Ink Tank Refills vs Cartridges: Average Cost Per Page
Live comparison of 32 tracked refillable ink tank bottles against 823 traditional cartridges and toner.
As of September 2026, refillable ink tank bottles cost a median of $0.0022/page per page across 32 tracked in-stock products, versus a median of $0.044/page per page across 823 traditional cartridges and toner. Tank refills run roughly 20x cheaper per page. This excludes the higher upfront cost of tank printer hardware.
Ink Tank Refills
Traditional Cartridges & Toner
Tracked Ink Tank Refill Products
Methodology: refillable ink tank products are identified by name (EcoTank-compatible, "refill," or "bottle" bottles), deduplicated by product. This excludes cartridges marketed with "tank" in the name (like Brother's INKvestment Tank line) that are ordinary swap-in cartridges, not refillable bottles. Including them would overstate how many genuine tank-refill products BuyPerUnit tracks.
Is a Tank Printer Worth It?
Refillable ink tank systems (Epson EcoTank and similar) cost far less per page, roughly 20x less in BuyPerUnit's tracked pricing, because each bottle covers thousands of pages instead of a few hundred.
The tradeoff is upfront cost: tank printers typically list higher than a comparable cartridge printer. If you print heavily and keep the printer for years, the per-page savings usually outweigh that gap. Occasional printers may never reach the volume where the math pays off.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost of ink tank refills per page?
As of September 2026, BuyPerUnit tracks 32 in-stock refillable ink tank bottle products with a median cost of $0.0022/page per page (average $0.011/page). That compares to a median of $0.044/page per page across 823 traditional cartridges and toner.
Are ink tank printers cheaper to run than cartridge printers?
Based on tracked listing prices, refillable tank ink runs roughly 20x cheaper per page than traditional cartridges ($0.0022/page vs $0.044/page median). This does not include the tank printer's higher upfront hardware cost, which cartridge-based printers usually undercut.
Which ink tank refill products does BuyPerUnit track?
Currently 32 in-stock refillable ink tank bottle products, primarily Epson EcoTank-compatible refill bottles and Brother genuine ink-tank bottles. This is a smaller catalog than BuyPerUnit's 823-product cartridge and toner tracking, so treat the tank figures as directional rather than exhaustive.
Does the ink tank vs cartridge comparison include the printer itself?
No. This page compares only the price per page of the ink itself, from tracked retailer listings. Ink tank printers typically cost more upfront than comparable cartridge printers; the ink savings shown here accrue over the life of the printer, not at purchase.