Cheapest Printer Ink in the UK (2026)

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve stood in Currys staring at a wall of ink cartridges, working out whether the XL version is actually better value or just a different kind of rip-off. Printer ink is famously expensive — gram for gram, it costs more than champagne — and the whole industry is designed to keep it that way.

But here’s the thing. You don’t have to play that game. I’ve been testing printers and ink alternatives for years, and there are legitimate ways to slash your printing costs by 70-90%. Some of them involve a bit of trust. Others involve buying a different printer entirely. All of them work.

This guide breaks down every option for getting cheaper printer ink in the UK in 2026, with actual prices and cost-per-page numbers.

Why Printer Ink Costs So Much

The printer industry runs on what’s called the razor-and-blades model. Sell the printer cheap (or at a loss), then make the real money on consumables. HP, Epson, and Canon all do it. That £45 printer from Argos? The replacement cartridges cost £35. Two sets of ink and you’ve spent more on consumables than the hardware.

I bought a Canon PIXMA for my mum three years ago. Decent little printer. She’s spent roughly £180 on ink since then, printing maybe 30 pages a month. That’s bonkers.

The good news is there are several ways around it.

Option 1: Compatible (Third-Party) Cartridges

Compatible cartridges are the easiest swap. They’re made by third-party companies, fit your printer exactly like the originals, and cost a fraction of the price.

Typical savings:

Cartridge	Genuine Price	Compatible Price	Saving
HP 305XL Black + Colour	£38-42	£12-16	~65%
Epson 604XL Multipack (4)	£45-55	£14-20	~65%
Canon PG-545XL/CL-546XL	£32-38	£10-15	~70%
Brother LC3233 Multipack (4)	£40-50	£12-18	~68%

I’ve used compatible cartridges in my Epson WorkForce and Brother printers for the last two years. Print quality is indistinguishable from genuine for documents. Photos are slightly less vibrant — maybe 90% as good — but for school homework, invoices, and letters? Absolutely fine.

The catches:

• Occasional dud cartridge. Maybe 1 in 20 doesn’t work properly. Reputable sellers replace them free.
• Your printer might flash a warning saying “non-genuine cartridge detected.” Ignore it. Press continue.
• Photo quality is slightly lower. If you’re printing wedding photos for framing, use genuine. For everything else, don’t bother.

Where to buy: Amazon UK has the widest selection. Search for your cartridge number plus “compatible” and look for listings with 1,000+ reviews. I’d also recommend Smart Ink and Ink Factory for reliable UK-based suppliers.

Option 2: Ink Subscription Services

HP and Epson both offer subscription services where they post you ink before you run out. Your printer monitors its own levels and orders automatically.

HP Instant Ink

HP Instant Ink charges by pages printed, not by ink used. Plans start at:

• Free: 15 pages/month (yes, genuinely free)
• Light: 50 pages/month — £2.99/mo
• Moderate: 100 pages/month — £4.49/mo
• Frequent: 300 pages/month — £8.49/mo

Unused pages roll over (up to 3 months’ worth). Full-colour pages count the same as mono. HP ships you cartridges automatically.

I ran HP Instant Ink on my HP DeskJet for six months. The free tier is brilliant if you barely print — 15 pages a month covers the odd form or boarding pass, and it genuinely costs nothing. The paid tiers are less compelling. At 100 pages/month for £4.49, that’s 4.5p per page. Compatible cartridges work out cheaper if you print regularly.

The big downside: If you cancel HP Instant Ink, the cartridges they sent you stop working. Literally. They’re chipped to only work while you’re subscribed. That left a bad taste, frankly.

Epson ReadyPrint

Epson’s version works similarly. Plans from £2.99/month for 50 pages. Compatible with EcoTank and cartridge printers. Less aggressive than HP — your printer still works if you cancel, though you’ll need to buy your own ink.

My verdict on subscriptions: The free tiers are worth grabbing. The paid tiers only make sense if you value convenience over cost, because compatible cartridges are cheaper per page.

Option 3: Refillable Ink Tank Printers (EcoTank / MegaTank)

This is the real game-changer. Instead of cartridges, these printers have built-in ink reservoirs that you refill from bottles. The included ink lasts thousands of pages.

