Posted on 08/04/2015 7:25:55 PM PDT by Swordmaker
The new EcoTank printers cost more up front but can churn for years without running dry
Epson's new printers change the ink-onomics of your home office. WSJ's Wilson Rothman explains why paying more will make your ink-cartridge hassles disappear.
It was after midnight, and I was facing a ticking-clock real estate transaction. All I had to do was print 15 pages of black-and-white contract, sign it and fax it back. Only halfway through, my printer ran out of ink—magenta ink! Thus began a chain reaction culminating in my nearly throwing the printer out the window. I ended up at Kinko’s.
We all have a printer story. They run out of ink at the worst possible time, or worse, nag us about running low on ink when there’s plenty left. So how much would you pay for a printer that doesn’t run out?
Epson, the maker of my nightmare printer, has finally put an end to the horror of ink cartridges, at least for people willing to throw cash at the problem up front. The five new EcoTank series printers look like normal models, only they have containers on their sides that hold gobs and gobs of ink. How much? Years’ worth. Enough that your children—or at least mine—could go on a two-hour coloring-page-printing bender and you wouldn’t even notice.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Sweet. Ink is such a ripoff.
As I type this I’m waiting for my “off brand refills” from Amazon for my Epson 837. I’d not touch Epson but they are the only printers I can find at a reasonable price that will print directly on to printable CD’s and DVD’s. I was printing up 60 when I ran out of ink. And when it runs out, your done until you get more ink.
CARTRIDGELESS INK JET PRINTERS are coming! BIG improvement
Ping!
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I’ve learned to keep extra cartridges on hand at all times but it’s really expensive. This looks interesting.
Sometimes though I've bought a new printer on sale instead of going through the fill hassle. I own a LOT of printers.
This will be of interest to your lists. . .
I won't buy ink jet printers because it irks me to pay exorbitant prices for a quarter ounce of ink. . . I've been buying color laser printers for years. This may change that.
LASER PRINTER is the way to go!!!
You can usually find black and white laser printers on sale for $50 by a reputable brand such as Samsung, HP, Brother. I have one by HP and it works great. A refill toner cartridge was $14 incl shipping from ebay.
I have an inkjet that is used only for color printing a few times a year. Put scotch tape over the cartridge to preserve the ink from drying up. Over the area the ink jets out of
WSJ’s Wilson Rothman explains why paying more will make your ink-cartridge hassles disappear.
...
No it won’t. The heads will still clog if they aren’t used often enough. I switched to laser when they became affordable and won’t go back.
“I’ve been filling my own cartridges for at least a decade in spite of the printer companies attempts to intervene.”
How do you get past the printer needing a new cartridge ID registered to kill the “low ink” message?
I never had much luck with inkjets. After a while, they would quit recognizing even new cartridges. They would clog. When that happened, it seemed to signal their demise.
About 2004 I found a home laser printer for $200. It lasted until I went Win7 and drivers were not available.
About 7 years ago I found a color laser Xerox for $150 on a CyberMonday sale. It still works great. Since I do not print very most at home, it does not dry out, etc. It is still using the original cartridges.
Go laser. Inkjets are not worth the hassle. Laser printers can be found for around $50 for b/w and under $200 for color.
It has always amazed me that sometimes a NEW printer was cheaper than buying the ink for an older model! Ridiculous. I know of some home users who have a dozen older ink jet printers in their garage, dead, because the ink jet makers turn out junk printers for the purpose of selling ink cartridges. They use the old Kodak camera approach. Sell the camera/printer cheap, lock the customer into their products, and make money on the film/ink for lots more than it costs to make.
So did I. . . but this almost makes me think about switching back.
What took them so long?
Worked in manufacturing, this place had a Brother 3/1. EVERY time you turned it on, it printed a ‘test’ page that burned through the color inks, and the cartridges were tiny. And, like the article, it stops immediately upon detecting an empty ink cartridge. That was 15 years back, and I STILL get pissed thinking how that miserable POS would quit when I needed it to be quick at kicking out BOL’s, etc., for my shipping paperwork. RRRRRRR... ;)
But, and it's a big but, try to find this in the States. I've done some searches but have not found one yet.
The printers are $400 to $500. . . not the $99 junk that fails quickly.
You know what’s also a rip-off? Cell phone batteries. I KNOW technology exists that can create a dual-core or quad-core cell phone battery that can last for 30 days. Sick of this re-charging crap every 2 hrs.
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