How can it be that the toner for a laser printer actually costs more that the printer?

For example, a Hp laserjet costing 拢230, to buy the 4 toner cartridges for it add up to 拢360!! it would work out cheaper to purchase a new printer every time!!How can it be that the toner for a laser printer actually costs more that the printer?
Economic and business sense.


The printer runs out of ink.


The ink doesn't run out of printers.


When you run out of ink, you generally don't buy another printer...you buy replacement ink.


As far as I know, there is no universal cartridge for any type of printer and since ink cartridges are model specific and not interchangeable with other printers or models, you have to purchase the ink cartridge made specifically for whatever printer it is made for.


When you purchase a newer printer, check the cost of replacement cartrides and use that as one of your criteria as to which printer and model you will purchase.How can it be that the toner for a laser printer actually costs more that the printer?
Thanks.


It's hard to explain business and economics without having a degree or working knowledge of it but I do pretty good with managing my own $2. :-) (how do you signify a chuckle?) Report Abuse

I know. Its quite annoying. I have a lexmark printer and these cartridges are really expenisve. Try and find a cheaper equivalent if you can, or you can buy a refill kit although this may turn out messy.





There may be a company or a website that does refills or sells cartridges at a discount rate.
They lose money on the machine and make it through selling toner.





Its odd, but many business work like that. Ford show rooms create a loss - the cars they sell is less than the costs of operating a showroom. The make it all back and much more in servicing.
but 4 toners would last AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaages =)





refilling them is a better way.. all it is is toner powder anyway.
Quite often HP use 'starter Toners' on their new printers, these are not full capacity and will run out quicker, so in theory will be a lot cheaper then the replacements so keeping the cost of the new printer down.
Before buying any equipment, you should always look into the running and maintenance costs. Lasers have come down considerably in price but the cartridges and eventually the drum will prove very costly. Stick to colour inkjets. You can get good quality these days.
This is akin to the ';razor and blade'; marketing efforts. Shaving razor companies like Gilette sell the razor close to cost price, in order to make the profits up on the blades. Same thing with printer manufacturers. They appeal to you through an inexpensive printer, and make a killing on the cartridges. SInce cartridges are ';consumable';, they need to be replaced when they are used up, so the manufacturers KNOW you will be giving them more business as time goes on. When I say that they make a killing, you better believe it. In the case of INK, it costs a printer manufacturer such as HP or Lexmark about $5 per liter to manufacture the ink. They turn around and sell that liter for the equivalent of around $1000 (when you figure out how much ink is in a cartridge and do the math). That makes the ink they sell more expensive than Chanel perfume, and even more expensive than the most expensive bottle of wine. Did I mention that ink is around 75% water? Go figure.


If you want to be smart about ink and toner, consider buying DIY refill kits. These are great for laser toners, because toner cartridges have a very long wear and tear. For ink cartridges, those may be a little more troublesome because they wear out a little faster (since they have smaller components), but there are professional companies that offer refill services or sell professionally pre-filled cartridges. You can try an msn search for ';toner refills'; or ';ink refills';. The ones that stand out are Uni-Kit brand (manufacturer of refill kits), or www.123refills.net (website that resells preofessionally refilled cartridges, refill kits and refill services). Not to mention refilling is good for the environment.