A few years back, I purchased an Ink-jet printer. I thought it was very inexpensive. Little did I realize that the running costs surpassed the printer cost itself in just a matter of three months. And I was using color printing very rarely.

Why is that ?

The manufactures usually sell ink-jet printers at such a small cost that, it does not even cover the manufacturing expenses. So, how do they make money? Yes, they make money from the Ink Refill cartridges. The business model is same as the Razor and Blades business model. You buy the main unit for very less and you keep keep paying for the refills as long as you use the main unit.

The ink-jet printers are even more strict, in the sense that you have to use the company’s own ink cartridges. They now have an IC chip on the cartridges that detects, if it is compatible or not. Usually the duplicate refills fail. If you try to open and pour the ink into the cartridges also, it may not work always. You are tied to the printer for the rest of your life. This is an insane business model. HP, Canon, Lexmark they all make more money on the ink cartridges than the printers itself.

For example , A Canon  Pixma color printer costs only 49$ dollars. But check the ink cartridges prices, they cost 18$ for each color. You need 4 colors, RGB + Black.  For ink alone the total cost is 72$.  And I am talking these prices on a discount online store. If you buy in your local store, it may cost even more.

Is a color Ink-jet printer  worth having at home or office. What is the solution to this problem?
I stopped using color Ink-jet printer and I don’t keep a photo printer too. I go to a nearby digital printing service and get my photos printed. For documents I use a b/w laser printer. But my printing needs are very small.

For others you will need go for OEM Ink-jet cartidges  on online ink stores like http://www.inkers.biz
Inkers.biz  is a online store for all printing needs, for laser as well as ink-jet cartridges.

Few links on inkers.biz
Inkjet cartidges
Toner Cartidges
Inker.biz have original, OEM and re-manufactured cartridges. They offer one year guarantee on all products.
Guarantee on PC consumables ? I don’t get it too.  But check inkers.biz

Further reading

Ink cartridge, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ink_cartridge&oldid=209910761Freebie marketing. (2008, April 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:04, May 5, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freebie_marketing&oldid=209249127

Prices quoted in the articles from http://www.superwarehouse.com/Canon_PIXMA_iP2600_Photo_Printer/2435B002/p/1508714

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