If you’re looking for the best printer for crafting, you are probably also looking for the best printer with cheap ink or the best ink saver printer. When it comes to printing at home, ink costs can rack up quickly. This is especially true if you like to create with printable greeting cards, printable scrapbook papers or printable craft projects.
Luckily, there are some great options for cheap printer ink and you don’t have to sacrifice quality when using them.
Canon printers are our go-to for the best printer for crafting and you’ll be really happy to know that there are some awesome cheap Canon printer ink options.
Now, when I say “cheap” – I am talking about affordable options that will make it possible for you to print out colorful printables without worrying about dropping another $50 on ink cartridges. Ink is the most expensive liquid on earth, so I’m not sure “cheap” is the best way to describe it – but I hope the information in this post will provide some great choices that will save you on printer ink costs.
In our research of the best printer with cheap ink, we tested a total of five Canon printers. Three of the printers take ink in cartridges and two of the printers are tank printers.
Watch the video below for a full review of all the printers including printer features, ink costs and print quality comparisons.
HOW WE TESTED THE BEST PRINTER WITH CHEAP INK
Before we could calculate the ink expense for each printer, we first had to see how much ink they used when printing out common crafting printables.
- PRINTABLES
We printed out five YayDay printables including the patterned paper from our Rustic Rainbows Stationery Bundle, the greeting card from the Sip Sip Hooray Stationery bundle, the stickers from our Flowers Everything collection, the to-do list from our It’s A Jungle collection and the patterned paper from our Sun’s Out Stationery bundle.
2. PRINT QUALITY
Once all the printables were printed out, we took a look at the quality to determine how each printer performs. This was a helpful step in determining whether each printer was appropriate to use for crafting.
3. MATERIALS
In addition to testing out the printables, we also used a variety of materials in each printer to see if each printer could handle them. We tested five different materials:
- Koala Photo Matte Paper 29ln
- Photo Matte Paper 32lb
- Koala Printable Canvas
- Red River 96lb Pecos River Gloss (this is the thickest glossy photo paper on the market)
- Online Labels Weatherproof Matte Sticker Paper
4. EMPTY THE TANK TEST
We printed the same five printables over and over to see how many we could print before the ink ran out. For the cartidge printers, we stopped printing as soon as one of the cartidges was empty, since many times the color ran out before the black – or vice versa.
THE RESULTS OF THE BEST PRINTER WITH CHEAP INK
Affordable Printer Ink Cartridges
After lots of research, I found that an ink subscription program is the best way to find cheap ink cartridges. When compared to the cost of ink in-store or online, the savings are very clear. If you’re looking for the best ink saving printer for crafting, these three options are definitely ones to consider.
The following three printers are eligible for the Canon PIXMA Print Plan which makes them awesome candidates for saving on ink. With the Canon PIXMA Print Plan, you pay a monthly fee based on how many pages you print. The fee ranges from $3.99 for 30 pages per month up to $9.99 for 200 pages per month. When your printer is running low, you will automatically receive new ink in the mail.
CANON PIXMA TR7020
Watch 5:19 to learn all about this printer with affordable ink
COST: The Canon Pixma TR7020 Printer currently retails for $149.99. Ink for this printer costs $39.99 for both cartridges.
BORDERLESS PRINTING: You can print borderlessly on this printer in 11 different sizes with the smallest being 3.5″ square up to letter sized.
OTHER FEATURES: Other features includes wireless printering, front and rear paper loading, scanner/copier and auto paper feeding on top for easy scanning and copying.
PRINT QUALITY: I LOVED the quality of the prints on the TR7020. They colors were vibrant and crisp. The prints were smooth.
INK COST: This printer ran out of ink after 48 pages. If you wanted to print 100 pages per month, your ink costs per month and per year would differ greatly if you buy in store versus joining the Canon Pixma Print Plan.
To print 100 pages per month, you will spend approximately $80/month if you purchase your ink in-store or online. If you get your ink with the Canon Pixma Print Plan, you will spend $5.99 per month.
CANON PIXMA TR4720
Watch 5:19 to learn all about this printer with affordable ink
COST: The Canon PIXMA TR4720 retails for $99.99. Ink for this printer costs $26.99 for both cartridges.
