Printer Ink
Printer ink is said to be the most expensive substance on the planet, often costing thousands of dollars per litre. Printer ink is a $32 billion market worldwide. Printer ink is pricey no matter where you shop.
The printer makers have been waging an all-out war against third-party vendors that sell replacement cartridges at a fraction of the price. According to a recent lawsuit, HP allegedly paid Staples $100 million to refrain from selling inexpensive third-party ink cartridges, although the suit doesn’t make it clear how plaintiff Ranjit Bedi arrived at that figure. The companies have also turned to using the ink equivalent of DRM, the use of microchips embedded in ink cartridges that work with a corresponding technical mechanism in the printer that blocks the use of unauthorized third-party ink.
Printer manufacturers have become very aggressive in attempting to maintain their grip on the aftermarket for printer cartridges. Most manufacturers are using their “green” credentials with their return of used cartridge policies to stop empty ink cartridges getting into the hands of remanufacturers. By doing this they are able to maintain the high prices they charge without the fear of low cost competition.
You can save ink by selecting a lower-quality mode for printouts that are for ‘internal’ use only. When determining quality and value you must align your expectations accordingly.
Especially in the case of photos, the combination of a manufacturer’s printer, ink and paper most often results in photos that look the best and last the longest without fading. Durability is an important consideration for printed photos. However, if you’re not printing photos and aren’t concerned about longevity, third-party printer ink is often just fine
After a 2006study, Henry Wilhelm concludes, If one includes print permanence as an important aspect of overall product quality, then the aftermarket photo inks and media we looked at in this study fall far short indeed. SO once again if printing photos, stick to the OEM cartridges.
If you print mainly text pages, aftermarket printer ink is fine. Everyone knows that printer ink is a swindle: they sell you the printer cheaply (or not so cheaply for higher-end professional models),then sell the colors - unremarkable commodities, let us not forget - at prices that would make a perfumer blush.
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