Think Ink?

Call me strange or odd, but I don't do a lot of printing.  The laser printer sits in a corner waiting to be turned on in the event I need a hardcopy of a map or some driving directions.  Occasionally they’ll be some information from a web site I may want to print out and give to somebody, but that’s about it.

When I do need to print I fire up the ol’ laser, wait a minute for it to warm up and then… Viola!  Nice clean crisp hardcopy in all its’ high-resolution dot pitch goodness.  That laser printer is a champ.  A vintage Hewlett-Packard, “Old Reliable” I call it.

Before I go any further I should state for the record that I’m a bit of a laser printer elitist.  I love the speed, the sharpness of the text and cool graphics.  I also really like that you can print around 5000 pages from one toner cartridge.  Around here toner cartridge changes are measured years (that’s no joke).  Also when you’re running low on toner the printer actually tells you.  When “Low Toner” does pop up, you can squeeze another 50-100 pages out by doing the Toner Shake.  Reminds me of the gas gauge is on “Empty” but I know there is a least one more gallon left in the tank.

Contrast this with the treacherous evil Inkjet printers that occupy so many homes and offices.  They are much slower, are less sharp with text (can’t you always tell when a letter was printed on an Inkjet?) and have slow drying ink.  I hate when I reach for a printout only to smear the page and get ink on my hands.  Argh!

Ok, that’s a little harsh, but I’m laser printer snob after all.  Inkjet printers have come a long way from their clogged nozzles jagged text of yesteryear.  And I must admit they have a major advantage over laser printers:

Color. 

Oh yeah, and the price.

Yes, I know.  There are color laser printers.  However, most of us don’t really want to take out a home equity loan just to purchase one.  Also, if you want to print out high-quality pictures and photos… the Inkjet wins.  Hands down.  As for price… you can buy three or more Inkjet printers for the cost of decent personal laser printer.  For causal printing, it’s really all that most people will ever need.

Of course there is a dark cloud in front of the silver lining of the Inkjets affordability.  My “Ace in the Hole” in support laser printer elitism.  You know where I’m going --- and we’ve all been there before.  Yes, Inkjet cartridges.  They suck and they’re expensive.  It’s a classic sales model.  Sell the razor cheap and charge out the wahzoo for the razor blades.

They also don’t last very long either.  And when you’re out of ink, (assuming you get a warning) you’re out of ink.  It just happens mid-printout.  And then you’re running out to OfficeMax or Staples shelling out thirty or forty bucks so you can finish printing your kid’s term paper.

Printing in color on an inkjet will run you between 10-30 cents a page.  And if you printing on special inkjet paper your cost can go up as much as $ 1.50 per page.   Ah yes, the cost of consumables and total cost of ownership.  The folks over at PCMag have their article on the “Total Cost of Ownership” for Printers here.  And here is their Buying Guide if you happen to be in the market for one.

The outrageous cost of ink cartridges has people looking for cheaper alternatives.  One is to refill the ink yourself (using syringes!) into your empty cartridge.  The other is to purchase remanufactured cartridges for around 25-50% off.

I have tried these folks at 00inkjets.com for remanufactured color cartridges for my inkjet Lexmark 3200.  I’ve had good experience with 00inkjets, however they ship everything regular mail (one particular cartridge took over 14 days), so if you’re in a hurry you’ll need to look for alternatives.

Yes, yes there is an inkjet in Digital Obsession Land.  I rescued that red headed stepchild of a printer from being tossed into the trash, as its AC adapter was dead.  AC adapters from Radio Shack are still cheaper then printers --- so there you have it, one working Lexmark printer.  It does a half decent job of printing CD Labels.  Good thing I don’t pay retail --- otherwise I be shelling out $ 1.03 for each color page!  ‘Nuff said.

Until next time,

FatCharley