Should You Buy a Printer? A Cost-per-Page Test

Buying a printer feels practical until it quietly becomes one more machine asking for ink, space, updates, and patience.

Let me make this simpler. This post is for you if you occasionally think, “I should probably just buy a printer,” but you are not sure whether that is smart or just a reaction to one annoying print job. We will map the decision using a simple cost-per-page test, without getting lost in technical details.

Picture this: the printer is not the real decision. The real decision is whether your printing pattern is regular enough to justify owning the whole printing setup.

Here’s how it breaks down.

The Simple Printer Decision

Use this quick decision tree first:

Do you print every month?
│
├── No
│   └── Do not buy yet. Use a print shop, office printer, library, or delivery service.
│
└── Yes
    └── Do you print more than 10 pages most months?
        │
        ├── No
        │   └── Only buy if convenience matters more than space and maintenance.
        │
        └── Yes
            └── Do you mostly print documents?
                │
                ├── Yes
                │   └── Consider a basic laser printer.
                │
                └── No
                    └── Be careful. Photos, color, and mixed use change the math.

That is the calm version. Now let’s test it properly.

Step 1: Count Your Real Printing Moments

Before comparing printer types, count your actual need.

Not what you imagine you might print. Not the “maybe I’ll use it more if I own one” version. Your real pattern.

Look back over the last 3 months and count:

• Forms
• Travel documents
• Shipping labels
• School or work documents
• Returns paperwork
• Contracts
• Tickets
• Worksheets
• Photos
• Anything you printed outside your home

If you cannot remember more than 3 printing moments in 3 months, you probably do not need a printer. You need a reliable fallback.

This is where tracking helps. If you use Monee or any spending tracker, check whether printing, office supplies, shipping, or document services appear regularly. You are not tracking to feel guilty. You are getting the data you need to decide.

A good rule:

If printing appears in your life every month, continue the test.
If it appears only during rare admin chaos, do not buy yet.

Step 2: Estimate Your Pages Per Month

Now ignore money for a moment and count pages.

Use simple ranges:

• 1-5 pages per month: occasional printing
• 6-20 pages per month: light but regular printing
• 21-50 pages per month: meaningful home use
• More than 50 pages per month: ownership likely starts making sense

If you are under 10 pages most months, the printer has to win on convenience, not cost.

That matters because a printer is not just a purchase. It is a small system: paper, cartridges or toner, space, cables, Wi-Fi problems, software updates, and the classic moment where it refuses to print the one page you need urgently.

Step 3: Use the Cost-per-Page Test

Here is the simple version.

Cost per page = total running cost ÷ pages printed

But for a real-life decision, include more than ink or toner. Think in categories:

Printer ownership cost =
printer + ink/toner + paper + replacement parts + wasted pages + your patience

You do not need exact numbers. You need a comparison.

Ask yourself:

1. How many pages will I print before the first cartridge or toner runs out?
2. How often will I need replacements?
3. Will cartridges dry out because I print rarely?
4. Will I print mostly black-and-white documents or color-heavy pages?
5. Will I waste pages on formatting mistakes, test pages, or failed prints?

The hidden trap is low volume. If you print rarely, inkjet cartridges can become frustrating because ink may dry out or clog. That makes your cost per successful page much worse than the neat number on the box.

A practical rule:

If you print rarely, avoid buying an inkjet just because the printer itself looks simple.
If you print regular black-and-white documents, a basic laser printer often behaves better.

Inkjet vs Laser: How to Decide

If you are stuck between inkjet and laser, here is the clean way to think about it.

Choose inkjet if:

• You print photos or color images regularly
• You need decent color quality
• You will print often enough that ink does not sit unused for long
• You accept more maintenance in exchange for flexible output

Choose laser if:

• You mostly print text documents
• You want sharper black-and-white pages
• You print in batches
• You want toner that is usually better suited to sitting unused
• You care more about reliability than photo quality

The mistake is buying for the rarest use case. If you print photos twice a year but documents every week, do not let the photo use case drive the whole decision.

The Convenience Test

Sometimes the math says “do not buy,” but your life says otherwise.

That is allowed.

A printer may make sense if:

• You often print under time pressure
• You live far from convenient printing options
• You handle school, visa, legal, tax, or shipping paperwork regularly
• You share the printer with more than one person
• Printing delays cause stress or missed deadlines

Here is the threshold I like:

If not having a printer creates stress more than 3 times per quarter, consider buying one.

Not because it is always cheaper. Because removing repeated friction has value.

When You Should Not Buy a Printer

Do not buy a printer yet if:

• You print less than once per month
• You mostly need one-off official documents
• You hate maintaining devices
• You have easy access to printing nearby
• You are buying because of one frustrating day
• You do not know where it will live

That last one sounds small, but it is not. A printer without a proper place becomes clutter with a plug.

Printable Decision Checklist

Use this before buying:

Printer Decision Checklist

[ ] I printed something in each of the last 3 months.
[ ] I usually print more than 10 pages per month.
[ ] I know whether I mostly need black-and-white or color.
[ ] I checked whether my use is documents, photos, labels, or mixed.
[ ] I have space for the printer and paper.
[ ] I am willing to maintain it.
[ ] I compared ownership against nearby printing options.
[ ] I am not buying because of one urgent print job.
[ ] I know whether inkjet or laser fits my main use case.
[ ] I expect to use it enough before supplies expire, dry out, or feel wasteful.

If you tick fewer than 5 boxes, wait.

If you tick 5-7, buy only if convenience is a real priority.

If you tick 8 or more, owning a printer probably makes sense.

Quick Recap

A printer is worth buying when your printing is regular, predictable, and annoying enough without one. If you print mostly documents, look closely at a basic laser printer. If you print color or photos often, inkjet may fit better, but only if you use it regularly.

The simplest decision is this:

Rare printing = use a service.
Regular documents = consider laser.
Regular color/photos = consider inkjet.
Repeated stress = convenience may justify ownership.

The goal is not to find the perfect printer. It is to avoid buying a problem disguised as a solution.