Why Does Printer Ink Cost More than Cocaine?
Top reasons given by those that sell ink:
- Research and development costs are huge
- They sell printers at a loss. HP claims that a printer it sells for $70 costs it $120 to manufacture, so it needs to recoup costs and make a profit from the ink.
- Consumers are accused of wasting ink by doing unnecessary maintenance (like cleaning print heads)
Actual Reason
Because they can - using various unethical tactics:
- Causing printer maintenance cycles to use half of every cartridge
- Disabling your ability to use the scanning features of your all-in-one device if you let your ink get low
- Premature low ink warnings
- Blocking access to third-party cartridges
- Preventing the refilling of cartridges
Why Is Printer Ink So Expensive? - Consumer Reports
Why Printer Ink Can Be More Expensive Than the Printer Itself - Business Insider
How printers keep us hooked on expensive ink
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