I know its a silly, generic question but come on. I can almost buy a new printer (which comes with new cartridges BTW) for the cost of both of my cartridges. Is the printer considered free or something? Wouldnt it be better to just go out and buy a new printer everytime you need new cartridges?
2007-05-22 04:28:21 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Printers
according to a canon printer rep "so the company can make money. We sell the printers at a cheap price, and then you have to buy our ink"
2007-05-22 04:48:19 · answer #1 · answered by medic391 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the cartridge you get with the printers usually contain only about a quarter of the ink as new ones off the shelf would, so although it seems lucrative to buy a new printer every time you are wasting money there.
Ink cartridges are so expensive for variable reason.
1. Intellectual properties. Most cartridge have a number of patents attached specific to the company that limits the market with regards to third party consumable. Therefore due to lack of competition the companies can essentially set their price.
2. Design. Cartridge are quite sophisticated these days, some incorporating moving parts, encryption or smart chip technology. None of these developments are cheap, thus the cost of manufacturing a cartridge is quite high.
3. Material. Many cartridges will contain copper and variable other semi precious metals for to purposes of conductivity and resilience to variable currents regularity being passed across the circuit. This drives the cost up.
4. Packaging. Cartridge packing looks nice. You are usually looking at a high brightness glosses board with multicolor printing. A foiled inner wrapping, clip, and semi adhesive protective tape. Occasionally in cased in another plastic wrapper. The abundant packaging although buying a couple more months shelf life also costs a lot of money.
2007-05-22 06:50:23 · answer #2 · answered by smedrik 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's all about marketing.
If you see a printer that takes your eye and the price is really low, you will buy it. Now that you have bought it, you will indeed buy ink for it.
Sell the printers at below the cost of manufacturing and soak the consumer for the ink.
Most brand name printers now come new with cartridges that are not full of ink, they print approximately 1/3 of a new retail, or refilled ink cartridge.
By far the cheapest way to do lots of printing (with a inkjet printer, not sure about laser) is to refill your own colour and black cartridges. If you buy ink in bulk, say a liter, or quart of each colour you can buy all you need for the price of a new cartridge, that will fill them many, many times. Most cartridges with work fine for at least ten refills providing you do not let it dry out when empty. Refilling is cheap, a bit messy, but cheap.
Some people do buy a new printer each time they run out of ink, that too can be cheaper, but that is why they are now selling without full cartridges.
2007-05-22 05:12:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The cartridges are so expensive because partly they have you over a barrel...and, yes, in the long run, it *might* be cheaper to go out and fetch a new printer...but, environmentally cheaper?
Our new printer, I guess, came with a haul of new cartridges. The printer was about $250. A set of cartridges is $65. Go figger. We trade in the "spent shells" and fetch a free ream of "cheap paper" made from recycled stuff. (I can't tell you how many reams of paper we have...) A black cartridge lasts us about two months. A photo cartridge runs about six to seven months. A color cartridge somewhere between. A printer lasts about a year and three quarters...go figger.
2007-05-22 04:39:06 · answer #4 · answered by fjpoblam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-10-31 02:28:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have bought a new printer on 3 occaisions rather than buy exorbitantly priced cartridges. It's simply greedy printer manufactureres
2007-05-22 04:37:17 · answer #6 · answered by Mike C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could be depending on th cost of the cartrages
as for why its so much
the machines to produce the materals are normal value
the plastic is normal value
therefor the only thing left is the ink itself... which it what costs so much. why? Teh dyes used in the ink have to be very strong (dying paper remember) and they have to be very fine (high quality) to fit into the holes that the ink comes out of. High quality always costs a lot...
If you want a cheeper solution I sugest getting one of those refill kits, which are usualy $30 each instead of $60
2007-05-22 04:44:07 · answer #7 · answered by zspace101 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sounds like a flippant answer, but it's because they can. Price is determined by what the market will bear. People will pay for the cartridges because the other options suck. Marketers knows this and price approriately.
2007-05-22 04:36:43 · answer #8 · answered by huff300 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if it helps, many walgreens stores refill ink cartridges. Black is ten dollars and color is fifteen. It's guaranteed, so if you don't like it, bring it back for a full refund!
2007-05-23 15:15:23 · answer #9 · answered by AngiePangie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cuz you gotta buy em! funny i've thought of that too, been watching for my printer to go on sale, then it WILL be cheaper.
2007-05-22 04:36:10 · answer #10 · answered by bernel1403 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