- This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 9 years, 9 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
How Much Ink in That Cartridge?
Printer manufacturers
often neglect to provide an answer, but consumers may have a better
idea in 2006, when new guidelines are introduced
Reader Mark Wilson writes: For some reason Lexmark refuses to
discuss the amount of ink in its [color inkjet] cartridges. All I want
to do is find out which cartridge gives me the best value for my money.
Without knowing the relative amount of ink in each cartridge, I cannot
calculate the best value.Wilson was trying to decide whether a “standard yield” or “moderate
yield” offered more ink for the money. The best answer he could get in
an e-mail exchange with Lexmark’s customer support was: “I suggest that
you may purchase the moderate-yield cartridge for home printing.
However, if you are a small-business owner, you may purchase the
standard- or the high-yield cartridges.”Wilson’s request seemed reasonable, so I decided to take it on. I
understand why Lexmark doesn’t want to reveal the actual quantity of
ink in a cartridge. It might be a trade secret, though a competitor
could just open a cartridge and measure the contents. More likely, the
company would just as soon customers didn’t realize that on a per
milliliter basis, ink is considerably more expensive than Macallen
25-year-old scotch or Chateau d’Yquem sauternes.But why couldn’t Lexmark compare output in terms of the number of some
standard page that could be printed? Such information is routinely
supplied for monochrome laser-toner cartridges, including Lexmark’s.COMING STANDARD. “Publishing information regarding the ink-fill
volume for a particular inkjet cartridge wouldn’t necessarily assist
people in their purchasing decisions when comparing one cartridge with
another,” Tim Fitzpatrick, Lexmark vice-president for corporate
communications, wrote in an e-mail. “The U.S. Fair Packaging &
Labeling Act recognizes this with a specific exclusion for ink,
including inkjet cartridges, and with good reason.”Fitzpatrick said the difficulty in comparing printed output was a
result of the large number of variables involved, especially in photo
printing. But help may be on the way. Wrote Fitzpatrick: “An ISO
[International Standards Organization] standard, which we hope will be
available in the first quarter of 2006, will also help to provide an
easily understood differentiation between standard and high capacity by
establishing a common standard that doesn’t require a consumer to wade
through disclaimers and explanations regarding all potential variables,
including the type of output printed, model, manufacturer, type of
paper, etc.”Personally, I would be prepared to work my way through those
complexities, but it looks like we’ll have to wait for the notoriously
slow moving ISO.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.