doh! typo in title. haha.

looking to made some prints, nothing bigger than 8x10 and likely more like 4x6s.

anyone have experience with a good inexpensive printer?
i actually dont own a printer at all anymore, and rarely have the need for one for anything.
but it would be nice to make some prints now and then.
stuff i dont want to have done at a store.

Take a look at the new Epson EcoTank units.  I bought a small one at Best Buy for $299 (Epson EcoTank ET-2760) to replace a small Canon which had a burned out head (3rd one and they quit making the head for it.).  So far I've been quite pleased with it for quantity of prints out of it given the ink supplied says it will make 7,500 prints from one fill of the bottles.  It doesn't use expensive chipped cartridges which can be difficult to find with old printers, just some bottle of ink you invert on the fill port and it automatically fills the tank to the correct volume.

Black ink is about $19/bottle and three color bottles was about $39 for the three inks.  It is possible to refill at a lower price, but Epson finally got their hideously high ink prices down to where a 3rd party ink isn't that much of a savings since the EcoTank is a bulk-fill system and you can see the ink levels in the front ink tank tubes. I think some people are using it with sublimation inks to transfer to other surfaces.

They also make a larger one which uses six colors, ET-8550 but it costs maybe $900 and does 13" wide by whatever length you want.  Had I known that prior, I might have sprung for the ET-8550 - although the ET-2760 is doing fine.  Printer may cost more initially, but lower ink prices are a blessing.

I have profiled their three "Ultra Premium" printing papers to the printer with an x-rite i1 PhotoPro 2: Glossy (Which is super-glossy!), Luster, and Matte all sold at local Office Depot.  The EcoTank Black ink seems even more black than their more expensive printers which surprised me (I have six printers.).  On Matte paper, it almost looks like a dark black velvet.  The OEM setup pushes out some very vibrant colors when I did the profiling test sheets.

Other things it can do is print from my cellphone (Epson app) via Wi-Fi as well as laptop, although I use an USB printer cable to avoid all the Wi-Fi switching.  It has a scanner in the lid too.  It will serve me as a document (Large PDF files.) and an envelope printer as well given the ink cost is reasonable.

My chief complaint is the Epson papers have a lot of UV brightners (They glow under black light,) which can make the print's blacks bluish.  That can be corrected in PS with effort, and maybe a paper switch too.  Color gamut/volume is quite good for their new CMY colors too even without the Light C&M ink tanks as in better printers.

I’ve used an Epson PictureMate at shoots to create ‘Polaroid’/mood board print on shoots for past several years.  Lie tell found them useful in developing layouts and to pace out props and backgrounds. The cost per print is on the high side but the ink and paper packs are sold all over.

The printers were discontinued long ago but you can pick them up on eBay for a fraction of original price. When it breaks you get another. Not sure if that is what you were looking for.

thank you both for the suggestions!

Don’t get either of those printers. Especially the 2760. The inks are ok for photos.

You want something with pop?

Get the ET-8500. Uses EPSON’s Claria dye inks. They are fantastic for glossy prints.

I’ve already printed nearly 400 4x6s and have barely made a dent in my ink levels.