# Printers and printer ink **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150 "2021-02-17T18:41:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/1 "2021-02-17T18:41:55Z")
I realise this is probably well-known stuff, but here’s what just happened. I have a colour laser printer (model Lexmark CS410dn) which has worked well for many years. I just re-ordered ink cartridges in the four colours required - and it came to £230 (about $320.) The printer cost less than that! 🙄 (Even now, I can get a secondhand one for less as well.) To be fair, I do get around 1,000 pages with the ink - but it still staggers me. 🤓 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/2 "2021-02-17T18:50:17Z")
I would advise not putting ink in a laser printer. You won’t like the results. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/3 "2021-02-17T18:52:14Z")
That seems steep, but _each cartridge_ is rated at 1000 pages. I can’t imagine that all 4 cartridges would be empty in 1000 pages of normal use. And if you were buying inkjet ink you’d be spending waaay more per page. Print in black and white when you can. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/4 "2021-02-17T19:00:16Z")
There are usually some high quality after-market **toners** for a lot less than Lexmark or any of the printer companies charge. My Color Laser Xerox does well with Victorstar. I think the 4 cartridges cost $90 instead of $240. ETA: Actually a 5 pack (extra black toner) cost only $50. From Xerox about $320. In case you missed it, Laser printers use toner and not ink. Just to clarify a prior post. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/5 "2021-02-17T20:29:19Z")
I’ve purchased vacuum sealer units on Woot that were reconditioned and sold very cheap, cheaper than the roll of bag material included with the unit. I give away the sealer, keep the bags. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/6 "2021-02-17T22:15:03Z")
Thanks all! Yes, of course for a Laser Printer I meant Toner. 😨 What was I inking? 😉 And it is a reassuring thought that I will get much more than 1000 pages from the 4 cartridges. (I do agree that printing in black and white is best when it suits.) I will have a look on the market for cheaper Toner. N.B. I should have said that I got **14% off** - so the original price for the 4 was about **£268** (about **$371**.) 😳 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/7 "2021-02-19T16:54:35Z")
Yes, printing is expensive, but printing color is quite a bit more expensive, especially when you have to replace several different toner cartridges at once. If you don’t need color a b&w laser is the best value IMO. For occasional color printing CVS and Walgreens offer color prints for very reasonable prices, at least for normal photo sizes. Not sure about larger prints. As far as aftermarket toner, I wouldn’t automatically trust it. I would be careful to read reviews and vet the seller before buying it. I have often found good open-box toner deals on eBay, but you have to be careful there too. Generally if the bag is still sealed I don’t care if the box has been opened. The last toner I bought was $40 shipped, and over $80 on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/8 "2021-02-19T16:58:44Z")
This is why I have a black and white laser printer. The toner is still expensive (1000 pages cost maybe half the printer’s cost) but it lasts me years. Warning: if you get cheap toner it may not work. My printer assumed a compatible toner cartridge was “out of toner” (despite being brand new and I could literally feel the toner within it); it’s their form of DRM. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/9 "2021-02-19T17:04:07Z")
I can only guess what corporations save in no mailing of statements and by making us print our own statements ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/10 "2021-02-19T17:06:06Z")
Legit companies will pay full price for genuine toner cartridges. (Well, almost full, there’s probably a volume discount in there, and possibly a small discount for paying within 30 days.) How often do you need to print your own statements? I do a lot of scanning of that sort of thing but not a whole lot of printing. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/11 "2021-02-19T17:24:54Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > Warning: if you get cheap toner it may not work. My printer assumed a compatible toner cartridge was “out of toner” (despite being brand new and I could literally feel the toner within it); it’s their form of DRM. I’ve found this, too, and sometimes they work but look bad. Thing is, the price difference is so huge that I could buy two or three knockoff toner cartridges to get one that works, and still be ahead of buying an original. I’ve had originals come bad, too, but that could just be quality control or counterfeit products. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/12 "2021-02-19T17:28:24Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > I can only guess what corporations save in no mailing of statements and by making us print our own statements You can save money by not printing the statements. I save the PDFs on my computer but print them only very rarely, if ever. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/13 "2021-02-19T17:32:36Z")
I got an eco-tank printer a few years ago, still very happy with it. It’s ink-jet, so a bit slower than laser, but it is _cheap_ per page. Of course, since they aren’t making money off the ink, the printer is a bit more, but I’ve saved that difference in cost several times over at this point. $30 in ink lasts a year or more. I even printed almost 800 full color Christmas cards for my clients, and only went through a bit more than half the tank. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/14 "2021-02-19T17:50:19Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@Mallard](#): > > > > I can only guess what corporations save in no mailing of statements and by making us print our own statements > > You can save money by not printing the statements. I save the PDFs on my computer but print them only very rarely, if ever. I find it far easier to print statement so I can check them against receipts plus some statements won’t save to PDF it’s either print or if you do want to save do a page by page “snip tool”. Total PITA. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/15 "2021-02-19T17:56:44Z")
I think all of the companies I do business with offer PDF statements. Which do not for you? ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/16 "2021-02-19T17:59:41Z")
I’d have to look them up, dont’ recall off hand. That may change though if they switch to “on line only” statements. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/17 "2021-02-19T18:12:13Z")
And keep in mind that the vast majority of customers don’t need printed statements. I’m even probably unusual in saving the PDFs on my own computer. I’ll bet that most people don’t even do that, instead relying on the fact that the companies allow you to access the last couple of years of statements online. So overall, they’re saving quite a bit by not sending paper statements to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/18 "2021-02-19T18:31:22Z")
My kids (in their 40s) admit they never reconcile statements and receipts. I know I find discrepancies from time to time or a charge that isn’t mine. It appears the younger the consumer, the more they trust the ‘on line’ world unequivocally. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/19 "2021-02-19T18:39:24Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > plus some statements won’t save to PDF it’s either print or if you do want to save do a page by page “snip tool”. Anything that can be printed to paper can be saved to PDF with the right printer driver. In MacOS this has been built into the system print dialog for years, and I believe it’s part of Windows 10 as well. There are ways to do it in earlier versions of Windows too. Search for “Install PDF Printer” and your OS version. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150/20 "2021-02-19T18:39:58Z")
Just be glad you don’t have an inkjet with 9 printer inks (@ $168 each), like my Epson P800. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-and-printer-ink/933150.md?page=2)