Infographic: Printer Ink – What it Really Costs
Here's something different. Do you remember how it felt to pay the extortionate prices for ink for your computer printer? I'm referring to it in the past tense because with the increasing move to paperless offices it doesn't matter as much as it used to.
The cost of printer ink used to be the bugaboo of every office supply list but luckily times have changed. And this infographic (found via Dear Author) shows you why I'm glad times have changed.
This infographic was originally made for the Australian market, but the numbers are close enough to being true for the US market or anywhere else for that matter.
These prices still matter a great deal in public libraries, where people go to print their tax documents, plane tickets, resumes, etc. because they can’t afford to have a printer at home. And yes, I still cringe when I turn in my supply list, because the ink cartridges (though mostly for laser printers) are 95% of the cost of my list.
I feel your pain.
I escaped this racket 4 years ago when I bought a Brother printer. They don’t use the control chips found in a lot of ink cartridges made by the leading brands, and that makes it easier to find generic ink online.
I actually bought a little devise that resets the Canon chips (thus allowing me to refill them with generic ink). Doing this I also discovered that the chips lie regarding the ink level.
Seriously, the printer ink industry is a mob… just like the pharmaceutical one.
Great infographic, btw.
I almost went that route as well, but I didn’t because my current Brother printer probably cost not too much more than your gadget. What’s more, I have an all-in-one device and it is also a pretty decent scanner.
It is surprising that Brother doesn’t dominate the printer market, given the tricks pulled by he major brands.
If we are moving away from paper why do we still cut down trees for it? What You