Refillable ink printers

Date Posted:5 March 2021 

How to buy a good value home printer...

Buying a new printer is not hard, but trying to find a reasonably priced one that will do all you need and is economical to use as well - can be.

Note: For the purpose of this article, 'refillable' printer is one that comes with ink cartridges/ ink tanks that can be DIY refilled OR one that refillable tanks/ ink cartridges are available for separately. 

Refillable printer buying tips:

Tip 1: Laser printers are not DIY refillable - not easily anyway.
This can make them expensive to run and eco un-friendly. But...if you only print few B&W pages a week, laser running costs would be insignificant and a laser printer could be worth considering. 

Tip 2: Undecided what brand printer to buy? Make it Canon! Canon ink printers are easy to use, most models are refill friendly and there is a decent range of refill products available for some models (refillable ink cartridges, chip resetters etc).

Another valuable feature of Canon desktop printers is the ability to switch off the Canon ink monitoring utility. This is a big plus for refillers and continuous ink system users as it enables printing with cartridges registering as empty - without having to reset the ink chips. No other printer maker provides this feature! 

Tip 3: If you're considering buying a recent model Epson printer to refill or fit a CISS to, make sure you can find a chipless firmware upgrade and some refillable cartridges for it first. There are no chip resetters or auto-resetting chips for majority of current model Epson printers, so refilling is generally not an option without the firmware upgrade. Expect to pay around $50 for the program and $20/set for refillable ink cartridges - if available. Check here.

Tip 4: If you're shopping for a replacement printer, don't automatically assume that a later model will be as easy (or possible) to refill or accept the same cartridges as your last printer, even if it's only a model or two newer. 

Tip 5: Contact us to confirm your printer choice can be refilled and/or there are affordable ink or toner cartridges available for it - before parting with your money.

Tip 6: Be prepared to invest in some refill accessories (eg refillable ink cartridges, chip resetter, chipless firmware upgrade etc) - to be able to refill. While some genuine cartridges can be refilled ok, others may not be possible to fill (or reset).

Tip 7: Don't buy a printer just because it is cheap or on sale (unless you know what you're doing). Buying a discounted printer or getting some bonus ink cartridges or another sweetener with it, might seem like a good deal at the time, but could end up costing you hundreds more in consumables over time - so may not be the smartest move.

Tip 8: Don't expect any worthwhile advice from shop assistants.

Tip 9: Found a cheap printer online at a store you're not familiar with? Check around for some independent business reviews to see who you're about to send your money to. Can't find anything? Don't risk it and pay bit more somewhere else.

Tip 10: Considering buying a printer from a major retailer? Buying some printers from shops like Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Domayne, Joyce Mayne and possibly other retailers will effectively lock you into buying supplies (ink or toner)  exclusively from the same franchise.

So ... if you buy for example a Canon Pixma TS5360 or Pixma TR7060 printer from Officeworks, you will not be able to buy ink cartridges (PG660 & CL661) for it from your local computer shop, JB HiFi, Inkbank or anywhere else - except Officeworks.

You can buy refill ink from Inkbank and refill the 660/661cartridges, but will have to go back to Officeworks to buy new cartridges, when it's time to replace them. 
And be prepared to pay as much as 50% more for the cartridges than if you bought a similar Canon printer (eg TS5160) from a different shop. 

This only applies to few printers at time of writing, but that's likely to change. 

Note: This page is provided for your general information only and is not guaranteed to be accurate, up to date or comprehensive. 

Please contact us for more information.

Ok, let's check out few printers...

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Cheapest multifunction with auto duplexer

Canon Pixma MG3660 is a simple to use printer, scanner, copier for home use that can be refilled. If you don't print a great deal and can manage without an LCD display, you could do lot worse than a Canon MG3660.

Canon Pixma MG3660 printer

MG3660 are not the latest or the fastest printer in the world, but they are really good value. 

But there's more to this printer than a good price. MG3660 feature auto duplexing (2 sided printing), wifi, mobile and USB connectivity, auto power on/off and more.

MG3660 use a four colour, twin cartridge hybrid ink system (pigment black & dye colour inks) and will produce laser sharp and long lasting B&W documents as well as good quality photos. Print speeds up to reasonable 9.9 ipm B&W or 5.7 ipm colour.

