$30 Chinese printers: revolution or bad buy?

Xiaomi and Pantum do make ink-tank printers. The price still needs to be proven.

The Chinese product page for Xiaomi’s Mijia inkjet printer describes a device that uses bottled ink. Meanwhile, Pantum presents the MT300W on its Russian website as a colour multifunction printer with tanks and IT300 consumables. These are identifiable products, not merely a promise made in a video.

What those pages do not allow us to substantiate is a new $30 offer for that specific machine, including transport to Spain and verified purchase terms. The existence of the product, that price and the ability to buy it here are three separate checks.

So where does the $30 price appear?

Our search found listings for A4 thermal printers on Alibaba at around $24–30. These are advertised amounts: they may depend on the variant, order quantity and supplier terms. They are not the same as a final quote delivered to your home.

This does not prove that the video shows a thermal printer: we have not identified its supposed $30 model. It does show why searching by price alone can lead you to compare machines that do not perform the same job.

Nor were ink tanks invented yesterday. Epson dates its first launch of this type to October 2010 in Indonesia. Chinese competition may broaden the options; there is no need to invent a newly discovered technology to make it interesting.

“Cartridge-free” does not mean “consumable-free”

Imagine two jobs: a school assignment with colour graphics and a document you need to print while travelling. Both fit on A4 paper. That does not make every A4 printer the right tool for both.

Zebra explains the technical distinction: direct thermal printing uses neither ink nor ribbon; thermal transfer does use a ribbon. Heat and light can also affect a direct thermal image. For documents that need to be preserved, check the media specifications and archiving requirements.

A thermal printer may be exactly what a business needs for certain jobs. It is not a bad technology simply because it cannot replace a photo printer. If you need labels or receipts, start with our guide to thermal printers for businesses.

Do not buy the promise of using no cartridges. Check what you will have to buy afterwards.

Before importing, see what an ink-tank printer already costs in Spain

You do not need to take a chance on an unknown model to find refillable tanks. This is a snapshot of prices advertised by official Spanish stores, checked on 8 September 2026. It is neither a quality ranking nor a comparison of identical devices.

All three product pages allowed us to begin a purchase when checked; we did not complete any orders. We did not deduct conditional rebates or include a delivery quote for your address. Prices and availability may change.

The difference between the first two examples is €19.01. If you need to scan documents, that detail may matter more than the brand. An app that scans with your phone’s camera is not the same as a scanner built into the printer.

To broaden the comparison by product family, continue with EcoTank vs MegaTank vs Smart Tank. For this particular decision, use the current official product pages linked above as your reference: prices and features vary between models.

The next 1,000 pages test

The price on the box attracts attention. Refill prices shape part of the long-term relationship. A useful calculation starts like this:

Indicative ink cost per page = refill price ÷ stated yield.

For example, the original Epson 104 black ink bottle, reference C13T00P140, was listed at €10.77 including VAT, on promotion, with a stated yield of 4,500 pages. That works out at approximately €0.00239 per page, or €2.39 of black ink per 1,000 pages.

That does not mean printing 1,000 pages costs €2.39 in total. It excludes the machine, paper, shipping, electricity, maintenance and any additional ink used. This is a proportional cost; to buy the bottle, you must pay its full price. The advertised promotion ends on 30 September 2026 and is not a guaranteed price for the years ahead.

Laboratory yields are not a promise for every document either. Canon explains how ink yields are measured and why content, settings and usage affect the result. Do not confuse the yield of the included ink with the yield of a replacement, or extrapolate a text-page figure to photographs.

To include the remaining expenses, see how to calculate the true cost of printing. What matters is comparing like with like, not choosing the smallest decimal.

The cheapest printer may be the one you already own

Buying your first printer and replacing one that works are different decisions. In the second case, the money you paid for the old machine has already been spent. The useful question is how much you will pay from now on with each option.

