Most people consider HP to one of the most trustworthy names in the field of printers
. While it is true that they produce dependable printers, there is little reason to believe that they do not try to fleece their customers. If one studies recent trends in the business policies of the big companies in printing technology, one will realize that manufacturers have hit upon a novel way to make sure that they keep making fabulous profits.
If you have kept a tab on the prices of printers, you may have noticed that the price of printing devices has decreased dramatically. Even sophisticated machines that produce really good prints do not cost a fortune these days. And the printers that are used by people in their homes come at dirt-cheap rates. More often than not, these machines function for years and do not have to be repaired too often. This proves that companies are not necessarily using sub-standard raw materials to manufacture the products. If you think that manufacturers can give away these products at such cheap rates merely because per unit cost of production is lower for mass produced commodities, you are only partially right.
These manufacturers sell products at low rates because they know that people buy printers once in many years. They have realized that it is more profitable to sell the cartridges at sky high rates because ink has to be purchased throughout the year. This is why original HP ink cartridges are so expensive.
Consumers are led to believe that an original branded cartridge is far better than the generic ones. Manufacturers of branded cartridges spend millions of dollar every year to generate publicity about their products and to persuade people that their brands are the best in the world. They use every trick in the trade from television commercials to sponsoring events to ensure that everyone is familiar with their products. And then they pass on the costs to the consumers.
If you do not want to pay for such gimmicks, all you have to do is switch to generic cartridges. While there is reason to believe that some of these products are inferior to the HP ink cartridges, if you choose a product that has been made by a trustworthy company you will get the same quality at a fraction of the price charged by HP. These days there are websites that help consumers to locate such a dealer. Find one, and start saving!