[sf-lug] printer consumables & printing costs (inkjet, laser, ...)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Michael Paoli (Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu):

> So, ... ink cartridges, ... use 'em or not they need to be replaced
> moderately frequently, ... sometimes refilling can be done, but that's
> less reliable and takes more time/hassle (also a "cost" to one's time),
> so ... at my modest printing levels, I'd typically need to buy a replacement
> ink cartridge typically about once a year or so (it generally dried up /
> clogged, long before printing near the number of pages if I'd merely
> just started printing and continued to do so 'till the thing ran out of
> ink ... that would probably be like 500 to 600 pages for typical
> printing).

A couple of things I observed about the Epson Stylus [someththing] inkjet
printer my now-late mother bought, against my strong recommendation to
the contrary, in the middle 2000s:

1.  Mom talked herself into the purchase, in part, by saying she'd
normally print in B&W mode, hence rely only on the (cheaper and
higher-capacity) black ink cartridge, not the pricier three colour
cartridges.  It turned out, there was no way (at least on OS X) to
disable colour print mode.  If, say, Mom printed a Web page that had a
lot of red, then she chewed up a lot of red ink in doing so.

2.  We also noticed that if _any_ of the four ink cartridges ran low,
the printer automatically shifted into doorstop mode and refused to
print anything again until the low-on-ink cartridge got replaced,
whether it was needed for printing or not.

Ka-ching!


> Hewlett-Packard (hp) LaserJet Pro 200 color MFP M276nw
> Product No. CF145A

I'm actually not finding an entry in the OpenPrinting database for this
puppy, just for HP LaserJet Pro MFP m126nw (which of course might be a
close cousin).  I'm guessing that when you say 'Works fine with CUPS',
you mean you were able to download from HP's Web site an HPLIP filter
with required proprietary plug-in for it (that then worked in the CUPS
framework).

Everyone talking about this model for Linux deployments seems to have
said you need to download the HPLIP stuff, anyway.

At least, unlike the case with Mom's Epson inkjet, you can substitute in
a B&W toner cartridge and do actual B&W printing at B&W-toner prices.

> okay, peek on-line to refine cost ... $72.99 Black, $169.99 CMY 3-pack
> - and those are what appear to be HP MSRP prices (probably lower
> prices and/or lesser quality to be had, if one wishes / shops around).  

Dood!  You bet, much better pricing than that can be had.  HP-branded
printing supplies are priced for the 'money no object' people
(especially at full MSRP), and non-suckers seek alternatives.


> Also, I didn't calculate paper costs.

Costco is one's friend.  (If one cannot swing entry on one's own or a
friend's membersip, then Office Depot's reasonable.)