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The best alternative to a low-cost HP inkjet depends on what you print: choose a refillable ink-tank all-in-one for recurring color, a cartridge all-in-one when the upfront budget matters most, or a monochrome laser for mostly black text. The printer’s purchase price alone does not tell you what it will cost to own; print volume, replacement supplies and the features you need all matter. The options below reflect US-focused buying coverage available in November 2026; check regional model names, prices and consumable compatibility before buying.
At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon MegaTank PIXMA G3290 | Regular color and photo printing | Wi-Fi and smartphone-app support; Tom’s Guide estimates color printing at about 0.9 cents per page | November 2026 |
| Epson EcoTank ET-2950 / ET-2980 | Recurring home-office printing with automatic two-sided printing | Rated included-bottle yield up to 5,500 color or 6,600 monochrome pages; flatbed scanner, no ADF | November 2026 |
| Brother MFC-J1360DW | A lower upfront-cost color all-in-one | About 400 black-and-white or 300 color pages per standard cartridge, according to RTINGS | November 2026 |
| Brother HL-L2460DW | Mostly black-text printing, including after long idle periods | Print-only monochrome laser; standard toner yields around 1,300 prints, according to RTINGS | November 2026 |
These are not live street-price comparisons: no current official US retail listing was published for these specific models. The yield and cost figures come from different publications and use different methods, so they should not be treated as a directly comparable ownership-cost benchmark.
Which type of printer is the best alternative?
For households that print color regularly, start with a refillable tank. If buying the printer cheaply is the immediate priority, consider a cartridge all-in-one but account for its more limited cartridge yields. If you mainly print black text and can do without color and scanning, a monochrome laser is a practical alternative.
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Before choosing, estimate how many pages you print in a typical month and how many are color. Then check the current price of the replacement ink or toner for the exact model in your country. A tank’s high rated yield is most useful if your household prints enough to make use of it; a higher upfront cost is not automatically a saving for someone who prints only occasionally.
Is a refillable ink-tank printer a better fit for regular color printing?
Often, yes: a tank printer is worth considering when recurring color or document printing makes its higher initial device cost reasonable. It uses refillable ink bottles rather than relying on the lower-yield cartridges common in budget inkjets, but actual savings depend on your print volume and local printer and ink prices.
Canon MegaTank PIXMA G3290: color and photos
Tom’s Guide recommends the Canon MegaTank PIXMA G3290 as an affordable ink all-in-one, particularly for photo printing, and cites Wi-Fi and smartphone-app support. Tom’s Guide estimates color printing at roughly 0.9 cents per page, compared with a 1.9-cent average for the tested category. Those are the publication’s estimates, not a guaranteed rate: your result depends on ink prices, page coverage and what you print.
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This option makes most sense if you want an all-in-one for color output, including photos, and expect to print often enough to value bottle-based refills. Do not take the cited per-page estimate as a reason by itself to choose the printer: compare it with the device’s current local price and the price of compatible replacement bottles.
Epson EcoTank ET-2950 / ET-2980: duplexing and high stated yield
TechRadar’s review identifies the printer as the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 (ET-2950), a model-name variation worth checking against the listing in your region. The review reports automatic duplex printing, a flatbed scanner and no automatic document feeder (ADF). It gives speeds of 15 pages per minute for simplex monochrome and 8 ppm for color.
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TechRadar says the included bottle set is rated for up to 5,500 color pages or 6,600 monochrome pages. These are stated maximum yields, not a promise that every owner will reach them; print coverage and use affect actual results. The review also says bottled ink is around 95% cheaper than cartridge ink. Attribute that comparison to TechRadar and its review context rather than assuming the same saving across brands, markets or current retail prices.
In its assessment, TechRadar describes text as crisp, photos as acceptable but not exceptional, and thick-media handling as good. That makes the Epson a plausible choice for a home office that needs text, color and automatic two-sided printing, but not necessarily the best match if standout photo output or feeding a stack of originals into an ADF is essential. The reviewed configuration has a flatbed for scanning, but no ADF for unattended multi-page scanning.
For either tank option, compare your anticipated use with the bottle set’s stated yield and replacement-bottle costs. If a household prints very few pages, much of the included ink may remain unused, and the higher printer outlay may not pay off. No single break-even point can be established from the published estimates here because current model prices, local ink prices and each source’s calculation assumptions are not available on a common basis.
When does a cartridge all-in-one make sense?
A cartridge printer can be the better fit when the amount you can spend upfront is more important than maximizing the yield of replacement supplies. The trade-off is that you should expect to replace cartridges more often than a tank’s high-yield bottle set if you print regularly.
RTINGS lists the Brother MFC-J1360DW as a budget inkjet and describes it as a full-featured all-in-one with strong document output and casual photo capability. RTINGS estimates about 400 black-and-white and 300 color pages per standard cartridge; high-yield cartridges roughly double those figures. These are approximate publication figures, not guaranteed yields for every print job.
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The MFC-J1360DW is therefore a candidate if you want an all-in-one but cannot justify the tank printer’s higher upfront cost. It is less compelling for heavy color printing if replacement supplies become the main part of your budget. Before buying, confirm that the exact model and cartridges are available in your market and compare the current price of standard and high-yield replacements; no current official local listing was published for those prices.
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Do not compare the cartridge’s reported page yield directly with a tank’s bottle-set yield as though they were measured in one controlled test. The numbers come from different sources and describe different consumables. They are useful as indicators of scale, not a complete total-cost calculation.
