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What's Cheaper: Replacement Ink, or a New Printer?

19.12.2009
With inkjet printer prices so low, and inkjet replacement cartridge prices so high, is it cheaper to replace your printer instead of buying new ink? That's the debate sparked at Digg's tech page when a user posted to the cost of brand name replacement cartridges. The Digg user's conclusion: It is cheaper to buy a new inexpensive printer for the free ink cartridges included in box instead of buying brand name replacement cartridges that can be very expensive.

This hypothesis was just too tempting not to look into. Could it really be cheaper? I decided to put on my very novice myth busting hat and find out.

Reality Check

The idea of buying a new printer every time I needed to buy new ink had never occurred to me, probably because it was so impractical and wasteful. But I have to admit it is an interesting concept.

Inkjet printers require one black and one color cartridge to work, and buying brand name replacements for both can cost $40 to $60. But it's relatively easy to find an adequate printer -- one that comes with free ink in the box with the purchase -- for less than that price. So, when faced with spending $50 on ink, it seems economical (NOT environmental) to just pick up a second, third, or fourth backup printer instead. When one printer's ink dries up, throw it away and break out the new printer. I'm going to unofficially call this practice the Earth Killer Method of replacing your inkjet cartridges.

Starter Cartridge Gotcha