Right now I have a very nice laser printer, but it only prints in B&W. I've been considering getting an additional printer to print color battlemaps. A lot of the reviews of inkjet printers I've read complain about the cost of ink replacements: that the included cartridges run out fast and that replacing the ink costs about as much as the printer costs in the first place.
So should I get a mid-priced printer and buy replacement ink, or should I just get a cheap one and buy a whole new printer when the ink runs out?
I have a decent HP printer that cost a couple hundred bucks. They come with a starter pack of ink, which is much smaller than what is sold as replacements.
I've found that the Cartridges Plus franchise in my town is the best place to get refills. You trade in your empty cartridge and they give you a full one..black for 15 bucks and color for 20.
I don't think you'll find a printer of acceptable quality that would be cheaper than its own replacement ink; and keep in mind the "starter" ink packs that come with most printers as well.
You could also just have your maps printed someplace like Kinkos when you need them and save yourself the money on the printer.
If you're going to print a lot of color maps you're best off getting a color toner printer. The initial cost is a steep but the amount of printing is almost 5 to 6 times greater than an laserjet. The quality is also somewhat better than an laserjet. The bad news is The printer is around $250 to $500 for the printer and around $70 per toner cartrige, you need 4 (black, blue, yellow and red). The good news is toner cartriges never dry out, ever. Each cartrige is good for up to 1,400 to 5,000 pages depending on which printer and the amount of color per page.
I've heard good things about the Kodak printers too. I have had great luck with Canon inkjets, both in quality and affordable ink. If you have the money, the Epson R1900 is highly recommended.
Walmart, Walgreens and I am sure half a dozen other stores will print posters. If you plan to use the map several times, it would be worth it not to have to tape a bunch of 8.5 x 11 pages together.
As mentioned earlier, Kinkos probably prints even larger pages than standard poster size.