# A quick and boring Pitting of Lexmark.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [October 20, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471 "2003-10-20T05:32:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/1 "2003-10-20T05:32:12Z")
Lexmark. Why have you discontinued the colour Printer cartridges for the Z45?
I can understand discontinuing the printer, but discontinuing cartridges is silly and crap. What are the people who bought the printer supposed to do when they run out?
Do you think they are gonna buy _another_ lexmark?
Well not me, If I can’t get hold of the cartrige I am buying another brand.
Pit Pass: Fuck.
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/2 "2003-10-20T05:37:29Z")
Lexmark cartridges are not rechargeable and cost too much. I would not buy a Lexmark to begin with. You are better off buying a Canon or any other one which you can recharge.
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### Author:  [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/3 "2003-10-20T05:39:21Z")
If you’re going to pit Lexmark, at least include their abuse of the DMCA to monopolize cartridge refills for their printers.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/4 "2003-10-20T06:58:33Z")
I gotta say this. I’ve been reading your posts for a while now, Lobsang. YOU FUCKING RULE!!! Ok. I’m done now.
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### Author:  [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/5 "2003-10-20T09:06:38Z")
Lexmark cartridges are, in fact, refillable. I’ve done it myself on current models. The issue was that their LASER TONER cartridges contained a chip that prevented them from being refilled, and that the DMCA banned the reverse-engineering of the chip.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/6 "2003-10-20T10:00:01Z")
I never know how to respond to praise (it makes me nervous) except to say you’ve cheered me up no end **Mr. Babbington** Thanks.
**Alereon** In your experience did the refilled cartridge preduce the same quality of printout as before?
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2003, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/7 "2003-10-20T10:01:20Z")
🙂 a smiley I forgot to put in the previous post.
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### Author:  [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/8 "2003-10-21T00:28:26Z")
I hate Lexmark. I’ve had two of their printers and neither of em worked right and the cartridges were way too expensive, usually costing more than I paid for the printer.
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### Author:  [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/9 "2003-10-22T12:37:47Z")
Ah - it’s nice to know I am not the only one harbouring some hatred of Lexmark and their cartriidge prices!
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### Author:  [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/10 "2003-10-22T12:53:00Z")
Well, everyone seems to have caught onto Lexmark’s business model for color inkjets: Sell outrageously inexpensive printers with features that seem comparable to 1st tier competitors such as HP – and then give everyone a good ass-fucking over the price of the refills. I’m convinced they loose money on the printer itself.
My first, and only, Lexmark was free. Within two months I had spent enough on cartridges (which had an annoying tendency dry out before running empty) to afford a much better printer. I have an HP Photosmart, and I’m never going back.
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### Author:  [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-quick-and-boring-pitting-of-lexmark/208471/11 "2003-10-22T13:16:54Z")
Add another to the list of people caught with the Lexmark printer/cartridge price scam. I was also miffed at their linux drivers. I once refilled a cartidge and the quality was pretty poor.
Fortunately I managed to get my hands on an old HP laserjet and now life is good.