Ink cartridges cost up to 74× more per page than refillable tank ink
We ranked 50 genuine printer inks sold in Australia by true cost per page (price divided by its ISO page yield). The cheapest, MegaTank GI-61 Black bottle, prints at 0.33¢ a page; the priciest, 60 Black, costs 24.3¢ a page, the same words on paper, at a wildly different price.
Method: price divided by manufacturer ISO page yield, in Australian cents. Every price is the genuine cartridge at Ink Depot, in AUD including GST, checked 30 August 2026. Compatibles are excluded. Cite this: "usefulHQ Printer Ink Cost Study 2026", usefulhq.com/ink-prices/. Figures update as prices are reviewed.
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| ¢/page ▲ | Cartridge / bottle | Brand | Price | Page yield | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.33¢CHEAPEST | MegaTank GI-61 Black bottleTANK | Canon | $19.66 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 0.38¢ | EcoTank T774 Black bottleTANK | Epson | $23.03 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 0.42¢ | EcoTank T522 Black bottleTANK | Epson | $18.83 | 4,500 pages | Check price → |
| 0.42¢ | MegaTank GI-60 Black bottleTANK | Canon | $25.16 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 0.44¢ | Smart Tank 32XL Black bottleTANK | HP | $26.51 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 0.47¢ | MegaTank GI-55 Black bottleTANK | Canon | $14.15 | 3,000 pages | Check price → |
| 0.48¢ | EcoTank T502 Black bottleTANK | Epson | $36.27 | 7,500 pages | Check price → |
| 0.51¢ | EcoTank T542 Black bottleTANK | Epson | $30.59 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 0.51¢ | EcoTank T552 Black bottleTANK | Epson | $34.25 | 6,700 pages | Check price → |
| 0.56¢ | MegaTank GI-66 Black bottleTANK | Canon | $33.81 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 1.6¢ | LC436XLBK | Brother | $94.04 | 6,000 pages | Check price → |
| 2.0¢ | TN-3185 TonerTONER | Brother | $140.36 | 7,000 pages | Check price → |
| 2.5¢ | LC432XLBK | Brother | $75.80 | 3,000 pages | Check price → |
| 2.6¢ | LC3319XLBK | Brother | $79.23 | 3,000 pages | Check price → |
| 3.2¢ | 812XXL Black | Epson | $70.52 | 2,200 pages | Check price → |
| 3.7¢ | 802XL Black | Epson | $95.52 | 2,600 pages | Check price → |
| 4.1¢ | 965XL Black | HP | $82.37 | 2,000 pages | Check price → |
| 4.6¢ | 812XL Black | Epson | $50.88 | 1,100 pages | Check price → |
| 4.8¢ | 252XL Black | Epson | $52.67 | 1,100 pages | Check price → |
| 5.1¢ | TN-2530XL TonerTONER | Brother | $152.89 | 3,000 pages | Check price → |
| 5.1¢ | TN-2150 TonerTONER | Brother | $133.69 | 2,600 pages | Check price → |
| 5.2¢ | TN-2450 TonerTONER | Brother | $156.63 | 3,000 pages | Check price → |
| 5.3¢ | PGI-680XXLBK | Canon | $31.87 | 600 pages | Check price → |
| 5.7¢ | 937 Black | HP | $70.77 | 1,250 pages | Check price → |
| 6.0¢ | TN-2350 TonerTONER | Brother | $156.06 | 2,600 pages | Check price → |
| 6.2¢ | 277XL Black | Epson | $31.24 | 500 pages | Check price → |
| 7.1¢ | PGI-680XLBK | Canon | $28.28 | 400 pages | Check price → |
| 7.3¢ | 220XL Black | Epson | $40.17 | 550 pages | Check price → |
| 7.5¢ | TN-2430 TonerTONER | Brother | $89.47 | 1,200 pages | Check price → |
| 7.5¢ | 312XL Black | Epson | $37.49 | 500 pages | Check price → |
| 7.7¢ | 200XL Black | Epson | $38.38 | 500 pages | Check price → |
| 8.1¢ | PG-640XXL | Canon | $48.76 | 600 pages | Check price → |
| 8.4¢ | 604XL Black | Epson | $41.95 | 500 pages | Check price → |
| 8.4¢ | TN-2530 TonerTONER | Brother | $100.90 | 1,200 pages | Check price → |
| 8.5¢ | 915XL Black | HP | $70.39 | 825 pages | Check price → |
| 8.9¢ | PGI-680BK | Canon | $17.71 | 200 pages | Check price → |
| 8.9¢ | 905XL Black | HP | $73.44 | 825 pages | Check price → |
| 9.0¢ | LC432BK | Brother | $49.66 | 550 pages | Check price → |
| 9.0¢ | LC133BK | Brother | $54.27 | 600 pages | Check price → |
| 9.4¢ | LC3317BK | Brother | $51.90 | 550 pages | Check price → |
| 9.4¢ | LC73BK | Brother | $56.69 | 600 pages | Check price → |
| 9.8¢ | PGI-35 | Canon | $18.69 | 190 pages | Check price → |
| 10.8¢ | PG-645XL | Canon | $43.31 | 400 pages | Check price → |
| 12.0¢ | 804XL Black | HP | $72.09 | 600 pages | Check price → |
| 13.5¢ | PG-645 | Canon | $24.38 | 180 pages | Check price → |
| 14.3¢ | 804 Black | HP | $28.53 | 200 pages | Check price → |
| 21.4¢ | 61XL Black | HP | $102.77 | 480 pages | Check price → |
| 21.7¢ | 67XL Black | HP | $52.01 | 240 pages | Check price → |
| 24.2¢ | 65XL Black | HP | $72.46 | 300 pages | Check price → |
| 24.3¢ | 60 Black | HP | $48.56 | 200 pages | Check price → |
Ink this expensive is sometimes the printer's fault. See what the machines themselves go for used, since a cheaper-to-run model often costs less than a year of cartridges for the one you have.
Common questions
How is cost per page calculated?
Cartridge price ÷ its ISO page yield, shown in cents per page. A cheap cartridge that prints very few pages usually costs more per page than a dearer high-yield one.
What's the cheapest way to print at home?
An ink-tank printer (EcoTank, MegaTank, Smart Tank). You refill from bottles at roughly 0.33-0.56¢/page versus 1.6-24.3¢ for cartridges. It costs more up front but pays for itself fast if you print much.
Are XL cartridges cheaper?
Almost always. XL cartridges cost more up front but hold far more ink, so the cost per page is usually much lower than the standard size of the same cartridge.
Do compatible (third-party) cartridges work?
Often yes and they're cheaper, but quality varies and some printers block non-genuine ink via firmware. For important prints, genuine or ink-tank refills are the safer bet.