How to Pick a Printer for Occasional vs Heavy Use

Occasional Use: Less Than 50 Pages Per Month

Your Needs

You print boarding passes, occasional recipes, tax forms a few times per year, maybe some school forms. Weeks go by without touching the printer.

Best Printer Type: Budget Inkjet or Laser

Why inkjet can work: Modern inkjets handle infrequent use better than older models. If you don't need it often, the low upfront cost makes sense.

The big concern: Ink can dry up between uses. If you go months without printing, you might waste $40 in cartridges just to get it working again.

Better option: A basic black-and-white laser printer ($150-200). Toner doesn't dry out, ever. Print once a month or once every six months - doesn't matter.

What to Look For

• Low upfront cost (you're not using it enough to justify premium features)
• Basic, reliable model from HP, Brother, or Canon
• Wireless printing is nice but not essential
• Skip the all-in-one unless you specifically need scanning

Models to Consider

• Brother HL-L2300D (black-and-white laser, under $150)
• HP LaserJet M110we (compact, wireless, affordable)
• Canon PIXMA budget models (if you occasionally need color)

Moderate Use: 50-200 Pages Per Month

Your Needs

You work from home part-time, have kids in school with regular printing needs, or run a small side business. Printing is regular but not daily.

Best Printer Type: Ink Tank or Color Laser

Why ink tank wins here: You're printing enough that cartridge costs add up fast, but an ink tank printer pays for itself in 6-12 months. Bottles of ink are cheap ($10-15) and last thousands of pages.

Why color laser works: If you mostly print black text with occasional color, a color laser gives you both without the ink-drying concerns of traditional inkjets.

What to Look For

• All-in-one functionality (print/scan/copy) is worth it at this level
• Wi-Fi printing so multiple family members can use it
• Automatic duplex (two-sided printing) saves paper
• Reasonable speed (at least 10 pages per minute)

Models to Consider

• Epson EcoTank ET-2800/ET-2850 (ink tank, color, all-in-one)
• HP Smart Tank 5101 (similar to EcoTank, often cheaper)
• Brother HL-L3290CDW (color laser, compact, reliable)

Heavy Use: 200+ Pages Per Month

Your Needs

You run a home business, have multiple kids doing remote learning, or you're a grad student printing research constantly. The printer runs weekly or daily.

Best Printer Type: Laser or High-Capacity Ink Tank

Why laser is ideal: Fast, reliable, incredibly low cost per page (2-4 cents). At 200+ pages monthly, you'll save hundreds per year compared to cartridge inkjets.

If you need color: Go with a business-grade ink tank (Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840) or invest in a color laser. Don't even consider cartridge-based inkjets - you'll spend more on ink than the printer cost.

What to Look For

• High duty cycle (at least 10,000-20,000 pages per month rated capacity)
• Large paper capacity (250+ sheet tray so you're not refilling constantly)
• Fast print speed (20+ pages per minute)
• Ethernet or stable Wi-Fi for reliability
• Automatic document feeder for scanning multi-page documents

Models to Consider

• Brother HL-L8360CDW (color laser, built for volume)
• HP LaserJet Pro M404dn (black-and-white workhorse)
• Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840 (high-capacity ink tank)

Don't Forget Duty Cycle

Every printer has a "monthly duty cycle" - the maximum pages it's designed to handle per month. Printing near this limit shortens the printer's life. A good rule: buy a printer with a duty cycle at least 2-3x your typical monthly usage.

• Print 100 pages/month → Look for 500+ page duty cycle
• Print 500 pages/month → Look for 2,000+ page duty cycle