Thursday, July 10, 2008

Printer Ink News

By Printer Wizard

Printer ink is one of the most expensive things in the world in terms of when you break down how much it costs per millilitre. Printer ink is the most expensive of all printer equipments. A survey by Kodak has revealed that almost half the people in the UK think the cost of printer ink is a rip off. As much as 60 percent of the ink contained in a typical inkjet cartridge is wasted, when printers ask users to throw away half-full cartridges, according to research commissioned by Epson. I also despise the games inkjet manufacturers play to get you to replace cartridges that may still have ink inside. Some customers and industry analysts charge that inkjet companies are using their influence to unfairly distort the price of replacement ink cartridges and shut out off-brand competitors.

Inkjet printer ink is manufactured both by printer vendors and third-party vendors. The inkjet cartridge is a combination of speed and precision. Inkjet manufacturers have never lowered their prices or engaged in a price wars. Inkjet cartridge refills are one option that may save you money, although they can be messy to use. An easier alternative is to purchase compatible or remanufactured ink cartridges.

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.

According to Wilhelm Imaging Research and other reviewers, if you are primarily printing photos, select the OEM cartridge. In cases where photo quality matched OEM ink photo quality, editors say that the store-brand inks produce inferior text quality. In tests using dedicated photo printers, aftermarket inks were less competitive. However, in nearly all cases, using the manufacturer's ink and paper will ensure the best, longest lasting photo prints.

Quality Comparison I have personally tested thousands of both brand new printer ink cartridges and refilled or remanufactured printer ink cartridges and without a doubt the originals, produced by the printer manufacturer, are better in print quality. However, printing at the maximum quality more than doubles the cost per print.

We wish there was some complicated reason like it costs a lot of money to produce or something like that, but the truth is that printer ink is so expensive because manufacturers can make it that expensive. "Official" printer ink is more expensive than heroin, but instead of competitive pricing, they go hand in hand with RIAA's marketing folks (read: more competition equals pricier products). A solution to the rising cost of printer ink is to buy "generic" brands of ink instead of the original brand of your printer

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