BROTHER SCAMING CONSUMERS WITH INK CARTRIDGES

[Anonymous]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/148707/printer_ink_how_do_you_define_empty.html
Printer Ink: How Do You Define ‘Empty’?
Steve
Bass finds 20 percent of the ink he paid for left in supposedly empty
cartridges, but Brother has a logical (if not legal) explanation.
“I’m
out of ink. Feed me.” That was what my Brother 640CW multifunction
printer demanded recently. I checked and there was still enough fluid
in its cartridge for goodness knows how many more pages.

I
examined all three allegedly empty cartridges–cyan, yellow, and
magenta. From the top to bottom, they measured 1 1/8 inches. There was
still roughly 1/4 inch of fluid at the bottom of each one. That’s about
a fifth of the cartridge’s capacity, so my loss in ink was roughly
$2.25 per cartridge. That’s not exactly big bucks, but enough to make
me feel like I was being scammed. (Oh, right, what printing
manufacturer would do that, eh?)

I was fuming.
Brother Says: Oh, That’s Normal

I
used my pull and fired a note off to Brother’s PR person. My question
was simple: Is there a mechanical reason to leave fluid in the
cartridge?

Brother’s rep had a logical answer, of course. Here
it is, verbatim–make sure to slip on a pair of hip boots so you don’t
get splattered with anything.

“First, we would like to assure
you that Brother stands behind our product and the information
disclosure that we provide to the consumer. It is always our policy to
provide such information to consumers to help them understand both the
product and the conditions under which the product operates.

“To
address your specific question regarding ink volume, the rated yield
for each cartridge follows the industry standard of that period which
was based on 5% page coverage. So regardless of what small ink volume
you may see remaining in an ink cartridge when it needs to be replaced,
we guarantee that the ink volume that was provided and ‘used’ meets
this industry standard calculation. Any additional ink volume left in a
cartridge at that time was not put into the rated yield calculation
that is guaranteed by Brother.

“Importantly, there is a
technical and performance reason for why the small amount of ink is
remaining in a cartridge that is identified as ’empty.’ As mentioned in
the User Manual, ‘even though the machine informs you that an ink
cartridge is empty, there will be a small amount of ink remaining in
the ink cartridge. It is necessary to keep some ink in the ink
cartridge to prevent air from drying out and damaging the print head
assembly.’ By doing so, the machine is protected and consistent print
quality is ensured to satisfy the consumer. In effect, remaining ink
should not be viewed as waste, but as Brother’s affirmative action to
provide ongoing high quality output and performance of the machine.”

Horsepucky,
says I. Granted, the printer may need a small amount of ink to keep the
printer heads from drying out, but the volume left in the cartridge
isn’t what I’d call small. And I’m not interested in the industry
standard of 5 percent coverage. What I know is that even with minimal
printing, the Brother needs a new cartridge way too often–and I want
every last drop of ink.
Inkjet Cartridges? It’s a Hot Topic

I’m not the only one incensed about the ink issue. Here’s what a few of my blog readers had to say:

“It’s
environmentally unfriendly. The more frequently we’re required to
change our ink cartridges unnecessarily, the more landfill waste.
Granted many people recycle their used cartridges, but just as many
throw them in the garbage.”
–cwashizawa

“Change the name in
your rant from Brother to Canon and it’s exactly the same story. My
brand new Canon was telling me the color cartridge was dangerously low
for months before I actually got a printout with some missing color.”
–rherman

“I’ve
been in the supplies industry for 30+ years and 7 years ago developed
my own Web site (OfficeSupplyOutfitters.com) to sell aftermarket and
compatible replacement alternatives…. Why? Because inkjet and toner
cartridges were appallingly high priced. If that weren’t enough, the
printer manufacturers are now using new technology to get you to buy
more than you need…. Now some of the printer manufacturers are using
chips on their cartridges to prevent aftermarket suppliers from being
able to remanufacture their cartridges!”
–rookiecando

“Just
have to add my 2 cents to this, in addition to my raging fury with HP
for installing mini-ink cartridges in new printers that will print a
test page and then force you to buy full-sized ink cartridges right out
of the gate. The HP Officejet Pro K850… forces me to change
practically full cartridges because it says they have ‘expired.’ This
machine takes 4 ‘high-yield’ tanks of ink at about $80 to replace.”
–Mary E.

For
more of the same, read “Inkjet Printer Ink: Reader Rants and Hacks” and
browse the reader comments on “Study: Over Half of Inkjet Printer Ink
is Thrown Away.”
Save Yourself Some Cash

Want to thumb your
nose at the big printer companies? Before you run out and buy
third-party cartridges, read “Cheap Ink: Will It Cost You?” But not to
worry, there are reputable companies out there–read “Where and How to
Buy Cheap Ink” for some recommendations on buying third-party ink and
saving money on big-name supplies.

After much due diligence, I
found two spots with decent prices and good service. The first is
Abacus where I bought a bunch of Brother cartridges. If you use the
secret URL, you’ll get a better price. I also use LDProducts to buy my
Epson cartridges. They gave me a code for a 5-percent discount code
good through December 2008: INKRET77.

We’ve got more
money-saving tips in a video aptly titled “How to Save Money on
Printing,” and I covered the topic last year in “Save Money on Inkjet
Printer Ink.”

[Author]

August 15, 2008 at 2:33 PM