Printer Ink...why did I never know this: Makes me angry!

[Paper Roses]

I'm not a Staples customer, no real need but I went to pick up something yesterday and found out some interesting information. I have a Canon printer(hate it) # MX492. It eats ink like it was free! In a chat with the very nice clerk about the price of ink, I learned that there is a difference in the packages marked, in my case Canon 245,246.I'm told this situation is the same with all replacement ink.
Unless you buy the printer cartridges marked XL, you are getting an ink cart that is 3/4 full. Those marked XL are full. I feel this is deceitful. No wonder I run out of ink so soon. I don't print often but seem to get no mileage from this product...I've been buying the regular mark, not the XL. I have always bought the manufacturers label, never tried the generic, got them from eBay from a reputable seller in original packages. This stuff is a kings ransom and this printer is awful. My old HP PSC worked far better and was less confusing. When this one dies, I'll go back to an HP and hope for the best. This ink situation really bugs me! AS a P.S. I cannot get the enter or the cursor to allow me to make paragraphs. Sorry.

[mitch96]

1. To me it's like a packaged item that has the same price but the contents get smaller and smaller

Automagically a 12oz can of beer is now 11.6...8 oz brick of cheese is now 7.6... uffda
m

[krispos42]

18. There's a term for that... shrinkflation, I think

They keep the price the same but make the package smaller. The "gallon" of juice goes down to 120.ounces, or that bag of chips is now 14 ounces.

[mitch96]

23. Got to keep them stock holders happy with profits, eh?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

22. Are 12 oz cans of beer REALLY 11.6 now?

I may need to head out to buy some beer just to see.

[mitch96]

24. I first noticed it with European beers. Usually bottles.. Then "creepflation" came over here..nt

[targetpractice]

2. It's a racket, but...

... That's why the printers are so inexpensive. The get you on the ink.

In a past life I was a printer manufacturer consultant... Now, I buy third party inks for my Canon... Much cheaper. I've been happy with E-Z Inks from Amazon.

[Tetrachloride]

3. I stuck with laser printer or do without.

[Earth-shine]

7. Inkjet produces much better photos.

I use both laser and inkjet.

[dem4decades]

4. Just bought a bunch of replacement Ink cartridges for my Canon.

Bought them online, super cheap and they work, I'm happy.

[Paper Roses]

10. Care to share where you bought them? DU mail me if you don't want to post here. Thanks

[nilram]

15. What do you think of the Epson EcoTank line?

Supposedly you're paying the real cost of the printer, and the real cost of the ink. If someone prints a lot of color I'd think it would come out cheaper.

[WyLoochka]

19. I have an Epson Eco-Tank

Don't print much but was so sick of being soaked for those little cartridges.

The cost of the Epson - fill the eco tank as needed all in one printer - was about four times that of a dinky cartridge all in one model. I see now the prices for the Eco-Tank printers are down significantly. It has been a great savings in dollars and frustration in the long run.

It came with two sets of large, loaded ink bottles. In over two and half years I have only had to buy one refill bottle of black, one cyan and one yellow.

Not printing much I do need to remember to print a few pages at least every other week to keep the print head and nozzles from drying out.

When it comes to running the occasional hundreds of pages it does fine, and I am always pleasantly surprised that there is plenty of ink in the tanks when finished.

[Shermann]

21. Is it only the Eco-Tank type printers that require periodic printing to not dry out?

I've never heard of that.

[Earth-shine]

5. I recently bought these cartridges for a similar Canon.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233968540519

I paid $27, so before buying, make an offer.

The cartridges seem fine. But, I only printed once since I loaded the ink. It was a borderless, full-bleed, colorful flyer.

The final result was great, but it took so long to print.

What I like best about the printer is that it has a built-in sheet feeder for the scanner.

I also have a pro-level Canon, which prints better and much faster than this puny all-in-one.

It's been a while since I compared Canon vs. Epson vs. HP. But, a few years ago, Canon won.

[kozar]

6. I use HP Instant ink

Costs me 4.99/ month, they monitor ink levels, send new when needed in pack to send back old cartridges to be recycled. We are allowed 300 pages per month at this price. We have had it for 15 months now with no hiccups at all.

Koz

[randr]

11. Really the only deal

No brainer. They monitor levels, have never been late with replacement cartridges, allow unlimited roll over of unused sheets, print in BnW or color all you want.

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

14. We have as well....

HP's instant ink program fits our needs very well, Some months we print out 2 pages, some months a couple hundred. HP monitors the ink usage over the net. ink gets low, box arrives... simple stuff. Plus their customer support is very good. We had a slight problem getting the printer set up, fixed quickly with a human voice on the phone.

[MOMFUDSKI]

17. Also have HP Instant

and so far so good. My husband came across it while searching for cheaper ink cartridges.

[MerryHolidays]

8. I hate HP inkjet printers...we used to get the cartridges refilled at CostCo

Last edited Mon Jan 17, 2022, 07:06 PM - Edit history (1)

But I don't think they offer that service anymore (perhaps I'm wrong). Of course, you can always get refilled cartridges, but HP (and other manufacturers) make it difficult to use, saying that the cartridges are counterfeit and essentially bricking your printer.

Depending on what you need your printer for, think about a laser printer. I've had a Brother multifunction printer (with copier, scanner, and fax) for about 5 years, and it is EXCELLENT. They're not that expensive, and I think its much cheaper per page than an inkjet, even with XL cartridges

The toner cartridges for laser printers last a long time.

If you want to print in color, Brother's color laser printers are also good (but it will cost a small fortune to replace the several different colored toner cartridges).

[SheltieLover]

16. I have a Brother all-in-one laser as well & love it

Cartridge was ~$50 for the largest one.

[mahina]

9. When you're looking for a printer next time, search term "cost per page"

Every manufacturer makes one of these at least as well as other good ones.
Good luck

[Sherman A1]

12. Used to have an HP laser printer

It was cheaper to buy a new printer 🖨 and throw away the old one when it was time to change the 4 cartridges. I have a Canon ink jet now and it works fine. I shop around for ink online.

[Shermann]

13. What will it take to break this cycle?

What we have now is called the razor and blades business model:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_model

When it comes to printers it's a lose-lose not only for customers, but also for the environment.

Sell the printers for a reasonable profit and standardize the cartridges and sell those for a reasonable profit. That's really not too much to ask.

[dlilafae]

20. Paper Roses, love my Brother monochrome printer ...

... with drum cartridge. A replacemnt runs about fifty some dollars, and it lasts forever (about 2,000 pages).

[Lucid Dreamer]

25. Good advice - Go with toner if you can.

My club gave me a Brother laser printer to use for the time I was treasurer.
Great service and low expendable cost.

When I passed it on to the next officer, I need to replace my old personal HP inkjet I was going to get a similar Brother.
But somehow I convinced myself that I may need to do some color work and I bought a Canon 2720 ink jet instead.
It works fine but I seldom use color. The big black XL carts are not the most economical for what I do.

Go laser and borrow ask your neighbor to do your color work if that is low volume stuff.