Inkjet catridges overpriced or legit price?.... (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

I have been printing some photos. And granted they use a lot of ink. I mean 2-3 ink catridges cost more than the printer. I know you can get recycled ones. But, are they really that expensive to make? Or is this just serious price gouging. For example my Hp deskjet printer uses 2 different catridges a black and tri-color. If I get a genuine HP color catridge I pay around $33 dollars. If I use a recycled one it costs around $20. And it seems they don't last too long.

 

[Gary_E]

Todd,

I know what you mean. When my HP 820 printer failed I replaced it with a Canon S520. The Canon ink is cheaper, lasts longer and has better print quality.

The S520 has 4 tanks - black, yellow, cyan and magenta. I bought generic color tanks from supermediastore.com for $1.49 - $2.25 each and genuine Canon black tanks for $5.00.

No more HP printers and expensive ink for me.

Regards,
-Gary

 

[Max Leung]

The reason why HP printer cartridges are so expensive is because they include the PRINT HEAD. Unlike Canon or Epson, if the print head clogs on an HP printer, you just throw out the cartridge and buy a new one. If a Canon print head clogs, you are looking at a hefty price to replace the print head, and on an Epson you throw out your printer.

 

[DaveF]

Are the ink cartridges priced to make as much profit as possible? Sure. That's how you make money selling consumables.

Is it price gouging? I don't think so. Since you're willing to pay for it it doesn't seem to be over-priced.

Do I wish ink was cheaper? Sure.

 

[John Watson]

Printers, Cd and DVD players, etc, are pretty cheap

But boy, the aftermarket sale$

With photos, don't forget the special paper cost. As a hobby digital photgraphy has gotta be expensive.

 

[PhilBoy]

Afew years ago it was cheaper to buy a new printer than it was to buy the 2 replacement ink cartidges...

It didn't take the manufacturers long to figure that out too, so they reduced the amount of ink that came with new printers.

 

[John Parris]

Beware of 3rd party Inkjet supplies-- some of it is decent and some of it is trash. I'm currently TOTALLY out of ink for my Epson Stylus 580 and am trying to find some good 3rd party companies... I make theme-based CD artwork for multiple cases, so accurate color is a MUST. I'm thinking about skimping as much as possible on the black, though.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Yes the companies are GOUGING and it's also very bad for
the environment.. The sooner HP,Canon,Epson, Lexmark wake
up and offer a reasonable cartridge recycle program the
better off the consumer will be.

So you run out of ink and instead of pitching this stuff
in the trash can.. You send them back to Canon or Epson or
whom ever and for like $15.00 they refill and clean all of
your cartridges.. They would make MORE money in the long
run because less people would now buy substandard non OEM
refills (that never seem to work right..)

I am not buying any more Lexmarks because once they are out
of ink you may as well just throw the printer away.. $32.00
each for OEM cartidges so you plop down $64.00 plus tax at
a local store when you can buy a new printer with ink in it
for $80-$199 it makes no sense to me.. It's completely senseless.

 

[Patrick_S]

Brett, with all do respect it is obvious that you don't know anything about the manufacturing of ink cartridges.

The manufactures would not make anything with the type of refill program that you are suggesting.

Besides as some have already mentioned in many cases the cartridge contains the print head and this is a problem when considering refilling. This head has a limited life and there is nothing the manufacturer can do to extend its life indefinitely.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I generally just get my cart's refilled at the mall for $10 each. I can easily get a couple of refills on them before its worth buying a new set to get new heads again and its much muhc cheaper.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

The LEAST the companies should be doing is offering a freepost address to send used carts back to for recycling purposes.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Patrick,

It's obvious you aren't too keen on the manufacturing
either then. Explain to me exactly what part of the ink
cartridge is expensive? The Print Head right? That little
piece of glass with a bunch of microfine laser bored holes
in it (If it's an HP, Lexmark or certain Epsons) and those
print heads can be cleaned and resused numerous times with
no ill effects. The problem is the ink.. None of the third
party inks tend to be of the same quality as the OEM's be
it color wise or composition wise.

Refilling the cartridges would generate money it would not
be complex to do at all.. And certain cartridges would be
pure profit.. Canon's ThinkTank system would be a breeze
to refill at the OEM Level and the print head is seperate
in the ThinkTank system and is removeable AND cleanable AND
replaceable..

I think there are numerous setups (at least Canon and Epson
for certain) where and OEM recycle program could easily be
a reality.

If you care to post facts to prove me wrong, I am all ears!

 

[John_Berger]

Hewlett-Packard has had this for a while.

http://h20010.www2.hp.com/ereturns/index.jsp

 

[Ted Lee]

it's all about marketing. those printers are essentially loss leaders. the stores don't sell them for much more then they pay. (i know that for sure...)

but when it comes to the accessories ... watch out.

it's really no different then just about every electronic toy. if i told you how much i pay for accessories for my gaming consoles, cell phones, or stereo gear ... you'd probably never wanna buy retail again.

 

[Carlo_M]

Absolutely. Actually HP still does this with their Laser toners. We have quite a few Network-Capacity Lasers at work (both B&W and color) and the toners always come with a UPS label to ship back the old one.