For text, the new HPs that use the 56 black cartridge are actually pretty good as far as cost per page goes, since the cartridge runs only $20 nad actually has a pretty decent yield. If you get the $36 twin pack, and add in a Staples or OM coupon for $10 off if you can score one and you are getting pretty close to the cost per page of a cheapish laser (such as the LJ 1200/1300 series which has a yield of around 2500 pages for a $65 cartridge). On my PSC 2210 multifunction, I'm about midway through my fourth cartridge and so far have printed about 2600 pages according to my diagnostic page, so I'm doing really well. There are admittedly some mostly blank pages counted in that total, but at the same time I've seen my wife print a LOT of text for her accounting classes (one semester she had a 2" binder full of class notes).
If you look at the cartridge yields and cartridge price, you really don't see a huge cost savings until you get into the higher end models like the LJ 4300, which has a $130 cartridge that yields around 12,000 prints. That'll save you some money in the long term, but will put you back a grand in the short term.
I will admit that as far as printing costs go, the older HP printers that used the 15 cartridges (which looked big but were really only half full and cost $33 a pop for a cartridge that on a good day might could manage a few hundred pages) were a HUGE rip off. I quite like the new HPs that use the 56/57/58/59 series of cartridges, though, especially as far a text printing goes.