Epson EcoTank ET-2860

Currently around £200 on Amazon UK. Comes with enough ink for approximately 4,500 mono pages or 7,500 colour pages. Replacement bottles cost about £8-10 each and last another 4,500+ pages.

Cost per page: Around 0.2p mono, 0.5p colour. Compare that to 7-10p per page with genuine cartridges.

I’ve had an EcoTank running in my home office for eighteen months. Total ink spend beyond the included bottles: £0. I’ve printed roughly 3,000 pages. That would have cost £60-80 in compatible cartridges, or £200+ in genuine ones.

Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3570

Canon’s equivalent, currently around £220 on Amazon UK. Similar ink economy — roughly 6,000 mono or 7,700 colour pages from the included bottles. Replacement bottles are £9-12 each.

The catches with tank printers:

• Higher upfront cost (£180-280 vs £40-80 for a cartridge printer)
• Still inkjet, so they can clog if left idle for weeks — see our best printer for infrequent use guide
• Print speed is moderate, not fast
• Photo quality is good but not photo-lab standard

The break-even: If you print more than about 200 pages a month, an EcoTank pays for itself within 6-12 months vs genuine cartridges, or 12-18 months vs compatibles. Below 200 pages/month, a cartridge printer with compatibles is more economical.

Option 4: Refilled Cartridges

Some high-street shops and online services will refill your empty genuine cartridges with fresh ink. Cartridge World used to be the big name here. These days it’s mostly small independents and eBay sellers.

Refilled cartridges cost roughly 40-50% less than genuine but more than compatibles. Quality varies wildly. I tried a refilled HP 305 set from a local shop in Reading — one worked perfectly, the other leaked. Not ideal.

My honest take: Compatible cartridges are cheaper and more consistent. Refilling makes sense environmentally, but the quality control isn’t there for me to recommend it broadly.

Option 5: Laser Printers (Skip Ink Entirely)

If you mostly print text documents and don’t need colour, a laser printer sidesteps the whole ink problem. Toner cartridges last 2,000-3,000+ pages, cost £15-30 for compatibles, and never dry out.

A Brother HL-L2350DW costs around £110-130 and the compatible toner lasts roughly 3,000 pages at about 1p per page. No drying, no clogging, no subscriptions.

Cost Per Page Comparison Table

Here’s how every option stacks up for a typical document page:

Method	Cost Per Page (Mono)	Cost Per Page (Colour)	Upfront Cost
Genuine cartridges	7-12p	10-18p	£40-80
Compatible cartridges	2-4p	3-6p	£40-80
HP Instant Ink (100 plan)	4.5p	4.5p	£40-80 + £4.49/mo
Refilled cartridges	4-6p	6-10p	£40-80
EcoTank / MegaTank	0.2-0.3p	0.5-0.7p	£180-280
Laser (compatible toner)	1-2p	N/A (mono)	£100-150

The numbers speak for themselves. Genuine cartridges are the most expensive option by a massive margin.

What I Actually Use

In my home office, I run an Epson EcoTank ET-2860 for anything that needs colour and a Brother HL-L2350DW for text documents. Total annual ink/toner spend: about £20. Before I switched, I was spending £100+ a year on genuine cartridges for a single printer.

My parents now have an EcoTank too — after I got tired of them calling me every three months because the ink had run out again. Solved that problem permanently.

For anyone on a tight budget who can’t stretch to an EcoTank upfront, compatible cartridges are the immediate fix. Order a set for your printer model, save 65-70%, and stop overpaying today.

How to Find the Right Compatible Cartridges

1. Check which cartridge your printer uses (printed on the cartridge or in your printer’s manual)
2. Search Amazon UK for that cartridge number + “compatible” or “non-OEM”
3. Look for sellers with 500+ reviews and a 4+ star rating
4. Buy the XL versions — they’re always better value per page
5. Order two sets at once to save on shipping and have a backup ready

One final tip: keep your old genuine cartridges. If you ever need warranty service on your printer, pop the genuine ones back in first. It shouldn’t matter legally, but it avoids any awkward conversations.

Related Guides

• Laser vs Inkjet Printer — full comparison to help you decide
• Best Printer for Infrequent Use — if drying ink is your main frustration