Disposable printers.

[dsrtao]

What was once fantasy, then science fiction, then mere prediction, is now true: we are living in the age of the disposable printer.

Just now I saw an ad from a reputable company offering to sell me an HP color inkjet for $30. Oh, and free shipping. Oh, and a $10 gift certificate to an unrelated business. Given that a set of new ink for said printer costs $20 for black or $30 for color... there is no point in buying more ink when it runs out. Just get a new printer for the same price.

Printer manufacturers ought to lease their printers to consumers on a price-per-page model. If the printer breaks, send a new one for shipping cost. Every year offer the option of replacing your current one with the new model for free, or upgrade to a higher-end printer for a one-time-cost. That way they could build recurring revenue and customer loyalty, and ensure proper (and probably cost-effective) recycling of the components.

Comments

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

My old Dell "all in one" was disposable. They gave it to me free with the computer, and then proceeded to overcharge miserably for ink. Which only they sell.

(ObTech: in the 60s, IBM had their ass beaten in court for making systems that third parties could not sell products for. They relented. With the DMCA, you put a little software encryption in the ink cartridge - and no one can sell compatible ink for it. So clever, those weasels.)

Recently, I dumped the "free printer" (which anyone can have, if they wish) and bought a decent, reliable, third party printer which prints twice the pages for half the price in ink, and which will work forever. Plus it has a few better features - like OCR software, and a feed table for up to 10 pages.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

It's worth noting that the new ink carts that come with many printers these days don't actually hold that much ink… enough to get you started and then you need to buy full carts.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

You'll be happy to know that in Shadowrun 4th ed, printers are sold as a 8" tall can of rolled-up paper with a slit on the side; the slit is the printer, and when you're done making hardcopy you throw the now-empty can away.