MG3660 ink cartridges are pretty easy to refill, even the initial set supplied with the printer. The included cartridges are small and only suitable for low volume printing. It is possible to double the cartridge volume using optional Inkbank refillable cartridge inserts for less frequent, easier and more predictable refilling. 

It is easy to disable the printer ink monitoring (for refilling) which is handy as there are no chip resetters for the MG3660 cartridges. 

Want one? Please contact us for more info or to order.

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Great value multifunction with LCD

Canon Pixma TS5160 are neat, multifunction (print, scan, copy) machines for home or micro business. If you have better things to spend your money on than expensive printers and can manage without ADF (auto-document-feader), it's well worth checking out!

Canon Pixma TS5060 printer

 

Canon TS5160 feature twin cartridge, four colour hybrid ink system with pigment black and three dye colour inks. Using combination of dye and pigment inks gives this printer great flexibility to produce high quality, vibrant colour prints as well as laser sharp and long lasting B&W documents at up to respectable 13 ipm in B&W or 6.8 ipm in colour. 

TS5160 are relatively cheap, yet packed with features usually reserved for more expensive models, including automatic two sided printing, two paper paths, 2.5" colour LCD and wifi

TS5160 ink cartridges are quite easy to refill, even the initial set supplied with the printer. The included cartridges are small and only suitable for low volume printing. It is possible to double the cartridge volume using optional Inkbank refillable cartridge inserts for less frequent, easier and more reliable refilling. 

It is easy to disable the printer ink monitoring (for refilling) which is handy as there are no chip resetters for the TS5160 cartridges. 

For high volume printing, you can also buy this printer converted to InkBank precision continuous ink.

Interested? Please contact us for more info or to order.

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Home office fax multifunction 

Canon Pixma TR7660 are a reliable and refillable multi-function printer, scanner, copier with fax, ready for home, home office or small business work.

Canon PixmaTR 8560 printer
Canon TR7560 printer

TR7660 are priced well and packed full of useful features including auto-duplexer, 20 sheet ADF (auto document feeder), fax, two separate paper feeds (100/50 sheet), Wifi, Air print and more. 

TR7660 use five cartridge hybrid ink system with two black and three individual colour ink tanks. This makes for a really flexible inkjet capable of producing great photos and graphics as well as laser sharp and long lasting B&W documents at respectable 15ipm and 10 ipm in colour.

TR7660 ink tanks/cartridges are easy to fill, even the initial set supplied with printer. Alternatively you can upgrade to higher capacity (XL or XXL) genuine or refillable ink tanks - if you prefer refilling less often.

It is easy to disable the printer ink monitoring (for refilling) which is handy as there are no chip resetters for the TR7660 cartridges. 

For high volume printing, you can also order this printer converted to InkBank precision continuous ink.

Interested? Please contact us for more info or to order.

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Home A3 multifunction printer 

Need bigger prints? This Canon A3 printer, A4 scanner/copier is definitely worth a look.

Canon Pixma TS 9560 printer

TS9560 are great value A3 MFC and packed full of handy features. This model specs, features and ink information pretty much mirror the TR7660 model (read above) except TS9560 supports A3 printing, direct CD/DVD printing and has a built in SD card reader.

For higher volume printing, you can also buy this printer converted to InkBank precision continuous ink.

Interested?  Please contact us for more info or to order.


Comments (5)

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refillable ink bottles

By: on 7 June 2022
I'm trying to buy 3 or 4 color ink bottles to do my own refills do you sell them

Wish I saw this review before I bought a printer

By: on 27 September 2020
Was in a rush for a printer earlier in the year and now have been caught by the Canon TS5360 printer - Officeworks scam. Not only can I only buy the ink from them it is never in stock!!!

epson xp-4105

By: on 14 August 2020
Before I throw this computer into the nearest recycling depot I'll try a few helplines. Bought the epson xp-4105 with the intention of refilling ink cartridges but was ambushed by the chip and software saying I'm empty. Have looked for a chip resetter but have only come across a couple in America cost big bucks. Oh for the days for my old printer... Is there a way of refilling the ink cartridges on this printer?

ink toner

By: on 27 December 2019
Thanks a lot for putting your thoughts on refillable ink printer. These shopping printer tips are amazing for those who are looking for new printers. Though I am here to find options to refill ink for my fuji_xerox cm405 printer as I know HP runs such program .

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