Printer Ink: Printer Manufacturers Cash Cow?

By now, many of you have had to by a printer and subsequently printer ink. A quick search of a common office supply website lists their cheapest ink jet printer at $69.99, and the refill ink cost is a total of $58 for three cartridges. (www.staples.com) Clearly, for a few dollars more, one can get a new printer and the ink that comes with it. This mentality is costing us our environment. Research has shown that ink manufacturers earn about "75% profits on the sale of ink cartridges, earning them $32 billion worldwide." (Graham) This essay will discuss five ways of thinking by consumers in America.

The first thought is to buy new cartridges. Depending on the initial cost of your printer, this could cost just as much, if not more than the machine itself. For some, though, it's the reality of owning a piece of equipment, similar to buying coffee filters for your coffee pot, or toothpaste for your toothbrush. I realize these analogies are quite distorted, however, that's the reality of owning something. The cost of a brand name ink cartridge is anywhere from $15 to $30 depending on the model number of the cartridge, and the color or black option. There is maintenance and upkeep involved. Each year, "almost 700 million" cartridges are thrown out instead of recycling. (Eco Green Office) In 2007, Eastman Kodak announced that they would sell photo inkjet printers with cheaper ink. Kodak's marketing director Bob Ohlweiler states that "consumers aren't printing as much as they could, because home printing is so expensive, and the quality isn't as good as the lab." (Graham) However, Epson Vice President Keith Kratzberg says, "selling lower priced ink doesn't sound like much to go on. Kodak will have to exceed our level of quality, which won't be easy." (Graham)

The next thought is to buy a remanufactured cartridge. Typically the remanufactured cartridges are recycled new printer cartridges. They are sent to a remanufacture facility where "used cartridges are first disassembled and the parts inspected. Worn or defective parts are replaced, and the cartridge is cleaned, refilled, and reassembled." (Remanufactured Toner Cartridges in Alameda County) These cartridges are refilled with Original Manufacturer Equivalent ink. The costs of a remanufactured cartridge vary from $7 to $55 depending on the model number and whether the cartridge contains black ink or color ink. One down-side to remanufactured cartridges is the fact that once they are remanufactured, they sometimes loose the connectivity with the printer. That is to say those new cartridges contain a chip that talks to your computer to let you know how much usable ink is left in the cartridge. Remanufactured cartridges may or may not talk to the computer to let you know the quantity of ink left.

"In 1997, the US EPA stated that remanufactured products are 'as good as new' in its publication, WasteWise." (Eco Green Office) The thought process of a consumer who wants to buy a remanufactured cartridge has to include something about the warranty. Everyone has heard that using a remanufactured cartridge will void the printer warranty, and this is simply not true. Using a remanufactured cartridge in your printer that is still within the warranty will not void the warranty, because the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 is in place. The Hewlett Packard Printer Warranty Statement states "For HP Printer products, the use of a non-HP ink cartridge or a refilled ink cartridge does not affect either the warranty to the customer or any HP Support Contract with the customer." (Eco Green Office) When buying a remanufactured cartridge, look out for warranty information on the cartridge. This is important if for some reason, the cartridge leaks and damages your printer.

A recent court case in Japan, Canon v. Recycle Assist (IP High Ct., Jan. 31, 2006) held that Recycle Assist infringed on Canon's patent by changing the essential elements of the ink cartridge. Recycle Assist is a remanufacturing company who asserted the claim that "Canon's patent rights were exhausted by the sale of cartridges to consumers." (Tobias 775-803) This is bad news for cartridge re-manufacturers in Japan. The availability of recycled and remanufactured cartridges not only benefits the consumer by providing low cost ink with which to print, but also the environment. In my opinion, the Japanese court will need to revisit this soon, as remanufactured cartridges are a lower-cost alternative.

