I just want a simple printer that can print my essays, it doesn't need fancy features. What kind of printer should I buy? Brands?

Go with something like a Canon or Epson printer, they usually have the cheapest inks (even cheaper if you buy them on ebay).

HP you might find around the same price, but the ink is very expensive and they recently (not sure if they changed this, but the threat is always there) blocked the use of 3rd party cheap ink, so you have to buy their expensive stuff.

Edit_

since you only need it for basic stuff, get the cheapest you can.

If you want something that will not mess up if you don't use it for a long time, Get a laser printer, they can be expensive but there are some budget models, toner will be very expensive if you want genuin stuff, but again, you can get it at a fraction of the cost on ebay.

with laser printers they have a toner cartridge rather than ink, and you will have to replace the fuser unit/tray at some point (again, they are usually cheap on ebay).

rather than ask us look up "printer reviews under $100" online like https://www.google.com/search?q=printer+reviews+un... there are a bunch at 49 or 59 $

just buy the cheapest one you see Walmart, or any other store., 20-30 dollars, they will do the job just fine

it is quite funny how the ink costs more than a printer, so you just buy a new printer every time you run out of ink lololol.