I shopped for mine with ink cartridge costs in mind. I ended up with an HP that I can buy new ink in color and black for $30 compared to $70+ for the Lexmark that I just got rid of. The Hp also has the nozzles with the cartridge, so if one gets clogged up heavily, it goes out with the old cartridge. Since ink is my highest recurring cost, I didn't mind spending a bit more at the start. I still only spent $60-70 for the printer to start with.
Remember that those "almost-free" printers are cheap because they will get their money back on ink.