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Thread: Printer and Ink Costs

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Posts
    444

    Printer and Ink Costs

    I feel the need to vent. My Epson 777 is just about out of ink. To buy a Black and a Colour cartridge for this printer it costs $70. To buy a new R200 with 6 ink cartridges costs $99. The last time I was face with a decision like this it was with a cordless drill. My battery died. The cost of a new battery was $20 less than a new more powerful drill with two batteries and a charger.

    Does anyone else find this frustrating?

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    1,794

    Printer and Ink Costs

    They're giving the printers away more or less. The idea is sell you the printer and make the money on the ink. Same old razor and blade idea. Too bad for Epson people aren't buying ink.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Posts
    444

    Printer and Ink Costs

    And we can fill a landfill with working printers because it makes more sense to buy a new printer than ink.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    61

    Printer and Ink Costs

    Hello: Look into MIS inks and refillable cartridges or continous flow systems. Restricts your choice of printers.
    yours
    Frank Johnston

  5. #5

    Printer and Ink Costs

    To make the same number of prints, you can buy an Epson 2200 for $600 and pay $2000 for ink, or you can buy an Epson 4000 for $2000 and pay $600 for ink.

    It's like Vegas - the house always wins.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    1,219

    Printer and Ink Costs

    Fanscisco,

    Can you elaborate on that? The ink cartridges for the Epson 4000 are very expensive. How long can they be expected to last provided you do a moderate amount of printing?

  7. #7

    Printer and Ink Costs

    You can buy 220ml cartridges for the Epson 4000/7600/9600 at www.lexjet.com for $82 apiece. That works out to $0.41/ml.

    Cartridges for the 2200 hold 11ml per cartridge, and cost 8.90 at www.atlex.com
    That works out to $0.81/ml, roughly twice the cost.

    So if you buy a 2200, and pay 700 bucks for it, you get the printer and 77ml of ink for $700

    If you buy a 4000, it comes with 110ml ink carts. For $1795, you get the printer and 880ml of ink for that price.

    Now, add in the ink to the 2200 purchase so that you're getting the same amount of ink. You'll need 880-77=873 ml of ink. Buy that ink in those little 11ml carts, and you're paying $0.81/ml, that works out to $707. So the total cost for the 2200 and ink is roughly $1400.

    So for about $300 more, you get a printer with a wider carriage, much faster printing. The 4000 is really a nice machine.

    And when you buy the next round of ink, you'll be happy, as well. Buy 220ml cartridges for the 4000. One complete set of 7 cartridges (assuming you're using either matte black or photo black but not both) costs $82*7=$574. The same amount of ink for the 2200 would be 140 cartridges, and would cost $1246. So after one round of large ink cartridges, you're ahead by way more than the cost of the larger, faster printer.

    Running my 9600, my observed ink costs using 220ml cartridges seem to be running about $0.75/square foot of image. You can use that figure as an approximation to see how many prints of whatever size you like you'd get from various size ink cartridges.

    -Paul (www.butzi.net)

  8. #8

    Printer and Ink Costs

    Ok, I see my memory for current printer prices is off a bit. It looks like roughly $1500 for a 4000, and $600 for the 2200.

    The breakover point shifts a bit but the conclusion remains the same.

    -Paul (www.butzi.net)

  9. #9

    Printer and Ink Costs

    Paul, Thanks fir the insite. This is the first time I have regreted getting a 2200. LOL John

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Posts
    1,094

    Printer and Ink Costs

    Just another reason why I'm content to go into the dark to make my prints -- much cheaper, and in my opinion, more satisfying.

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