Re: Re-thinking Inkjets



Michael Johnson wrote:
Burt wrote:
"Michael Johnson" <cds@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:Zr6dnWvHD9LDBA7anZ2dnUVZ_hGdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
LF wrote:
Inkjet design took a wrong turn, actually several of them. My 20-year-
old HP Deskjet runs fine (with several roller cleanings); my 2-year-
old Canon self destructed with light to normal use. Increasing
complexity, increasing cost per page, declining mechanical reliability
and software glitches are common.
Today's economic model for color printers, both laser and inkjet, is to sell the printer cheap and then gouge the users on ink consumables. This model apparently works because every printer manufacturer uses it.

I wonder ... what would it take to build a simple, reliable, user-
serviceable, refillable inkjet printer? You know, something on the
idea of OPPC (One Printer Per Child). Inkjets have the potential to
provide affordable and reliable technology? How might we get from
here to there?
You ask what it will take...... IMO, it will take government intervention. I don't like the idea more regulations but the government needs to treat ink consumables just like motor oil, brake pads, gasoline, tires etc. That is the ink/toner in printers are consumables and any business entity has the right to market substitute cartridges for any printer. The idea of granting a patent for ink/toner cartridges only promotes monopolistic practices by the printer manufacturers. A new cartridge design does nothing to improve the product in any meaningful way and these patents are being abused by the printer companies to further their grip on the ink consumables market and to price gouge consumers.

Another angle the government could affect change is to mandate the current ink/toner consumables model promotes excessive waste and then mandate the printer companies engineer their printers to to give the option that the cartridges be refillable by the consumer. This would have the same affect as what I described above, IMO.

LF - I certainly agree with issues ot longevity and cost of consumables. what you've left out of the equation is the vast improvement in the last several years of photo quality printing that has occurred in the inkjet market. Additionally, you can now buy a printer for little more than $100 with which to print very nice photos. Unfortunately, the printer manufacturers have taken the business model of the old Gillette razor of lowballing the printer and killing us with ink prices.

This is why the consumables need to be put on the open market to be manufactured by anyone. Just like the tires on your car.
They already are. You can buy many brands of paper and it will fit in your paper tray and print on your printer. I use ilford and epson paper in my Canon and use Hammermill in an HP as well as Canon.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Re-thinking Inkjets
    ... I don't like the idea more regulations but the government needs to treat ink consumables just like motor oil, brake pads, gasoline, tires etc. ... That is the ink/toner in printers are consumables and any business entity has the right to market substitute cartridges for any printer. ... A new cartridge design does nothing to improve the product in any meaningful way and these patents are being abused by the printer companies to further their grip on the ink consumables market and to price gouge consumers. ... the printer manufacturers have taken the business model of the old Gillette razor of lowballing the printer and killing us with ink prices. ...
    (comp.periphs.printers)
  • Re: Postscript still important for laser printers? How much RAM is enough? LexMark?
    ... I'm not trying to challenge your personal experiences with the Canon versus HP printers, but to be fair, you really cannot compare a color laser printer to an inkjet. ... HP has produced both stellar and dog printers in both their inkjet and laser lineups, so one needs to look at the specific model, the cost of acquisition as well as cost of consumables and add ons, and reliability. ... I would agree that, in general, the less you pay for a printer to buy it, the more the consumables will be, especially with laser printers these days. ...
    (comp.periphs.printers)
  • Re: Postscript still important for laser printers? How much RAM is enough? LexMark?
    ... The BJ-300 ink was so expensive it drove me nuts and dealing with Canon Canada was a hooredous experience. ... printing with the HP laserjet has always been a no-issue experience. ... Though I won't print much, maybe 500 pages/year, I'd rather pay more on the printer and less on consumables, even if it turned out to be cheaper to buy a flimsy thing that brings profits on consumables. ... So, given that I won't print much, that I want inkjet comparable quality, that I don't need wireless or networking, that I need fully compatible Linux drivers, which printer would you go for? ...
    (comp.periphs.printers)
  • Re: Which Colour Laser
    ... Could anyone explain to me how the printer resolution works? ... Canon that much better or is the 9600 in some way an extrapolated ... compares and the cost of the consumables. ... If you look at theprinterdatabase.com you should be able to do some comparisons between the different machines and get an idea of consumables costs. ...
    (comp.periphs.printers)
  • Re: Whats the deal with the ip4600?
    ... If you want regulation go live in China. ... Food needs to be regulated not printer ink. ... if teh 3rd party consumables were used. ... inkjet ink cartridges, well nothing legitimate. ...
    (comp.periphs.printers)