Thom Brown, the marketing manager at HP, once said that it’s a common perception among people that ink is one of the costliest substances in the world. This may be true. But exactly why are inks so expensive?
One: Ink technology
First of all, it is expensive to develop ink technology. When you buy an ink, you also have to pay for the image quality and reliability. The more advanced the technology is, the more expensive the ink will be. So, when you think about it, you just get the right value for the money you pay.
For people looking for cheap HP inks, the company suggests that they buy XL ink cartridges. These will last 2x-3x longer than normal cartridges.
Two: Competition
Arguably, you can get cheap HP inks manufactured by another company. However, HP claims that these products produce an inferior quality of print and have less page yield. In an HP-sponsored study, it has been found that the company’s cartridges last longer than remanufactured ink cartridges.
Leading competitors like Lexmark, Canon, and Epson also have the same stand. They believe that cartridges not sold by your printer’s manufacturer are less reliable.
Three: Value
HP price a milliliter of their ink cartridges similar to that of liquid gold. Too expensive for your liking? HP says that the company has spent more than 1 billion annually in researching and developing ink. A lot of things must be considered in formulating the ink after all. For one, it must be able to withstand 300 degrees of heat and vaporization. Secondly, it should be squirted at 30 miles/hour at 36,000 drops per second. Finally, it must be able to dry instantly.
Conclusion
The next time you complain about the price of your ink cartridge, you might want to remember that experts have spent a lot of time and money in its development.
There are printer models that hide behind cheap initial costs but actually have an expensive maintenance cost. If you don’t want to waste money, you should be wary of common manufacturing cheats. How do you know if your printer is stealing from you? Here are signs you should watch out for:
No. 1: The printer is too cheap.
If you think the printer is too cheap, then that’s probably because the printer manufacturer is planning to get the profit through another means. Usually, the ink or the toner is more expensive than other brands. If you think about it, it’s better to have an expensive printer but cheap inks for hp printers and toner.
No. 2: You buy low-capacity ink and cartridge.
Cheap inks for hp printers usually have low capacity ink. However, research has shown that inks and toner cartridges with low capacity can cost you a lot more in the long term. Though you will not notice the cost when you don’t print regularly, the statistics don’t lie. If you’re someone who prints a lot, then you should look for ink cartridges that yield 250 pages and more. Toner cartridges should yield 2000 pages and more.
No. 3: The printer requires coated paper.
Why pick a printer that can’t print on plain paper? This might be the worst decision you can make. Be sure to ask the manufacturer whether or not the printer accepts the plain paper.
No. 4: The paper tray has low capacity.
Printer manufacturers usually reduce their manufacturing cost by using low-capacity paper trays. However, constantly replacing paper can bend or damage the tray. Thus, it is never wise to settle for less.
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Offices and individuals that print several documents and photos in a day might need to change their toner cartridge often. It’s better if you don’t only entrust the task to the technician. Learning how to replace the toner cartridge yourself is important. But when do you know that you it’s time to do so?
Sign 1: Prints are not sharp enough.
If you see that the print is not even and there are blank areas, then you might need to change your Samsung toner cartridges. When there is low toner coverage, it only takes a short time for the prints to become faded. Thus, it’s always better to buy a toner cartridge with higher coverage.
Sign 2: There are spots and clumps.
When the toner is near empty, it can form spots and clumps. These can leave streaks on the page. Removing the toner and shaking it might help even out the toner and allow you to print for a few more days. However, sooner or later, you are bound to replace the cartridge.
Sign 3: The printer warns you.
The most obvious sign that you should change the toner cartridge is the notification from the printer. Usually, the notification comes in the form of a flickering light. When this happens, you are no longer able to print anything, and all you can do is change the Samsung toner cartridges.
Sign 4: The printer loses its other functions.
When the toner cartridge gets low, you can no longer use the faxing and scanning features as well. This is because these features also rely on the cartridge.