Can you save by spending more on a printer?

Posted: 4th Oct 2011

Worried about the cost of ink when it comes to printing out holiday snaps? Kodak has come up with an unusual idea to help you save money: spend more on the printer itself.

Printer ink is infamous for its cost. Drop for drop, it can be one of the most expensive liquids on the planet, and it can seem shocking if you go to refill your cartridges and discover that replacements can cost almost as much as a new printer itself.

Before you get angry, though, there’s a couple of things it’s worth bearing in mind.

Ink jet printers are enormously sophisticated devices, capable of spraying imperceptibly small droplets of colour on to a page with mind boggling accuracy.

The research that goes into developing print head technology and the right ink mixture is expensive for the manufacturers, who often operate on an unusual business model.

Actual printers are often sold at a loss – it costs more to make than you pay for it in store. Investment is recouped and profits made on replacement ink cartridges, hence the high prices.

Kodak, however, says that it charges more for its printers and therefore less for its inks. If you print a lot, the company says, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run.

It’s done some sums and says that 40% of people would be better off buying a more expensive printer with cheaper inks.

You’ll need to do the maths yourself, but it’s certainly worth bearing in mind next time you upgrade your printer.

Of course, if you don’t print that often or mainly print photos, you may well be better off not buying a printer at all. For photos it’s often much cheaper to get them developed with an online service.