HP Smart Tank 7303 Ink Cost Per Page: Cheaper to Run Than a $400 Laser
The HP Smart Tank 7303 is an ink tank printer that prints, copies and scans, with auto-duplex and Wi-Fi built in, for $450. Running costs sit at $0.40 per 100 pages in black and $1.22 per 100 pages in color. The black rate traces to a $24 HP-32XL-BK bottle rated for 6,000 pages.
The HP LaserJet Pro 4006dw, a mono laser sold for $400, runs at $2.23 per 100 pages in black — far above the Smart Tank 7303's $0.40 — despite costing less up front. It drops copy and scan, keeping only print, but adds a touchscreen and prints at 47 ppm against the Smart Tank's 15 ppm.
The Smart Tank 7303 ties for 14th on black cost per page and 13th on color cost per page among the 30 ink tank printers InkTax tracks, a rate two of its siblings match: the HP Smart Tank 5103 and the HP Smart Tank 7603, plus two more. The 5103 sells for $270 but drops auto-duplex and runs at 12 ppm. The 7603, priced at $470, adds fax and a touchscreen.
Canon's PIXMA G3270 is the least expensive ink tank printer to run, at $0.38 in black and $0.97 in color per 100 pages, and it sells for $249. It skips auto-duplex and Ethernet, both of which the Smart Tank 7303 includes, though both machines share Wi-Fi.