Here’s what I love about today’s home and office printers: you’re really paying for the ink. Similar to the blades-and-razor deal, printing is more about the ink then about the hardware. In fact, I came to the realization that it’s cheaper to buy a new printer off the shelf then to pay for ink cartrdige replacement.
Enter ‘draft’ option. Printing with this option prolongs the life of ink catridges. How many times do your print jobs really need to be in a ‘text’ or ‘photo’ version? Aside from digital camera pics of the fam, most print jobs don’t need to be fully inked.
Another option is to buy a monochrome printer. These printers are cheap and the toner can last six months minimum on a ‘draft’ option.
Also, I discovered the ink refill places. Retailers have told me not to use the ink refill places. Meanwhile, ink refill places cost about half as much as buying inks new off the retailer shelf. Plus, I’ve heard reports that not all off-the-shelf ink catridges are filled completely. For instance, the ink is only filled 70% when you buy a new printer.
Anyway, the Epson all-in-ones are great. I don’t even talk hardware specs anymore. I focus on $0.0X ink charge per page.
Lowest cost… ever!
Two HP Laserjet 4Si high-volume laser printers with duplex unit and full-ream paper trays: $10.00 each (ten years old, around 400,000 pages printed) New Toner Cartridge: $40. Lasts for 15,000 to 18,000 pages. Being able to print whatever I want, in whatever quantity I want, and only worry about the cost of paper: Priceless.
(Note: the electricity to run this beast, however, is NOT minimal. It easily sucks down as much juice as a PC. We try to turn it off when we’re not using it, but then our two-year-old likes to turn it on again to watch the pretty lights.)
(Second note: I realize that, in another 100,000 pages, I will need to use a $70 HP refurb kit on the printer to spruce it up again. I still think it’s way cheaper to run than a color printer, and being able to print double-sided and have it look really darn GOOD at 600dpi from first page to last is nice, too. These were, of course, $5,000 printers when they were new.)
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Matthew P. Barnson
Where are the comments?
What’s up with no love on the printing? Let’s go people, I know y’all be running the ink jets out there.
Settlement!
I love it when people come together to screw over large companies that had been screwing over the people. And you too can join in the fun and earn $45!
A loyal user of the Epson Stylus series, I was delighted to receive a settlement notice in the mail, detailing the outcome of a class action lawsuit in which The People told Epson that Epson was guilty of fraud, concealment and unjust enrichment.
We all know what happens when you buy a new printer. The ink cartridges are 75% full at best. The ink cartridges try to tell you that they’re almost out of ink when they’ve got 25% left in the cartridge. The ink cartridge GUI tries to send you to the original manufacturer’s e-store. The ink cartridges sometimes dry out and leave the printer head damaged so that you have to go out and buy a new printer (even though buying a new printer is cheaper than buying replacement ink cartridges).
I’ve bought three Epson printers over the past two years. I’ve got $135 coming to me. Uh-oh. It looks like the $45 per printer settlement is only good for use at the Epson store. Oh, well. I’ll have to take them up on their $25 check per printer offer. $75 will go a long way at Cartridge World (www.cartridgeworldusa.com). Why would I ever take credit for the company that admitted no wrongdoing and settled and isn’t changing its practice?
Get in on the fun!
http://epsonsettlement.com/
Cool!
Wait, no, not cool…
I’d care if I’d purchased an Epson product since I was a teenager. I haven’t. Alas, I don’t get $45.00 toward buying more of a product I generally don’t buy anyway!
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Matthew P. Barnson
Give Me My Money
I’m just now starting to get my settlement money. I got the first two letters: “Enclosed is your settlement benefit for the Epson Ink Cartridge Cases…this mailing includes a payment of $25 and an e-Store discount code for $20 use online at the Epson E-Store.”
When the third check arrives, I will have received a total of $75 in cash and $60 of credit for online use. I’m trying to think of the ultimate <**** YOU EPSON!> place to spend the $75. I’m wondering if everyone who got some bucks as part of the settlement would be hip to each pitching in to have a plane fly overheard Epson HQ and dump millions of empty cartridges on the building, carpet-bomb style. Or, I would love to hire a troop of mimes to walk into the Epson building and silently demand to have the CEO personally refill their ink cartridges.
Can you believe it took over a year to start getting the settlement payments?