i have 2 epson printers they came as freebies from the freecycle website locally
the first needed new cartridges so i got refillable ones off ebay together with ink i had change from £10.
the second printer also an epson appeared on the same freecycle site. i was interested because it took the same size cartridges as printer number 1. so its a back up if printer 1 conks out.
i used to refill my hp cartridges previously but they have a sponge in them that can make the process iffy at times. the epsons also hold more ink
Another tip is if you start refilling your own cartridges always refill well in advance of them being empty. problems start with empty cartridges.
I use paper mainly for printing labels and of course only need to print on one side. when im out and about many organisations libraries etc have pages of free paper on notice boards for customers to take away A4 (usa letter size) or A5 (half size of A4 etc) and these are only printed on one side.
As a cheapskate i print on the blank side of this free paper.
i will cut (fold and tear) an A4 in half to A5 then in half again to A6 giving me 4 labels per sheet.
i hope this is of use
The Following User Says Thank You to arktech For This Useful Post:
i have always used epson printers and always with a ciss system it is a little more layout at the start but then ink can be bought by the bottle and the cartridges are reset by pressing a button, no more messing with ink and removing/replacing, just press button, job done, simple
I never thought it would last after all this use but 2 years of heavy use and still going strong, and you can purchase the ink for $5 that's every cartridge it needs 4 on Amazon as compared to $40+ at office max
cheapskate printing and paper for labels tips 
