Electronics
A cheap cartridge printer becomes the most expensive machine in the house. In India, ink-tank printers pay back within a few hundred pages.
A few questions about your situation, not about the product.
Answer all 3 questions to see the spec sheet to shop with.
Refillable tanks, replaceable cartridges, or toner powder.
Why it matters
Ink tank ≈ 20–30 paise/page; cartridge ≈ ₹3–8/page; mono laser ≈ 50 paise/page and never dries up.
What to check
Cartridge printers are cheap upfront and brutal later.
Total consumable cost divided by pages yielded.
Why it matters
This is the real price of the printer over 3 years.
What to check
Ask for the bottle/toner price and its page yield, then divide.
Do you actually print colour?
Why it matters
If it's mostly school forms, tickets and documents, a mono laser is faster, cheaper and maintenance-free.
What to check
Occasional colour printing can be outsourced to a shop.
Automatic printing on both sides.
Why it matters
Halves paper cost for anyone printing volume.
What to check
'Manual duplex' means you flip pages yourself.
USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, mobile app printing.
Why it matters
Wi-Fi means any family phone can print without a PC.
What to check
Check the app supports your phone OS version.
How often you'll print.
Why it matters
Inkjets clog if idle for weeks; laser doesn't care.
What to check
For rare printing, choose laser over any inkjet.
Entry ink-tank all-in-ones to duplex laser printers.
