The cheapest Black Friday printer deals can cost the most to own. We took the printers on sale for Black Friday 2026 and worked out what each one costs in brand-name ink or toner over three years. A $44 inkjet can use about $780 in ink, and a $149 ink tank printer can use about $20.
Quick answer
- Skip the cheapest cartridge inkjets unless you print very little. The $44 HP DeskJet 2952 and 2923 use about $780 in brand-name HP 68 ink over three years at 100 pages a month.
- For black-and-white printing, the $99 Brother MFC-L2760DW laser all-in-one costs about $217 over three years, toner included.
- For color printing, ink tank printers win. The $149 HP Smart Tank 5002 costs about $169 over three years, ink included.
- Check the model number before you buy. HP models ending in “e” use HP+, and HP LaserJets ending in “e” or “we” take only original HP toner.
- $780brand-name ink for a $44 HP DeskJet over 3 years
- 17.7×the printer’s price, spent again on ink
- $20brand-name ink for a $149 HP Smart Tank over 3 years
- $655more to own the $44 DeskJet than the $149 Smart Tank
Black Friday printer deals and what they cost over 3 years
These are the printer deals live at Walmart on November 12, 2026, the first day of its early Black Friday sale, plus one Canon store deal. We’ll add Best Buy, Target, Staples and Amazon deals as their Black Friday ads go live. Amazon’s sale starts November 19.
The 3-year total is the deal price plus brand-name ink or toner for 3,600 pages. It’s sorted from cheapest to most expensive to own.
| Printer | Type | Deal price | 3-year brand ink | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP Smart Tank 5002 | Ink tank | $149.00 (was $189.00) | $20 | $169 |
| Canon PIXMA G3270 (Canon store) | Ink tank | $159.99 (was $248.99) | $18 | $178 |
| HP Smart Tank 5102 | Ink tank | $169.00 (was $189.00) | $20 | $189 |
| Brother MFC-L2760DW | Mono laser | $99.00 (was $199.99) | $118 | $217 |
| HP Smart Tank 6002 | Ink tank | $229.00 (was $259.00) | $20 | $249 |
| Brother HL-L2465DW | Mono laser | $149.00 (was $170.00) | $118 | $267 |
| Epson EcoTank ET-4800 | Ink tank | $249.21 (was $268.25) | $18 | $267 |
| HP LaserJet MFP M235sdw | Mono laser | $179.00 (was $239.00) | $157 | $336 |
| Brother MFC-J4355DW + LC506XL bundle | Cartridge inkjet | $244.00 (was $279.28) | $149 | $393 |
| Canon PIXMA TS7722 | Cartridge inkjet | $84.00 (was $107.00) | $468 | $552 |
| Canon PIXMA TS6520 | Cartridge inkjet | $79.99 (was $140.00) | $576 | $656 |
| HP DeskJet 2952 | Cartridge inkjet | $44.00 (was $59.00) | $780 | $824 |
| HP DeskJet 2923 | Cartridge inkjet | $44.99 (was $89.99) | $780 | $825 |
| HP Envy 6152 | Cartridge inkjet | $89.00 (was $119.00) | $780 | $869 |
Deal prices: Walmart.com, November 12, 2026 (Canon G3270: Canon store, November 9, 2026). Prices change often during Black Friday, so check the price before you buy. Ink prices and yields are listed in the method section.
The Black Friday printer deals worth buying
These picks are sold new, cost the least to run, and work with compatible toner or ink. The Swift Ink numbers use the brand’s yield and our current prices.
Best for black-and-white printing
Brother MFC-L2760DW laser all-in-one
- Deal price
- $99 (was $199.99)
- Black page
- 3.3¢ (Swift Ink: 1.1¢)
- 3-year cost
- $217 (with Swift Ink: $139)
It’s the cheapest laser printer on the list to own. It prints, copies, scans and faxes, and it uses the same TN830 and TN830XL toner as Brother’s other current small lasers. Toner doesn’t dry out, so it suits people who print in bursts. Our compatible toner for Brother TN830XL is $32.99 for 3,000 pages (swiftink.com, November 2026).
Best for color printing
HP Smart Tank 5002
- Deal price
- $149 (was $189)
- Black page
- 0.40¢
- 3-year cost
- $169 (brand-name ink)
It costs $105 more up front than the cheapest DeskJet, but it’s about $655 cheaper over three years. Walmart’s listing says it includes 3 years of ink, so many people won’t buy ink for a long time. It refills from HP 32XL black and HP 31 color bottles. When you set it up, skip HP+ and the Instant Ink offer if you want the choice of other ink later (why HP+ matters).
Also good: the Brother HL-L2465DW ($149, about $267 over three years) if you only need a printer, not a copier and scanner, and the Canon PIXMA G3270 MegaTank ($159.99 at Canon’s store, about $178 over three years) if you want an ink tank from a brand other than HP. The HP LaserJet MFP M235sdw ($179, about $336) takes HP 134A/X toner, and it isn’t an “e” model, so compatible toner works.
The Black Friday printer deals to skip
Cartridge inkjets under $100 are the doorbusters you’ll see most. They’re cheap because the ink isn’t.
- HP DeskJet 2952 ($44) and DeskJet 2923 ($44.99): about $780 in brand-name HP 68 ink over three years, roughly 17 times the printer’s price. HP doesn’t make a 68XL, so you can’t cut the cost with a bigger cartridge. The 68e EvoMore black holds 320 pages, but the tri-color cartridge is rated for only 120.
