[SML] OT: Printer Ink

[NODEraser]

On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 8:50 AM, Dorian Kelly via Stagecraft
<stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
>
> Just to add to Nigel"s comment, in the uk one ink reseller actually gives away laser printers ( usually last year or older models) completely free in exchange for buying two sets of original toners, but then is happy to sell you refills thereafter at a good price. It works put cheap per page over a few thou pages
>

Xerox used to do this with their Phaser series of Solid Ink printers,
I think you had to sign a contract for 6-12 months or so of a
"subscription" type supply delivery, the exact quantity and total cost
of which depended on the printer model but was still less than MSRP.

I use refilled cartridges all the time, though I will only go
super-cheap on black because I've had some mismatched colors over the
years--though I will still buy color from more reputable dealers. If
your printer has a method of bypassing the check for third-party or
expired cartridges (many do, even though they threaten nasty things if
you don't use current and genuine cartridges--Google it if you can't
figure it out) you can also find some savings with eBay or other
sources that sell genuine but "expired" cartridges. So long as they've
been sealed and not subjected to extreme temperatures, there's
absolutely no reason ink should have an expiration date.

And, there are still printers that don't even have chips onboard; my
Brother uses 4 separate tank-type cartridges (CMYK) that contain no
chip, and use a rudimentary visual ink level check. Though unreliable,
it's easy to bypass with a piece of e-tape, which squeezes A LOT more
pages from each cartridge.

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[Greg Bennett]
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