Author: "To HP's credit, it does list the maximum page yield, but that's only for black and white text and it's from a non-standardized measurement"
Wow research much?
Hp.com: "Page yield is the number of pages a user can print with a given printer and cartridge, based on certain assumptions. HP participated in, supported the development of, and adopted the ISO/IEC 24711 standard for determining inkjet printer page yields. HP participated in, supported the development of, and adopted the ISO/IEC 19752 and ISO/IEC 19798 standards for determining monochrome and color laser printer page yields."
HP uses a 5% coverage measurement, the exact same measurement, last I knew used, by EVERY printer company in the US, and darn near everyone in the WORLD. *For reference 5% coverage translates into about a double spaced text document.
Also have any of you worked retail? I see one guy here who said he owned his own shop, and since that is the closest I've seen, I'll answer my own question; NO you don't (lucky you). However that also means almost none of you have any idea what you are talking about. Instead you all are just spouting off about prices.
You want the 'truth' on ink?
Ink is roughly 50% margin retail (Depending on the cartridge some are less some more), that's right 50%. So for every $100 spent $50 goes to the retailer. On the flip side hardware has about a 5% - 7% margin, and if the printer is 'on sale' it is almost always sold at a net LOSS. The profits on ink are used offset the losses on the printers, but they are also used to pay my wages. I spend on any give shift about a quarter of my time assisting customers find the right ink for their machine. Be it on the phone, in-person or restocking ink on the shelves. I spend even more answering questions on printers, and other electronics (again those being sold at a loss)
Yes I'll give you OEM ink can be seen over priced, but refills are worse. Some refills are closer to 70% to 80% margin despite the lower price. Why is that? Well for a lot, not all, but quite a few refills use poor quality ink.
So now the next question: "Poor quality," but 'ink is ink' right? NO, NO, NO, and did I say 'NO'? Not all inks are the same, not by any measure. Years ago HP did list their fluid levels on the ink they sold, and guess what it DID confuse customers. Ink A in many cases can be twice as effective as ink B, so you only need half the amount to print the same number of pages. You also need to look at fade resistance, color quality, and of course water resistance.
In the end I have to agree ink is expensive, but HP isn't the Wall St CEO stealing your cash, and it isn't the retailer either. This truly is the 'razor blade' scenario you all mention: you get a discounted printer in exchange for buying ink over the next couple of years. The cost of ink is used to recoup the funds lost on the discount printer. That said this isn’t as lucrative a deal as you might think.
Example: You buy an HP printer on sale for $50 off. The retailer starts down about $40, and now needs you to buy $80 in ink just to break even. Depending usage, the average house hold prints 500-1000 pages a year, or about two sets of ink cartridges (Remember the first set is in the box). Complete change out is about $50 to $100 depending on the model. So in the first year that machine is a net zero. Once you factor in time spent by associates (stocking, pricing, cashiering) it could actually be a net loss for the year! So it takes at least two years of a working printer and you buying ink just for a retailer to make money.
There, I confirmed half of what was said, and contested the other half. Either way I hope I was able to provide some insight...
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