Is it a recognized business module to sell very cheap printers while charging a lot for the ink cartridges, and is it a form of gambling?

Question

Kind of like some printer manufacturers would spend  a fair amount of money making these inferior printers in the hopes they can recuperate the costs by customers paying through the nose when it comes to catridges?

I'm actually smarter than that because I bought an ink tank printer for $300 that actually comes out much cheaper in the long run with its $15 ink  bottles, as opposed to buying $40 - $50 on ink cartridges that will either leak or dry out before the consumer can even use half of it.

Spock (rhp) · Answer

yup.  this has been going on for decades in other products -- the notable example is razor blades and the handles they fit

Robert J · Answer

Yes, it's standard practice with many types of inkjet printers - a "Losing leader" system where the makers lose money on the initial product, but make it back by selling the ludicrously expensive ink.
The first set of replacement cartridges often cost more than the original printer.

As you have found, getting a better / more expensive type to start with can often work out far cheaper in the long run.

We switched to colour laser printers around ten years ago. They still work fine, they cost a fraction of what an inkjet would in supplies and they print vastly quicker, just a couple of seconds a page regardless of whats on it.

Is it a recognized business module to sell very cheap printers while charging a lot for the ink cartridges, and is it a form of gambling?

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