Top College Printers 2019

Printing in college is a necessity and a reliable low cost printer is a great way to keep your budget in check all semester long. Choosing a new printer may not be as exciting as furnishing your dorm room but it is definitely worth the investment.  Most colleges have a “pay to print” system in place to access their printing services, which means you’ll be regularly loading up a card with money and spending anywhere between .10 cents to .99 cents a page, depending on your school and their printing policy.  Luckily, there are a number of printers with low cost ink that can outrival your school’s printing policy.  In this quick guide, we will cover some of our favorite budget friendly printers so you can print exactly what you need and keep costs down, all from the comfort of your own dorm room.

 Canon® PIXMA® TS5020

4 Stars on Amazon – $59.00*

The PIXMA TS5020 is a reliable inkjet printer with a low initial price point, currently selling for $59.00 on Amazon.  Print, scan and fax capabilities are standard and wireless printing is a breeze with printing apps like Canon Print, Apple® AirPrint® and Google® Cloud Print.  Students with a limited amount of living space will appreciate its compact size, perfect for storing underneath a desk or on a shelf.  Cartridges are offered in two sizes, a standard yield and high yield.  If you print regularly, the high yield cartridge is a better option for the value.  The Canon PGI-270XL high yield black cartridge is $24.99 and prints 300 pages. The Canon CLI-271XL color cartridges are $28.99 each and print 300 pages.   You can save even more on your prints when you buy LD brand compatible cartridges.  The LD brand compatible cartridges are $9.49 apiece.  The PGI-270XL black cartridge offers a cost per page of just 2.1 cents and each CLI-271 color cartridge offers a cost per page of 11.7 cents.

Brother® MFC-J985DW

4 Stars on Amazon – $179.99

The Brother MFC-J985DW is a bit pricier compared to the other printers on this list at $179.99, but it’s ultra-efficient cartridges make it a compelling option.  Print, scan and fax features are nice to have during a busy finals week and a convenient automatic duplexing features lets you quickly print out double sided pages.  The printer uses LC20E XXL extra high yield cartridges and with a cost per page of less than 1 cent, cartridge replacement will likely be a rarity.  Brother sells the black cartridge for $23.99, printing around 2,400 pages and the color cartridges sell for $15 each, printing 1,200 pages.  LD brand compatible cartridges are a great way to save. The black cartridges sells for $8.49 and each color cartridge is just $7.49.

Epson® Expression® Home XP-440

4.5 Stars on Amazon – $49.98

If you are looking for a printer that won’t disturb your roommate, the Epson’s XP-440 is a solid choice.  A quiet, compact machine that is easy to setup, photography fans will like it’s ability to print vibrant color photos. A built in memory slot even lets you edit your photos without a computer.  The printer’s four Epson 288 cartridges are sold in a standard and high yield option.  The Epson 288XL high yield black cartridge prints 500 pages and sells for $30.99.  Each color cartridge prints 450 pages and is for $16.99.   LD brand remanufactured 288XL cartridges are $9.99.  You will also find a four pack for $39.96.

Now that you have a couple printers to think about, you can make the best buying decision based on your needs and your budget.  Before you buy, make a note of how much the cost per page is for the prospective machine and compare it against your college’s printing plan.  Odds are, your overall printing costs will likely win out over those pesky printing service fees!

*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 August 25, 2017.  OEM names are registered trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse LD Products.