Ink & Toner Cartridges – What Wikipedia Won't Tell You

We have frequently spoken about how buyers can make wiser choices when it comes to ink and toner purchases. In a recent post for instance, we busted some of the myths that surround non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges so that you can make a more informed choice when you need to replace your ink or toner cartridge. We thought to share some more information that many in the printer cartridge industry would prefer wasn’t made common knowledge. Here’s what Wikipedia isn’t telling you:

The Real Cost of Toner and Ink Cartridges

It is a question asked often enough: why is printer ink or toner so expensive? Why does it cost more than vintage champagne? And as importantly, why do so many branded or OEM cartridges run out of toner or ink so fast? According to experts studying trends in the printer cartridge industry, this is a very deliberate strategy aimed at making consumers make more frequent purchases.

OEM companies such as Epson and HP (and to a lesser extent Canon as well) have progressively reduced the sizes of the ink tanks or the sponges that hold the ink inside the cartridges over the years. So you are getting far smaller ink tanks per cartridge than you did about 10 years ago. Not only have these companies reduced the amount of ink per cartridge, they have also encrypted the chip technology. As for the aggressive marketing tactics that are used to up-sell their products; often based on misleading claims, well we are all well acquainted with those!

The fact is that many cartridges are really cheap to make. They cost less than a dollar to produce and the mark up is actually so huge as to be extortionate. With so many high quality low cost compatible options offered now, OEMs devised a very deliberate marketing strategy: (a) sell cheap printers(b) include a ‘starter’ cartridge with so little ink in it that the user needs to by a replacement almost immediately. (c) Charge high amounts for low ink cartridges that require frequent replacements. (d) Some OEMs even embed technology to block and prevent use of compatible products.

Economical Options Available for The Buying Public

It is well known that you can get the same print quality at a fraction of the price when you opt for compatible products over OEM products. In addition, the buying public has access to high yield toner cartridges that give far more printed pages than do standard sizes. Assuming that the standard page coverage is about 5%, standard size cartridges will give you about 2600 printed pages whereas high yield sizes may give you up to 6500 pages. Also referred to as extended yield or jumbo ink and toner cartridges, these are far more economical to use, particularly for people who do a lot of printing.
Not only that, the more pages you get per cartridge, the fewer units you use, and the less impact this has on the environment. Cartridges use up precious resources and create a lot of pollution during the manufacturing process. The disposal of discarded cartridges and other e-waste present a serious environment threat too!

Recent advancements in the printer cartridge industry

Even as many OEM products that rely on older technology are force-fed to the unsuspecting public, there are some exciting things going on in the printer cartridge industry which will offer us all some amazing options in the near future.

Finnish scientists have been working on a 3D nano scale map that will ultimately improve print quality and also significantly reduce costs. This map looks at the distribution of inks on the surface of the paper and uses X-ray and laser-based technologies such as profilometry and laser ablation. It is estimated that this will also provide suggestions for more sustainable types of printing paper.

And there is more ongoing research to find workable alternatives to the currently used non-biodegradable ink. A new invention called the WINKpen is a specially designed pen that has an innovative two sided glass nib. Even more fascinating is the fact that you can write with ‘inks’ such as wine, juice or tea! You can load the pen with virtually any liquid that has staining properties, and there you have a working pen for regular writing and calligraphy as well! The project was conceived to present a workable, earth friendly alternative to traditional inks (seeing as even the so called eco friendly options made from vegetable and soy, aren’t 100% biodegradable).

So as consumers we need to be vigilant about not falling for the slick marketing dished up by OEMs. There are a lot of alternatives out there that are and will be beneficial and more economical; and also better for the environment (remanufactured cartridges are a case in point). Feel free to kick off the discussion in the comments section below if you have any information or views to share.

Read more at – The Guardian, Nano scale map could improve print quality, WINKpen on Kickstarter