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.