I bought a replacement $400 Canon printer recently. Same model, price is at least double what it was several years ago. The reason to buy the more expensive model is because there are readily available cheap third-party cartridges. A lot of the new cheaper models don't have that.
What I've read people write online is to ditch inkjets altogether and go with laser printer or use megatank printers. Don't know how better they are though.
In reality printers are such small potatoes unless you are printing like hundreds of pages a year. I got mine from an online listing for free, and I spend maybe $30 on ink once a year. It mostly exists to print shipping labels. I'd just get a printer for as cheap as possible and not worry too much about what kind it is if you are going to only use it sparingly.
Printer head cleaning can burn through quite a bit of ink if the printer hasn’t been used in a while. And sometimes my parents go long stretches without using the printer.
The real question is, do you (or your family members) really need a home printer at all? I just go to a print shop when I need to print something out a few times a year.
We print a lot of Amazon return forms, church newsletter crap, and live in a rural area. Although frankly, I would do anything to not add another item to my errand list when I'm in town.
