subject: Printer Ink and Ink Cartridges – Some Facts and Solutions [print this page] Printer Ink and Ink Cartridges Some Facts and Solutions
So you do hear the discussion on how printer ink cartridges are ridiculously priced from time to time. Is there any truth in these claims? The answer is yes. A comprehensive calculation shows that printer ink is one of the most expensive liquids available. What makes it so expensive? Is it the raw material that goes into making ink? Here are answers to some common questions on ink cartridges.
Is printer ink really so expensive?
Well, there is nothing that goes into making printer ink that would make it so expensive. It consists of 99% distilled and possibly de-ionized water. There are pigments added to it for color, which differ depending on the color of the ink.
Why is it priced so high?
It is an obvious question. Actually it is a planned strategy of printer manufacturing companies. Think about this. How many times do you purchase a printer? You probably do so once in three to five years and what about the cartridge? The answer of course is innumerable times depending on the usage and requirement. This is where the company takes advantage. The printer is priced quite low, even lower than the manufacturing cost at times, while the cartridge is priced way too high. This way, not only does the company recoups the loss on the sale of the printer but earns very high profits.
Is there a way out?
Yes, there is. Wherever there is demand, there will be supply to fulfill that demand. A market of third party companies has come up to fill up this gap. They sell ink cartridges at a reasonable price. The advantage is that they can earn sufficient profit. Due to the sky high original cartridge prices, even if they sell at half the price, they can earn handsome profits. As for the customers, they can save more than 70% of their costs on cartridges and that is a significant amount of money. They offer many alternatives to original cartridges like compatible cartridges for different printer models that are designed to work well with them; re-manufactured cartridges which are old cartridges that are refilled with ink; refill kits for refilling the cartridge yourself and also bulk Printer Ink for that purpose.
Do they provide quality?
The answer is that provided you find the right manufacturer, yes you can expect good quality, almost as well as the original cartridges in some cases. The point is they are inexpensive, not because they are lagging in quality but because they are priced somewhere in between the right manufacturing cost and the high price levels of the original cartridges.
Where to get them from?
The best place to look for all kinds of cartridges and bulk ink is the Internet, where you can find many suppliers offering quality cartridges and also offering huge discounts on bulk purchase. It is convenient to compare, choose, order and get it delivered to your doorstep. If you are not comfortable with a bulk purchase for the first time, you can place a small order and once you are satisfied with the quality, you can place a bulk order thereby reaping the benefits of bulk purchase.
