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 |
|||||
| 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 
No wonder the landfills are quickly filling up. As good stewards of our planet the responsible action would be to buy the part and the ink. For many families this is not a good action for their budgets. Life continues to offer difficult choices.
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Out tech guy says that new printers ink cartridges are just filled 10%
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I used to have a good ink jet HP that served me well for one year but then the ink ran out and I figured out it more economically sound to buy a new printer than by additional ink for my printer!? It seem the manufacturers, and it doesn’t matter which one, are making the prices for parts so high that you are forced to replace your printer at least every two years. Now I have a laser jet that will print close to two thousand before needing to rep;ace the toner.
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