Brother printer - comments?

Just got a Brother printer-scanner-copier-fax combo, model is MFC-495CW, so if anybody has comments or recommendations from experience, I am all ears. Here is my model: https://support.brother.com/g/b/spec.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=mfc495c… I don't have a lot of money to spend (much less to waste) on printer cartridges, for example. (A couple years ago I bought a 12-pack of HP cartridges for my old HP 825c, but before I could actually use them, the ink dried up! I don't want to go through that again.) I managed to download the drivers for Debian, the product manual, researched everything I could think of, but now it comes to spending my last few bucks (literally) on the second-most expensive substance* known in human history, so I hesitate before using my debit card. [* laser toner refills are more expensive than refills for inkjet] Brother, of course, "strongly recommends" not to use third-party, or refillable cartridges, etc., but I don't have a warranty, anyway, as I got this thing used. Has anybody else tried the third-party replacement cartridges or refillables? I'll have more questions about set-up, I'm sure, once I get my cartridges. Everything seems to work fine, except for no ink. Bill