Printer Ink… The Biggest Scam Ever?
Surprise! Printer Companies Sell Printers Cheaply to Make Money on Ink
Nah, it’s no surprise… Everyone knows that printer companies sell their printers at a loss, knowing that they will make up the difference in the cost of ink cartridges. This is because ink cartridges are a very high-margin product, meaning that the companies make a lot of money on each cartridge sold.
Ink cartridges are often one of the most expensive consumables in the world, and printer companies know that people will pay a high price for them because they need them to use their printers.
Ink Cartridges contain only a tiny amount of ink. Soon you’ll see just how little ink is in an ink cartridge. You won’t believe it. Yes, some people same a little money buying off-brand ink cartridges for less than the brand name. But even these off-brand cartridges are a rip-off because they too contain so little ink. They may cost less than the brand name but they still contain pitifully little ink.
And to stop people from buying cheaper off-brand cartridges, some printer manufacturers are putting chips in their ink cartridges so that only the cartridges sold by the manufacturers will work in their printers – locking their customers into the high-priced brand-name cartridges forever.
How much ink is in an ink cartridge?
Have you ever wondered just how much ink is in an ink cartridge?
Ben Andrews from DigitalCamera writes…
…The advertised ink volume of this particular cartridge is 11.9 millilitres. That’s already a disgustingly low amount given how much the cartridge likely costs, but when the casing is cracked open, not even a drop of ink falls out. Instead, we see the entire space inside filled by two pieces of foam, each only lightly and partially coated with ink. When squeezed, barely a drop is released from this foam.
And don’t go thinking this was one of those ‘sample’ cartridges included with the printer, containing just enough ink to get the printer up and running. No, this was actually a high-capacity, ‘XL’ cartridge.
We knew printer ink was a rip-off, but now it appears it’s also a blatant scam…
Lee Morris from FStoppers made a video showing exactly how much ink a typical ink cartridge contains. He writes…
After spending almost $200 on ink for a $48 printer, I decided to buy an Epson Ecotank printer that can be filled with ink bottles. The printer is only a few days old at this point, and it’s working fine, but it got me wondering, how much ink is actually in one of these Canon printer cartridges? The box says 11.9 ml, which is an incredibly little amount, but when I actually cracked the cartridge open, it appeared to only have a few drips of ink inside…
Now… watch this video from Fstoppers…
Watch this video from Fstoppers… and you’ll see why printer ink cartridges might just be the biggest scam ever.
What do you think? Are printer ink cartridges the biggest scam ever?
I didn’t like to have to pay so much for ink, I tried to use the ink cartriges you fill yourself.. it was too messy and too easy to spill when filling. I finally got a Hewlett Packard who offered the INSTANT INK PROGRAM. After a few weeks I decided to try it… and several years later I am still loving it .. It was just what I needed.. Living in a little town there was no place in town to buy ink cartriges , we didn’t even have a WalMart. And when we did go out of town, some times they didn’t even carry the kind of ink my printer needed. It was so frustating, when we could fine the right ink cartriges, they were $50. even the ones online!! But the INSTANT INK was just what I needed. I signed up for the 50 sheets a month which was between $3 -to $4 a month. The INSTANT INK came before I accually needed it. So I always had fresh ink ready to use… and after all these years Its still working great for me. And when I buy a new HP it comes with 6 months of free ink .
That right if you want to save go to HPinstantink .com
I been with them for years.
They have different plans you can chose from.
I agree with Robin. I also use the Instant Ink program. I don’t print much, and the free plan with only 15 allowable pages of printing works great for me! I’m on the old plan that was free if you don’t print much. Now, I believe their plan is $1.00/mo. for only 10 pages. It’s still a great deal, whichever plan you use, IMHO.
I agree. I have been using HP Instant Ink for a few years now. It is very easy, convenient and I am pretty sure I am saving money although it has been a while since I did the math.
I agree about HP Printers!!
They were a blessing for me with their ink program!!
I have been with HP Instant Ink since they began the program and would be lost (and poorer) without it!!
I have owned that neat little Epson printer for quite a long time and I still have not run out of the original bottles of ink that it came with! I print a lot of color documents and photos. It is the best little printer I have ever owned. I’ve thrown out the HPs I’ve thrown out the cannons I am so fed up with those terribly expensive cartridges. That Epson is awesome!
You shock me!!!!! , You are advertising for one company!! I have learned that my Ink Jet Printer is expensive and start to send messages about needing to get new cartridges way before it is necessary!! The whole business sucks. I have used all ink products, none are affordable!!
I have been refilling Canon cartridges for years . There are plenty of online videos showing how to do it. My advice to all , is to try it on your empty cartridge which you will anyway throw away. I buy my ink from BCH in the States who have a very good support system . You will save a lot of money
I also Have Hpinstantink.com. Been with Them for Years and had only a couple of times bad ink sent. Love them and they have Different Plans to choose from and reasonable Prices!!
The Ink Cartridges are very expensive for any Printer and goes to prove each Manufacturer are taking their customers for a ride.
The HP Instant Ink Program sounds good.
I have an Epson XP-235 and use XL Ink Cartridges and although I so not do a lot of Printing, they don’t even seen to last that long either.
It’s a pity that Epson don’t have a scheme that I know of in the U.K., similar to HP as I think I would try it.
Thank you for the advice.
Ron.
That was interesting to read about the amount of ink in a cartridge.
It would have been nice to see a solution to this scam. You did mention getting ink separately. Did you fill your cartridge with the ink? What kind of ink did you get?
Thanks for the article….it kinda made me angry a bit reading this scam….We need a solution…Should we get lazer printers instead?
I just found your article on Printer ink cartridge costs
It’s for this reason is why I have always had 2 printers.
A Brother laser printer for ordinary text printing (Which are very cheap to run) and account for 95% if my printing needs and Canon Inkjet printer (which has 5 cartridges) for the VERY occasional colour printing.