Executive summary
If you own an inkjet, you are probably paying two to eight times what a laser or tank printer would cost for the same pages. InkLedger tracked 126+ cartridge SKUs across Amazon, Walmart, and Staples listings from 2019 through 2026. OEM list prices climbed 43% on average while yield claims barely moved.
Bottom line for a typical U.S. household printing 40 pages/month:
| Tier | Cost per page (mixed text) | Annual ink spend | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| OEM cartridges only | $0.08–$0.14 | $240–$420 | Warranty-sensitive office work |
| XL OEM + smart shopping | $0.05–$0.08 | $150–$240 | Families who must stay OEM |
| Compatible / refill / tank | $0.01–$0.04 | $48–$120 | Home, school, light photo |
That $284/year gap in our headline stat is the midpoint between an OEM-only HP Envy household and the same volume on compatibles or a Brother laser.
How we built this report
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- Retail price capture — SKUs re-checked every Monday for 90+ days post-publish.
- Real yield, not brochure yield — 200-page mixed workloads (text, grayscale graphics, 10% color).
- Three-retailer cross-check — Amazon, Walmart, Staples when the SKU is listed.
- No manufacturer samples — cartridges purchased at retail like any reader would.
We do not accept sponsorship from Epson, HP, Brother, or Canon. Affiliate revenue comes from third-party refills and compatibles we would buy ourselves (disclosure).
Brand-by-brand: who raised prices fastest
HP — subscription lock-in and XL traps
HP pushed Instant Ink subscriptions while raising cartridge street prices. Standard-yield HP 63 runs about $0.094/page; the HP 63XL drops that to $0.054/page if you actually need OEM. Subscribers often overpay once volume exceeds the plan tier — see our Instant Ink quantified breakdown.
Epson — cheap printer, expensive tri-color
Epson 202/212 series tri-color cartridges create partial replacement traps (you run out of one color, replace the whole set). EcoTank and Epson 502 bottled ink break the cycle for heavy color users.
Brother — laser wins for text-heavy homes
Brother inkjet carts are mid-pack on price, but Brother LC3013BK XL and mono laser toner often beat inkjet TCO under 80 pages/month. Our laser vs inkjet cost lens walks through the math.
Canon — starter carts and PG/CLI price jumps
Canon ships starter cartridges at half yield. PG-245/CLI-246 sets saw ~22% street-price increases in 2025 on models still sold as “affordable” printers.
Three money moves (ranked by savings)
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Buy XL or high-yield SKUs only when you print more than 25 pages/month. Below that, a cheaper standard cart plus proper storage beats XL premiums.
2. Add a compatible tier for drafts
Keep one OEM black for forms and photos; run compatibles for homework and receipts. Our top-tested picks live on the product reviews hub.
3. Exit inkjet entirely for text-only homes
If 90%+ of your output is black text, a $120 mono laser plus third-party toner often pays back in 8–14 months. InkLedger’s going-paperless and laser guides cover exit paths.
What to read next
- Refill & compatible starter guide — step-by-step, warranty reality, kit picks
- Why is printer ink so expensive? — razor-and-blade economics
- Product reviews — scored cartridges with live price context
Last priced: June 2026. We date-stamp articles when retailer data moves more than 5%.