Let us consider an example, not a savings promise. We assume black printing over 36 months, a working current printer and a hypothetical consumable cost of €0.03 per page. We compare it with the €149.99 ET-1810, the stated 3,600 black-page yield of the included ink and 4,500-page refills at €10.77. We buy whole bottles whenever they are needed.

At 50 pages per month, the initial cost carries too much weight in this example. At 200, the tank starts to look attractive. But change just one figure: if your current consumable costs €0.01 per page, printing 18,000 pages costs €180, less than the €193.07 for the new device and its black refills.

Limits of the example: it assumes no usable ink remains in the old machine; it applies stated yields and keeps prices constant solely to illustrate the calculation. It excludes paper, shipping, electricity, breakdowns, cleaning and colour replacement, even if colour ink is consumed while maintaining the device. The cost of the current printer is proportional, not a simulation of full-cartridge purchases. It does not predict your actual spending.

That is why there is no magic page count that always makes one technology the winner. Replace our assumptions with your own reference, price and volume. You can use Startoner’s savings calculator to compare consumables and the guide ink tank or cartridges: how to approach the purchase.

And cartridge blocking? That is another important question.

Frustration with consumables is not only about price. HP describes dynamic security restrictions in certain devices involving chips or electronic circuitry. This is not a rule that supports claiming that every HP printer rejects all third-party ink.

Dynamic security, HP+ and Instant Ink should not be conflated either: they are different mechanisms or services. If a monthly fee is your concern, read our guide to HP Instant Ink in Spain alongside the current terms of your plan.

Before buying a compatible product, identify the printer, consumable and any applicable restriction. We do not recommend indiscriminately disabling updates or installing unknown firmware. A saving that depends on an unverified workaround is not yet a saving.

Buying from China: six things the headline does not pay for

Do not dismiss a product because of its brand’s country of origin. Examine the offer using the same standards you would apply to any seller:

1. Exact model and variant. Is it A4? Does it print in colour? Does it include a scanner? Is the price for the complete machine or an accessory?
2. Delivered price. Add shipping, taxes and any handling fees. Confirm what is included before paying.
3. Shipping origin. A Spanish domain or a price in euros does not prove that the product ships from an EU warehouse.
4. Setup. Check the power supply and plug, drivers for your system, language and the app’s regional requirements.
5. The second purchase. Find the exact bottles, paper or parts. If you cannot work out how to replace them, the offer is incomplete.
6. Who is responsible. Identify the seller, return address, who pays for transport and the support terms.

Beware of outdated guides: according to the Spanish Tax Agency, since 1 July 2026 online purchases worth up to €150 and shipped from outside the EU are subject to a €3 customs duty per category of goods, in addition to the applicable VAT. It is not simply “€3 per parcel”, nor does an advertised price below €150 suffice to claim that no customs duty applies.

In Spain, new goods sold to consumers have a three-year legal guarantee; do not confuse this with a commercial warranty or a business purchase. The EU warns that enforcing your rights against a non-EU seller may be more difficult. Importing does not automatically leave you without rights, but after-sales service deserves proper scrutiny.

What we would do in your position, based on what you need to print

• You already have a working printer: calculate the cost of its next refill first. Explore compatible ink cartridges or compatible toner depending on the technology, always using the exact model.
• You need to buy and will print in colour regularly: compare a tank printer with accessible support and consumables. Use your volume to assess the outlay; the brand’s origin is no substitute for the numbers.
• You are looking for your first printer on a limited budget: first decide whether you need colour, a scanner and how often you will use it. Our guide to budget-friendly home printers expands on the options.
• You only need specific thermal printing jobs: check the format and media. Do not pay for features you will not use, but do not expect a colour printer where there is none.

The twist in this story is not that one brand will disappear because of a $30 printer. It is that you can stop buying printing based solely on the printer’s price.

The question is not “How much does this printer cost?” It is “How much will it cost me to print what I actually need?”

Frequently asked questions about cheap Chinese printers