expensive cartridges

October 26, 2005 5:11 AM

Why do inkjet printer cartridges cost so much? What is the typical mark-up on them?
posted by TheManticore to Computers & Internet (27 answers total)

Whenever I need new inkjet cartridges, I just buy a new printer that comes with both the full color and black ink cartridges. I typically spend $30.00 plus tax for these printers (sometimes they can be found at a discount). I never buy just the ink cartridges anymore since they are just too expensive ($50.00 for both ink cartridges). The extra printers may come in handy someday whenever my old printer happens to break down. I believe the ink cartridges are expensive since they're a consumable item. You can get them refilled (remanufactured) but they never print as good as a new inkjet cartridge. I'm still considering whether to get a color laser printer. A laser cartridge lasts a lot longer than an inkjet cartridge.
posted by plokent at 5:36 AM on October 26, 2005

Because of "razor and blades" business model.
posted by b. at 5:45 AM on October 26, 2005

The cartridges are expensive because the printers are so cheap.

A new, photo quality, color printer for $99.00 looks like an amazing deal. Especially since only a few years ago something like that only existed in science fiction or a print shop.

So they make no money, probably even lose money, when they sell you a printer. Then they make it up on the $40.00 ink cartridges. Gillette does the same thing when they sell you five razor blades for $12.00. That's why they were so kind as to send you a "free" razor in the mail.

From what I understand, the cartridges HP gives you with a new printer are only "starter" cartridges that have only half the amount of ink as the $40.00 ones. So you need a new one shortly after you buy the printer, especially since most people print a ton of stuff when they first get their new toy. The guy who thought of that is a genius and will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.
posted by bondcliff at 5:51 AM on October 26, 2005

Yeah, Lexmark gave starter cartridges, too, so be aware of this.
posted by dreamsign at 5:55 AM on October 26, 2005

I'm sure that the retail mark-up is not particularly high; otherwise some retailer would be selling them at a lower profit margin in order to undercut everyone else and capture more sales.

The profit in this case is all going to the manufacturer, not the retailer. The manufacturer can maintain high margins because they have an effective monopoly on refilles for their own printer lines.
posted by mbrubeck at 6:47 AM on October 26, 2005

XQUZYPHYR and odinsdream: Epson and Canon printers have the print head as a permanent part of the printer and would likely have some kind of extra reservoir, though it would probably be tiny. HP and Lexmark have the print heads on the ink cartridges themselves.
posted by zsazsa at 8:42 AM on October 26, 2005

(To further confuse things, some Canon printers have the print head as part of the cartridge like HP and Lexmark. It's sort of random.)
posted by zsazsa at 8:44 AM on October 26, 2005

It's more confusing than that, zsazsa. Some HP printers have separate heads and ink cartridges, although both are replaceable and the printers maintains a lifespan for each.
posted by plinth at 9:06 AM on October 26, 2005

They probably overcharge for consumables for the same reason other companies have - because they have a captive market.

This isn't a new development in computing; if you believe the link, at one time IBM generated 25% of it's profits through the sale of punchcards (mentioned about halfway down the page).
posted by lowlife at 9:15 AM on October 26, 2005

Another link which says Epson and HP earned, "a 60 percent gross margin on ink jet and toner cartridges" a couple years back.
posted by squeak at 10:11 AM on October 26, 2005

All of this is why I buy my ink from Inkdaddy. For all I know their cartridges are made from Colombian coca-war orphans, but they're hella cheap.
posted by jtron at 10:34 AM on October 26, 2005

I was told by an aftermarket ink company that Epson is the only manufacturer that puts full cartridges in new printers. If this is the case, it's actually cheaper to buy a new Epson printer than replace the cartridges. I'm really pleased with my Photo R200, although my previous Epson, a CX 5200, had clogged nozzles because of the DuraBrite ink, which requires regular use. Fortunately I had bought it at Costco, and two years later they gave me a full cash refund of $300. Hard to argue with that business model.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:05 AM on October 26, 2005

Bless you for that link, jtron.
posted by cali at 11:15 AM on October 26, 2005

My apologies but I'll have to kill you all after I tell you this - pesky non-disclosure agreement, dontcha know.

I was a help desk flunky working on HP printers. They make no money on the actual printer, it's all in the cartridges. They know they've got you by the short hairs and exploit that. It's the same with razor blades, glucose testing strips (I'm diabetic), etc. Please note that if you use refilled or off-brand cartridges you void your HP printer warranty.
posted by deborah at 11:26 AM on October 26, 2005

You're right about Lexmark using "economical" half yield inkjet cartridges in their new printers. But it's still cheaper to buy a new printer with two of these half yield inkjet cartridges than buying the same two half yield inkjet cartridges off the shelf.

