When to Replace All in 1 Printer?

All-in-one printers are cheap to buy but expensive to use. This is a trick the printer industry has played for decades, called the "razor and blade" model. They sell you the machine at a rock-bottom price, then make money off the ink cartridges. An HP DeskJet 3755 costs sixty or seventy dollars, but a set of high-capacity ink cartridges costs $80. Replace the cartridges twice, and you've spent more on ink than the machine itself.

The Print Head Problem

The print head is the Achilles' heel of all-in-one inkjet printers. Epson's print heads are built into the machine—if they fail, you can't replace them; you have to replace the entire machine. Canon's print heads can be removed, but buying one separately costs over $100. HP's entry-level machines have the print head built into the cartridge, so when you replace the cartridge, you replace the print head too. The upside is you don't have to worry about clogged print heads—just buy a new cartridge set and you're good. The downside is expensive cartridges.

On the Digital Photography Review forum, one user said his Epson 2200 has been working since 2002, printing CD covers for his brother without any issues. Another user said his Epson 4900 lasted three and a half years before the print head kept clogging—cleaning didn't help, and he eventually gave up. The difference? The first user printed frequently; the second rarely used his printer.

Repair Cost Analysis

There's a rule of thumb in the printer repair industry: if the repair cost exceeds half the machine's value, don't repair it. Technicians at Michigan Computer Supplies say when they receive a printer repair job, they first diagnose the problem—if the repair costs more than buying a new machine, they tell the customer straight up not to bother fixing it.

An entry-level machine under $200 could have half its value wiped out by a single repair.

Laser vs. Inkjet Durability

Laser printers are more durable than inkjet printers. Inkjets typically last three to five years; lasers can go five years or more, with some lasting a decade. Someone on a forum mentioned their Epson 9800 has been running for over 15 years and still works. Laser printers don't have nozzle clogging issues, and the toner cartridge and fuser can be replaced separately. But laser printers are expensive—entry-level models cost two to three hundred dollars, commercial-grade even more.

The Rise of Ink Tank Printers

In recent years, a type of printer called "ink tank printers" has emerged. Epson calls theirs EcoTank, HP calls theirs Smart Tank, and Canon calls theirs MegaTank. Instead of cartridges, you pour ink from bottles into the tank. A bottle of Epson EcoTank black ink costs around $20 and can print 7,500 pages—less than a quarter of a cent per page. Regular cartridge printers cost dozens of times more per page. Epson claims the ink included with an EcoTank lasts three years and saves $1,000 in cartridge costs.

Signs It's Time to Replace

To determine whether it's time to replace your machine, watch for these signals:

The Repair vs. Replace Decision

Warranty period is one reference point. Most printers have a one-year warranty. Problems after the warranty expires—weigh whether to repair yourself. Problems within the first year—get it fixed or replaced by the manufacturer for free.

If you bought a laser printer for five hundred to a thousand dollars, and it's having problems after two or three years, a repair might still be worthwhile. ManagedPrint's blog has an algorithm: assume a printer's normal lifespan is five years. If the machine has used 40% of its lifespan and repair costs exceed the remaining lifespan's corresponding value, don't repair it. For example, a $1,000 machine used for two years has 60% of its "value" remaining—that's $600. A $500 repair quote is too high.