How to choose a printer — laser or inkjet, home or office?

Choosing a printer usually starts with one mistake: people buy the cheapest box and only then see the cartridge price. The cost of one page matters more than the price of the device, because a printer works for 5 years, and over that time the ink or toner costs more than the device itself. The Dona catalogue has 59 printers and multifunction devices; home models start at 1.4 million UZS, while large A3 office machines go well above ten million.

Laser or inkjet — the main choice#

The rule is simple: if you only print documents, take a laser. If you need a child’s homework, photos or colour slides, take an ink tank model. Avoid old-style inkjet printers with cartridges: they sell cheap and then eat you alive with cartridges.

What one page costs#

Two numbers matter here: the price of the cartridge or ink set, and how many pages it lasts. In a laser printer a toner lasts 1500 to 3000 pages. In an ink tank model one refill lasts thousands of pages, so the cost per page is low. That is exactly why the Epson L and HP Ink Tank / Smart Tank families are so often chosen for homes and small offices.

Important: before buying a printer, check that its cartridges or ink can be found on the market. Hunting for cartridges for a rare model cancels out any savings.

Home or office: volume when choosing a printer#

• Home, 50-100 pages a month. A4 and 15-20 ppm are enough. Wi-Fi is good to have, so you can print straight from your phone.
• Small office, 50 pages a day. You need an MFP (print, copy, scan) and duplex, that is, double-sided printing.
• Office, over 200 pages a day. Network (Ethernet), ADF (automatic document feeder) and a speed above 30 ppm.

MFP means a printer, scanner and copier in one box. This is useful at home too: you do not need a separate device to scan documents. All models in the catalogue are in the printers and scanners section.

Real prices (Dona, September 2026)#

Prices are taken from the app catalogue as of 10 September 2026. A seller can change a price at any time; the current price and availability are shown on the product page in the app.

• Pantum P2503 — laser, A4, 22 ppm, USB — 1,425,600 UZS. The cheapest laser for documents only.
• HP Smart Tank 580 — ink tank MFP, A4, 16 ppm, Wi-Fi — 1,656,000 UZS. An all-rounder for home.
• HP Ink Tank 315 AiO — ink tank MFP, A4 — 1,728,000 UZS.
• HP LaserJet M111a — laser, A4, 20 ppm — 1,872,000 UZS.
• Canon PIXMA G3410 — ink tank MFP, 9.1 ppm, Wi-Fi — 1,958,400 UZS. For colour pictures.
• Epson L3210 — ink tank MFP, 15 ppm, 4 colours — 2,376,000 UZS. The most requested model.
• Epson L3256 — ink tank MFP, 33 ppm, Wi-Fi — 2,635,200 UZS.
• HP LaserJet M141w — laser, 20 ppm, Wi-Fi — 2,880,000 UZS. A laser with Wi-Fi.
• Pantum BM5100FDN — laser MFP, 40 ppm, duplex, network — 3,168,000 UZS. For a small office.

What to ask in the live stream#

A printer description says “22 ppm”, but not what the ink set costs. In a live stream the seller opens the lid, shows the cartridge or ink tank and tells you the refill price on the spot. Ask: “Is ink included in the box or sold separately?”, “Can I print straight from my phone?”, “Does it print double-sided by itself, or do I have to flip the page by hand?”. In a live stream the seller can also print a document and show the text quality to the camera. If you are not familiar with how a live stream works, read the article on how to buy from a live stream.