BORDERLESS PRINTING: You can print borderless in five different sizes, ranging from 4×6 up the 8.5″x 11″
OTHER FEATURES: This printer does NOT have a rear loading tray which makes it more difficult for this printer to handle thicker materials. This printer does have a scanner and copier along with an auto paper feeding tray for copying or scanning multiple documents at a time.
PRINT QUALITY: Some lines in the solid color prints and the colors, while beautiful weren’t as bright as I would have liked
INK COST: This printer ran out of ink after 40 pages. If you wanted to print 100 pages per month, your ink costs per month and per year would differ greatly if you buy in store versus joining the Canon Pixma Print Plan.
To print 100 pages per month, you will spend $54 a month when purchasing your ink online or in stores, or you will spend $5.99 per month using the Canon Pixma Print Plan.
CANON PIXMA TS6420
Watch from 9:49 to learn all about this printer
COST: The Canon PIXMA TS6420 retails for $129.99. This ink for this printer is $39.99 for both cartridges.
BORDERLESS PRINTING: You can print borderless on 10 different sizes with the Canon PIXMA TS6420, ranging from 3.5×5″ to 8.5×11″
OTHER FEATURES: This printer features front and rear loading paper trays as well as a scanner and copier. It does not include an auto-feed tray on top.
PRINT QUALITY: The print quality on this printer was almost identical to the TR7020.
INK COST: This printer ran out of ink after 48 pages. If you wanted to print 100 pages per month, your ink costs per month and per year would differ greatly if you buy in store versus joining the Canon Pixma Print Plan.
To print 100 pages per month, you will spend approximately $80/month if you purchase your ink in-store or online. If you get your ink with the Canon Pixma Print Plan, you will spend $5.99 per month.
BEST PRINTERS WITH REFILLABLE INK TANKS
THE RESULTS FOR BEST MEGATANK PRINTERS FOR CRAFTING
CANON MEGATANK G3260
COST: The Canon G3260 retails for $199.99. Since this is a tank printer, the ink comes in bottles. The cost of the ink bottles ranges between $12.99 to $18 per bottle. It costs $57 total to refill all the inks in this printer.
BORDERLESS PRINTING: Borderless printing option for 10 different sizes with the smallest being 3.5×5 up to letter sized (8.5×11”)
OTHER FEATURES: This printer ONLY has a rear loading tray and it features a scanner and a copier.
PRINT QUALITY: The prints were perfection! Smooth and very vibrant.
INK COST: Unlike the cartridge printers, we were not able to empty the tank on this mega printer. After 50 prints, it was clear that we would not be running out of ink anytime soon. So we estimated the ink usage based on the amount of ink left in the tank. Based on that estimate, this printer will cost about $250 per year to refill if you are printing 100 pages per month.
COST: The Canon PIXMA G620 retails for $249.99. This printer takes six different ink bottles which costs $15.99 each.
BORDERLESS PRINTING: Borderless printing option for 10 different sizes with the smallest being 3.5×5 up to letter size.
OTHER FEATURES: This printer ONLY has a rear loading tray and it features a scanner and a copier.
PRINT QUALITY: Amazed! Loved the print quality. In addition, printer is designed with photo printing in mind. When we tested it photo printing capabilities, we were really impressed. The colors were really crisp and the speed of photo printing was impressive as well. So, if you’re a scrapbooker or love memory keeping, this printer is definitely one to consider.
INK COST: The ink costs on this printer are a little pricier since it take five ink colors. The total cost for new ink is about $95.00. So again, using our 100 prints per month comparison, this printer would cost about $450 a year in ink costs.
Next, now that we’ve covered all the specifications for each printer, here’s a comparison chart you can use for a quick at a glance reference.
| Printer | Retail Cost | Pixma Print Plan (PPP) Eligible | Monthly Ink Cost (without PPP)* | Monthly Ink Cost (with PPP) | Yearly Ink Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon Pixma TR4720 | $99.99 | YES | $54 | $5.99 | $650 without PPP $72 with PPP |
| Canon Pixma TS6420 | $129.99 | YES | $80 | $5.99 | $960 without PPP $72 with PPP |
| Canon Pixma TR7020 | $149.99 | YES | $80 | $5.99 | $960 without PPP $72 with PPP |
| Canon Megatank G3260 | $199.99 | NO | — | n/a | $250 |
| Canon Megatank G620 | $249.99 | NO | — | n/a | $450 |
