Cheap Basic Printer (Low Volume) - Suggestions Sought

Alan6984 on 23/04/2026 - 00:10

Hi All,

My son needs a cheap basic printer.

It will be mostly text, maybe occasionally some graphics (reports etc), but he's not looking for a photo printer at all.

Volume will be low - perhaps half a dozen pages per week / 25 per month, so low upfront cost and the likely higher per page cost seems to make sense to me.

Could be laser or inkjet. I am thinking ink-jet, although a laser will probably produce better quality text - maybe I am out of date on that though?

If it makes a lot of difference to the up-front cost, then monochrome would be okay, but all things being (roughly) equal, colour would be preferred.

He would consider TradeMe (I'm looking for him there too), but would prefer to just buy it from a retailer if possible.

Any suggestions are welcome. He's in South Auckland if it makes any difference.

Thanks,

Alan.

General Discussion

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  • ABCDEFG on 23/04/2026 - 09:24

    I was able to pickup an laser MFC off trade me for free (it was $1.00 but the seller just wanted it gone). At the time there were a few others also going for next to nothing so it could really be worth looking there.

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    • Alan6984 on 23/04/2026 - 22:09

      Yeah - I guess I'm a bit wary about reliability, but for $1, and if it no hassle to collect it, then I guess it doesn't really matter!

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      • ABCDEFG on 24/04/2026 - 07:41

        This was exactly my thinking. We've probably printed ~200 pages with it since we picked it up, scanned about half that, so it's been great value 😅

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  • Liger Zero on 24/04/2026 - 01:16

    A cheap brother monochrome HL-1230W. They have really low per page cost and require no maintenance like injets.
    HP laserjet (for colour) on marketplace could be good as well, there are a few models with cheap replacement inks

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    • saxasianguy on 24/04/2026 - 07:46

      i have a brother h1210w i got for $10 from marketplace and my toner+ drum costs about total $15nzd brand new shipped from china lasts me a very long time with moderate printing

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    • boldbilly on 24/04/2026 - 09:06

      Another vote for mono laser printers. My ink jets annoyed me, but this thing can sit for months and there's no worry about ink drying out. Super reliable and super cheap to run. Better print quality too.

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    • Alan6984 on 24/04/2026 - 11:59

      Okay - I'm going to look around for one of these or something similar.

      Thanks!

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      • ace310 on 24/04/2026 - 12:32

        Another vote for brother laser printer. I have HL-L2375DW mono laser printer, which I bought around 6 years ago and still going strong. I don't print much. few prints in couple of months.

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        • Alan6984 on 24/04/2026 - 13:28

          Sounds like this is the general winner.

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    • Everettpsycho on 25/04/2026 - 17:51

      2023 recommendation but the verge copy and paste this article every year.

      https://www.theverge.com/23642073/best-printer-2023-brother-…

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  • bigcheese on 23/04/2026 - 09:31

    Another thing to consider is that even though inkjets will be cheaper upfront they do need to be used reasonably frequently to prevent the ink drying and clogging the printheads.
    A few pages each week will be fine so make sure that something is printed every so often.
    Lasers on the other hand can sit idle for ages with no impact on print quality.

    • 1
    • Alan6984 on 23/04/2026 - 22:09

      Yep - noted!

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  • Alan6984 on 02/05/2026 - 14:59

    Hi All,

    I decided to go for the Brother HL-L1230W.

    Got it for $99 at TWL.

    Thank you all for your input - very much appreciated.

    Alan.

    • 1
  • Drcspy on 23/04/2026 - 07:11

    Look for a printer that you can buy 'compatible' inks for off Trademe or other supplier. I have a Canon Pixma inkjet I got about 10 years ago when I got a discount voucher along with a laptop I bought. That printer still runs and I've NEVER bought OEM inks . I buy all 5 cartridges from TM for about $23 in total including postage . If I was stupid enough to buy in a shop they're about $35 or thereabouts EACH. Do NOT buy HP if you're wanting to go this route they are (in)famous for their protectionism around the inks issue.

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    • AleBeerenhoff on 23/04/2026 - 07:38

      Same here - bought a cheap brother inkjet years ago (when they have those cashback deals) and just fill it with generic ink. Works a treat.
      Inkjet is fine enough quality for what we need (which is pretty minimal), but its slower than a laser too - I think the running costs of the laser might end up being more (probably because of the quality and speed thing).

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    • Alan6984 on 23/04/2026 - 22:08

      Good point about the 'compatible' ink - thanks!

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  • qtboi on 23/04/2026 - 13:42

    Ecotanks/tank printers are the way to go!

    You might be able to find some market place - they are the most bang for your bunk

    If you do buy new its not too crazy either espically as its a one and done buy really - Epson EcoTank ET-2810 All-in-One Printer $259 at the mo.

    I have the ET-2710 model and going strong since around 2021 - bottles are about 20 bucks a pop and last ages!

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    • Alan6984 on 23/04/2026 - 22:10

      I figure with the relatively low volume, it probably doesn't matter too much but thank you for the link - I will definitely look at that option.

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      • qtboi on 27/04/2026 - 11:27

        Yeah defo - I also have a couple of the Brother HL 1210W Laser Printer for years now, they both go so well just haven't used them much due to the ecotanks I've got,
        Being wireless helps heaps too!

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  • Coolbro on 24/04/2026 - 14:55

    Try one of the tip shops - they’re usually trying to give them away. I’d say op shops too, but from what I’ve seen, a lot just don’t accept them

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    • Alan6984 on 25/04/2026 - 14:43

      Try one of the tip shops - they’re usually trying to give them away. I’d say op shops too, but from what I’ve seen, a lot just don’t accept them

      Hi Coolbro,

      What is a 'tip shop'? Do you mean like this?

      https://www.tippingpoint.org.nz/shop/

      I hadn't thought about that type of place, nor op shops - I'll mention to him :-)

      Thanks,

      Alan.

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  • ChonkySausage on 25/04/2026 - 14:54

    This annual article always comes to mind: https://www.theverge.com/tech/641940/best-printer-2025-just-…

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    • Alan6984 on 25/04/2026 - 15:26

      Thanks :-)

      • 0
    • ace310 on 25/04/2026 - 22:02

      Good to know brother laser is still one of the best

      • 0
  • desikiwi on 28/04/2026 - 16:08

    If you print regularly ecotank from Epson new only is a good printer to have , ink will dry up internally if you dont use regularly.

    For occasional use will be brother laser only it's ink printer are not good value.

    I had issue with printers and was searching for reliable printer and found brother to be the most reliable laser printer .

    You can score 2nd hand printer for dirt cheap on Facebook, it's consumables are easy to get and you can use them for a long time and don't have to worry about occupational use .
    Brother has mono duplex , and colour both are economical. I have also reset tonner put new powder tonner used remanufactured tonner all work well if your worried use original and this way is also most best value ,

    But for color and high volume ecotank Epson .for lower page coverage brother laser

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