Epson printers have the advantage of having the printer head built in to the printer itself meaning that when you buy replacement cartridges you only need to buy the ink tanks. These tanks, in most instances, can be individually swapped over meaning that if your cyan colour runs out you can usually just replace the cyan cartridge.
The price of the original Epson cartridges vary quite wildly so it is important to select the correct printer based on your own individual printing needs. Typically newer printers have the most reasonable original cartridge prices and as the printer becomes discontinued the original prices tend to rise as a result.
As with any printer it is also important to check the capacity of the cartridges that you are purchasing; an SX100 printer for example can take either a 5.8ml T0891 or a 7.4ml T0711 cartridge. While the price for the latter may be higher, the actual cost per page is likely to be lower.
Some users choose to use compatible cartridges instead of the original Epson ink cartridges. Due to the incredibly low manufacturing cost of these new units, they typically offer substantial savings when compared with the original cartridges. Owing to the fact that these compatibles are produced using new parts the quality is usually indistinguishable from the originals.
Unfortunately Epson Laser Printers tend to suffer from a relatively high replacement toner cartridge price compared to several alternative manufacturers. The popularity of their machines however has resulted in cheaper remanufactured units are made available by various third party suppliers. These are Epson original toner cartridges which once used have been taken back to a recycling facility where they are cleaned out, any worn parts are replaced before the cartridge is refilled and tested. These cartridges offer significant cost and environmental savings without sacrificing print quality.
