The Printer Cartridge Game

Think you got a great deal on a printer? Like the rest of us, you probably paid $50 to $75 for a decent Epson or Lexmark printer. What's the catch, you might have asked? Most salesmen would say there is no catch. They'd probably go into a rant about how the printer market has gotten more competitive, driving prices way down. While that's a true statement, it isn't the primary reason for such inexpensive printers these days.

So, why are printers so inexpensive? It's pretty simple ? printer manufacturers need you to buy their printer model so you're forced into buying their outrageously-priced ink cartridges. It's kind of like the relationship between a gasoline company and car manufacturer, except in this situation the printer company is supplying both the automobile and the fuel. Gas companies wouldn't make any money if no one owned an automobile. In the case of printer manufacturers, things are a little different. They don't make any money on selling printers ? they make their money by selling you the replacement ink cartridges.

It makes a lot of business sense when you think about it. A consumer buys a printer every few years, but may buy ink as much as once every three months. Printer manufacturers would much rather have this steady stream of income. Consumers don't factor ink cartridge costs into the equation when they buy a printer. They look at the features and price tag. Sure you're getting a great printer and not paying a lot. But if you use your printer on a fairly regular basis, the cost of ownership over a year or two (thanks to high priced ink cartridges) may exceed $500.

Before you buy your next printer, remember to do some research on printers, paying particular attention to the cost and longevity of the ink cartridge replacements. A little research ahead of time can save you hundreds of dollars. We don't recommend Lexmark printers because Lexmark ink cartridges are generally mc more expensive than those of other brands, like Canon or Hewlett Packard. Because Lexmark embeds a special chip right into the cartridge, the cost of buying replacement Lexmark ink is astronomical.

Bill Smith is an expert on printers and printer repair. Check out helpful online printer reviews at http://www.buythebestbuy.com

---

Advanced Tips on Speeding Up Your PC

Other then keeping your HDD free of viruses, spyware, and ad-ware at all times, there are other methods for speeding up system speed which you may like to employ. One of these is... Read More

Your Printer Is Out Of Ink -- Now What?

We've all been there. You're in the middle of printing out an important document and your printer suddenly stops. It's the dreaded "out of ink" message. So you pull your backup ink cartridges... Read More

How to Choose The Right Laptop Accessories?

The notebook computer is coming of age. For the first time in history, notebooks or laptops are out-selling their bigger cousins, desktop computers.The rise in popularity of the notebook computer can be contributed... Read More

Choosing a Tape Drive

Tape drives remain the leading technology used by organizations for backup and archiving. However, the plethora of tape drives on the market can make choosing the appropriate tape drive a confusing task. How... Read More

Computer Parts Online

In today's age, building computers on yourself is often chosen as the safest and choicest option by a sizeable part of the market for computers. There are various advantages and disadvantages for doing... Read More

Surge Protector: A Simple Mechanism Description

A surge protector [AKA surge suppressor] is an electrical plug-in device designed to distribute safe electrical voltages to other electrical or electronic devices. Surge protectors resemble power strips in appearance; however, they are... Read More

To Upgrade or Not?

To upgrade or not? That is the question. At least, since the release of the new Athlon 64 FX-57, that is the question I have been pondering. Even though the FX-55, (which I... Read More

Can I Use My Old Ink With My New Printer?

The quick answer is...yes and no.Consider this. How many printer models do you think there are out there right now? 1000? 2000? Who knows. But one thing I do know is nobody is... Read More

The Road Ahead

We live in an area that has begun to use GreenBins for household waste. Our regular garbageis picked up every other week and the onlyweekly garbage collection is our green plasticbins, to... Read More

What is Over-clocking a Processor?

Q : What is over clocking?Overclocking is when you make your system processor run faster that its normal speed. This has many advantages and dis-advantages.Advantages : This is obvious, your system will run... Read More

Cheap Ink Cartridge

A cheap ink cartridge is sometimes the only way that people can afford to keep all of their printers ready for use. Internet email addresses are constantly loaded with a number of offers... Read More

Is A Laser Printer Right For Me?

The average home computer user definitely does not need a laser printer. Sure laser printer prices have fallen considerably in the last couple of years. But have you look at the cost of... Read More

DVD Recorders: Getting Started

IMO, these sd work 'like a VCR' as far as recording and playback. There are models w/ harddrives, VHS players, etc. built in, but to me that's overboard.Bells and WhistlesThe VHS option is... Read More

How To Upgrade Your PC

Before you upgrade your PC hardware it's best to search all options and ask for advice. Only after this you can go and buy a new component. It's also useful to check if... Read More

Learn About The Three Basic Types Of Computer Mouse

1) Mechanical: This is a type of computer mouse that has a rubber or metal ball on its underside and it can roll in every direction. Sensors within the mouse, which are mechanical,... Read More

3 Easy Step To Locate A Real Bargain On Laptop Batteries

Looking for a real bargain on laptop batteries? How do I know the batteries are running good as advertised? Which merchants are offering quality rechargeable cells? Where can I get the bargain? Where... Read More

Motherboard Basics

A recent Tech Tip covered the basics of selecting a computer case and made mention of the various sizes that correspond to motherboards of different form factors. A few people wrote in expressing... Read More

Dell Inspiron 600m Notebook Computer

After twelve years of owning desktop computers, I finally opted for a laptop so I would no longer be chained to my desk. After months of research and weighing various makes and models,... Read More

The Importance of Ergonomic Products

Interestingly, ergonomics though sounds to be a modern and trendy phenomenon, its principles are based on primitive life style. It is a known fact that earlier generations did not have to face a... Read More

Getting to Know Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers were born in the 1980s, replacing the popular dot matrix printer. Inkjet printers drop droplets of ink onto printer paper to produce text and images. The drops of ink are actually... Read More

Tips To Select Proper Motherboard

Selecting motherboard is really simple. As name suggests "Motherboard" acts as a protective mother of CPU, RAM and other add on cards since these components stand firmly on motherboard.Number of devices have been... Read More

Intel Celeron vs Pentium

The Celeron and Pentium Processors are two of Intel's best selling CPUs. They are found in a majority of home computer systems. When comparing the two processors it should be first understood that... Read More

How To Take Care Of Your Laptop Computer

As the proud owner of a laptop computer, you'll want to keep your machine in the best possible condition.Aside from cleaning your screen and dusting the keyboard, however, you'll need to take a... Read More

A Technical Introduction to Audio Cables

What is so important about cables anyway?One of the most common questions asked by consumers faced with purchasing cables for their audio or home theater system is, "What is so important about cables... Read More

What You Should Know Before You Buy Computer Equipment

You will have many factors to consider when deciding on which computer equipment to buy. The bewildering amount of choices can seem overwhelming. This guide will help you compare computer equipment features, and... Read More

Small Computers

Today, small form factor computers demolish the myth that bigger PCs are faster. Specially designed SFF computers from Ovi PC, like the Prometheus, deliver tower-crushing performance in one-third the space, and at the... Read More

War of the Disks: A Close-in Analysis of the Hard Disk Drive vs. the Solid State Disk

Much has been written about solid state disks (SSDs) becoming the next big thing1 in the IT industry(1). But as to whether or not we have enough knowledge of how it will revolutionize... Read More

Adding Serial Ports to a Computer with Only USB Ports

So you bought a new computer but you don't have serial ports?It's surprisingly common these days - you find an awesome machine that does everything you want it to do, but then you... Read More

How To Buy The Perfect Student Laptop

If you are like most student's, money isn't exactly growing on trees. Choosing the right laptop can be a matter of saving yourself a lot of heartache and money at the same time.In... Read More