If you own an ink printer, you will know how expensive it is to fill it with ink. After all, it's just ink; how did it get to be so expensive? Let's take a look at the reasons for the high price of ink.
Contents1. “The production of printer ink is a complicated process”2. “Printer manufacturers sell printers at a loss”3. "Printing Companies Create a Captive Audience to Overcharge" What's Real? Think InkingUnsurprisingly, this is the argument made by printer manufacturers when asked about their high prices. They claim that the technology and research behind the creation of the printer ink justifies the high price.
However, companies take this “lost profit” and turn it into the price of printer ink. After all, people don't buy printers as much as ink, so overpricing ink means the manufacturer can recoup the money they lost on the printer.
So why do manufacturers sell printers at a loss? Simple:competition. If someone unfamiliar with ink costs has to choose between two similar printers, one underpriced at $30 and the other full price at $150, they will bring the old printer home. It doesn't matter that the old printer's ink is three times more expensive than the second one's – that initial sale is the most important part of winning a new customer.
This argument is used by consumers buying printers and ink. It is based on how modern printers can reject ink cartridges if they are not the manufacturer's brand of ink.
This creates a captive audience where the only way for the user to restock their ink is through the same people they purchased the printer from. This allows the manufacturer to set the high price because people are forced to buy their ink if they want to continue printing.
The strange thing about this scenario is that all three arguments have solid grounding. Ink cartridges are complicated to design and printer ink needs to work perfectly under different conditions. Manufacturers undersell their printers and make their money back through the sale of ink. Finally, printers lock ink cartridges so that only their own brand can be used.
As such, you could argue that these three elements contribute to the high price of ink. There is no single reason that we can state and state as the main reason; it's more of a byproduct of how printers work, how they're sold, and how manufacturers can legally exclude competitors from their products.
It's no surprise that printer ink is expensive, but what makes it so? It's likely a mix of several things that combine to command a high price for printer ink, with no reason being the most common.
Do you disagree with any of the arguments above or would you like to add more? Let us know below!
