If you own a printer, you probably hate it when the time comes to replace the cartridges.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you the biggest scam in history: Buying ink cartridges and toners,” finance TikTok user Michael Rusli (@michael.rusli) said.
In the viral video that has more than 760,000 views, Rusli shared that he had to print some documents at home, but halfway through that ink started to run out.
What the TikToker remembers about cartridges
Rusli remembers cartridges being about $30 back in the day, so he was taken aback when he saw the price at the store. “$105 just to replace the black ink,” he said.
He was flabbergasted to see that buying the same printer cost $47, so it would be cheaper to buy a whole new machine than a replacement ink cartridge. (Though HP itself has stated that the cartridges in new printers have a smaller amount of ink than a standard cartridge.)
“I might as well just keep buying a new printer at this rate,” Rusli said.
“Printing a document on a home printer is probably one of the worst things that you can ever do in your life,” he said.
Why is printer ink so expensive?
In short, the system is designed that way.
Printer companies sell the actual machines at a loss, knowing that they’ve locked in a customer who now has to continually buy their expensive ink cartridges, PIRG reported.
Consumer Reports estimates that while, for example, the HP Envy 4520 all-in-one printer costs $70, it likely costs close to $120 to make. The HP brand 2-pack black-and-color cartridge will then run you $55 to replace. That means HP makes their money back after the first ink buy, and subsequent purchases are profit.
They liken the original price of a printer to a down payment.
“You’re still expected to make periodic payments over the course of ownership,” Rich Sulin, who leads CR’s printer-testing program, said.
CR theorizes that what you’re actually paying for with those high prices is the research, development, and engineering that went into printer creation.
And it’s not like you can buy generic ink cartridges. Most manufacturers put a chip on their cartridges to discourage or block third-party ink, PIRG reported.
And they do other sneaky things too to keep you hooked on their ink, like blocking other machine functions (like scanning which doesn’t require ink) if your ink is running low and sending premature low ink warnings when there’s still plenty left to use,.
Inkjet vs. laser printer
What’s the difference between inkjet and laser printers? You’re likely most familiar with Inkjet printers. They come in a variety of sizes, including small home-friendly ones, and can handle printing image-heavy documents and color. They’re typically slower, so they’re best for home or light office use.
While the upfront cost to buy one is typically more affordable, the ink is more expensive, can run out quickly (especially when you’re printing images), and can dry up if not used often enough.
Laser printers are typically larger and quicker than their inkjet counterparts. They’re better suited for businesses and offices that need to print at high volumes. Laser printers use powder-based toner instead of ink cartridges. Over time, laser printers tend to be cheaper to operate.
How to get cheaper cartridges
Instead of buying expensive ink cartridges, you can refill the ones you have. This is not only the more environmentally friendly approach, but it also saves money.
Cartridge World estimates that refilling a cartridge is about 50% cheaper than buying a new one.
While there are plenty of tutorials out there showing you how to refill your own cartridges, Cartridge World recommends going to a professional refill company to ensure the ink is high-quality and compatible with your machine so you get the best print quality. Doing it yourself can lead to leaks and clogs that can permanently damage your machine.
Keep in mind that you can only refill a cartridge up to five times, so you’ll eventually have to spend the cash on a new one.
Commenters react
“Buy new printer, return old one in new box, infinite printer glitch,” a top comment read.
“I switched to Epson EcoTank. The ink lasts forever and not as expensive,” a commenter wrote.
“Get your self laser printer for 250 bucks! I never had any ink printer printing for that long as this one does, 4th year now, near quite frequent use, and all the powder still half full!” another shared.
@michael.rusli Someone tell me what they make these ink cartridges with?? At this rate these will replace gold as the new most valuable comodity.
♬ original sound – Wealth By Michael
The Daily Dot reached out to Rusli for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to HP via email.
