# Printers- Price of a new printer against cost of cartridges **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646 "2009-05-07T12:03:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/1 "2009-05-07T12:03:29Z")
I have a Canon MP 210 printer which ran out of ink (both tanks). I can get two new tanks which cost about $60. I can get an identical printer (with tanks) for $65. How on earth is this pricing managed? Do they come with half full tanks? Even allowing for the manufacturer to pay far less for the ink it seems a strange deal. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/2 "2009-05-07T12:28:09Z")
Moving to General Questions from Great Debates. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/3 "2009-05-07T12:34:41Z")
I’m doing well tonight. Thanks Marley. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/4 "2009-05-07T12:37:32Z")
yes, new printers come with smaller ink tanks. And also the system is designed to make money on the ink. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/5 "2009-05-07T12:38:55Z")
I don’t know about that particular printer, but yes, IME inkjets often come with part-filled cartridges. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/6 "2009-05-07T13:29:14Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > yes, new printers come with smaller ink tanks. And also the system is designed to make money on the ink. _Some_. My DeskJet Pro came with full-sized tanks, and separate tanks, which has a lot to do with my selection of the Pro line. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/7 "2009-05-07T13:33:41Z")
I really meant the bottom end of the market printers. I also have a higher priced 4 tank job which although nothing special is far cheaper (eventually) to run. I hope it had proper tanks when I bought it. ---
**Author:** ![redshift](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbce88/32.png) [@redshift](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redshift)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/8 "2009-05-07T13:34:03Z")
Personally, if you’re big on printing get a laser printer and use toner. Those things will last ages. New printers also may come with full tanks, but not completely filled ones either. So unless you’re getting it at an extreme discount, its not necessarily worth a change. Also, try 3rd party refills (research before you do this, some are total POS). ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/9 "2009-05-07T13:36:53Z")
Kodak tends to have cheaper printer cartridges. You might want to get one of their printers if you decide to replace yours. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/10 "2009-05-07T13:44:29Z")
**Redshift** , I normally use Cartridge World which sells refilled tanks and a good price. Recently I bought some cheap ones at a supermarket which required you to lever the electronic part off the old tank and insert it into the new one before placing it in the printer (read the small print!!!). It works well enough but the printer never recognises that it is full and constantly sends me warning messages. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/11 "2009-05-07T15:11:48Z")
I replaced my 15 year old laser printer last year with a nice new Pixma color printer. Shortly after buying my second set of $90 refills I put the printer on the curb with the trash and bought a new laser printer … haven’t spent anything on refills yet. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/12 "2009-05-07T15:30:24Z")
I don’t remember all of the specific numbers that I crunched when going through the CBA on my DeskJet Pro, but its projected operating cost over the course of its projected lifetime was well, well below the cost of a laser. I began the whole exercise because I had been adamant about replacing my previous DeskJet with a laser printer, and was surprised by the outcome of procuring another inkjet. Obviously this isn’t the case for all inkjets, and your mileage will vary. ---
**Author:** ![redshift](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbce88/32.png) [@redshift](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redshift)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/13 "2009-05-07T16:15:53Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I don’t remember all of the specific numbers that I crunched when going through the CBA on my DeskJet Pro, but its projected operating cost over the course of its projected lifetime was well, well below the cost of a laser. I began the whole exercise because I had been adamant about replacing my previous DeskJet with a laser printer, and was surprised by the outcome of procuring another inkjet. > > Obviously this isn’t the case for all inkjets, and your mileage will vary. Hmm that sounds interesting. How did you go about calculating this? I want to try it out for myself, because I’m contemplating getting a laser. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/14 "2009-05-07T16:40:56Z")
I hate printers with a passion :mad:. Here are two short articles of mine on this very subject: [Living without a photo printer](http://paperjammed.com/2009/03/31/can-there-be-life-without-a-printer/) [Living without a standard office printer](http://paperjammed.com/2009/04/07/can-there-be-life-without-a-printer-part-2/) ---
**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:** [May 7, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/15 "2009-05-07T18:59:01Z")
On the rare occasions I need a photo printed, I go down to CVS or Walgreens with my camera’s memory card and get prints for about 20 cents each, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/16 "2009-05-07T22:32:39Z")
> [@redshift](#): > > Hmm that sounds interesting. How did you go about calculating this? I want to try it out for myself, because I’m contemplating getting a laser. Initial price, cost per page given coverage assumptions, number of pages, and you’re done. Example: Printer A: $450, $0.12 per page at 15% coverage, 100 pages per month for 60 months. Printer B: $390, $0.10 per page at 20% coverage, 100 pages per month for 60 months. Which is cheaper? ---
**Author:** ![redshift](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbce88/32.png) [@redshift](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redshift)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/17 "2009-05-07T22:36:47Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Initial price, cost per page given coverage assumptions, number of pages, and you’re done. Example: > > Printer A: $450, $0.12 per page at 15% coverage, 100 pages per month for 60 months. > Printer B: $390, $0.10 per page at 20% coverage, 100 pages per month for 60 months. > > Which is cheaper? What do you mean by coverage assumptions? How do you estimate cost per page? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/18 "2009-05-07T22:49:05Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > bought a new laser printer … haven’t spent anything on refills yet. Bought my HP LaserJet 1600 because Staples had an amazing rebate back in July of 2007. I haven’t replaced a single toner cartridge in it yet, though the black one is down about 2/3 or so. I’ll probably start telling me soon that I need to order one. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/19 "2009-05-08T18:37:36Z")
> [@redshift](#): > > What do you mean by coverage assumptions? How do you estimate cost per page? Printer A: $450, $0.12 per page at 15% coverage, 100 pages per month for 60 months. Printer B: $390, $0.10 per page at 20% coverage, 100 pages per month for 60 months. Okay, for printer A let’s say that the cartridge is rated at 500 pages at 15% coverage (i.e., which percentage of each sheet, on average, is covered by that color. Let’s say black to keep it simple, even though that’s a _lot_ of coverage). This cartridge costs $60 ($60 ÷ 500 = 12¢ per page). For printer B, let’s say 700 pages at 20% coverage, and the cartridge costs $70 (10¢ per page). Now we’ve got to equalize the differences in coverages, because each manufacturer has rated them differently. So for printer B, 700 pages at 20% coverage is the same as 933 pages at 15% coverage, which for the $70 cartridge means our cost per page is really only 7.5¢ at 15% coverage. So over a five year ownership period, total cost of ownership (barring maintenance costs, if any, and paper): Printer A: $450 + (60 \* 100 \* 0.12) = $1170 Printer B: $390 + (60 \* 100 \* 0.075) = $840 Printer B is by far the better choice. Let’s swap the prices only, though: Printer A: $390, total $1110. Printer B: $450, total $900. In this case, even though print B costs more money, and even though its cartridges are more expensive, is still the cheapest to own. ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646/20 "2009-05-08T21:40:39Z")
As mentioned up-thread, obviously the money is in the ink. There are a couple of similar pricing schemes that come to mind. Occasionally I get a free razor in the mail with a trial blade or two. I imagine they could care less about the cost of the handle, the postage, and the trial blades - they plan to make their money selling the replacement blades. Similarly with game cosoles - I believe they are often sold at cost or even slightly below because they plan to make money on the game discs. Probably lots more examples but those are the first two I thought of when reading the OP. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-price-of-a-new-printer-against-cost-of-cartridges/495646.md?page=2)