Monday, November 10, 2003

Out of Ink? Buy a New Printer A reader points out an odd situation: I just thought I'd pass along an interesting gripe, but one that's going to create an environmental disaster. The price of advanced inkjet printers are falling so fast that not only is replacement cheaper than repair, but replacement will soon be cheaper than MAINTENANCE. Let me give you an example. About a year ago, I purchased an HP Photosmart 7350 inkjet printer and a black cartridge (since it only came with the color & "photo" cartridges) for $260--an excellent price at the time. A buddy of mine found that same printer, with all 3 cartridges, on clearance at Costco today for $99. The price drop doesn't bother me (well, not overly). It's the fact that he's buying the printer BECAUSE HE'S OUT OF INK ON HIS OLDER, PERFECTLY WORKING PRINTER! By keeping the ink cartridge prices artificially high, manufacturers have gotten to the point that replacement makes more sense than maintenance. At an average retail price of ~$30 for one of my printer's cartridges, I'd pay around $90 to get 3 new cartridges, or $99 for a new printer--all 3 cartridges included? I'm no environmentalist, but this is like buying a brand new car for the same price as a set of new tires! Environmental disaster waiting to happen... 12:23:45 PM    comment []