roundup staff reporter
A few weeks ago, there was a computer printer sale at
Wal-Mart. Customers could purchase a Lexmark inkjet printer — complete with
two packages of quality paper samples and what was touted as $80 worth of
software.
Total purchase price: $35.
Meanwhile, shoppers could cross the aisle and pick up one
of the same printer's ink cartridges.
Total purchase price: $28.
Why in the world would the manufacturer be so generous as
to throw in a printer and all those extras for another lousy six bucks?
Generosity has nothing to do with it. It's the cartridge
game — a sort of variation on the classic, street-corner shell game played by
all of the major printer manufacturers.
"They're giving away the printers so that you have no
choice but to buy the cartridges," said Rosemary Reed, who with her
husband, Gary, owns and operates Quality Plus Business Products in Payson.
"They want the market. As long as you have no choice but to keep buying
cartridges, they are going to make plenty of profit, even on a $35
printer."
Of course, there are some consumers who don't appreciate
getting hooked into a marketing scheme like that, and Reed said it is those
folks who are responsible for the ever-increasing popularity of inkjet refill
kits, which allow them to refill their ink cartridges at a fraction of the cost
the printer manufacturers would like them to pay for replacements.
The price of a replacement cartridge for the printer model
that was on sale at Wal-Mart was $28. At Quality Plus, you can buy an
double-dose ink refill kit for the same printer for about $13 ... or $6.50 per
refill.
Total savings: $21.50 a pop.
And once you've bought the refill kit, Reed said, "I
can sell you the individual ink bottles for $4 each. So that brings your savings
up to $24."
The only reason any computer user might not take advantage
of such savings, Reed guesses, is that they think you have to be some kind of
high-tech Einstein in order to refill the cartridges.
"It's so easy that even kids can do it in about 10
minutes the first time, and much more quickly after that," she said. Each
kit contains all required tools, cellophane gloves in the event of an ink spill
("It's pretty hard to make a mess, though") and easy-to-follow,
illustrated directions specific for your printer.
According to the consensus of a number of kit-manufacturer
Web sites, only time will tell how many times a cartridge can be refilled before
it wears out. One site speculates that it could last through 10 refills or more.
Another kit-manufacturer's Web site said that
"cartridges with the print head built in generally can be refilled 10 to 15
times or more. Cartridges without the print head in them, in theory, can be
refilled infinitely, however other factors can affect this such as drying
out."
Because the longer you can prolong the life of your
cartridge, the greater your savings, here's a compilation of Internet tips to
squeeze the most money and use out of your ink reservoir:
• Never let a cartridge run dry. Cartridges with
built-in print heads can burn out their resistors if run while dry.
• Always keep an extra cartridge handy, and keep it
full.
• Get in the habit of topping off your cartridge instead
of waiting until it runs out.
• Don't touch the copper plate on print head cartridges.
• Always refill your cartridge immediately upon running
out of ink.
Another important point uncovered by some Internet
research is that the use of refill-kit ink will not void the warranty on your
printer.
But under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and general
principles of the Federal Trade Commission Act, a manufacturer may not require
the use of any brand of ink (or any other article) unless the manufacturer
provides the item free of charge under the terms of the warranty.