- HP Envy 6152 ($89): same HP 68 ink, so the same $780 in ink. That’s about $869 over three years.
- Canon PIXMA TS6520 ($79.99): about $576 in PG-295XL and CL-286XL ink over three years.
- Canon PIXMA TS7722 ($84): about $468 in PG-285XL and CL-286XL ink over three years.
When a cheap inkjet makes sense: if you print a few pages a month, ink cost matters less than the printer price. At 20 pages a month, the DeskJet’s ink cost drops to about $156 over three years. Ink can dry out in a printer that sits unused, so print a page every week or two.
Watch for HP “e” models on Black Friday
HP sells many printers in two versions: one with an “e” at the end of the model number and one without. Walmart’s $89 deal is the Envy 6152. The Envy 6152e is a separate listing at $119. Read the full model name before you buy.
- HP inkjets ending in “e” come set up for HP+. If you turn on HP+ during setup, the printer needs an HP account and an internet connection, and it accepts only original HP cartridges. Skip HP+ at setup to keep your options.
- HP LaserJets ending in “e” or “we” (like the M140we or M234dwe) take only original HP toner. We don’t recommend them.
- Non-“e” HP printers can still reject cartridges with non-HP chips. Remanufactured cartridges that reuse HP chips usually work. See our firmware-safe HP cartridges guide.
Instant Ink trials: many HP deals include free months of HP Instant Ink. Instant Ink cartridges stop working when you cancel. If you sign up for an OfficeJet Pro that uses HP 923 or 936 ink, compatible cartridges won’t work afterward. Our HP+ and OfficeJet Pro guide explains this.
How we did the math
We used the same method as our printer ink cost study of 43 printers.
- Pages: 100 a month for three years, or 3,600 pages. 80% are black-only and 20% are color.
- Color pages use black, cyan, magenta and yellow, so black is counted on every page. Mono lasers print every page in black.
- Yields are the maker’s ISO page yields. We used the high-yield cartridge where one exists.
- Prices are the maker’s own store. HP.com shows only Instant Ink pricing for HP 68, so we used Staples for those.
- Not included: the starter ink in the box, drums, paper and electricity. The starter ink makes the real cost a little lower, especially for ink tanks that include up to 2 or 3 years of ink.
Show the ink and toner prices we used
| Supply | Price | Yield (pages) | Cost per page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP 68e EvoMore black (7FP22TN) | $53.89 | 320 | 16.8¢ | Staples, Nov 12, 2026 |
| HP 68 tri-color (7FP20TN) | $28.99 | 120 | 24.2¢ | Staples, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Canon PG-295XL black | $51.99 | 400 | 13.0¢ | Canon store, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Canon PG-285XL black | $39.99 | 400 | 10.0¢ | Canon store, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Canon CL-286XL color | $59.99 | 400 | 15.0¢ | Canon store, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Canon GI-21 pigment black bottle | $22.99 | 6,000 | 0.38¢ | Canon store, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Canon GI-21 cyan, magenta or yellow bottle | $14.99 | 7,700 | 0.19¢ | Canon store, Nov 9, 2026 |
| HP 32XL black bottle | $23.99 | 6,000 | 0.40¢ | HP.com, Oct 14, 2026 |
| HP 31 cyan, magenta or yellow bottle | $21.99 | 8,000 | 0.27¢ | HP.com, Oct 14, 2026 |
| Epson 502 black bottle | $24.99 | 7,500 | 0.33¢ | Epson.com, Oct 14, 2026 |
| Epson 502 cyan, magenta or yellow bottle | $16.99 | 6,000 | 0.28¢ | Epson.com, Oct 14, 2026 |
| Brother LC506XL black | $69.29 | 2,500 | 2.8¢ | Brother USA, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Brother LC506XL color (each, from a $103.29 3-pack) | $34.43 | 1,500 | 2.3¢ | Brother USA, Nov 9, 2026 |
| Brother TN830XL toner | $98.29 | 3,000 | 3.3¢ | Brother USA, Oct 14, 2026 |
| HP 134X toner | $104.99 | 2,400 | 4.4¢ | HP.com, Oct 14, 2026 |
Want to run your own numbers? Try the printer cost per page calculator, or see laser vs inkjet running costs.
Frequently asked questions
Are Black Friday printer deals worth it?
Some are. Ink tank printers and small laser printers on sale are often the best value of the year. The cheapest cartridge inkjets usually aren’t, because their ink costs several times the printer’s price within a few years.
What’s the cheapest printer to own over three years?
In our list, the HP Smart Tank 5002 at $149 costs about $169 over three years with brand-name ink. For black-and-white only, the $99 Brother MFC-L2760DW costs about $217, and about $139 with compatible toner.
Is a laser printer or an ink tank better for a Black Friday deal?
If you print mostly text, a mono laser is cheap and reliable, and its toner doesn’t dry out. If you print color or photos, an ink tank costs the least per page. Both beat a cartridge inkjet if you print more than a few pages a week.
Can I use compatible cartridges in a Black Friday printer?
In most Brother and Canon printers, yes. Epson and HP printers can get firmware updates that block some cartridges, so consider turning off automatic updates. With HP, avoid “e”/”we” LaserJets and skip HP+ at setup.
When do Black Friday printer deals start in 2026?
Walmart’s early deals run November 12–15, and its main Black Friday deals start November 23. Amazon’s sale runs November 19–30. Black Friday is November 27.