The manufacturers of home inkjet printers have to make a profit somehow, and most companies choose the classic model of selling printers for a low price that gobble ink cartridges, which happen to also be sold by the manufacturer. Now Epson is introducing a new line of printers in the United States that costs more, but comes with refillable cartridges and enough ink to last for three years. Will American consumers be interested? [More]
inkjet printers
Save Electricity: Don’t Turn Off Your Printer
By 4.4.13
Do you turn your printer off when you’re not using it? You might be wasting electricity…and ink. Our watt-measuring colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports Electronics note that letting your printer enter standby mode often uses less power than turning it off or on. For inkjet printers, the toll also includes ink: some models slorp a bit more ink when priming the jets to print when you turn the printer on rather than letting it wake up from standby mode. [Consumer Reports Electronics] [More]
My Printer Is Holding My Document Hostage For A Light Cyan Ink Cartridge
By 10.2.12 — Updated: 10.8.12
Brandon’s Epson color inkjet printer/scanner/fax machine is holding his document hostage. Its sole demand: a fresh light cyan ink cartridge. It didn’t matter that he was trying to print the document in grayscale and that there was a perfectly good black cartridge already loaded. If he doesn’t add a new light cyan cartridge, he’ll never get his receipt. [More]
Mattel Sells Overpriced Barbie Printer, Forgets To Make Overpriced Refill Cartridges
By 12.26.09
Mattel’s new “beautronics” device aimed at tween girls, the Barbie Nail Printer, is a glorified inkjet printer that customizes and prints designs on your fingernails. Neat idea in theory, though a bit pricey at $180. However, Mattel has apparently overlooked an essential part of the inkjet printer business model: selling new and overpriced cartridges. The problem, reader Richard writes, is that the company refuses to take orders for new cartridges, saying that they won’t be available until next year. But I want pink leopard print fingernails now! [More]