Is a monochrome laser better for mostly black text?
It can be, if you do not need color or scanning and value crisp black text and the ability to sit unused without inkjet nozzles. A monochrome laser cannot replace a color inkjet for photos or color graphics, so the choice depends on what the household actually prints.
The Brother HL-L2460DW is a print-only monochrome laser. RTINGS estimates around 1,300 prints from its standard toner cartridge. Its lack of a scanner and color printing is a real limitation, not a minor feature difference: it will not serve as a one-device replacement for households that scan documents or print school projects, forms or photos in color.
Consumer Reports’ 2026 guide says, “A laser printer can deliver reliability and fast, low-cost, crisp black text.” That category-level guidance helps explain why a basic monochrome laser can suit text-heavy home use, including households that print intermittently. It does not establish a model-specific reliability result or guarantee a particular owner’s running cost. Check the current toner price and rated yield for your region before comparing it with an inkjet.
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What about a color laser printer?
A color laser can be a niche choice if you need color but prefer laser-style operation and do not need photo-focused output. It is not the default alternative when the goal is the lowest checkout price.
Consumer Reports says color laser printers cost more to buy and run than black-and-white laser models and are not designed for photo printing. RTINGS’ cheap-ink guide includes a color laser all-in-one, but the reviewed color-laser class is more feature-rich and larger than a low-cost inkjet. No current official US retail listing was published with enough model-specific detail or price information to name a color-laser pick here. Compare the footprint, color-supply costs and photo expectations before going down this route.
Consumer Reports also describes a color inkjet as versatile for text, graphics and color photos. If photo printing is a central requirement, that is a reason to look first at the tank models rather than assume that any printer capable of color will produce the kind of photo output you want.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do I compare the real cost of ownership?
Use your own print volume and current local prices; the published estimates are not a shared, apples-to-apples total-cost-of-ownership calculation. A quick comparison should include the printer, the supplies you are likely to replace, and any missing feature that would force you to buy or use another device.
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- Look up the exact consumables. Check the replacement bottle, cartridge or toner price for the precise model number and market. Do not assume that similarly named models use the same supplies.
- Use yields as estimates, not promises. The published figures in this article come from different sources and methods. Page coverage and the type of document affect how many pages a supply produces in practice.
- Account for device features. If you need scanning, copying, automatic two-sided printing or an ADF, make sure the exact configuration includes it. The reviewed Epson has automatic duplexing and a flatbed scanner but no ADF; the Brother laser is print-only.
- Consider how long the printer may sit idle. TechRadar notes that inkjet nozzles can clog after long periods without use and may require a cleaning cycle. If printing is sporadic and color is unnecessary, a monochrome laser may be a better category to consider.
- Check the local listing before checkout. Model names, feature sets, availability and consumable compatibility can differ by country. Verify those details with the seller or manufacturer for your region rather than relying on a US model description alone.
For orientation, the published figures point to distinct trade-offs: Tom’s Guide gives the Canon an estimated color-page cost; TechRadar reports the Epson’s rated included-bottle yields and its own bottled-versus-cartridge comparison; RTINGS reports approximate cartridge yields for the Brother inkjet and toner yield for the Brother laser. Since those figures do not share one calculation method, adding them into a single ranking by cost per page would imply more precision than the evidence supports.
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How should you choose among these alternatives?
Choose based on the job you need the printer to do, not on the word “cheap” in a product listing. For recurring color, compare the Canon and Epson tank all-in-ones and verify current device and bottle prices. For a tighter purchase budget, the Brother MFC-J1360DW offers a cartridge-based all-in-one, with lower reported standard-cartridge yields. For black text only, consider the Brother HL-L2460DW if its print-only design meets your needs.
Before purchasing, confirm your must-have features and the exact local model and supplies. A low printer price is not a saving if the machine lacks a scanner you rely on, or if regular color printing makes its replacement cartridges an ongoing burden. Conversely, a high-yield tank is not automatically the economical choice for a household that rarely prints.
How we selected these options
The choices reflect the reader’s likely priorities—manageable upfront cost, affordable ongoing supplies and home-use features—across four different printing patterns: regular color, home-office color and duplex printing, lower-cost cartridge printing, and mostly black text. The product details and numerical figures are attributed to Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, RTINGS or Consumer Reports. This is not a hands-on test or a universal price ranking; no current official model prices were published, and the cited figures do not support a comparable cross-category ownership-cost calculation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do these alternatives use the same ink or toner as an HP printer?
Do not assume that supplies are interchangeable. Check the exact replacement-supply number for the model and regional version you are considering; no current official listing was published establishing cross-brand compatibility.
Is the ET-2950 the same printer as the ET-2980?
TechRadar labels its review “ET-2980 (ET-2950),” indicating those names are associated in that review. Because regional model names and configurations can vary, match the complete model number on a local listing before relying on its specifications.
How often should I print to keep an inkjet from clogging?
The cited review warns that inkjet nozzles can clog after long periods without use and may need a cleaning cycle, but it does not give a universal print interval. Follow the model’s manufacturer guidance rather than relying on an unsupported schedule.
Can a printer’s advertised page yield tell me exactly how many pages I will get?
No. The figures cited here are rated or approximate yields, not guarantees for every household. Page coverage and print habits affect actual yield, so use the rating as a comparison aid and check the supply’s stated terms for your exact model.
