The Truth About Printer Ink.

[Geek-9pm]

I want to know.

Why is original ink for my HP 6500 so expensive?
Why don't the cheap ink cartridges work the same?

OK, money is involved. But I mean what really is the difference.
Is it really the quantity of the Ink? I don't believe that. But I am not sure why.

 Tell me why I don't believe the higher price ink is better. 

(Using Google can't find a credible answer less that five years old. Is said topic a dead issue?)

[truenorth]

"Why is original ink for my HP 6500 so expensive?" Because it is the practice of most (if not all) printer companies to induce you to buy their printer at a very low cost and hopefully have you purchase their propitiatory ink cartridges. By the way please note i did NOT say printer manufacturers because in many instances printers of various brands can be made in the same factory and branded differently. There are methods to minimize/avoid the high cost of brand associated cartridges but for various reasons starting with lack of consumer knowledge the alternatives are NOT known.Certainly the printer producers will never tell you about them as it would run counterproductive to their marketing strategy.
"Is it really the quantity of the Ink? I don't believe that. But I am not sure why." While it is hard to say in each and every case why you may encounter this (because there can be varying causes).It is a fact that for certain ink jet printers it can make a substantial difference in the print result (quality) depending on the properties of the "ink" in the cartridge. This is also a factor to be considered when purchasing bulk ink to perform your own refills.That is because due to the ink jet nozzles being of a certain size can be affected by ink that is too viscous or not viscous enough for the nozzles. I do not know all the brands and models that can be negatively influenced by the ink variance however in earlier Epson (may still be the case in current models) they were susceptible to that. If you were to become a customer of a bulk ink supplier you would find that for bulk ink purchases the brand (at least ) is a factor in the order.  Hope this helps,truenorth

[patio]

Is said topic a dead issue?)

For once google nailed it...

[quaxo]

It comes down to a number of things, but one of the main things is indeed the quality of the ink. While in appearance they might look the same, cheap ink is not equal to the stuff original cartridges are filled with.

First, there's color quality. Original inks tend to last longer before fading. While this isn't so important for your average printing (B&W documents, things people plan on tossing out eventually, etc.) it does matter when people want to print things that last, such as photos or documents they want to last long and still look good.

Second, it's been reported that some third party inks cause more clogs because of low quality ink. It's not to say that originals won't clog the heads, but it's less likely.

Finally, third party products (cartridges or tanks) aren't always made to the best of standards and sometimes leak, ruining the printer for the most part.

[Geek-9pm]

quaxo,
I just got some cheap ink for my HP 6500
I fear you are right.
The cheep carts leak and rewind my hardwood floor.
The HP carts never did that.

[umbra]

In my opinion they are so expensive because the producer ( hp for instance ) tries to get its money back for printer device.

Here in Romania i got an Canon printer for 40 euros and its inks (color one and balck/white one) were 20 euros, so if i will not refill the first inks next time when i will get new ones i will have my printer's price .

[quaxo]

quaxo,
I just got some cheap ink for my HP 6500
I fear you are right.
The cheep carts leak and rewind my hardwood floor.
The HP carts never did that.

It's very popular here in Thailand for people to use tank systems or clone/refilled cartridges simply because of the cost of originals (they cost as much as they do in the US).

You wouldn't believe the number of times I've had printers brought to me that had the tank system's tubes leak or clogged print heads or leaking cartridges. And given the time and cost to repair these printers, it's often cheaper just to get a new one. It gets on the rollers, feeders, gears, everything. Without being disassembled and completely cleaned, it will never print right again. Like I said before, I'm not saying original ink will never cause clogs or issues, it's just less frequent.

For printers that have a single print head (part of the printer, not the cartridges), replacing the print head is very expensive. I had a Canon Pixma 3300. Paid $100 for it, new. Used and abused it for years. Finally, after about 4 years, the black section of the print head clogged. Tried everything to unclog it but no luck. The print head was easy to remove with the lift of a lever. Called Canon and asked if I could get a new print head somewhere, to which they said I could, but it would cost $75. The printer was promptly sold for $10 to a junk dealer and I bought an HP Advant K109a-z, which has the cartridges with print heads built into them, so if one gets clogged, toss the cartridge and get another. So far, it hasn't let me down.

I still wouldn't use clone/refilled cartridges with my HP though, even though the print head clogging wouldn't be an issue. Still have to deal with leaks and cheap ink. Anyway, I would advise anyone that while the printer is still under warranty to use original cartridges so it doesn't void the warranty when something does go wrong.

[Ryuk]

How much do you pay?  I have to spend $60 for both cartridges but, I hardly print stuff.