$105 for Ink Cartridges

[G-Man]

Cashier said I could buy a whole new printer for that!   

All-in-one with 5 cartridges (two different black ones).  Instead of putting calories of the dishes on menus, they should clearly display how much ink these units use and how much replacement ink costs.

[Bobbo]

The $$$ is in the consumables.  Quite a few industries are like that! 

[Jess from VA]

Going against advice and warnings and warranty, I bought a package of aftermarket color and black cartridges on-line for a fraction of the OE prices..... and they worked fine in my Epson printer.

[..]

You will find online info on how to refill your ink cartridges.

[RainMaker]

The way to shop for a printer these days is to first shop the consumables, then the printer.  The cheapest printers have the highest cost for ink.  I went with a Brother Color Laser printer (HL-4040) and buy aftermarket cartridges at $240 for a set of 5.  They will print 5000 pages. 

Almost any laser printer will have an initially higher cost but the cost per page to print is lower.  IMHO.

[solo1]

Hey Jess, I've got a 1280 Epson printer with a six color cartridge plus a black cartridge.  Epson cartridiges prices are sky high!

So you've had no trouble with the cheaper cartridges?  Epson has built in chips in their cartridges to read the quantity of ink left. Does that feature still work?

The 1280 is an expensive printer but the ink even more so. I might switch based on your experience.

thanks, wayne

[Bobbo]

Not only do they have validation chips in the cartridges, they have "born on" dates too.  Not a good idea to stock up if you can't use them quickly... 

[Jess from VA]

Wayne, that Epson of mine was a middle priced one, and died a natural death a year back (age 6?)... not due to aftermarket cartridges (though on a surge protector, I think a lightening strike got it).  I went down and bought a cheaper Lexmark, that had fax and scan functions, and have not priced aftermarket or OE ink for it yet..... since I retired I rarely print stuff anymore, just save to documents. 

I do not know if my Epson could read the aftermarket cartridges (I doubt they had chips)... it did know when they were low/out, and I ran the clean function from time to time.  I'm kind of a 1960s guy when it comes to all things electronic (no cell phone ever, gps still in the box, sat radio with no subscription, can't access Verizon voicemail (told them to turn it off). 

The aftermarket cartridges for the Epson lasted for 2 1/2 years or so in my cool/dry home office, and I pitched the leftovers (still saved money).  Seemed the aftermarket did not last as long as OE, but still more economical.  In retrospect, I would not get as many as I did.... I was not using them fast enough.

I had thought to have a color photo quality printer, but the heck with all that, I just send photos on line or copy to disk.

For all I know, some printers may now have built in ways to prevent aftermarket ink from working.

http://www.amazon.com/Cartridge-Vompatible-Stylus-Printer-785EXP/dp/B003TP0NO6

http://www.inkjetcartridges.com/stylus-photo-1280Photo.html

[Oss]

Gary

call me tonite  I met someone at the earth day event Saturday who quoted me really low prices on the  toner for my HP printer  I will look for the  card when i get home

Bike togeter yet?

[solo1]

Thanks Jess.  I've ran through two cheap printers for normal copying.  Both quit working.

Unfortunately, the Epson 1280 was not cheap and it's a very good photo printer, prints up to 11 x14 and rolls. It prints at up to 2880 dpi so clogs easily if it's not used often.

thanks again for your input.  I have to think about this.

[MarkT]

You'll save 80% or more on ink costs.  I print a lot with my Then Came Bronson offerings.  You can buy on ebay, an ink tank system - search for CIS or Continuous Ink System.  Then you buy the ink in bulk.  Works very well, I've used it for years.

Epson, the original printer company - and in my experience the most reliable - and I've had many different printers in over 20 years - has an internal counter that counts the printer clean cycles.  It has a cleaner tank - the idea is to stop the printer when the cleaner tank should be getting full.  There are also ways to actually empty or replace the tank, though I never have and it hasn't caused a problem. Anyway, when you get to the magic number, the printer is disabled.  You can also find, online on the printer forums, downloadable ink cycle counter resetters.  I had to pay a few bucks, forget what it was.  Reset the counter and I was back in business.

