 In my humble and estimable opinion, Inkjet's are right up there with Bernie Madoff when it comes to hoovering up your money. If you have kids, the cost of replacement inkjet cartridges during their primary school years could in all likelihood pay for an ivy league tuition. The printer companies sucker you in with ultra cheap prices on the entry level inkjet printers just like the Cellular providers get you with a cheap phone. Once they get you in for a Penny, they're into you for their Pound. Personally I am not sure what is the more usurious, the amount of coin the phone company charges for text messages or the cost of inkjet cartridges, both are blatant ripoffs. Thankfully, most of the cheap inkjets printers give up the ghost within a few years, but the intervening time will be filled with jams, agonizingly slow printing, clogs and endless trips to Staples for more ink. One Ink or two ink refills and you have probably already shelled out the original purchase price. Before you do your cost bene analysis, it has been my experience that the ink cartridges don't last nearly as many pages as the manufacturers estimates. Don't count on getting cheap third party replacement ink, the manufacturers change the cartridge design frequently and some have chips inside them that will expire the cartridge and render it useless after a period of time. Believe me, they guard this revenue with an intensity unmatched by the most bloodthirsty Yakuza. Even if you already have one, just toss it or sell it on e-bay and get yourself a decent Laser Printer. It might cost you three or four times the price of the cheapy inkjet, but a good laser printer is worth that differential many times over. There is also a hidden discount over an inkjet, the laser printer will probably come with toner. Sure the Inkjet comes with ink, but it won't last 1/20th as long as the laser toner. Bear in mind, that replacement toner cartridges are mind numbingly expensive, but they last a good long time. My Dell laser's original cartridges lasted for well over a year and my kids have by now printed off a hardcopy of the internet. If you are a professional photographer, by all means get a high quality inkjet, but your average household will be much better served with a laser, |
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