Canon has an inkling that cartridges are dead, swaps to refillable tanks

Replacing ink cartridges for your printer isn't just bad for your wallet, it's bad for the environment, too. With reports that it takes over a gallon of oil to produce one laser ink cartridge, not to mention the amount of carbon dioxide that's created during the cartridge manufacturing process, it's high time that printer companies start looking for alternative ways to let us print documents and stuff.

Thankfully, the revolution is underway – following in Epson’s footsteps, Canon launched a range of G-series PIXMA Endurance printers late last year which replace ink cartridges with refillable ink tanks.

Completing the Endurance line-up is Canon’s PIXMA Endurance G4600, which has now been launched in Australia. The company has pointed out that this model will be the last in the G-series printers.

Designed for the home or small office, the printer is compact with easy-to-reach ink tanks that have been integrated into its design.

The G4600 features up to A4 borderless printing and supports remote printing from popular social media platforms, Google Drive and Dropbox via the PIXMA Cloud Link.

Canon claims that colour prints can be produced in about 24 seconds, with up to 7,000 colour pages and 6,000 black-and-white pages coming from a full tank of ink.

It’s also got a 20-sheet document feeder, allowing quick copying and scanning of large documents. The G4600 also comes with four ink bottles – the usual cyan, magenta, yellow and black – to fill up the tanks, and refill bottles are available for purchase.

The Canon PIXMA Endurance G4600 will be available exclusively through Officeworks this month for $599. The price might seem steep for some, but at least you won't have to buy replacement cartridges anymore. Canon hasn’t confirmed the price of the refill bottles, but the company does state the bottles “won’t break the bank”.

If the G4600 isn’t what you’re looking for and want more options, TechRadar has listed out the best inkjet and laser printers for you.

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While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, Sharmishta's main priority is being TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor, looking after the day-to-day functioning of the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions of the site, steering everything from news and reviews to ecommerce content like deals and coupon codes. While she loves reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she's also an avid reader and has become quite the expert on ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about these underrated devices. Other than her duties at TechRadar, she's also the Managing Editor of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World, and writes for Tom's Guide and T3.