By Chris Daly
In the book I am finishing about the history of journalism, I try to pay a lot of attention to the business models used over the centuries — beginning with the hand-powered printing of the Colonial era.
Along the way, I have had to figure out the mechanisms (and consequences) of several phases of the printing business. But now I am stumped.
Here is the craziest economic action I have taken in a long time:
We have an all-in-one printer at home, an HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer. Recently, it told us that something called the “Black/Yellow Printhead” had failed. Pain in the ass.
So, I figured I would replace it. Not so easy. I went to Staples — no go. They don’t stock them.
I went on-line, to the HP site. Then things got really weird.
I eventually found the item I need.
Then, I thought, while I’m here, I should probably get some more black ink, since we are always running out of it. I found that item, then noticed that if I bought the super-duper black ink cartridge, it would print a lot more pages. Done. Here’s the bill:
Order summary |
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| Item description | Product # | Qty. | Unit Price |
Your extended price |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HP 940 Black and Yellow Officejet Printhead
|
C4900A | 1 | $59.99 | $59.99 | |
HP 940XL Black Officejet Ink Cartridge
|
C4906AN#140 | 1 | $35.99 | $35.99 | |
| Order subtotal | $95.98 | |
| Shipping (Next Business Day) |
FREE | |
| MA Tax | $6.00 |
| Grand total | $101.98 |
Yikes! A hundred bucks for two little pieces of plastic that everybody has to replace all the time?!?!
Then, I had another thought: How much does a new printer cost?
Here’s the answer:
HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer |
3.3 out of 5 stars (74 reviews)
- • Up to 50% lower cost/color page, 50% less energy use than a laser printer###
• Super fast: up to 36 pages/min black, 35 color##
• Automatic two-sided printing
• Network ready
Price: 149.99*
Price after savings: $69.99*
You save: $80.00 (53.3%)**
 |
 |
Save $80 with instant rebate |
| Printer cable sold separately |
| In stock: Can ship within 24 hours. See details.
============================================ In OTHER WORDS. . . IT WOULD BE A LOT CHEAPER TO BUY A NEW PRINTER. DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE TO ANYONE? CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THIS?
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Prof Chris Daly's Blog 