Reading on Choice about home printers I wanted to add a comment, but couldn’t find it on the list so opened a new subject. I needed a new Scanner, but had to choose what is on the shelf, got a Scanner/Printer/Copier. The Scanner would never work, my computer man couldn’t get it to work. Computer getting old, thought that the problem, got a new computer, but still the scanner wouldn’t work with it. I have been buying a bulk package of colours which works out cheaper, but if one empties before the others, it will no longer print anything. I will buy one colour at a time, until I have used up my supply, then trash the item. A complete waste of money & yes it is the inks that are the big cost. I bought a Flatbed scanner, not on the shelf, I ordered from the catalogue, it is so easy to use. My daughter did say, if she wants some colour printing done it is cheaper to take it to Office Works & get printed, which is what I shall do in future. A complete waste of money for the item & for the colours.
I 100% agree with you regarding the cost of ink replacement cartridges- more precisely colour cartridges that seem to run out of ink very quickly.
Discussions about this pop up here & there with family or friends and most have at some point concluded it would be more cost effective to just go buy a whole new unit for $30-$40 instead of replacement ink.
There is an old topic devoted to the costs of ink.
I buy compatible inks, about $25 for a set of 4 “XL’s”. We do not print much; our printer also does routine cleaning cycles to keep the head from clogging but they last a year or more. Those manufacturers that make firmware that refuse compatibles or play games with them in operation will never get my business so long as there is even one manufacturer that does not.
Many included carts are ‘promotional’ not ‘full’ and print a limited number of pages while some are ‘full carts’. Cheap printers also use much more ink but that can suit some users who don’t print much and as you wrote, find it economically reasonable to use them.
That’s exactly what I did.
I dumped my wireless multifunction inkjet printer scanner and printer. It was using up far too much colour ink to print basic black/greyscale documents. Replaced it with a wireless monolaser printer and flatbed scanner, so much cheaper to run. Haven’t been to my local Officeworks to do any colour printing in a long time.
Take home message here is: some of those colour inkjet printers will use colour ink to print black and if any of the cartridges are empty and there’s plenty of black ink they still will not print until you get a full set of cartridges that contain ink.
