Have you ever wondered how the top computer companies could justify selling their printers for roughly the same price as three of their cartridges of ink? For those good in math, a quick breakdown of the costs of printer ink will show that drop for drop it is more expensive than coffee, oil, or even gold. The price is so high, in fact, that one ounce of ink is the most expensive commodity in America at this time. How can that be, you ask? That makes absolutely no sense.

The truth is, printer companies realized a few decades back that the average household would only require the purchase of a new printer once ever ten to fifteen years. To meet long term projections they set prices of their product around the $200-$250 range back in the mid eighties, and very few homes invested in printers because there was no inherent value. The typewriter was still the method of choice to prepare documents at home, and every drugstore in town made photocopies for two cents each. While many did invest in a personal computer, the cost of a printer simply did not make sense.

Since that strategy did not work, the printer companies had to come up with a different way to meet their annual projections while expanding their customer base. The first adjustment was to make budget printers that only lasted for a few years, printed in very poor quality, and were generally pieces of junk; the consumers saw right through this though and refused to buy. As time passed someone finally came up with the idea to sell a fantastic, high speed printer at or below cost but charge an arm and a leg for replacement ink cartridges. After almost instant success, every major printing company followed suit and that brings us right up to today.

It is important to realize that ink is not an expensive commodity; it’s like buying a five cent Pepsi out of an old-timey vending machine and then realizing there is no bottle cap opener around to pop the cap off with. A company named 4inkjets explained the concept even further by explaining that the printing companies generally use inexpensive ink that is quick to smudge or fade, but they also possess patents on their ink dispensers so they can not receive direct competition on their own products. This was actually a brilliant move by big business because not only did it keep their profits high on selling ink refills, but consumers were also more likely to purchase new printers more often once they realized that buying two cartridges of ink or an entire printer were only a nominal difference in cost. Since the ink cartridges only cost them a few dollars each to make, they could care less whether you purchased a new printer or more ink refills…they were making an astronomical profit either way.

4inkjets outsmarted them at their own game though, because instead of trying to create the big companies cartridges and risking a lawsuit, instead they learned how to clean and refill old cartridges to make them like new again. Since the ink itself is ridiculously cheap this process did not cost them much to accomplish, and their finished product can sometimes be as much as 70% less than retail prices. Even better, look for coupons for additional discounts for 4inkjets products. Customers can also order multiple cartridges at a time to stock up and receive additional discounts, and I for one am proud to say that I am a 4inkjets customer that no longer lets big business rip me off with outrageous prices and cheap quality. Until big business wakes up and realizes that Americans are not ones to be taken advantage of, 4inkjets is our best bet for all printer cartridge needs.

Author Bio: Sok has been helping every day people save money since 2001. Tip: Get more savings for inkjet cartridges with 4inkjets Coupons from CouponShack.com

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: inkjet cartridges,printing