Why are Brand Name Ink Cartridges and Toner So Expensive?
When we make a printer purchase most people simply look at the cost of the printer itself and forget to look at cost of the ink.
Currently ounce per ounce, printer ink is worth more than gold. But why?
Is it because the brand name cartridges are made better? No. The components used to make compatible and oem ink cartridges are almost identical. Even at times, these discounted ink cartridges are made at the same factories that the brand name cartridges are made. They simply are give different boxes!
Is it because brand name cartridges use higher quality ink? No.
It must be because brand name cartridges offer higher quality prints. No again. Most people see for themselves that even side by side, the prints are almost identical in print quality.
So we are again left with the question, “Why are brand name cartridges so expenseive?”
A few reasons, first, that is how these printer companies make most of their money. Really, prices for printers are very low, there isn’t much if any markup over the cost to produce the printer. This explains why you can purchase a printer for $30.
Second, they know people will purchase name brand cartridges because most people do not realize you have an alternative.
December 5th, 2009 at 7:23 am
The most cost-effective paper and ink pack for the Selphy CP-series, comes down to about 27 cents per photo right now. The box contains three ink packs, each good for 36 prints, and six 18-photo-paper packs (The CP-760 can only hold 18 photos in its tray). Everything you need to print exactly 108 photos. The paper has Canon written on the back in light gray. The Canon KP-108IP Color Ink/Paper Set (note the “IP”) has postcard back but is harder to find.These dye-sub packs print exactly the number of photos indicated, no more, no less, no matter the color coverage on the photo.
The “ink” cartridge has a roll of 4-inch-wide film with 6-inch-long sections of each dye (yellow, magenta, cyan) followed by a clear coat, repeated exactly 36 times.When printing, each dye layer goes over the photo and transfers the color to the paper using heat. Sublimation is vaporizing the “ink” from the film in controlled amounts, which is then deposited onto the paper. The printer lets you see the photo at each stage which is neat.
The final layer is a plastic clear coat that makes it smudge-proof and water-resistant.The result of this process is that the film inside the used ink cartridge ends up with accurate negatives of your prints in each color. That is why the cartridge can’t be reused, but that also means the photos you printed can be recovered from a discarded “empty” cartridge. If that is a problem then I suppose you can yank the film out and dispose of it some other way (not heat as it may cause the remaining dye to vaporize in the air you breathe).
December 13th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
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