On the razor blade argument - buy cryogenically treated razor blades from greatrazors.com. Each blade lasts four times longer than the untreated blades. A package of treated razor blades usually lasts one year vs. one to two months!
posted by plokent at 1:18 PM on October 26, 2005

Another link to check out - laser monks! Definitely not made from Colombian war orphans.
posted by jetskiaccidents at 1:44 PM on October 26, 2005

Please note that if you use refilled or off-brand cartridges you void your HP printer warranty.

I know HP management told you that, but I'd suggest not telling customers that. The magnuson-moss warranty act requires that if the manufacturer of a device requires a replacement part only made by them, then the manufacturer must provide it for free for the life of the warranty.

HP management will tell you that it only applies to cars. They won't mention the court case in which a customer won free toner for their laser printer under this act which customers can cite for free stuff in the future at HP (well, they can't because all those old warranties are expired, but could have... heh).

In short, HP learned the hard way the warranties are still valid and doesn't enforce this policy (and no longer says third party cartridges will invalidate the warranty in its printed warranties, either). :-)
posted by shepd at 2:58 PM on October 26, 2005 [2 favorites]

Well the question has been answered, so I'll chime in with the next step.

You can get a bulk ink supplier like this. There are other companies. You could save up to 75% using these, at one point. I'm not in that market anymore.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 3:08 PM on October 26, 2005

Right on, shepd.

For HP printer products, the use of a non-HP ink cartridge or a refilled ink cartridge does not affect either the warranty to the customer or any HP support contract with the customer.

/hates it when people make up shit in AxeMe
posted by Kwantsar at 3:09 PM on October 26, 2005

Here's what I do to maintain cheap printer usage:

1) Buy a HP Business Inkjet Printer (I have the Business Inkjet 1100d - I believe the current replacement is the 1200). These printers have significantly higher capacity ink cartridges than their domestic printers - and they certainly are more industrial.

2) Find out what inks and print heads it requires.

3) Periodically check ebay for BuyItNow auctions in reverse finishing order for cheap heads and cartridges. I always go for genuine inks. In addition, standard auctions for inks on these printers always end reasonably priced.

---

Using this method I've ended paying around £4-£6 (~$7-$10) per ink cartridge where they generally retail at around £30 (~$50) each, making a full refill around £20 (~$35) compared to £120 (~$210).

If you struggle to locate a printer like this, try buying an alternative business / designjet printer and searching for inks using the above method.

It's fantastic stuff! ;)
posted by rc55 at 3:23 PM on October 26, 2005

Retail markups on ink cartridges (and most toner) are very low. Single digit.

I don't know what the manufacturing cost on them is, but printer companies are obviously making a killing. A company I used to work for launched their own ink compatible ink cartridges, and the unit cost on them was sometimes around a third of the brand name cartridge.
posted by sinical at 5:15 PM on October 26, 2005

There are continuous inking systems for many ink jet printers. They seem like a great solution if you use a lot of ink, no personal experience though.
posted by Chuckles at 5:44 PM on October 26, 2005

Doh! Forgot the link... Continuous inking system.
posted by Chuckles at 5:46 PM on October 26, 2005

Side point: My dad's inkjets kept dying on him, so I persuaded him to upgrade to a laser printer. He had to get the cheapest one Best Buy had, though, which was a $99 Samsung very similar to this one.

The replacement cartridges cost $80.

Hilariously, my father never uses the paper tray -- he manually feeds everything -- so he doesn't get the speed benefit of a laser.

I'm starting to like the disposable printer idea.
posted by dhartung at 8:58 PM on October 26, 2005

I used to work for a company that made printers that cost more than a car. Even still they made more than half their money on post-sales consumables (eg, ink & paper).

It is also true that a lot of technology goes into formulating the ink too. Not to say they're not making a profit, but if you're caring about photo quality stuff or whatever it might be worth it to pay for the good ink, though this will have nowhere near as dramatic effect as the paper quality will.
posted by aubilenon at 12:09 AM on October 27, 2005

I am not making shit up. That is what we were told to tell customers. Granted this was close to three years ago. It's possible that the rules have changed, eh? And for your information, I have nothing to gain by lying. I don't want to know what you're gaining by being an asshole, Kwantsar. If you have a problem with me, my email is in my profile.
posted by deborah at 1:44 PM on October 27, 2005

dhartung: if your father's Samsung is an older (>6 mo.) model, refilling the cartridges is probably the easiest thing in the world. Just pop off the end cap, pour in the toner and give it a shake. Cost is about £5 per refill.

Don't be a dick, Kwantsar. Her bosses told her to lie to the customer and she believed them. That's not "making shit up."
posted by blag at 3:53 PM on October 27, 2005