The first page of the Deskjet 5550 review reads in regards to the ink cartridges, "The downside is that they do not last as long, but costs per page have nonetheless dropped."
The review seems to convey the idea that the cost per page has dropped compared to the previous generation of Deskjet printers, namely the 900 series. This notion appears to be flawed.
If you visit http://www.hpshopping.com and look for the HP 45 black ink cartridge (51645A), you'll notice that the cartridge contains 42mL of ink. The HP 45 black cartridge is used in the majority of the 900-series Deskjet printers, except for the Deskjet 920C and 940C. This cartridge contains 42mL of ink and costs US$29.99. This translates to about $0.71 per mL.
The new Deskjet 5550 printer uses the HP 56 black ink cartridge (C6656AN). The cartridge contains only 19mL of ink, yet costs $19.99. Again, with some simple math, each mL costs about $1.05. Clearly, the HP 56 cartridge costs more per mL than the previous generation of Deskjet printers. So how can the cost per page have dropped?
Same thing with the color cartridges. The HP 78 tri-color cartridge (C6578DN) used in the Deskjet 900-series costs $34.99 and its volume is 19mL. The HP 57 tri-color cartridge (C6657AN) used in the Deskjet 5550 costs the same $34.99 but contains 17mL of ink. Again, we see the same thing: the cost per mL is higher than the previous generation of cartridges.
Unless the Deskjet 5550's driver or hardware has been updated to allow the printer to use less ink while achieving the same print quality, I can't see how the cost per page has gone down.
The review seems to convey the idea that the cost per page has dropped compared to the previous generation of Deskjet printers, namely the 900 series. This notion appears to be flawed.
If you visit http://www.hpshopping.com and look for the HP 45 black ink cartridge (51645A), you'll notice that the cartridge contains 42mL of ink. The HP 45 black cartridge is used in the majority of the 900-series Deskjet printers, except for the Deskjet 920C and 940C. This cartridge contains 42mL of ink and costs US$29.99. This translates to about $0.71 per mL.
The new Deskjet 5550 printer uses the HP 56 black ink cartridge (C6656AN). The cartridge contains only 19mL of ink, yet costs $19.99. Again, with some simple math, each mL costs about $1.05. Clearly, the HP 56 cartridge costs more per mL than the previous generation of Deskjet printers. So how can the cost per page have dropped?
Same thing with the color cartridges. The HP 78 tri-color cartridge (C6578DN) used in the Deskjet 900-series costs $34.99 and its volume is 19mL. The HP 57 tri-color cartridge (C6657AN) used in the Deskjet 5550 costs the same $34.99 but contains 17mL of ink. Again, we see the same thing: the cost per mL is higher than the previous generation of cartridges.
Unless the Deskjet 5550's driver or hardware has been updated to allow the printer to use less ink while achieving the same print quality, I can't see how the cost per page has gone down.