Why is it Cheaper to Buy a New Printer Than the Ink?

Printer ink costs over seven times more than Dom Perignon vintage champagne per millilitre.

Uber Humor

Last fall I bought a new wireless printer for $50 (on sale) and I’ve been very happy with it. I don’t print often so the ink generally lasts quite a long time. As the ink is now running low I’ve started pricing ink for this printer which takes 5 cartridges. I checked at a few big box stores that in the past have had the best prices. Believe it or not the best prices on the ink still came in at $70+! Do you realize how insane it is for it to be cheaper to buy a new printer than replacement cartridges???

Suddenly a light bulb went off and I went to Amazon. I know that everyone under the age of 30 or even 40 would have immediately gone to Amazon, but being an old fart at the ripe old age of 62, I still think of bricks and mortar first. Needless to say I was stunned to discover that Amazon had a line of compatibles (brand new and with 5 star reviews) for $15.99 for a 5-cartridge pack plus shipping or $29.50 for 2 5-cartridge packs with shipping included. I am my father’s daughter and I can’t resist a bargain so I ordered the 2 5-cartridge packs for $29.50, shipping included.

I’ve always heard that companies manufacture the printers just to sell the ink but I’ve never actually seen proof of it before. The moral of the story is buy compatibles and follow the lead of the young people who understand the virtues of buying online. Whoever said that old dogs can’t learn new tricks was wrong. This old dog is constantly learning new tricks.

You want to print black and white? That’s too bad. You’re out of yellow.

Webfail.com

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Does Plug and Play Exist Anymore?

Don't explain computers to laymen. Simpler to explain sex to a virgin.
Robert A. Heinlein

The more sophisticated the device, the more migraine producing it is to install. It seems that the good old days of plug and play are gone.

I recently bought a Canon wireless printer. My previous printers, all Canons because the ink is cheap, were plug and play, and I had no reason to believe that this one would be any different. Boy was I wrong! I took the printer out of the box and found that there were now 5 ink cartridges; the previous printer had 2. Still, I had no reason to believe that this would be anything but simple. I installed the ink cartridges, attached the power source and plugged in the printer. Lo and behold it was on, but now the games began.

The printer came with an instructional CD. However, the CD didn’t work so I went directly to the manufacturer’s website. As this is a wireless printer I had to get the computer to speak to my wireless router. As first dates go, this one was a disaster. The printer and router clearly didn’t like each other, so I had to use an alternate method of connecting to the router. The alternate method was quite time consuming. In fact it took more than an hour. At the end of the day, the printer prints.

I long for the days of plug and play when I don’t have to spend a good part of my Saturday afternoon doing battle with technology. Yet, technology will continue to move forward and as each generation of computer and computer related product becomes more sophisticated, they will also become increasingly difficult to install. The only advice I can give you is to stock up on headache medication.

Buying the right computer and getting it to work properly is no more complicated than building a nuclear reactor from wristwatch parts in a darkened room using only your teeth.
Dave Barry

Make someone smile today.

Geri