reaches the paper. Epson notes that the amount varies by printer and by how much cleaning is needed. If you print rarely and almost only text, a black-and-white laser is often less hassle.

Do I need a colour printer?

Be honest about how often you need colour. For letters, invoices and forms, black and white is enough. A black-and-white laser needs only one toner cartridge.

If you print photos, craft templates or school material in colour, you need a colour printer. Colour printers use several cartridges, and each one empties at its own pace.

How do I work out the cost per page?

Manufacturers state a yield in pages for every cartridge, bottle and toner cartridge. Standards make these figures comparable:

• ISO/IEC 24711 for ink cartridges in colour inkjet printers. A fixed set of test pages from ISO/IEC 24712 is printed on plain paper.
• ISO/IEC 19752 for toner cartridges in black-and-white laser printers.
• ISO/IEC 19798 for toner cartridges in colour laser printers.

Here is the sum: cartridge price divided by its yield gives the cost per page. For a colour page, add up black and each colour cartridge separately. Always compare original with original and like with like, so XL with XL.

The standard figures are for comparison, not a promise. The test uses default settings and continuous printing. If you print a lot of coverage, such as photos, you get fewer pages. HP and Brother point out that real yield varies with content, settings and use. Epson also explains that part of the ink is used up when the printer is first set up. So the first cartridge or bottle in the box often does not last as long as one you buy later.

To finish: pages per month times cost per page times the months you plan to use the printer. Only that total plus the price of the printer shows what it really costs.

Do I need an all-in-one?

An all-in-one (multifunction printer) can print, scan and copy, and some can fax. For most households that is more practical than a printer alone, because you can digitise paperwork straight away.

Look out for two things:

• Automatic document feeder (ADF): it pulls in several sheets one after the other. That is worth having if you often scan multi-page documents. Some models scan both sides in one pass.
• Fax: few people still need it. If you do, check that the printer has the function and that your phone line supports it.

Do I need double-sided printing?

Automatic duplex printing prints both sides of a sheet without you turning it over. It saves paper and is the most useful convenience feature for text. Many printers have it, but cheaper models sometimes do not. If the data sheet only says "manual duplex", you have to turn the paper yourself.

How do I connect the printer?

The usual options are USB, a network cable (LAN) and Wi-Fi. With Wi-Fi, every device in the household can print, phones included. Two standards make this work without separate drivers:

• AirPrint for iPhone, iPad and Mac. According to Apple, the printer and your device only need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. No extra software is needed. Apple offers a search for supported models.
• Mopria for Android and Windows. According to the Mopria Alliance, Android devices find certified printers on their own, and Windows sets them up without a manufacturer driver when none is available through Windows Update.

Check the data sheet for the standards you need. If you have no Wi-Fi network or want a quick direct connection, look for "Wi-Fi Direct".

Are ink subscriptions worth it?

Some manufacturers offer subscriptions: you pay monthly for a number of pages, and new ink arrives automatically. Read the terms carefully. Take the German terms of HP Instant Ink as an example (last updated November 2025):

• Every printed page counts as a page, however much is on it. A photo costs the same as one line of text.
• The printer must be connected to the internet.
• The cartridges remain HP's property.
• After you cancel, HP deactivates the subscription cartridges remotely. From then on you need cartridges you buy.
• Unused pages roll over, for ink up to three times the pages in your plan.

A subscription can pay off if you print a steady number of colour pages. If you print little, very irregularly or almost only text, you may pay for pages that expire unused.

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Can I use cartridges from other makers?

Cartridges and ink from third parties are often cheaper than originals. Using them is allowed, but not every printer accepts them. In 2021 Stiftung Warentest reported that HP printers with what HP calls "dynamic security" can reject third-party cartridges, and that firmware updates can lock out cartridges that worked before. According to Stiftung Warentest, switching off updates is no simple fix, because updates also close security holes.

If you want to use third-party cartridges, check before you buy: in the product description, in the manufacturer's notes on cartridges and with the makers of the compatible cartridges.

On liability: the statutory warranty (Gewährleistung) is a claim against the seller and covers defects that existed at handover (§ 434 BGB). Damage that a third-party cartridge causes later is not covered. For other defects the statutory warranty still applies. A manufacturer's guarantee is voluntary, and its terms set out what it excludes.

How much electricity does a printer use?

A printer spends most of its time waiting. Since 9 May 2025, EU Regulation 2023/826 has applied to that. In off mode and standby, a device may draw at most 0.5 watts, or 0.8 watts with a status display. From May 2027 the off-mode limit falls to 0.3 watts.

Networked devices are allowed higher limits because they stay reachable. They must switch to a low-power networked standby after no more than 20 minutes without a print job, and it must be possible to turn Wi-Fi off.

If you use a laser printer in a living space, you can look for the Blauer Engel (Blue Angel) label, DE-UZ 219. It sets requirements for energy use, emissions and noise, and for the share of recycled plastics.

What if it breaks?

You have two years of statutory warranty against the seller (§ 438 BGB). If a defect appears within the first year after handover, it is presumed to have existed at purchase (§ 477 BGB). A manufacturer's guarantee is a voluntary extra.

Where does the old printer go?

1. Return it to a shop. Shops with at least 400 m² of sales space for electrical goods must take back an old device of the same kind free of charge when you buy a new one (§ 17 ElektroG). For food retailers the threshold is 800 m² of total sales space. For online shops, storage and shipping space counts. These shops also take back small devices with no outer dimension above 25 cm without a purchase, up to three per type. Most printers are larger, so only the return on purchase applies.
2. Recycling centre (Wertstoffhof). Municipal collection points accept old devices free of charge (§ 13 ElektroG).

Common mistakes

• Looking only at the printer's price. A cheap printer with expensive cartridges can cost much more over the years.
• Comparing yields of different sizes. Compare standard yields of the same cartridge size.
• Buying an inkjet for very occasional printing. Long breaks can clog the nozzles, and cleaning uses ink.
• Signing up for a subscription without reading the terms. Subscription cartridges can be locked after you cancel.
• Planning on third-party cartridges without checking that the printer accepts them.
• Skipping duplex printing even though you print a lot of text.

How Tallybuy compares prices

For every offer, Tallybuy shows the complete price including delivery, where the shop states its delivery costs. If a figure is missing, it is shown as unknown and never counted as zero. You can also see how a printer's price has developed over time, as far as we have observed it. We earn a commission on some shop links. It never affects the order of the offers.

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