Printing at Home Without the Guesswork

Most frustration with home printers comes from a handful of predictable decisions made at the wrong time: buying a machine without thinking about running costs, picking cartridges on price alone, or leaving an inkjet unused for weeks and then wondering why the output is streaky. A little planning up front saves money, paper and patience later.

Start with how you actually print

Think about what you print in a typical month rather than what you might print one day. A household that prints school worksheets, forms and the occasional boarding pass has very different needs from someone who prints photos or colour flyers. Text-heavy, high-volume printing usually favours laser machines. Colour work and photos tend to suit inkjets. Our comparison of inkjet and laser printers for the home walks through the trade-offs in more detail.

Look at cost per page, not just cartridge price

A cheap cartridge that prints few pages can cost more over a year than a pricier one with a higher rated yield. Manufacturers usually publish yields measured under standardised test conditions. These figures make cartridges easier to compare fairly, even if your own results vary with coverage and settings. Learn how to read those numbers in our guide to printer page yield.

Keep the machine in good habits

• Print a short test page every week or so if you use an inkjet, to keep ink moving through the nozzles.
• Store spare cartridges sealed, upright where recommended, and away from heat and direct sunlight.
• Use paper suited to the job. Plain paper for drafts and coated or photo paper for images makes a visible difference.
• Run the printer's built-in cleaning cycle only when needed, since each cycle uses ink.

If you're switching brands or trying third-party supplies, always confirm the exact model number first. Our step-by-step guide on checking cartridge compatibility explains where to find it and what to match.