Reducing ink costs?

[jc55]

What is the general consensus within this board with regards to reducing cost of printing, i.e. methods such as:
- Refillable cartridges
- CIS systems
- 3rd party cartridges

Please specify any particular brands where appropriate.

I've read a lot around these areas, but I've also read a lot of conflicting arguments for and against certain methods and so I feel I am non the wiser.

Any thoughts?

[cs_steve]

Assuming we're talking about business use where there is a significant amount of printing being done each month --

The cheapest method of printing is : use a "retired" HP model monochrome laser printer with quality refilled cartridges... if you occasionally print in Color, have a separate color machine dedicated only for color printing ... for everything else, use the black & white laser ...

Use a "retired" model because newer printer models are super expensive for toners, maintenance kits, and other consumables ...
Use HP because it is the most widely-supported and the easiest to find parts & service ...