Pick your numbers. The cheapest options over your time frame show up here.
Planning figures, not lab results. Ink: makers' own claims for tanks, estimates for cartridges. Dye-sub: from refill packs priced Oct 30, 2026. Printer prices are rounded from the same listings and move daily.
How the numbers are built
Each printer gets an ink figure per square inch. Tank printers use the makers’ own claims (Epson says about 4 cents a 4 x 6; Canon says about 2.5 cents). Cartridge printers use planning figures. Dye-sub printers use a flat per-print cost worked out from refill packs: Canon’s KP-108IN kits, HP’s 108-sheet pack, Liene’s 80-sheet pack and Kodak’s PHC-120 pack, all priced on October 30, 2026. Paper cost per sheet comes from the same listings.
These are planning numbers, not lab results. Cartridge yields in particular vary with the image; heavy blue skies cost more than portraits. Type your own figures into the fields and the calculator will use them.
A worked example
| Printer | Per print | Ink and paper | Printer | Three-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon PIXMA G620 MegaTank | $0.17 | $595 | $300 | $895 |
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 | $0.18 | $647 | $575 | $1,222 |
| Canon SELPHY CP1500 | $0.42 | $1,512 | $160 | $1,672 |
| HP Sprocket Studio Plus | $0.43 | $1,566 | $190 | $1,756 |
| Liene M100 4x6 | $0.46 | $1,656 | $125 | $1,781 |
| Epson Expression Photo XP-8700 | $0.54 | $1,943 | $280 | $2,223 |
| Printer | Per print | Ink and paper | Printer | Three-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 | $1.78 | $1,282 | $670 | $1,952 |
| Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 | $3.83 | $2,758 | $700 | $3,458 |
| Canon PIXMA PRO-200S | $4.69 | $3,380 | $550 | $3,930 |
| Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 | $5.48 | $3,949 | $345 | $4,294 |
What the calculator ignores
- Cleaning cycles and maintenance ink, which cost more on printers that sit idle.
- Shipping, tax and sales.
- Your time. A tank printer that clogs and needs a cleaning is not free.