Here is a brief article from the Fresno Bee that just sums up the current state of affairs for consumers. It mentions the number of alternatives that more and more people are using, such as retailers like Cartridge World or else the availability of refilled cartridges in office superstores.

At CompUSA recently, you could buy a single Lexmark ink cartridge for $32.99, only $5 less than the price of an entire new printer.

That example starkly illustrates that while the price of most computer hardware has plunged over the years, the cost of ink supplies has barely budged.

That’s been a boon to companies like Hewlett-Packard Co., whose printing and imaging business accounted for 51% of HP’s operating profits in the most recent quarter.

This article is nice because it mentions how our industry is growing and is expected to double in size over the next three years. They also make reference to the HP-sponsored study from 2003 that said that basically half of refilled/remanufactured cartridges have problems, while also noting, importantly, that the quality and technology has improved over the years.

Not the most in-depth article ever, but a nice, simple view of things from the customer’s perspective.

Refilled printer ink cartridges become a big moneymaker [via Fresno Bee]

HP 57 Ink Cartrdiges at Pacific Ink

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