Being green/recycling lark is wrong!

[map]

Ok, forgive me if this sounds like a rant, there is a valid point somewhere!

Had to get some new ink cartridges for the daughter's printer/scanner/copier thing (Canon MP220 FWIW). Colour and B/W needed.

So, as I was in Tesco I had a look. Canon original came top about £45. After I had regained the ability to breath I looked at the Tesco brand equivalents, came out at about £30. The tightness I'd felt in my chest relaxed a little. So, decided to buy those instead.

On way to pay daughter picked up the Tesco Direct catalogue. Looked up printers, page 5 hundred and something. So, then I find a new MP220 costs around £30.

What is the point in making the ink as, if not more, expensive than the actual printer? I may as well have just bought a printer rather than the cartridges*. How does that make sense? It's just more printers into land fill isn't it? At least I thought the ink cartridges could be reused/recycled.

Ok, rant/point over!




* yes, I do know the cartridges that come with the printer are smaller than the replacements. However, as it's taken nearly a year for her to use the original ones it's not much of a trade-off.
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[Hetzer]

A couple of years ago I was chatting with the manager at Staples and he was telling me about a weird time they'd been having where a certain brand & model of printer was selling like hotcakes. It was due to the cartridges costing twice as much as the printer that had the same cartridges pre-installed in it. So people were binning the £22 printer and buying a new one instead of paying £55 for the set of cartridges. Or something along those lines.

A couple of years ago, when the new chipped cartridges were hitting the shelves, the major companies were under investigation for price-fixing/collusion. It's bloody obvious the cartidges are a total rip-off, with the printers themselves being sold at a loss as a means to extract huge sums of money for replacement cartridges. Yet nothing is done about it.

The only solution is to buy clones. Still not cheap, but at least the branded companies aren't getting the money.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[MattHirst]

I'm pretty sure Cartridge World do a trade-in service. You take in your empty/knackered ones and they give you money off their own brand ones.

Considering their own brand ones are refills anyway, they are even cheaper than new (none genuine) ones

Been a while since i bought some mind you, i just use works printers
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It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, then it's bloody hilarious!!!

[panrider_uk]

You could also get the empty cartridges refilled or, for those that do a lot of printing, use a bulk ink system that's refilled from bottles of ink.

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[map]

[Paulington]

Don't have a colour printer in my house, never needed one.

We just have a gigantic ass fax/scan/copier for my Dad's business which uses a toner which lasts for ages.
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"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[Feasty]

A couple of years ago I did a thorough 'investigation' into this before buying my current printer. I was really shocked at the catridge prices for most printers, it's already been said above that you would have almost been better off just replacing printers constantly instead.
Anyway, I ended up buying a colour Canon printer that uses cheaper black and colour catridges than most other printers. The majority of cartidges I came across cost about £12-£15 or more, whereas for this printer they only cost £4-£6 each. On top of that I found an Ebay seller selling these cartidges even cheaper and I ended up buying 40+ catridges for about £30-£40. I've still got about 5 cartidges left nearly 2 years later.

I think the lesson is to do your homework first...
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[The Artist]

https://www.geekologie.com/2010/01/01/ink-price.jpg

There was one comparing it to scorpion venom and other various expensive liquids and it still came out bloody expensive.

[Mark65]

Cheap catridges, i use SVP or Bigpockets, never had a problem with any of the copy ones ive bought.

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[Flip]

I know a few people that buy printers instead of cartridges because it's cheaper.

www.play.com sell ink at an OK price, Map.

[map]

[ms51ves3]

[UnknownStuntm...]

[ms51ves3]

[cagiva gezzer]

I was always led to believe that the cartridges which come with printers were smaller capacity ones than what you get when buying replacement ones?
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[LeeR]

Map, try Pricestorm or HelpDeskIT, personally I prefer HelpDeskIT.
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My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[Tonka]

Map - I did exactly the same thing about two weeks ago. I only needed the black cartridge, but a couple of the colours were getting low, so I thought I'd buy the full set and did some research!

Ended up at Tesco and justified the purchase by topping up with some other bits like pet food to get the total to £50 and qualify for the 5p a litre off fuel voucher (worth £2.75 to me). Also, got my points. If you add that on too, it makes it a little more pallatable.

I had a similar thing with a part for the juicer - £25 for the part yet I could buy a new juicer for £30 with a year guarantee. It's one of my biggest bugbears {sp}. When the real 'green issues' are tackled I'll start taking notice in the meantime I'll continue to be cynical and think it's all a big scam! Happy to be sensible reference green stuff recycling and that, but the 'new' car etc is a massive consumer rip off IMHO.
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)