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The best printers with refillable ink tanks aren’t just “cheaper ink.” They’re the printers you stop tip-toeing around. You print the photos. You print the labels. You print the 40-page packet, without doing mental math first.
Verdict-first (my 5 best picks):
- Best overall for most people: HP Smart Tank 7301 (balanced speed/features + easy home use).
- Best for home office volume: Canon MAXIFY GX7020 MegaTank (big paper capacity + business mindset).
- Best for photos + creative work: Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 (borderless 13×19 + standout photo quality).
- Best value all-in-one MegaTank: Canon PIXMA G7020 (high page yield + duplex + big capacity for the money).
- Best budget refillable tank: Canon MegaTank G3270 (cheap entry point that still gives you the ink-tank savings).
Why this matters: refillable tanks can dramatically reduce your cost per page and the “I’m out of ink again” cycle—but only if you buy the right tank printer for your workload.
Comparison Table: Best Printers With Refillable Ink Tanks
Feature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  | |
Best for | Families + mixed printing | High-volume home office / small business | Photos, art prints, creative projects | High-yield home office printing | Tight budgets + basics |
Ink system | Refillable ink bottles | Refillable MegaTank | Refillable EcoTank (photo-focused) | Refillable MegaTank | Refillable MegaTank |
Prints a lot without refills | Yes (high-yield design) | Yes (built for volume) | Yes (low cost-per-print focus) | Yes (6,000 black / 7,700 color per set claim) | Yes (budget tank concept) |
Paper capacity vibe | Family-friendly | “I print stacks” (up to 600 sheets cited) | Creative-first, not an office tank | Big (350-sheet capacity) | Basic |
Duplex printing | Depends on config | Typically yes for this class | Yes (common ET-8550 use-case) | Yes (Canon lists duplex capability) | Varies by model/version |
Price |  | | | | |
How I picked these 5 (and how to pick the right one fast)
Competitor roundups tend to list 10–15 models without telling you the real separator. Here’s the filter RegalPrinter readers actually need:
1) Your monthly print volume
- Occasional printing: budget MegaTank/EcoTank is enough.
- Weekly stacks: get a business-style tank (GX line) or you’ll regret paper handling.
2) Your “most painful” job
- Photos/creative: prioritize color output + borderless sizes (ET-8550 is built for this).
- Work docs: prioritize capacity, ADF, speed, and uptime (GX7020 is designed around this mindset).
3) Total cost of ownership (not sticker price)
Ink-tank printers are popular because running costs are the point, TechRadar’s current guide leans heavily on long-term savings and low running costs as the main reason to buy ink tanks.
The 5 Best Refillable Ink Tank Printers (Quick Reviews)
1) HP Smart Tank 7301: Best Overall for Most Homes
If you want a refillable ink printer that feels “easy” in daily life, the Smart Tank 7301 is the type of pick that quietly reduces frustration: solid yields, simple refills, and a family-friendly all-in-one setup. HP explicitly markets high page yields from bottle refills (up to 8,000 color / 6,000 black pages in its messaging).
Buy it if: you print a mix of school stuff, color docs, and occasional photos—and you just want it to work.
Skip it if: you’re doing heavy office stacks or selling photo prints.
2) Canon MAXIFY GX7020 MegaTank: Best for High-Volume Home Office
This is the “I’m tired of baby printers” choice. Canon positions the GX7020 as a high-capacity MegaTank all-in-one, and Canon’s own overview highlights very large paper capacity (up to 600 sheets across cassettes + rear tray).
It’s also singled out as a business-use tank pick in TechRadar’s most recent ink tank guide.
Buy it if: you print invoices, forms, labels, and long documents consistently.
Skip it if: your primary goal is gallery-grade photo printing.
3) Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550: Best for Photos + Creative Printing
If your tank printer needs to do “wow” prints, this is the one most competitors benchmark against right now. Epson explicitly highlights borderless photos up to 13″ × 19″ and pushes it as a photo/creative model.
RTINGS also calls out its exceptionally low cost-per-print and strong print quality.
TechRadar’s newest guide even tags the ET-8550 as “best overall” in its ink tank lineup.
Buy it if: you print photos, art prints, invitations, scrapbooks, or anything you’d normally outsource.
Skip it if: your daily life is scanning/printing stacks and you want a business paper-handling beast.
4) Canon PIXMA G7020 MegaTank: Best Value for High-Yield All-in-One
This is the MegaTank pick for people who want big yield and big capacity without paying business-printer pricing. Canon highlights 350-sheet paper capacity, and an official listing calls out auto 2-sided printing plus high page yields (6,000 black / 7,700 color per set).
Buy it if: you want a strong home office AIO that stays cheap to run.
Skip it if: you want the best photo output or the fastest small-business workflow.
5) Canon MegaTank G3270: Best Budget Ink Tank
When you just want to get into the ink-tank world cheaply, Canon’s budget MegaTank options show up repeatedly in mainstream “best” lists—especially as a low-cost way to get low running costs. Tom’s Guide recently highlighted a Canon MegaTank Pixma model as a budget-friendly pick with low ink costs and good home print quality.
Buy it if: you print occasionally and want the savings without the upfront hit.
Skip it if: you need faster printing, better workflow, or premium photo output.
FAQs: Best Printers With Refillable Ink Tanks
Are refillable ink tank printers really cheaper than cartridges?
Usually, yes—because the entire category is built around high page yields and lower running costs. That’s the main reason they’re recommended so heavily in current buying guides.
Which refillable ink tank printer is best for photo printing?
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is one of the clearest “photo-first” tank picks, with borderless 13×19 and consistently strong third-party impressions.
What’s the best refillable ink tank printer for a home office?
If you print a lot and want business-style paper handling, the Canon MAXIFY GX7020 stands out for capacity and workload design.
Do ink tank printers dry out if you don’t print often?
They can. If you’re an “I print once a month” person, do a small color test page weekly or at least every couple weeks. (This is less about brand and more about inkjet reality.)
Is the cheapest ink tank printer a good idea?
Only if your printing is light. Budget tanks are great for occasional use, but if you start printing weekly stacks, you’ll quickly want better speed, capacity, and workflow.
Feature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |
Best for | Families + mixed printing | High-volume home office / small business | Photos, art prints, creative projects | High-yield home office printing | Tight budgets + basics |
Ink system | Refillable ink bottles | Refillable MegaTank | Refillable EcoTank (photo-focused) | Refillable MegaTank | Refillable MegaTank |
Prints a lot without refills | Yes (high-yield design) | Yes (built for volume) | Yes (low cost-per-print focus) | Yes (6,000 black / 7,700 color per set claim) | Yes (budget tank concept) |
Paper capacity vibe | Family-friendly | “I print stacks” (up to 600 sheets cited) | Creative-first, not an office tank | Big (350-sheet capacity) | Basic |
Duplex printing | Depends on config | Typically yes for this class | Yes (common ET-8550 use-case) | Yes (Canon lists duplex capability) | Varies by model/version |
Price | | | | | |
The Bottom Line
If you want one safe pick: HP Smart Tank 7301 for most households, Canon MAXIFY GX7020 for heavy office volume, and Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 if you care about photos and creative output.
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About RegalPrinter
RegalPrinter offers the best reviews for inkjet printers, laser printers, 3D printers, and other similar office machines that you use in your everyday life. We provide expert information that will ensure you are making the right decision whenever buying any of these machines. Our Best Printers With Refillable Ink Tanks review will ensure you know which is right for you.