The Inkjet Refill Racket

POPSCI.COM ^ | 2/12/2008 | Jon Chase

[Banjoguy]

Home inkjet printers and their ilk have for a while now embodied the best and worst of the technological state of the union, as it were. Simply put, they are mainstream products with incredibly high-end engineering, but also represent a ludicrously false economy in the worst way. And for a decade, printer companies having been laughing all the way to the bank at our expense.

[Banjoguy]

At up to $8,000 per gallon, inkjet ink is among the most expensive liquids by volume one can buy.

[arderkrag]

Yeh, printing companies suck. Buy it wholesale online and you save a fortune. That’s what we’ve been doing for a while now.

[CarrotAndStick]

Inkjet cartridges are expensive mainly because of one reason- for most printers, each cartridge also comes with its own print-head.

This is like replacing engines after each flight, on an aircraft.

[Kozak]

My home color laser printer will get replaced when the toner cartridge empties. It’s almost as cheap to buy a new one as it is to replace the toner.

[CarrotAndStick]

Even cheaper to convert the printer to a continuous ink feed system...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf5QOTdMNoE

[David Isaac]

Ping for later.

[rawhide]

What is the name of continuous ink feed system you have in the posted photo?

[JDoutrider]

For later read...

[CarrotAndStick]

I’m not sure, I did a Google image search for that.

From the image URL, I gather that it might be available here:

http://www.whybuyinkcartridges.co.uk

However, the one in the YouTube link that I have attached above the photograph might be a better system.

[visualops]

I ended up getting one of those $10 refill-it-yourself kits which worked well so far. You can refill the cartridge many times. What amazes me is that the branded ink prices haven’t come down much at all over the years.

[Neidermeyer]

I used to work for Lexmark,, their inkjet carts are the worst of the bunch to refill as the printheads overheat and become damaged on their carts nearly the moment you run out of ink as the ink is used to keep their nozzle temps stable...

The european union openly ignores patents on ink and toner cartridges ,, you can probably find some GREAT deals in Europe..

The printhead being combined with the cart does increase costs but not as much as you think.

[org.whodat]

I bought a cheap lexmark on sale at Xmas for 25.00, ink cartridges replacement is more than the printer. But then I refill them myself.

[FreedomPoster]

I’ve had personal laser printers for years. To heck with ink jets. I’ve been happy with Samsung’s offerings.

Now, I do black only, don’t have color. If I need color (rare), my wife has a color printer at her office.

[ExGeeEye]

bookmark

[trenton1776]

I make it a point to keep a printer where you can get dirt cheap carts on Ebay. At the moment I use a Canon Pixma IP2000. A couple times a year I get a bunch of carts for about $1 each shipped.

[Calvin Locke]

Not sure about the color lasers, but I've noticed the b&w ones come, if at all, with "starter" cartridges.

I stil have a Brother at home, going on ten years, and I've noticed the toner going bad before the drum.

[Doc91678]

You’re Oh so right.
The primary manufacturer of Bubble jet printers is Canon.
Lexmark, HP, and others are manufactured by Canon along with the cartridges. It’s called OEM.

[ThanhPhero]

Go to the sourse at www.inkjetfly.com

[bmwcyle]

What model is that printer?

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I’ve had personal laser printers for years. To heck with ink jets. I’ve been happy with Samsung’s offerings.

Now, I do black only, don’t have color.

---

Same here - have a fairly cheap Samsung laser - works everytime - pages print instantly - and there’s not that many things I need to print. Also works with linux.