The hidden costs of home printing

bbc ^ | 1 September 2009 | Zoe Kleinman and Mark Ward

[JoeProBono]

Of all the extras that can be bought to make more of a PC, the humble printer is probably the most popular.

But that humility might conceal a house guest that costs much more to run than most people realise.

While the device may be very cheap to buy initially, especially if bought at the same time as its companion PC, the running costs can, and do, mount up. Particularly if a printer is used to produce a lot of high-quality colour copies.

It is well known that printer ink costs more per millilitre than the finest champagne. And it is in the costs of the ink that manufacturers claw back what they lose every time a printer is sold.

Long-term costs

Lizzie Russell, a computer expert at consumer organisation Which? counsels people to look at a printer's long-term running costs.

With our cartridges you can get anything from 200 - 2000 pages

Martin Hurren, business development manager for HP Supplies The cheaper a printer, she warns, the sooner its cartridges were likely to need replacing and the higher the ongoing costs.....

[throwback]

I think the printer cartridge business is about the only thing that kept HP with a pulse for a number of years. I don't need color, so I bought their laser years ago. Thing runs forever, and I think I've changed the cartridge 3 times in 10 years. Color print cartridges are to the PC business what cell phones are to the Telecom companies.

[domenad]

Low entry cost is the most important factor to volume sales. Lots of inferior technology is still around today because it’s just too cheap.

[JoeProBono]

You need to move up a notch

[pingman]

Just following the “Gillette Model”, selling the blades!

[dalereed]

“Can’t get real photos from a laser.”

My Oki prints out photos perfectly in high gloss on plain paper!

[webschooner]

I agree. I’ve never even owned an ink jet printer. I’ve always owned laser printers, even when they were relatively expensive, because the cost per page is so cheap, they are extremely reliable, and the page quality is awesome.

Of course, I only have B&W, and don’t really care that I don’t have color. If I really needed color, I would keep an ink jet printer just for those instances but still use a laserjet for most printing.. Or if I needed a lot of color pages, I would spring for a color laser printer.

[stormer]

I used to run the 40” version of that press. That one looks to be a 25”.

[cripplecreek]

For photo printing I just go to Mpix.com. I suspect that its actually cheaper than home printing.

[throwback]

Actually should have said cartridge is to printer as cell phone service is to cell phone. They give away the device because the money is in what it takes to use it.

[Vinnie]

One reason I went with a Canon printer was the ink cartridge price.

Canon used to be way cheaper than the other brands. Not sure if that is still the case.
Just replaced 4 cartridges(3 color, 1 B&W), IIRC $35.

Does an excellent job also.

[TomOnTheRun]

And, if you can, comment on the possibility of a laserjet that can print on printable CDs and DVDs.

When I sold DVD's at my gallery I would user the color laser to print on labels that I would then apply to the disc. Would that work for you or do you make enough DVD's that you really need to print directly on the disc?

[CIB-173RDABN]

I quit printing photographs long time ago. It was just too expensive.

Now when I need a print from a photograph in my archive I send it to a local ( ) drug store that will provide a 4x6 for 19 cents. Better yet, if a family member wants a photo I just email it and let them print it.

I keep a printer but only use in on those rare occasions I need a document printed.

I discovered years ago the cost of the ink cartridges were way out of line for what you are getting.

[Gnomad]

I don’t bother with home printing at all these days. Partially because I work in the office equipment field and have access to printers, but even if I didn’t, the local UPS store can make prints from your emailed docs and photos for far less than you can print at home.

Also, lasers can do fine photos these days. Most short run color printers are laser printers. I work on the production color “copiers” and can attest to their quality of output, especially on glossy paper.

[HamiltonJay]

Can’t get real photos from an inkjet.

If you want photos like you would get had you taken film to a developer, you don’t print them with an Inkjet, you use Dye-Sub printing.

Inkjets are cheap to buy, but if you are buying for photo, that’s laughable as well, as inkjet printed photos don’t handle the test of time at all. Which, other than to make a gag gift, I can’t imagine why you would print out pictures in hard copy form other than for physical archiving purposes.

[Gomez]

I need to get some new ink.

[Born Conservative]

I do my photo printing at Wal Mart, color copies (if needed) at Staples, and have a Brother monochrome laser. I get the TN-360 high yield cartridge from Newegg, and it’s about $26 cheaper than my local Staples.

[Born Conservative]

We did a fair bit of business card printing

Not worth it. Buy them from Vista Print.

[InterceptPoint]

I’ve used stick-on labels but they just are no where near as nice as the glossy printable DVDs and CDs that you buy these days. They look like professional DVDs when you’re done.

[wally_bert]

In my photography, I rarely jam out a high quality print at home any more. I love my RX595 and how good it makes my 50D’s photos look. It isn’t too much of an ink hog on high quality photo prints. I plan on getting a home b/w laser for me and my wife to print docs with at some point soon.

[wally_bert]

Love my 595 as well.