Stop-age-now.com

What is the deal with outrageous ink prices lately? If it seems to you that it is almost cheaper to buy a new printer (complete with inkjet cartridge) than it is to shell out the money for a replacement cartridge then congratulations, you’re not alone! In fact, buying new printers over replacement cartridges has become a widespread ploy used by many consumers to escape the high prices of replacement cartridges. Unfortunately for these people the printing companies have already anticipated this and now usually only partially fill the cartridges included with new printers, meaning that no matter what you do you are still going to need to buy a new cartridge if you want to save money.

So why exactly is ink so expensive? At the moment one ounce of printer ink actually costs more money than an equal amount of luxury wine would, but what inflates the prices so much? If you ask the companies manufacturing the cartridges they will tell you that the research and design of new inks and printing technology for high resolution graphics has increased the overhead costs of manufacturing printing supplies. According to them, these companies need to increase their prices to match their research into new technologies to keep up in the market.

However, most jaded bloggers and industry experts will tell you that this information is only partially true. Many years ago printing companies realized that the real money maker in printing was not the machine itself, but the consumable goods that are needed to operate it. It is possible to buy a second hand or extremely cheap printer, but even these vastly discounted products need a continual supply of ink to function, thus making it the only thing that could be used to control prices and generate profit. And that, right there, is the key issue behind the outrageous prices you pay in stores.