The Total Cost of Ownership for a printer factors in the purchase cost and maintenance of the printer in the course of its expected usable life. For printers the TCO should consider the price of ink cartridges for printers and if the printer accepts refill cartridges or not. Print quality is also an important factor and the user will have to decide if he or she can settle for, say, refilled HP printer ink cartridges or if they prefer pigment-based Canon printer ink. Cartridge life (the pages a printer can output before changing cartridges), and in the case of lasers, drum replacement are also factors that should be taken into account. Electricity consumption is also a factor that should be considered. In working out the TCO, it will sometimes become evident that a higher-priced printer will actually come out cheaper in the long run.

For the home user, today's printing needs may have become less important. The explosion of Web 2.0, with its social media applications, has tied the computer user to the screen more than ever. Add to that the fact that mobile phones and tablets are viable devices in accessing the web and you can see why there doesn't seem to be a need for a printer in the home like before. This premise though goes out the window in the case of printers that are used by an entire family. For this type of home environment, a multifunction device (printer, scanner & copier in one machine) would be an excellent consideration. On the other hand, network printers are shared high-capacity and high-output devices that serve several users in an office. One can also consider multifunction printers that offer colour inkjet or laser printing with colour copying and colour scanning functions. Multifunction printers are ideal devices for small workgroups or SOHO setups by providing a multitude of functions in a small footprint.

If the purpose of the printer is for occasional use only, then the needs of that particular user would be best served by an entry level model from any of the well-known printer manufacturers. However, what type of printer to buy, whether laser or inkjet, would depend on what the printer would be most-used for. If the majority of your printing will be black and white text, it would make sense to buy a black and white laser printer as the toner cartridge will print thousands of pages. A colour laser can also output photos but the general consensus is that inkjets provide noticeably better quality. Social media types would most probably prefer a colour printer, and inkjets offer very good quality and compatibility with various media types, from plain paper, photo paper, even handmade paper, to transfer paper for ironing on T-shirts. For users such as these, total cost of ownership would not be a big factor in their purchase. Convenience and ease of use would be the overriding factors in choosing one printer over the other. Amazingly, there are also colour laser printers now that sell for $80. Lasers provide sharper text and are faster than inkjet printers. In the long run, cost per page is lower with laser printers because they print more pages, compared to an ink cartridge. Initial outlay for toner cartridges are quite a bit higher though, which is what puts people off. Inkjets are the better choice though for photo printing and cheaper to operate for low volume use.

All current ink cartridges for printers that are being used in the home and non-specialized businesses contain inks that use a similar formulation. The basic components of printer inks nowadays are de-ionized water as the solvent, isopropyl alcohol or glycol as the drying agent, and dye base or pigments which provide the colour. These materials are mixed with the manufacturer's individual proprietary ingredients to produce the proportions that make up printer inks. Depending on the printer's speed, print head design and other capabilities, the actual proportions will vary. All dye-based ink jet ink formulations lack water resistance. For example, the HP printer ink used in the Vivera is dye-based while some Canon printer ink cartridges that use pigments in their formulation.