My main printer, which also prints on printable DVD's / CD's, is the Epson Stylus Photo R280.  I also have an Epson Stylus CX9400Fax multi-function printer/flatbed or autofeed scanner/copier/fax.  There is also a CIS system available for this one but I didn't buy it, as I don't print much with it.

Mine is the Lamicci CIS system.  I can't speak to the other brands, only have experience with the Lamicci model for the R280 printer.  I've never had a problem with it, though there are a couple tricks to using it.  I've printed thousands of DVD disks with it, all of my hardcopy paperwork, and gone through the original tank contents and 5 more boxes of refill ink, in 4 years or so.

I can provide pictures and advice on using the CIS system.  There are some points I learned from experience, that aren't in their documents.

Here's the link for the 1280 CIS system: http://cgi.ebay.com/Continuous-Ink-System-Epson-Stylus-Photo-1280-1290-/310309727368?pt=BI_Toner&hash=item483fe6ac88

[highcountry]

I always wondered why they don't just give us the printers for what they charge for ink.  When I buy an inkjet anymore, I make sure that the printer has large cartridges.

[Magellon]

Try the "Printer Filling Station" online.

http://www.printerfillingstation.com/

 Ive been using his stuff for several years. A little tricky at first but he has "how to's" to show you how to reload the cartridges. Make sure you buy the syringes and a chip resetter at least. You may want to buy the plugs and drill also.

 Find your printer and read what he has to offer. I switched to epson printers a few years ago because of the ease of his refilling instructions and the price of the H.P. and Canon refills.

 Also look on his site for generic empty cartridges that you will fill when you get them home, the extras I bought for the wifes printer are clear and very easy to refill. They work the best. Also ALWAYS wear gloves.

Customer service has also been great, I made a mistake on my last order and they corrected it with no problems.  Also buy the bigger bottle of the black ink, we all know it gets used the most.

Have Fun

[R J]

This is my everyday printer.

HP Deskjet 1000 J110 series

Bought it Dec 25, 2010 for $25.00 + shipping, total of $38.00

Monday I changed my 1st Black ink cartridge, and tonight I changed the color.

When I ordered the machine they suggested I get the 'XL' cartridges.   I did, these hold more ink.

Tomorrow, I'll take both of these cartridges to Walgreen's and have them reloaded for like $10.00 each.

It is a noisy printer, but after awhile ya get used to it, & I like it.

I went through Lexmark ink jets, Epson and etc.

Now, I word of warning, I have not tried printing a portrait, but I think ti would do a super good job.   Experiment with it 1st, then go for real.

Hy-Vee, grocery chain around here, comes out every Tuesday with a store weekly ad.   It is like 20 pages long, and I set the printer up to print all the uneven #'s, then flip the pages over and around and print the even # pages on the back.   Looks real good when done.   Mom likes it anyway so when she happy, everyone is happy.         Firkin trust me on that one, after many moons of living with her, that is embedded in me pee brain.

God damn almighty, I just figured out how long we been married, let's just say we won't see the # 50 again.

She put up with my crap during the Academy, then 32 years in my tenure, and another several years.     No, ya ain't goin to be able to figure it out, you can come close, but close only counts in hand grenades and atom bombs.

Whoops, guess I got off target there.

[Bobbo]

I always wondered why they don't just give us the printers for what they charge for ink.  When I buy an inkjet anymore, I make sure that the printer has large cartridges.

That is actually common in the medical industry.  Doctors and hospitals would balk over buying a multimillion dollar machine, so it is given to them as a "loaner" and the consumable prices are jacked way up.  Some use disposable collection bags that cost about $25 to make, but the company charges $650.  You guessed it, the cost is passed to the patient.

[Bob E.]

We just bought a Kodak printer.  Cartridges are like $10 and seem to last as long as the HP ones we used to buy for $40.