According to IDC's Keith Kmetz, there are numerous reasons underlying increases in toner prices. The weak worldwide economy, environmental concerns, and the rise of paperless alternatives such as smartphones and tablets, have contributed to a drop in the overall number of pages being printed. In response, some vendors have increased their cartridge prices in hopes of generating greater profit margins and revenue out of the pages that are being printed.

Retail prices have seen the most upward pressure, notes IDC. Another macroeconomic factor is currency: The stronger Japanese yen and the weaker U.S. dollar have affected the many Japan-based printer vendors. In addition, IDC points out that costs for cartridge raw materials and for transport are increasing.

As I said when I examined in May, the vendors with the largest inkjet market share--namely HP and Canon--have tended to be more stable in their pricing of consumables. The same seems to hold true for the largest monochrome laser printer vendors: The biggest ones--Dell, HP, and Lexmark--may rely on their strong customer bases to bolster their bottom line, even in hard times. , for instance, even as the company recently chose to discontinue its faltering inkjet business.

The monochrome laser printer is still the most economical printer choice around, if only because it's simple and straightforward. You may find greater cost stability if you stick with the market leaders, because they're better equipped to weather rough economic times.