Author Topic: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!  (Read 903 times)

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Offline 30-30man

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I bought a $40 Lexmark all in one printer with the scanner a year ago and have finally run out of ink. I was shocked when I went to the store today.  The ink is more than another printerof the same model number.  I just threw away a perfectly good printer and bought another new one just for the ink cartridges.  What gives on the price of ink?? It can't cost more than a few cents to fill a teaspoon size cartridge, but they charge $25 just for the color and another $20 for the black.  What am I missing???????

Offline Questor

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2009, 03:34:53 PM »
Ink is how the printer companies make their money on printers. I've known people who would replace the entire printer as soon as the ink cartridge that came with it needed replacing. They'd donate the printer and write it off, then just get a new printer.
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Offline torpedoman

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2009, 04:08:58 PM »
 Get your old ones refilled at walgreens. LOTS cheaper
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Offline mechanic

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2009, 04:57:52 PM »
Just before CHRISTmas, my printer indicated low ink.  At Wally World, a pair of cartridges was almost $60.00.  They had an all in one on sale for $24.95.  I bought 3.  They lure you in with a cheap printer, then stiff you on the cartridge.  Two can play their game.
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Offline Chilachuck

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2009, 05:03:27 PM »
Walmart sells a blood sugar tester with 25 strips and some lancets for less than a new pack of 25 strips, never mind the lancets. Printers are the same way.

Mechanic, you want to watch out that there isn't some sort of clock on those printers or the ink cartridges. They'll just up and quit if you hang on to them too long. Maybe you can get by if you store the extra and only start using it after the first is out of ink? I don't know any more about it.

Offline DalesCarpentry

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2009, 05:10:10 PM »
This is a little off but it costs an arm and a leg for razors. It is cheaper for me to buy a new razor with a couple blades than to buy the refills. Dale
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Offline mechanic

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2009, 05:21:33 PM »
Walmart sells a blood sugar tester with 25 strips and some lancets for less than a new pack of 25 strips, never mind the lancets. Printers are the same way.

Mechanic, you want to watch out that there isn't some sort of clock on those printers or the ink cartridges. They'll just up and quit if you hang on to them too long. Maybe you can get by if you store the extra and only start using it after the first is out of ink? I don't know any more about it.

I just broke out the first one last week and all is well.  I've learned never to believe it when the printer says it's out of ink.  I just pick up new refills, (or new printer), and wait until it quits.  This one lasted 6 months after it was "out". 
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Offline Matt

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2009, 06:49:44 PM »
Refills are the way to go with inkjets. You can get a refill kit for about $12-$18 for most any printer and can refill a dozen or more times most often.

I use a laser printer and get on average 3 to 4 years out of a toner cartridge that costs me around $65 - $100 depending on which printer… and the same goes for my color laser printers… they last forever and never smudge or smear if the paper gets wet somehow.

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Offline Chilachuck

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2009, 03:35:32 AM »
Refills are the way to go with inkjets. You can get a refill kit for about $12-$18 for most any printer and can refill a dozen or more times most often.

I understand that some of the cartridges are rigged to not work if they are refilled these days. Anyone buying a printer has to check the internet and see if they are about to buy one of those.

Mechanic, I treat that warning as a reminder to make sure I have a refill. We run a couple of weeks with that warning flashing at work, and we print a lot.

Offline Slowhanddd

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2009, 07:46:08 AM »
I have a Lexmark too.It has the proprietary cartridge.It's only good for so many prints.Found a cartridge store that sells a after market cartridge and it last about three times as long.Cheaper too.Slow
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Offline nw_hunter

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2009, 09:53:02 AM »
This is a little off but it costs an arm and a leg for razors. It is cheaper for me to buy a new razor with a couple blades than to buy the refills. Dale


Crazy ain't it....Almost give you a printer to sell their expensive ink.
Same with batteries. Some of the products (like flashlights)that use the batteries are cheap, but dig deep when buying the batteries! ;D
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Offline nomosendero

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Re: Why is printer ink so expensive????? It's more valuable than gold!
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2009, 11:40:06 AM »
Ink is how the printer companies make their money on printers. I've known people who would replace the entire printer as soon as the ink cartridge that came with it needed replacing. They'd donate the printer and write it off, then just get a new printer.

Bingo, esp. the lower priced ones like Lexmark. They sell alot of printers dirt cheap & the parts is the profit. Oriental companies did that with cheap equipment for years.

torpedo man, I will try Walgreens for the refills, thanks.

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