The next option is to refill the ink cartridge. There are plenty of refill kits on the market today, and even some drug stores are getting in on the ink cartridge money. Walgreens drug store chain has some locations that will refill cartridges for select printers. The cost is ten dollars for black ink and fifteen for color ink. They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and the discount is substantial. If you choose to refill the ink at home, these kits cost anywhere from fifteen to twenty dollars. I am unsure how many refills you will obtain with the refill kit. Ink refill kits, typically come with an ink well, and a syringe that you use to fill up the empty cartridge. The kits can be messy, if you don't follow directions, and they "can damage your printer if you make a mistake." (Goldsborough 7) I have tried the refill kit, and to be honest, have spilled ink everywhere on the inside of the printer. It was so bad; I had to buy a new printer, which came with full ink cartridges.

Some people simply buy a new printer, as I suggested in the opening of this essay. I do not encourage this option at all. When the ink runs out of all cartridges, the cost of a new printer (with full ink cartridges) is pretty close to the cost of just the ink cartridges. These people have no regard for our environment, and they don't even know that. The land fills are getting full of electronics that emit horrible toxins into our air mostly because they are incinerated first. "When electronic products are incinerated or land filled, they can release heavy metals and other hazardous substances that contaminate groundwater and pollute the air." (Health Care Without Harm) Our local recycling agency has a continuous recycling program for household electronics, of which printers are included! They do not recycle from businesses, and you have to complete a resident certification form, but they will take your item for proper disposal. The best part is, there is no charge for collection. You do have to transport your items to the collection center, but that's a small price to pay for proper disposal.

There are also reputable recycling companies that will accept your old cartridges. Planet Green will actually PAY you for your cartridges. They have nine ink cartridge types that will pay out $4 per cartridge. They will also pay for laser toner cartridges and cell phones. Planet Green will send you a free collection box and if you email them, they will send you a free FED EX prepaid label for shipping the cartridges back to them. There are fundraising options for individuals, schools, organizations and religious groups. The minimum number of ink cartridges that they will accept is 20, so make sure that you read the fine print of the recycling company you choose to go with.

The final option is to go completely paperless. This will eliminate the need for a printer and subsequently, the ink cartridges. The ultimate goal is to be paperless, more and more offices are switching to computer servers to house their files. I, personally, haven't printed anything at home in months. Most assignments I can email to the proper person, and I actually haven't bought postage stamps or envelopes in years also. I have completely eliminated the need for the US Postal service simply by not having to mail out checks. Any bills that I have received get scanned into my computer and shredded. Most offices follow that scenario also. Scanning and shredding any incoming documents. The medical office I used to work at, switched to a paperless system just as I was leaving. The hours it took to get it all set up was well worth it to not have paper floating around. This eliminated the cost for printing materials, including paper and toner cartridges. I think this is the number one goal for all companies and consumers to achieve. It is not only better for the environment, but better on the wallets of consumers.

As you can see, there are several options for your printing needs. I feel that a paperless system is the way to go, however there are people who will disagree. To those people I point out that a gallon of printer ink equates to "about $8,000 per gallon." (Said F1) If I was to fill up my gas tank with printer ink, it would cost me $137,000 per fill up. I don't know about you, but that's way too rich for my blood. Printer manufacturers are raking in the money each year, to the tune of $32 billion, and that's just in ink cartridges. Is this the newest cash cow?

Works Cited

Goldsborough, Reid. "Saving Money When You Print." Tech Directions MAY 2006: 7.

Graham, Jefferson. Kodak plans to sell inkjet printers with cheaper ink." USA Today 06 FEB 2007

"Electronics: The Issue." Health Care Without Harm. April 2008 .

Planet Green

"Remanufactured Toner Cartridges in Alameda County." MAY 2004. .

Said, Carolyn. Ink Inc.." San Francisco Chronicle 26 JULY 2004: F1.

"The Truth Behind the Remanufactured Print Cartridge Effort." Eco Green Office. 2007. 13 May 2008 .

Tobias, Scott. "No Refills: The Intellectual Property High Court Decision in Canon v. Recycle Assist Will Negatively Impact the Printer Ink Cartridge Industry in Japan." Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal 16(2007): 775-803.