Best Economical Dye Ink Tank Printers for Flyers, Documents, and Photos

Question:
I’ve been using BCH’s refill kits and inks for my Canon MG3620 for years, and now I’m looking for an economical dye ink tank printer. I’ll be using it mainly for flyers, text documents, and some photo printing as part of my volunteer work, which I fund myself. I prefer Canon, though I’ve also used Epson and Brother before—but I won’t repurchase HP. What printer would you suggest?

Answer:

Canon vs. Epson vs. Brother

Canon and HP printers both rely on thermal bubble jet technology, where ink is heated until it boils, creating a bubble that forces ink droplets out of the nozzle. This method works but puts stress on the printhead over time, leading to faster wear.

On the other hand, Epson and Brother use piezoelectric technology, where a chip on film piezo element flexes to eject ink. This design is much gentler, meaning the printheads typically last significantly longer than Canon or HP models. Because of this, Epson’s EcoTank line currently leads the market in terms of durability and cost efficiency for ink tank printers.

Epson EcoTank Recommendations

If you’re looking for a printer that balances affordability with reliability, a refurbished Epson EcoTank is an excellent option. We regularly refurbish EcoTanks, and you can often find a solid unit in the $100 range—such as listings on eBay for refurbished Epson EcoTanks (https://www.ebay.com/itm/267208031345). For volunteer work that requires a large number of flyers and documents, along with some color prints, this is likely the most practical choice.

If You Prefer to Stick with Canon

If you’re determined to stay with Canon, it’s possible to retrofit your existing printer into a tank system. Essentially, you can add an external tank, such as this Premium 75 ml Self-Priming Ink Tank (https://bchtechnologies.com/products/premium-75-ml-self-priming-ink-tank-black?_pos=15&_sid=505261cf4&_ss=r). From there, you’ll need to route the tubing to the cartridge/printhead carefully. The key is to ensure the connection is airtight and the printhead is properly primed with ink. Once done correctly, the performance is comparable to a factory-made tank printer.

This solution requires more hands-on setup but can give your Canon printer a “second life” as an economical tank system.

Addressing printer issues and printer setup modifications can be complicated due to the hands-on nature of the work. For that reason, we cannot provide remote troubleshooting or repair support. However, BCH Technologies does offer an in-person evaluation and repair service (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service) at our local diagnostic facility. Because of high demand, service is provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and there may be a wait of a few weeks before we can take in your printer. We repair both entire machines and specific parts, with clear guidance on the next steps. That said, we recognize our rates may not be the most economical, so we encourage customers also to explore self-help options via online resources. A great place to begin is our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies), where you can use the search feature on the homepage to find videos on specific topics. With nine years of content, searching is often the quickest way to find a relevant video—even beyond our channel, YouTube may suggest helpful videos from other creators.

Thank you again for your trust and for being such a valued BCH customer. We’re honored to support your printing needs, especially with the volunteer work you do, and we look forward to helping however we can.