A Tech Beat Correction?
I always try to check out the Tech Beat column in the Times- Standard each Tuesday. Today's column was on laser vs. ink- jet printers. I don't know that much about printers, but the following seems like either a mistake, or a miscommunication:
Cost of Media: You can't run an inkjet without the color cartridges.
Hmmm...I do. Of course, I'm still using the old Canon BJC-210 that came with the first computer I bought around ten years ago. Have they changed over the years, or is he saying that most people are going to need to do color work?
The author is correct that the cartidges are quite expensive and, if you use the color cartridges for black and white jobs, they do go quite fast as the printer needs to mix all three colors to make black ink. I found that out early on and might still be using the color cartridges had not one of the sales guys at Staples straightened me out.
It's much less expensive to just by a black ink cartridge. Not only are they much cheaper than color cartridges, they seem to last forever. Then again, I don't use my printer all that much.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 10:57 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
FYI, all of these Tech Beat articles are archived on the www.RedwoodTech.org newsletter page. Some of them are quite informative and good to know they're around for reference. A sort of local Wikipedia !!
Chris Crawford
My old Epson used to work with just the black. the news ones don't. One of the 4 or 6 cartridges is out and the whole thing stops. I buy the knock off cartridges on ebay for pennies on the Staples dollar. Highly recommended.
So, the new ones (or at least some of them) do need color cartridges. What a rip. Kind of along the line of "planned obselesence": You want to sell the expensive cartridges so make it so the machines won't take the cheap ones. Creeps.
Thanks for the heads up. I guess I'll stick with the ol' BJC- 210. I can use black ink cartridges in it and they're only like $10.00, at least last time I bought some, and I've been using the one I have in there now for at least a couple years.
Good thing I have a bunch of extra cartridges now. I'll have to check and see if they even offer black ink cartridges for my printer anymore. Wouldn't surprise me if they stopped making them.
yeah, they can give the printers away for free and make money on the paper and ink cartridges.
They're unbelievably expensive at Staples, and even at Costco $12-$25. But they're $3 and $5 on ebay... sometimes if you buy enough the shipping is free. I haven't noticed any difference in the lonbevity or quality the times I have run out and been forced to buy at Staples.
I have two right now, one is a cheap scanner/printer that uses 4 cartridges, and another Epson printer that uses six cartridges. The six cartridges print richer color, which you would expect
What I miss is my old Agfa scanner. the new ones aren't half as good, at least the Epson I have now isn't.
What's funny is my kids - are horrified at the idea that you wouldn't have a color printer, or god forbid, you had a black an white monitor!
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