*NEWS*THE PRINTER CARTRIDGE GAME

Toner News Mobile Forums Latest Industry News *NEWS*THE PRINTER CARTRIDGE GAME

Date: Thursday February 9, 2006 09:52:00 am
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  • Anonymous
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    The Printer Cartridge Game
    Think
    you got a great deal on a printer? Like the rest of us, you probably
    paid $50 to $75 for a decent Epson or Lexmark printer. What’s the
    catch, you might have asked? Most salesmen would say there is no catch.
    They’d probably go into a rant about how the printer market has gotten
    more competitive, driving prices way down. While that’s a true
    statement, it isn’t the primary reason for such inexpensive printers
    these days.
    So, why are printers so inexpensive? It’s pretty simple
    – printer manufacturers need you to buy their printer model so you’re
    forced into buying their outrageously-priced ink cartridges. It’s kind
    of like the relationship between a gasoline company and car
    manufacturer, except in this situation the printer company is supplying
    both the automobile and the fuel. Gas companies wouldn’t make any money
    if no one owned an automobile. In the case of printer manufacturers,
    things are a little different. They don’t make any money on selling
    printers – they make their money by selling you the replacement ink
    cartridges.
    It makes a lot of business sense when you think about
    it. A consumer buys a printer every few years, but may buy ink as much
    as once every three months. Printer manufacturers would much rather
    have this steady stream of income. Consumers don’t factor ink cartridge
    costs into the equation when they buy a printer. They look at the
    features and price tag. Sure you’re getting a great printer and not
    paying a lot. But if you use your printer on a fairly regular basis,
    the cost of ownership over a year or two (thanks to high priced ink
    cartridges) may exceed $500.
    Before you buy your next printer,
    remember to do some research on printers, paying particular attention
    to the cost and longevity of the ink cartridge replacements. A little
    research ahead of time can save you hundreds of dollars. We don’t
    recommend Lexmark printers because Lexmark ink cartridges are generally
    mc more expensive than those of other brands, like Canon or Hewlett
    Packard. Because Lexmark embeds a special chip right into the
    cartridge, the cost of buying replacement Lexmark ink is astronomical.

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